Membrane separation of water and fuel from engine oil in an internal combustion engine
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsGregory Mordukhovich, Andrew M. Mance
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Water and fuel contaminating material may be removed from a stream operating engine. A suitable membrane material is supported in a suitable housing. At least a portion of the contaminated oil stream is flowed over one side of the membrane and water and fuel material diffuses through the membrane to its other side where they are gathered and removed from the housing. The water and fuel material may be recovered separately using different membranes or different regions of a membrane. They may be swept from the membrane and housing a flow of air for disposition outside the housing.
Claims9
A method of removing water and fuel material from a circulating oil stream of an operating internal combustion engine in which the stream of oil is being circulated for lubrication of engine parts, the water and fuel material entering the oil during engine operation, the method comprising:
- diverting at least a portion of the water-containing and fuel-containing circulating oil stream to a first membrane region and a second membrane region, each membrane region being located for receiving the circulating engine lubricating oil stream and having a thickness and first and second opposing surfaces, and flowing the diverted circulating oil stream portion over the first surfaces of each membrane region, the oil flow engaging the first surface of the first membrane region such that some water leaves the oil stream and passes from the first surface to the second surface of the first membrane region and the oil stream engages the first surface of the second membrane region such that some fuel material leaves the oil stream and passes from the first surface to the second surface of the second membrane region;
- removing water from the second surface of the first membrane region;
- removing fuel material from the second surface of the second membrane region;
- and
- continuing to circulate water-containing and fuel-containing oil over the first and second membrane regions during engine operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.