Patent Pending Vacuum Tower Eliminates Foaming for Improved Water Removal

We are excited to announce our patent pending vacuum tower oil purifier design!

This unique design incorporates a larger surface area and more residency time, which enables the fluid product to achieve high-efficiency gas removal rates as it enters the vacuum tower. Once the fluid has been degassed and dehydrated in the vacuum tower, the oil is pumped downstream for removal of its 1 micron and greater sized particulates.

Our patent pending vacuum tower virtually eliminates foam from your systems to allow you to operate at a higher vacuum level and significantly improve your water removal rates while still providing stable operation.

Our Vacuum Oil Purifiers and Filtration Systems were developed specifically to solve this wide array of contamination issues seen so frequently within refined hydrocarbon and petroleum products.

The reason Vacuum Oil Purifiers are so effective in removing most forms of contamination is because they use both a vacuum and a specific temperature setting to expel contaminants in the form of a gas, while the desired petroleum product remains as it is in its original liquid form.

These are now available to rent. Call 800-770-4510  to rent today!

Why should I invest in hydraulic oil filtration systems?

There are a number of reasons why filtration systems are a great investment for preventative maintenance.

According to Caterpillar, the number one cause of hydraulic system failure is often just dirt and contamination, but these seemingly small problems usually lead to much bigger problems for the company. In fact, according to the bearings division of TRW, “contamination is the number one cause of bearing damage that leads to premature removal.”

Case Corporation later highlighted that “one thing holds true about hydraulic systems: They must be kept clean— spotlessly clean— in order to achieve the productivity they are capable of.”

To add to the importance of system maintenance, Massachusetts Institute of Technology stated that “6-7% of Gross National Product is required just to repair the damage caused by mechanical wear,” which occurs as a result of contamination.

Oklahoma State University also concluded that when fluid is maintained 10 times cleaner, hydraulic pump life can be extended by up to 50 times. Cleaner machinery ultimately leads to higher profit for the company. Our number one goal is to help increase profitability for our customers, and our high-quality system maintenance will help them achieve this.

These are the driving forces behind why Hydrocarbon Filtration maintains strong synergy for finding solutions to our customer’s fluid cleanliness problems.

Our rental filtration equipment is designed to remove contaminants from fluids like oils, fuels, chemicals, solvents, machine and engine coolants, and even water.

This contamination is not only responsible for a large amount of machine wear and downtime to your machines, but can be detrimental to many plant processes.

Learn more about our rental equipment or call us for information: 800-770-4510 

What is varnish and why should I care about it?

Varnish is a thin, insoluble film deposit that usually forms on fluid-wetted surfaces inside a turbine lube system, and even on bearings and servo valves.

Varnish is comprised of a wide range of oil additives and high molecular weight thermo-oxidative fluid breakdown compounds that have limited solvency in the base fluid. These compounds are polar in nature and begin to migrate from the base fluid to the wetted surfaces over time, depending on the system and fluid conditions and their polar affinities. The chemical compositions of these insoluble materials may vary depending on the turbine operating conditions or the fluid base stock and additive type.

Initially, these surfaces show up as a gold or tan color and build up to darker gum like layers that eventually develop into a hard, lacquer-like material.

Why Varnish Matters

Varnish is hard to remove and cause ongoing issues for system internals. Some noticeable side-effects of varnish include:

  • Oil that is hard to reclaim or bring down to desired ISO count levels
  • Sticky valves
  • Repeated failure of sensitive internals
  • High contamination levels even after an oil change

In order to address these issues, varnish must be removed from inside your piping, reservoirs and equipment internals.

How to Remove Varnish

Varnish can be removed using several different technologies. We offer Varnish Absorption Skids for rent, but you will want professional assistance in planning a varnish mitigation effort and running the equipment.

A basic overview of varnish removal is:

  1. Analysis to determine current varnish and contamination levels
  2. System cleaner is circulated in the system for a pre-determined amount of time
  3. The system is emptied and reservoirs and cleaned
  4. Filters are changed and base oil is used to charge the system for continued circulation
  5. The system is drained, filters are changed again, and fresh oil is added
  6. A final check is performed
  7. If needed – a Varnish Absorption Skid for continuous side-stream circulation is setup to continue removing varnish over a set period of time.
  8. If VAS is used, additional testing will happen periodically until desired ISO levels are achieved.

For more information on varnish removal, see this whitepaper or call us: 800-770-4510