Removing moisture from a lubricant reservoir
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorHasanur Jamal Molla
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for managing a lubricant fluid include storing a lubricant fluid that includes liquid water in an interior volume of a reservoir, which includes a vapor space above the lubricant fluid that encloses water vapor; circulating, with a blower, a first airflow from the vapor space to an ambient environment to remove at least a portion of the water vapor to the ambient environment; circulating a second airflow to a heater in fluid communication with the vapor space within the interior volume of the reservoir; heating the second airflow with the heater; circulating the heated airflow into the vapor space to reduce a relative humidity of the vapor space; and releasing at least a portion of the liquid water from the interior volume of the reservoir through a control valve coupled to the reservoir.
Claims23
A lubricant management system, comprising:
- a reservoir comprising an interior volume configured to enclose a lubricant fluid that comprises liquid water;
- a blower comprising:
- a blower inlet in fluid communication with a vapor space that encloses water vapor within the interior volume of the reservoir above the lubricant fluid, and
- a blower outlet external to the reservoir, the blower configured to circulate a first airflow that includes at least a portion of the water vapor from the vapor space to an ambient environment through the blower outlet;
- a heater that comprises:
- a heater outlet in fluid communication with the vapor space within the interior volume of the reservoir, and
- a heater inlet external to the reservoir, the heater configured to circulate a second airflow into the heater inlet, heat the second airflow to a particular temperature, and circulate the heated airflow into the vapor space;
- an outlet positioned in the reservoir, the outlet comprising a valve configured to operate to release at least a portion of the liquid water from the interior volume of the reservoir;
- and
- a control system communicably coupled to the blower, the heater, and the valve.
A method for managing a lubricant fluid, comprising:
- storing a lubricant fluid that comprises liquid water in an interior volume of a reservoir, the interior volume comprising a vapor space above the lubricant fluid that encloses water vapor;
- circulating, with a blower, a first airflow from the vapor space to an ambient environment to remove at least a portion of the water vapor to the ambient environment;
- circulating a second airflow to a heater in fluid communication with the vapor space within the interior volume of the reservoir;
- heating the second airflow with the heater;
- circulating the heated airflow into the vapor space to reduce a relative humidity of the vapor space;
- and
- releasing at least a portion of the liquid water from the interior volume of the reservoir through a control valve coupled to the reservoir.
A system, comprising:
- a tank comprising an interior volume configured to enclose a lube oil that comprises water;
- a fan positioned with an inlet in airflow communication with a vapor space that encloses water vapor within the interior volume of the tank above the lubricant fluid;
- a heater positioned with an outlet in airflow communication with the vapor space;
- a moisture sensor positioned in the interior volume to contact the lubricant fluid;
- and
- a control system communicably coupled to the fan, the heater, and the moisture sensor and configured to perform operations comprising:
- receiving a value of sensed water in the lube oil, and
- based on the value of sensed water being greater than a predetermined value of water, opening a valve to release a portion of the water from the tank and operating the heater to flow heated air into the vapor space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.