Oil Deaeration
Oil Deaeration
(OP)
I am mostly just looking for some good ideas on how to remove entrained air from oil while filling a bearing assembly.
The application is downhole oilfield tools.
Currently tools are filled with three different types of oil. Their viscosities range from 46-460 cSt @ 40 degrees celsius.
During the fill procedure, oil is pumped out of a barrel into a port on one end of the housing. The oil fills the housing and flows back out of the return line and back into the barrel. The pump used is just a standard pneumatic transfer pump. Currently oil is circulated for about tenty minutes through the housing. While one end of the assmebly itself is raised and lowered. All in an attempt to remove air.
Pressure during the fill is low for most of the procedure but at one point the return line is closed and the bearing assembly is pressured to approximately 80 psi to set a floating piston that seals the bearing assembly at one end.
I have seen some inline deaeration devices for fuel oil but the pressure ratings are too low and I am not sure how the increase in viscosity would affect their function. It would be possible to bypass the dearator for the piston setting then circulate at low pressure after.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
The application is downhole oilfield tools.
Currently tools are filled with three different types of oil. Their viscosities range from 46-460 cSt @ 40 degrees celsius.
During the fill procedure, oil is pumped out of a barrel into a port on one end of the housing. The oil fills the housing and flows back out of the return line and back into the barrel. The pump used is just a standard pneumatic transfer pump. Currently oil is circulated for about tenty minutes through the housing. While one end of the assmebly itself is raised and lowered. All in an attempt to remove air.
Pressure during the fill is low for most of the procedure but at one point the return line is closed and the bearing assembly is pressured to approximately 80 psi to set a floating piston that seals the bearing assembly at one end.
I have seen some inline deaeration devices for fuel oil but the pressure ratings are too low and I am not sure how the increase in viscosity would affect their function. It would be possible to bypass the dearator for the piston setting then circulate at low pressure after.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks





RE: Oil Deaeration
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"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world's energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies) http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/
RE: Oil Deaeration
I am more concerned with the air that is entrained as bubbles within the oil itself.
RE: Oil Deaeration
also you did not mention about how your return line is routed-make sure it is terminated below the lowest fluid level. Hopefully I've understood your post and maybe this will help. If you need more details your can email me
twilson@nucor-yamato.com
Tom
RE: Oil Deaeration
**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world's energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies) http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/
RE: Oil Deaeration
We have a vacuum pump that someone bought for R&D but no one used I might try that.
RE: Oil Deaeration
Be careful with vacuums, what's the oil temp?
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"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world's energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies) http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/
RE: Oil Deaeration
Currently the oil that is used is in a barrel. We have wheeled carts that the barrels are placed on. The transfer pump is then setup through the standard bung on top of the barrel. The return line is then setup through the other bung.
With this setup maybe a tank like Maytag suggested built into the cart might be a good idea. The volume of oil going into most of these tools isn't that large. They are sealed bearing assemblies for mud motors.
I had seen some in-line deaeration devices so I was curious about them since they aren't something I have ever seen before.
RE: Oil Deaeration
http://w
I don't know if it is available on the market. A short search found nothing.
Ted
RE: Oil Deaeration
http://www.opussystem.com/
Web site isn't too bad and they have a catalogue on there. It looks as though they have one that is in the size range I was looking for. Hopefully it isn't too much money.
Thanks for all your suggestions everyone.
RE: Oil Deaeration
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RE: Oil Deaeration
If you arent familiar with them basically they allow a certain amount of leakage of oil to maintain the seal while the tool rotates.
I think that the entrained air is helping to contribute to seal failures.
RE: Oil Deaeration
Ted
RE: Oil Deaeration
RE: Oil Deaeration
Ed Danzer
www.danzcoinc.com
www.dehyds.com
RE: Oil Deaeration
Second, if there are air pockets, you may be getting air entrainment during the high pressure cycle. If so, I would do the high pressure early in the fill cycle and then flush/circulate enough to remove the oil that may have picked up air during the high pressure phase.
Use one barrel to fill and another for the return. After the tool is filled, worry about removing the possible entrained air from the return barrel.
Re; vacuum. Have you considered vacuum on the tool and then breaking the vacuum with the fill oil? Possibly a coating of oil on the outside of the shaft to aid sealing and inhibit drawing air past the seals.
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter