Patent EA-002995-B1 (EA)
Title: Lubricating oil reconditioning system
Inventor: DEPAUL MICHAEL T
IPC: F01M11/03
Filed: 1999-01-12
Abstract: 1. Apparatus for removing volatiles from engine oil comprising in combination: (a) a housing 59 that defines an interior chamber 83; (b) a generally symmetrical dome-configured structure 64 having an upper region that is located in said chamber 83 and having lower peripheral base regions that are mounted generally transversely across lower portions of said housing 59; (c) thermostatically controlled electrical heating means 66 for heating said dome- configured structure 64; (d) input orifice means 58 defined in said housing 59 for delivering said oil into said chamber 83 and upon said upper regions whereby said so delivered oil flows downwards over said dome-configured structure 64 to said lower peripheral base regions; (e) vapor exit port means 37 defined in said housing 59 for venting from said chamber 83 vapors generated in said chamber 83 from said so delivered oil; and (f) oil exit port means 36 defined in said housing 59 adjacent to said lower peripheral base regions whereby said oil that so flows downwards over said dome-configured structure 64 to said lower peripheral base regions exits from said chamber 83. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein interior surface areas of said lower portions 63 of said housing 59, that are laterally adjacent outside portions of said lower peripheral base regions of said dome-configured structure 64, are outwardly, conically, progressively and downwardly tapered towards said oil exit-port means 36 whereby oil can drain into said oil exit port means 36 from said lower portions. 3. The-apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing 59 includes relative to said chamber 83 a top portion, a medial portion and a lower portion and said dome-configured structure 64 is located generally medially relative to said medial portion. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes a filtering assembly 44 for preliminarily filtering said oil and for conveying the so-filtered oil to said input orifice means 58. 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said input orifice means 58 terminates in spaced, adjacent relationship to the central upper apex region of said dome configured structure 64 as said oil is delivered to said central upper apex region from said input orifice means 58. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said input orifice means 58 terminates at a location in said chamber 83 that is in vertically spaced adjacent relationship to said central upper apex region. 7. The apparatus of claim6 wherein the distance in said chamber 83 between where said input orifice means 58 terminates and said central upper apex region of said dome-configured structure 64 is in the range of from 0.5 to 1 inch (from 1.3 to 2.5 cm). 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said input orifice means 58 terminates in a nozzle member 158 whereby oil issuing from said nozzle member 158 is so delivered into said chamber 83 as a conically configured spray and the axis of said conically configured spray is generally coaxial with the longitudinally extending axis of said dome-configured structure 64. 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said nozzle member 158 is configured to spray said oil over a maximized surface area of said dome-configured structure 64. 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermostatically controlled electrical heating means 66 heats said dome-configured structure 64 to a temperature in the range of from 160 to 200 degree F (from 65 to 85 degree C). 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said thermostatically-controlled electrical heating means 66 heats said dome-configured structure 64 to a temperature in the range of from 180 to 190 degree F (from 75 to 80 degree C). 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 is symmetrical relative to a vertically extending axis that extends therethrough. 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 has a dome diameter in the range of from 3 to 9 inches (from 7.6 to 23 cm). 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 has a hemispherical configuration. 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said upper region of said dome-configured structure 165 generally has defined therein a plurality of radially spaced, concentric, ridge-like elevations 162 each of small height relative to respective radially adjacent portions of said dome-configured structure 165 whereby a film of oil flowing over said upper region of said dome configured structure 165 generally has a thickness that experiences at least two cycles of alternately being thickened and thinned before reaching said lower peripheral base regions of said dome configured structure 165, thereby to increase the opportunity for volatiles to be separated from said oil during residence of said oil upon said dome configured structure 165. 16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 is comprised of a cast aluminum body wherein a spirally-extending, electrically energizable, electrically insulated, resistance beatable wire-like conductor means 66 is incorporated in said body. 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 is comprised of a formed steel plate upon whose bottom surface portions are associated with an electrically energizable, electrically insulated, resistance beatable wire-like conductor means 66. 18. A process for reconditioning oil in an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of continuously and sequentially: (a) charging contaminated oil at a flow rate in the range of from 4 gallons per hour (15.2 l/hr) to 10 gallons per (38 l/hr) and at a pressure in the range of from 20 psi (1240 g/cm<2>) to 100 psi (6200 g/cm<2>) to a filter zone; (b) filtering said contaminated oil in said filter zone 44 to separate therefrom particulates having particle sizes over 1 to 5 microns; (c) delivering said filtered oil generally upon an upper central surface region of a generally dome-configured structure 64 so that a thin film of said filtered oil is formed on said dome configured structure 64 and flows generally radially outwardly and downwardly over surfaces of said dome-configured structure 64 while said dome-configured structure 64 is heated to a temperature in the range of from 160 to 200 degrees F (from 65 to 85 degree C), so that volatiles are separated from said thin film; and (d) collecting said separated volatiles in a chamber 83 that is defined over and about said dome-configured structure 64 while concurrently collecting in said chamber 83 oil draining from lower peripheral regions of said dome-configured structure 64. 19. The process of claim 18 wherein said contaminated oil is continuously taken from an operating internal combustion engine and wherein said so collected oil is continuously returned to said operating internal combustion engine. 20. The process of claim 18 wherein said so collected volatiles are conveyed from said chamber 83 to the intake manifold of an operating internal combustion engine. 21. The process of claim 18 wherein said chamber 83 is vented to the atmosphere and wherein said so filtered oil, before being so deposited upon said dome-configured structure 64, is charged into said chamber 83 at a location which is generally above and in vertically upwardly spaced relationship to said dome-configured structure 64, and said chamber 83 is concurrently maintained at said temperature so that said so filtered oil upon being so deposited experiences an immediate pressure drop whereby at least some volatiles in said so filtered and so charged oil are evaporated therefrom in said chamber 83 both before and during contact of said so filtered and so charged oil with said dome-configured structure 64. 22. The process of claim 21 wherein said so filtered oil has a pressure in the range of about 25 to about 100 psig (from 1550 to 6200 g/cm<2>) at the time of being so charged into said chamber 83. 23. The process of claim 18 wherein said so filtered oil is so charged into said chamber 83 as a conically configured spray, and the axis of said conical spray configuration is generally coaxial with the longitudinal axis of said dome-configured structure 64 whereby the surface area of said so sprayed droplets in said chamber 83 is maximized before said so sprayed oil is so deposited upon said dome-configured structure 64. 24. The process of claim 18 wherein said so collected oil is preliminarily directed to flow diagonally downwardly from said dome-configured structure 64 perimeter to a central exit port 167 that is generally below and generally axially located relative to said dome-configured structure 64, thereby to minimize oil collection time. 25. The process of claim 18 wherein said filtering is carried out in five stages, the filtration in the first stage removing particles from said oil down to about the 35 to 40 micron size range, the filtration in the second stage removing particles from said oil down to about the 20 to 35 micron size range, the filtration in the third stage removing particles from said oil down to about the 10 to 20 micron size range, the filtration in the fourth stage removing particles from said oil down to about the 5 to 10 micron size range, and the filtration in the fifth stage removing particles from said oil down to about the 1 to 5 micron size range. 26. The process of claim 18 wherein said dome-configured structure 64 temperature is maintained in the range of from 180 to 190 degrees F (from 75 to 80 degree C). 27. The process of claim 18 wherein said oil flow rate is maintained at about 6 gallons per hour (about 23 l/hr).