properties. These addi-
tives can, however, be
washed out or removed
by water contamination,
chemically altering and
leaving the oil underper-
forming,” he added.
In numerous tests run
by Filter Focus on the
Vacuum Dehydrator, re-
sults have been impressive
to date. FitzGerald stated that, during an in-house test whereby
a standalone tank of lubricating gear oil was purposely con-
taminated with water, independent oil analysis showed that
the initial state of the oil had 4,7 percent (47 000 ppm) water
content.
A second sample was taken after eight hours of Vacuum
Dehydration and showed an improvement in water contamina-
tion to only 124 ppm. After placing a Filter Focus proprietary
filtration system to the outlet of the Vacuum Dehydrator, results
showed an improvement with a further reduction to 39 ppm
water content, which is regarded as negligible, as this is drier
than unused bulk oil supplies.
Filter Focus recently exhibited
the company’s Vacuum Dehy-
drator at the 86th annual South African Sugar Technologists’
Association (SASTA) Conference in Durban.
Filter Focus COO, Craig FitzGerald pointed out that the com-
pany's Vacuum Dehydrator can greatly assist the local sugar
industry in combating the effects of emulsified, free and dis-
solved water in oil. "Water contamination is present in almost
every sugar processing plant, and the numerous problems
associated with this kind of contamination are vast."
FitzGerald explained that the Vacuum Dehydrator, which
was developed in-house by Filter Focus in 2010, has the ability
to rapidly remove all water, gases and acids from oil. "Wet or
emulsified oil is drawn into the system under vacuum. This
provides the ideal environment to quickly and effectively evapo-
rate dissolved water and gases."
According to FitzGerald, all vapours and gases enter a
condensation unit and are released into the water receiver
where cleaner and drier oil is then passed back to the oil tank.
"Depending on the volume of water contamination, multiple
passes will be required to achieve target dehydration levels,"
he continued.
FitzGerald indicated that water contamination in systems
promotes oxidation, and can lead to failures in components
such as bearings and shaft journals, as well as the jamming of
mechanisms such as pilot valves, trip cylinders and hydraulic
pistons. "Additives are contained in oil to improve lubricating
separation/filtration technologies
Filter Focus at the 2013 SASTA Conference
For more information contact Craig FitzGerald on tel: +27 11 466
1268; email:
; or go to
FOCUS
