Candle filter element used in marine hydraulic filter
Candle filter element used in marine hydraulic filter
Fuel- and Oil filter
The reliable processing and cleaning of fuels, such as heavy oil, marine diesel, liquid gas (LNG), as well as the lubricants, provide a reduction in damage to engines and even engine failures. Failures in freight shipping costs shipping companies much money. The use of automatic back flushing filters induced less effort in time for maintenance, as well as low service costs.
Hydraulic Filter
Hydraulic filters are handy for removing solid contamination from lube and fuel oil systems of marine machinery. Without filters in the lube or fuel oil system, the internal machinery parts, bearings, piston, rings, liners, etc. can get damaged, which will result in the inefficient working of the machinery.
one of types: Fine Mesh Screen Filter: It is the most commonly used filter in lube and fuel oil systems on board. It can be used both on suction and discharge side of the system. It is used in cylinder lube oil line, main engine and auxiliary engine fuel oil line & diesel oil line, boiler fuel oil line and in different lube oil systems on board, etc.
Function of Lubricating oil filters for a marine diesel engine - how it works
Lubricating Oil Filters: The lubrication system of an engine provides a supply of lubricating oil to the various moving parts in the engine. Its main function is to enable the formation of a film of oil between the moving parts, which reduces friction and wear. The lubricating oil is also used as a cleaner and in some engines as a coolant.
Lubricating oil filters can be found both on the suction and discharge sides of the lubricating oil pump dependent on the installation and type of engine or engines. Their maintenance is absolutely critical to the life expectancy of the crankshaft and its bearings, which depends entirely on an uninterrupted supply of clean and correctly filtered oil.
The lubricating oil filter is the final barrier preventing particulate matter (solid impurities) from reaching the engine bearings. If the particulate size is greater than the hydrodynamic film thickness, i.e. (0.002 to 0.007 mm) then mechanical damage will occur to the bearing shell wearing surfaces and the journal and crankpin surfaces of the crankshaft. It is a fact that failure to maintain an adequate flow of clean lubricating oil will lead to bearing failure and possible severe damage to the crankshaft.
How to clean the candle filter elements
It is imperative that the long, small diameter, filter candles as used in Boll & Kirch type filters are cleaned strictly according to the makers’ instructions. Under no circumstances must dirty cleaning fluid be allowed to flow into the open clean side of the filter candle as it is almost impossible to get dirt out again either by blowing or flushing. Such dirt/impurities, however, will almost certainly find its way directly into the engine once the filter element is back in service.
Therefore, when hand-cleaning, the filter candles must stand upright in the cleaning tank (not lying on the bottom) and the fluid level in the cleaning tank must be low enough to ensure no fluid flows into the clean side of the candles. Actual cleaning is done by blowing the filter candles with compressed air cleaning gun from the inside of the filter. The cleaning tank must only be used for cleaning filter candles and for no other cleaning work.
On many vessels, the actual cleaning work is usually left to people who do not always realise the importance of proper cleaning, servicing and assembly of sophisticated lub oil filters. It is therefore most important that the Chief Engineer ensures and organises total quality control on this service work. If no strict quality control is carried out the filters may actually cause damage to the engine which they are meant to protect.
For this and other mesh-type lub filters, the cleaning procedures on board are to be carefully monitored and verified and any substandard cleaning immediately corrected. Proper assembly and checking that the clean and dirty side of the filter elements are positively sealed against each other (o-ring, gaskets etc. in good order) is essential. Careful study of the filter maker’s instructions and manuals is essential for anybody entrusted with cleaning, servicing and quality control on board.
Back flush automatic oil filter module
Fig: Back flush automatic oil filter module
After cleaning, the cleanliness and condition are to be carefully checked and any elements replaced should the filter-mesh be damaged.
Throw-away filter cartridges made from cellulose or similar material must never be cleaned and reused. These filters must be discarded when dirty and new cartridges fitted. The use of lubricating oil filter by-pass valves is for emergency operation only and must never be opened during routine starting or running conditions.
Particular care must be taken during refitting of filtering cartridges, to ensure that gasket, compression springs etc. are in position and in good condition, in order to avoid any oil bypassing the filtering mesh. Indications of pressure drops and alarms must be maintained operational and must be tested according to maker’s recommendations.
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