Industrial Oil Reconditioning via Selective Impurity Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying industrial oils often remove both impurities and functional additives, limiting the reuse and recycling of industrial oils, and do not efficiently conserve natural resources or reduce environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing a liquid separation booster that attracts impurities while being passive to specific additives, allowing for the separation of impurities from industrial oils without removing additives, and includes a system for analyzing and replenishing depleted additives to extend the oil's reuse life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If industrial oil is purified to extend reuse life, then resource conservation is improved, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separation booster enables the oil purification system to be self-service by automatically selecting and binding to impurities without requiring complex control systems. The chemical affinity between the booster and impurities drives the separation process autonomously, reducing the need for sophisticated monitoring and control infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The purification process utilizes parameter changes in the chemical properties of the separation booster, such as solubility and binding affinity, to achieve selective impurity removal. By adjusting parameters like temperature, pH, or booster concentration, the system optimizes purification effectiveness while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Loss of substance
If conventional re-refining processes are used, then oil purification is achieved, but harmful emissions are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces conventional mechanical and thermal re-refining processes with a chemical separation approach using a separation booster. This substitution eliminates high-temperature heating and complex mechanical separation equipment, thereby preventing harmful emissions while achieving effective purification through selective chemical binding and simple phase separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively removes impurities from industrial oils without removing functional additives, enabling longer reuse and reducing environmental impact by conserving oil resources and avoiding harmful emissions associated with re-refining processes.
Implementation Method 1
adding a liquid separation booster to the used industrial oil, wherein said separation booster is designed to attract impurities in the used oil and to be passive with respect to, i.e. not attract, at least one specific (functional) additive in the used oil
Implementation Method 2
The contaminated oil can be purified, or recovered, using a liquid two-phase separation process, wherein a liquid separation aid is added to the oil and mixed therewith. Impurities will be captured by the separation aid and can for example accumulate in a bottom phase.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for reconditioning an industrial oil and in an oil recovery system therefor, a used industrial oil is reconditioned by adding a liquid separation booster to the used industrial oil, and then the separation booster with attracted impurities is separated from the used industrial oil while leaving at least one specific additive in the oil. The separation booster is designed to attract impurities in the used oil while not attracting at least one specific additive in the oil.