Centrifugal separator with discharge pump

Abstract

Abstract A centrifugal separator for separating contaminants from contaminated oil and which may be mounted in a variety of positions relative to an engine block is disclosed. The centrifugal separator has a shroud which defines a first chamber and has a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in the first chamber and defining a second chamber. Oil under pressure is admitted to the second chamber and flows into the first through tangential reaction nozzles in the rotor to cause contaminants to migrate toward the sidewall of the second chamber under the influence of centrifugal force. A jet pump is in fluid communication with the first chamber to prevent excess fluid buildup in the first chamber, which would inhibit rotation of the rotor. SU BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional fluid filters, such as oil filters, are basically mechanical strainers which include a filter element having pores which trap and segregate dirt from the fluid. Since the flow through the filter is a function of the pore size, filter flow will decrease as the filter pack becomes clogged with dirt. Since the filtration system must remove dirt at the same rate at which it enters the oil, a clogged conventional pack cannot process enough oil to keep the dirt level of the oil at a satisfactory level. A further disadvantage of some mechanical strainer-type filters is that they tend to remove oil additives. Furthermore, the additives may be depleted to some extent by acting upon trapped dirt in the filter and are rendered ineffective for their intended purpose on a working surface in an engine. Prior art centrifugal filters have been proposed which do not act as mechanical strainers but, rather, remove contaminants from a fluid by centrifuging. For example, such a filter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,650,022, granted to Fulton et al. In the Fulton et al patent, there is illustrated a hollow rotor which is rotatably mounted on a spindle. The spindle has an axial passageway which conducts oil into the interior of the rotor. Tangentially directed outlet ports are provided in the rotor so that the rotor is rotated upon issuance of the fluid therefrom. Solids, such as dirt, are centrifuged to the sidewalls of the rotor and the dirt may be later removed by disassembling the rotor and scraping the filter cake from the sidewalls. Such centrifugal separators, however, must be located above the sump of the engine to be lubricated, since gravity flow from the engine sump to the centrifugal separator will flood the rotor housing and inhibit rotation of the rotor. In many instances, it is inconvenient to mount the centrifugal separator in a position which would prevent flooding and external plumbing must be resorted to. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a centrifugal separator for removing contaminants from oil which may be mounted in a variety of positions relative to the engine block without the danger of flooding the separator. The invention includes a centrifugal separator having a shroud defining a first chamber and a hollow rotor rotatably mounted in the first chamber to define a second chamber. Oil under pressure is admitted to the second chamber and flows into the first chamber through tangential reaction nozzles in the rotor to cause contaminants to migrate toward the sidewall of the second chamber under the influence of centrifugal force. A jet pump is in fluid communication with the first chamber to prevent excess fluid build up in the first chamber, which would inhibit rotation of the rotor. The jet pump has a pump chamber in fluid communication with the first chamber and a nozzle which projects into the pump chamber. A portion of the fluid from the engine oil pump is diverted through the nozzle, while another portion is delivered through the tangential nozzles. The nozzle in the pump chamber effectively prevents significant fluid buildup in the first chamber.

Inventors

• 👤 James C. Klingenberg
• 👤 Hiralal V. Patel
• 👤 Philip W. Morse

Bibliographic Details