Oil degradation – such as oxidation products, resin, sludge and varnish – is a common problem in many industries. When oil is being used in a machine, it will degrade over a period of time, depending on the type of oil, the temperature, operational conditions and the environment.
Oil degradation can have negative effects on lubrication and hydraulic system, and may result in corrosion, sticking valves, lacquering and varnish on metal surfaces. These problems may result in serious consequences for the performance of the machinery, and may reduce the reliability of the machines.
Documented results clearly demonstrate that removing oil degradation products eliminates unplanned production stops dramatically, increases the reliability and lifetime of expensive components.
Why is CJC® Filtration the best choice?
The cellulose used in CJC Filter Inserts is a refined blend of very specific types of cellulose that is manufactured to strict quality standards to deliver the very possible filtration efficiency for particles and moisture, but unlike synthetic fibres commonly used in other high-efficiency pleated type filter elements, the cellulose fibres also offer extremely efficient filtration of oil degradation by-products. The natural cellulose fibres used in the CJC Filter Inserts use the principle of Van der Waals force to attract both very small nanoparticles and oil degradation by-products, Van der Waals force in simplistic terms is the electrostatic attractive force of the cellulose fibres that attract and hold the contaminants to the surface of the cellulose fibres. The contaminants are then held within the filtration media instead of passing through the media because they are smaller in size the oil pathway between the fibres, when oil degradation by-products are attracted to the cellulose fibres the fibres will absorb the commonly referred to as soft contaminants into the core of the fibres similar to a fluid filling a drinking straw. Once the cellulose has absorbed the soft contaminants they are held and will not be released regardless of oil temperatures. This process of removing the soft contaminants from the oil will lead to the lower of saturation level of soft contaminants in the oil, once lowered the clean oil washes over previously distributed varnish in the system dissolving the varnish layers until for further filtration of the oil until both the oil and the system are bought to acceptable levels.
When operating a larger capacity system or in systems that are prone to higher levels of oil degradation like a Gas Turbine or Compressor then the CJC Varnish Removal Unit (VRU) is available, the CJC VRU offers much higher efficiency of removal of soft contaminants and deposited varnish. By refrigerating the oil to very low temperatures and ensuring that the oil in the filter housing always maintains the low temperatures, almost all soft contaminants are shed from the oil and filtered as solid particles. Because the temperature is maintained in the filter housing the filtered contaminants remain in the filter until the inserts are replaced they will not be released back into the oil system. Oil returning to the system passes through a heat exchanger and is reheated before being returned to the system.
The advantage of both methods of filtration using CJC Filtration Technologies is that the filtration is possible 24/7, 365 days a year while the system is operating or in stand-by and independent of oil temperature changes which are not possible with many traditional forms of filtration.
To learn more please find our article on how CJC Treats Varnish located here.
CJC® SYSTEM SOLUTIONS
HDU Fine Filter
VRU Varnish Removal Unit
CJC® Fine Filters are offline oil filtration solutions with integrated circulating pumps for off-line installation. The filters are recognized around the world as highly efficient purification systems for applications involving hydraulic oil, lubrication oil, gear oil, quenching oil, phosphate esters and more.
CJC® Fine Filters are ideal for controlling oil contamination levels for particles, water and degradation products (oxidation resin/sludge, varnish).
While all CJC® Offline Cellulose Filters work by utilizing the principle of polar attraction for retaining varnish, the CJC® Varnish Removal Unit takes it one step further. The optimized filtration process inside the VRU unit captures both dissolved and suspended soft contaminants from the oil. The unit is so effective that the oil is returned to the system tank – in only one pass – as almost completely varnish free oil.
The oil and the additives will continue to clean all system components in contact with lubricant until a completely varnish free system is reached. The CJC® Varnish Removal Unit will not harm your additives in the oil.