Filtration system boosts oil lifetime

Our RecondOil Box, launched last year, is a smaller version of SKF’s industrial-scale DST systems, which have previously been applied in large applications in metal working and quenching. The smaller system is suitable for a broader range of industries and applications, including general manufacturing, pulp and paper production, metal production, metal processing and energy production.

While conventional filters typically only remove particles in the micron range, the RecondOil Box features Double Separation Technology (DST), which can remove particles as small as a nanometre from an oil. It acts as a mechanical kidney in a machine’s oil circulation system, where it regenerates the oil by progressively removing contaminants and then returning the oil back into circulation. As the oil is in a closed loop, it’s continuously kept in a highly clean state.

By keeping the oil continuously clean, RecondOil Box can significantly extend oil change intervals.

“When DST regeneration is combined with lubrication management and condition monitoring, oil can be circulated and reused for much longer. Sometimes it can be circulated indefinitely, allowing a circular use of oil.” - Erik R?wall, programme manager at SKF.

Yet another benefit

As well as reducing the cost of replacing oil, it can also deliver an environmental benefit. A life-cycle analysis performed by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute calculated the climate impact of a conventional oil cycle at 3,830 kg CO2?equivalent per m3?of oil – compared with 8.2 kg CO2?eq with RecondOil Box.

The nano-clean oil can also improve machine performance across a range of applications. In addition to filtering out impurities, RecondOil Box removes free, emulsified and bound water. It also prevents premature oil degradation by removing oxidation products and soluble and insoluble varnish.