Blue oil mist is an unwelcome by-product of industrial work in the energy sector. Contec specialises in high-powered, energy efficient and environmentally friendly oil mist filtration systems that reduce health risks and are an inexpensive alternative to traditional exhaust piping.
The high concentrations of blue oil mist produced by industrial production can result in health risks and environmental pollution. This applies particularly to large workshops and factories in which rotating machines such as wheel mechanisms, gas and steam turbines, turbo units or compressors for producing energy or compressed air are used.
The importance of emission reduction and energy efficiency has prompted the government to stipulate maximum pollution levels for these plants. With contec oil mist separators (COMS) these levels can be reliably maintained and high-quality lubrication oil is continuously regained. The separators fulfill all statutory
requirements and the air quality produced is far higher than minimum levels stipulated by German TA clean air standards.
High-powered filters with glass fibre fleece elements have proven their worth when it comes to separating oil mist from the exhaust air produced by rotating machines. The requirement for truly clean air, however, is that the system pressure present or the excess pressure produced by the machine itself must be sufficient to overcome the pressure loss of the filter.
This is not the case with many machines, particularly in certain individual applications or under unfavorable operating conditions. For this reason exhaust air with a high concentration of oil is sometimes still discharged into the atmosphere through the roof of factories or workshops using complex, expensive pipe systems – shifting the problem, but not solving it.
The contec solution
The solution is a blower that extracts air containing oil mist and discharges it through the filter. This blower should always be installed on the clean side, i.e. behind the filter. This will help to prevent a malfunctioning of the filtration system.
Side-channel blowers have proven to be very successful in this case. They work reliably, have an optimal flow/pressure ratio and are relatively inexpensive. The appropriate filter elements have been designed
specifically for this application. The exhaust air filtered in this manner is completely dry and clean from a technical point of view. It can remain inside the plant without any risk whatsoever, making complex, expensive exhaust pipe systems a thing of the past.
Contec’s filters are 99.98% effective at a droplet size of 0.1μ, residual oil content below 0.1 mg/m³ and no particles between 0.2 µm and 0.9 µm in clean gas. This means that the air is far cleaner than that required by German TA clean air standards. The COMS were awarded the Environmental Technology Award already in 1990. Thanks to their extremely compact design, the COMS can easily be applied in difficult or tight installation conditions.
The oil that has been separated and regained is also entirely clean and can be lead back to the oil tank through the oil drainage system. The long service life of the filter elements (at least one year) and the automatic recirculation of the oil mean that the contec oil mist separating system requires little maintenance and, thanks to its compact design, is suitable for use in difficult installation positions. The quick-action fasteners on the cover also mean filter elements are easy to replace.