I am after some knowledge on the cleanliness of lube systems in cone crushers.

The project I am currently working on is a Allis Chalmers cone crusher. It has a 225US Gallon reservoir and a 40USGPM pump. I am in two minds as to whether to go for offline filtration or inline filtration and what cleanliness is normal for this type of system.

Anybody with experience in this type of thing, I would love to hear your thoughts.

In my opinion inline and ofline filtration serves two different purposes. Inline filtration is primarily designed to remove large particles form the oil stream to protect the system from dmages caused by these particles while maintaining adequate flow to the internal componants. Inline filter are generally sized fron 10 to 40 microns in range.
Ofline filtration (or bypass or kidney loop) is used to remove fine particles that do not cause immediate harm but act as a slow steady wear mechanism that will over time reduce the life expectancy of the equipment. By using finer more efficient filters (.5-5 microns) and a very modest oil flow rate an ofline filter removes fine particles, water, varnish particles in order to obtain cleanliness levels that cannot be achieved with the online filter.
A system as large as your cone crusher may be an excellent candidate for both types of systems and if properly designed both could be incorporated using only one pump.

Lube MATE, I agree with BuckHntr. Inline filtration has limitation to the size of contaminant it can remove. If the filter has too small of a micron rating in an inline application, it can cause (depending on installed location) high or low oil pressure, or completely block oil flow altogether.

I recommend a normal high quality inline oil filter, used along with another type of off-line filtration working constantly, due to the environment (mining is a notoriously dirty environment).

I sell an off-line filtration device that will filter to 0.1 micron, remove acids, moisture, and sludge, and prevents the formation of varnish.

If you are interested, email me @ jprzybylski@meijicorp.com for more details.

Filtration is important whether it be online or offline. However, be sure you are attacking the problem at the root. By that I mean stopping the ingress of the contamination is paramount. Typically, most contamination enters simply through the breather vent and or fill cap. Be sure to have high quality breathers in place of the traditional breather vents and your offline or online filtration will become that much more effective and you won't spend nearly as many filters.

For more info check out http://www.des-case.com

Trigg

Hello Lube Mate,

The answer is certainly to use an effective form of off-line filtration and high efficiency breathers. We have been conducting tests on this exact subject at Sishen Iron Ore mine in South Africa. Should you be interested in viewing the oil analysis results, I would be happy to forward these for informative purposes.

Thnaks Craig,

Any info you could pass on I would be grateful.

My email is admin@lubemate.com.au

Thanks.

Lube Mate,

I do not totally agree with some of the answers concerning in line filtration. I believe the filter has to perform based on your application. I have used inline filtration down to 3 microns with great success. This level of filtration is needed for protection when using servo and proportional valves. During our use,we did not experience blockage problems. We did, however, use this inline filtration in addition to a kidney loop system. I am familiar with the system you are using, having worked in a quarry. Most of the problems you are probably experiencing are coming from ingression of contaminants. The contamination will come from your system breather, leaks, or system maintenance. I would reccommend the following for your greatest chance of success. First, you need to correct any leaks in the system. Tighten hoses, fitting, repair seals, etc. Next, install dessicant breathers on your reservoir. Third, look at putting a kidney loop on the system which would incorporate a heat exchanger and a water filter. The water filter will be needed due to the large temperature changes your system probably sees. I would also look at possible inline filtration for critical components. The level of filtration will depend on what type of valves and components are being used. Pall and Parker make some very good pressure filters that can be used in these applications and their reps will be more than happy to help you. Finally, you need to educate your people on what an acceptable level of cleanliness is. Most of the average mechanics working on systems do not understand the level of cleanliness needed in hydraulic systems. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Dear Mr. MARTY,
Cant we use the Electrostatic Oil filtration machines for this cone crusher oils as these are gear Oils having a viscosity of 13.5 to 15.o cst @ 100Deg. C

Regards,
SINDHUJAA