How Does Air Oil Separator Work?

Adequate air and oil control is essential for successful operations in the mechanical sector. Knowing air oil separators is crucial in this regard. But how does air oil separator work in a vehicle?

Midwest Aftermarket helps you examine how does air oil separator work and its advantages. You will also learn the procedures involved in separating oil from air.

A Brief Overview of AOS 

Before oil is released into the environment or recirculated inside an engine system, it must pass through an air oil separator or oil demister first. This is an explanation of how it works:

Mechanical Filtration

Mechanical filtration is the main mechanism used in air oil separators. The air-oil combination travels through several filters before entering the separator. These filters are made expressly to collect and hold onto oil droplets while letting clean air flow through.

Coalescing Principle

Inside the separator, there are media or coalescing components. These components help the mechanical filters catch the oil droplets more efficiently by combining smaller ones into bigger ones. The process of coalescing, which is based on the surface tension principle, causes oil droplets to clump together to create bigger droplets that are easier to separate from the air.

Gravity Separation

In specific designs, gravity aids the separating process. Gravity causes the oil droplets to naturally settle at the separator's bottom as they combine and become heavier. As a result, extracting the accumulated oil is made more accessible.

Drainage System

Air oil separators are designed with drainage systems to make extracting the separated oil easier. Effective separator draining guarantees that the gathered oil doesn't reenter the air stream.

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The Benefits of Air Oil Separators

The advantages of air oil separators are as follows:

Better Air Quality

In industrial settings, separators help create cleaner air by eliminating oil droplets from the atmosphere. This is especially crucial in situations when air pollution might harm health or impair machinery's functionality.

Extended Equipment Life

Oil pollution can negatively impact the functionality and durability of machinery and equipment. By keeping oil from reaching delicate parts, air oil separators can lower this danger, extending equipment life and requiring less maintenance.

Environmental Protection

Air oil separators contribute to environmental protection and equipment safety. These devices lessen the ecological effect of industrial activities and help avoid pollution by catching oil before it is discharged into the sky.

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How Do You Separate Oil from Air?

Although air oil separators are a valuable tool for separating oil from air, there are alternative techniques used in different contexts:

Cyclonic Separation

This technique separates oil droplets from air using centrifugal force. The combination of air and oil is injected into a chamber and made to spin quickly. Clean air can depart the chamber through the center as the heavier oil droplets are ejected to the chamber's outer walls.

Absorption

In some situations, absorption techniques can be used to extract oil from the air. The air must be passed through the materials or filters to absorb the oil molecules from the air. These materials or filters have a high affinity for oil.

Membrane Filtration

Oil droplets may be physically separated from air using membrane filters with specific pore diameters. Clean air travels through the barrier, while oil droplets are retained according to size.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how does air oil separator work is a crucial skill in various industrial contexts. They preserve the environment, safeguard machinery, and ensure air quality. Make knowledgeable choices about integrating them into your automobiles. Several techniques isolate oil from air, each tailored to particular needs and uses.