During the use of lubricating oil, there have been cases where the lubricating oil or hydraulic oil became turbid and milky, and the viscosity of the lubricating oil changed greatly. In fact, this is the emulsification of the oil. Lubricating oil emulsification is the action of a liquid evenly dispersed in another liquid that is immiscible with tiny droplets. It should use professional Vacuum Lubricating Oil Purifier to break emulsification and remove the water.

Why the lubricating oil is emulsified.

The presence of water in the lubricating oil will accelerate the aging of the oil and produce emulsification; at the same time, it will interact with the additives in the oil to promote its decomposition and cause the equipment to rust. Air dissolved in the oil, especially at high temperatures, will accelerate the oxidation and deterioration of the oil. During the operation of the steam turbine, the naphthenic acid soaps, colloids and other substances produced by the gasification and deterioration of the oil are all emulsifiers, which make the oil easier to emulsify. The emulsification of steam turbine oil is also related to the performance of additives in the oil. Turbine oil additives (such as antioxidants and rust inhibitors) are mostly compounds or mixtures with a certain surface activity. When the steam turbine rotates at a high speed, the oil and water are vigorously and fully stirred and become an opaque liquid. At this time, the hydrophilic polar groups have the opportunity to fully affinity with water, and when the affinity is high, they will bind firmly with water.

There are three main forms of water in oil:

(1) Free water (or sedimented water). Water is free in the oil in the form of water droplets, or settles on the bottom of equipment and containers. Although it usually does not affect the breakdown voltage of the oil, it is not allowed because it indicates that the oil has dissolved water in the oil. The water settled at the bottom of equipment and containers can be directly discharged or disposed of, which is not harmful.

(2) Dissolve water. The presence of dissolved water (water-in-oil, oil-in-water) can easily cause the emulsified water of the oil to dissolve in the oil as extremely fine particles, usually from the air into the oil, which indicates that the oil has been contaminated and is in operation. A small amount of water is generated during oil oxidation, and dissolved water can drastically reduce the breakdown voltage of the oil. When a high temperature occurs between the coil and the iron core of the transformer, the dissolved water will turn into a steam state, and when the water comes into contact with cold oil, it will form dissolved water. If you want to completely remove the dissolved water, you can use a high vacuum atomization method to remove it at a certain temperature, which is often called Vacuum Oil Purifier

(3) Emulsified water. Refers to the mixture of oil and ultra-fine water droplets (atomized water droplets). The oil is in the form of an emulsion. Whether it is heated, filtered, or clarified, such water droplets cannot be separated from the oil. Only under certain conditions can the oil and water be separated by adding suitable demulsifiers. Emulsified water is the most harmful to oil.

2. Restore after filtering the lubricating oil:

It is not terrible to find that the water in the oil or the emulsification of the lubricating oil is actually not terrible. We must immediately avoid the long-term coexistence of water and mechanical impurities with the oil, which will easily accelerate the oxidation of the oil and increase its pollution. In fact, lubricating oil with serious emulsification or water ingress can be demulsified, dehydrated, filtered and purified in time through the Vacuum Lubricating Oil Purifier. After the oil is processed, the moisture value, mechanical impurity content and viscosity value can be comprehensively tested. Generally, these values are up to the standard, and the oil can be recycled.