US 5,450,835 A · Oil separator for reducing oil losses from crankcase ventilation

Abstract

An oil separator for reducing oil carryover from the vent port of the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine is provided. The separator includes a cylindrical housing filled with a filtration material and having both an inlet and an outlet in its upper portion and a downwardly disposed, frustro-conical wall that defines an annular chamber between its outer surface and the inner walls of the housing. The annular chamber defines a helical flow path through the filtration material in the housing for a stream of oil-laden air admitted through the inlet of the housing. Oil droplets are removed from the stream of air as it moves through the helical path both by impingement against the filtration material, and the by centrifugal impingement against the inner walls of the housing. At the end of the helical path, the stream of air is directed along a hairpin turn through an opening in the frustro-conical wall and from thence into a double-back path before exiting the housing, thereby removing still more entrained oil droplets. The resulting filtered stream of air may be directed into the engine draft tube or the air filter by means of a pipe. The separator also includes an oil drain conduit for conducting liquid oil collected by the filtration material into the oil pan of the engine at a level lower than the operating level of the oil within the pan for uninhibited drainage.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An air-oil separator for separating oil droplets entrained in air circulating within a portion of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a housing having an inlet for receiving a stream of air having oil droplets entrained therein, and an outlet for discharging a stream of air;
a filtration material disposed within the interior of said housing for separating said oil droplets from said stream of air, and
annular chamber means for defined by a frustro-conically shaped wall having an exterior defining a helical flow path within said housing through said filtration material and between said housing inlet and outlet such that said oil droplets become separated from said air stream both by impingement against said filtration material and by centrifugal impingement against inner walls of said housing, and an interior for defining a double-back flow path for said oil-droplet laden air stream.

An air-oil separator for separating oil droplets entrained in air expelled from the vent tube of the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a housing having an inlet mounted at an upper portion of said housing for receiving a stream of air expelled from said engine vent tube and directing it tangentially with respect to an inner wall of said housing, and an outlet for discharging filtered air;
a filtration material disposed within the interior of said housing for separating said oil droplets from said stream of air, and
annular chamber means defined by a frustro-conically shaped wall having an exterior for defining a helical flow path within said housing through said filtration material and between said housing inlet and outlet such that said oil droplets become separated from said air stream both by impingement against said filtration material and by centrifugal impingement against walls of said chamber, and an interior for defining a double-back flow path for said oil-droplet laden air stream, said wall having a larger-diametered end connected around an upper portion of said housing, and a smaller diametered end having a free edge that conducts air exiting said helical flow path to said housing outlet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Oil separator for reducing oil losses from crankcase ventilation

Life of this patent

Oil separator for reducing oil losses from crankcase ventilation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20