Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2 1 759 1 8
DE~ICEFORRE~OVING OILAN~/ORSOOTAND/ORFOREiGN S~BSTANCES
F~O~ ASTREA~ OFAIR;GAS~ND/OR V~POOR.
The prosent inve~t~on re~ates ~o a device for removing
oiland/or 500t and/orforeignsubstancesfrom astream ofair,~as ~nd/orvapoor-
In combustion engines, particularly in 0tto and dieselengines, it is necessa~y to ~ent the engine spaces containing
or conducting the engine oil, i~e. the oil serving for the
lu~rication of the engine, and in par~icular also to lead
a~ay componen~s of this engine oil which vapori2ed upon
operatioh of the engine (oil ~apor)~
For various reasons, ven~ing into the en~ironment is not
possible or iY undesired. In the case of traditional
engines, this venting is effected into the air in~ake pipe of
the combus~ion engine, for instance into the part of said
pipe lying between an air filter and the carburetor, ~o tha~
the oil vapors from the engine compartmen~ are also burned in
the combustion chambe~s or eylinders of the engine With
this type of venting, considerable problems are encountered,
namely inter alia the conta~ination of the ~ir inta~e pipe,
of the carbure~or, and of the operating parts presen~ in the
air intake pipe andJor the ca~L~Lor due to deposits of oil,
e~c~
~he object or the present in~ention is to provide a
d~vice by ~hich the removal of oil and/or soot is possib:Le in
21 7591 8
a reliable manne~ and ~hich accordingly can be used as soot
filter and, in particula~ however, also as oil filter o~ oil
separator in combustion engines, but also as air and gasfilter al olher applications.
The device of the invention ig particula~ly suited as
oil fil~er or oil separator in motor vehicles and/or ih
~o~bustion engines. In this case, due to the feeding of
fresh air the tempe~ature of which is lower than the
O temperature of the oil vapor into the inside of ~he dru~ or
to the wall of said drum, cooling of ~he wall o~ the drum as
well as, at the same ~ime, cooling of the oil v~por in thQ
individual ~pace of the chamber surrounding the dr~m i5
effected so that condens~tion of the oil vapor ~ake~ place
already in this partial space but to th~ greatQr pa~t on ~he
wall sur~dce of the drum, and the condensed oil can be
discharged as oil condensate. Passage of oil v~por through
the wail surface of the rota~ing drum is prevented by the
- fact th~t the oil v~po~ c~nde~ses there immediately and, due
0 to its re~atively l~rge surf~ce tehsiOh, the condensed oil
cannot pass thro~gh the fine-mesh uall of the drum, but is
rather ~o~ed radially out~ard by the rctating drum or slung
off from it.
The device of the in~ention can also be used as a fil~er for removing liquid and/or solid
particles, fo~ example soot, dust etc., from a strearn of air and/or gas.
DESCRIPTION OF T~ DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in furt~er detail below
with reference to a preferred embodiment. In the drawing:
2175918
Fig. 1 sho~s, greatly simplified, in longitudinal section,
a deviçe in acoordance ~ith ~he invention which
serves as oil separator;
Fig. 2 is a s~ction along the line I - I of Fig. 1.
The de~ice sho~n in the figures, which is intended for
use preferably in motor vehicles~ serves for the r~ 1 of
vaporized oi~ (oil vapor) or finely divided particles of oil
from a stream of air or gas which emerge~ at the vent of an
engine compartment con~ain;ng or conducting an ngine oil
LO -~ ~lubrican~ for the engine)~ The engine compartment is in
this o~nn~tion the spaoe which also receives t~e cam
shaftts), the valve tappets, as uell a~ possibly the rocker
arm o~ drag lever for the actuating of ~he valvQs of a
combustion engine or some other space which contains the
engine oil. Ordinarily, the venting of this engine
compartment is ef fected via the air intake pipe so th~t oil
vapors or fine particles o~ oil emerging at ~he vent are
burned in the engine.
It is frequently desirea to remove oil vapor or oil
0 particles and to return the~ as con~en~te to the engine
compartment in order, for instance, to avoid deposits of oil
in the carburetor, in the air in~ake line, or on operating
parts presen~ there, etc. For this purpose, the oil
separator shown in the figures is used. It consists
essentially of a housing 1 w~ich rorms an inner space 2 which
is closed of~ from the outside. In the case of the
21 7591 8
e~bodiment shown, the housing 1 is deve~op~d in cube or bloc~
shape vith a correspondingly shaped inner space 2~ It is
obvious that thQ housing 1, and thus the inner space 2, may
also ha~e some other suitable shape~
Within the inner space 2 a drum S is mounted for
rotation arou~d an axis L w~ich extends p~rpendicular to the
t~o end walls 3 and 4 of the housing 1. The drum 5, which is
completely rec~ived by the housing 1, is fa~tened for this
purpose on its bottom 6 whi~h is adjacent to the inner
o surface of the end wall 4 and i5 arranged in a plane
perpendicular to the longitudihal axis L on the one end of ~
shaft 7 which extends in sealed manner out of the inner space
2 through the end wal~ 4 and can be driven in rotation around
the longitudinal axis L ~y an electric motor 8 which is
provided outside the housing 1 on it or on the end wall 4 .
The shaft 7 is in this connection, for instance, the output
shaft of the elec~ric ~otor 8.
The drum 5 consists, in addition to the closed bottom 6
made, for instance, from a blank of corrosion-resistant metal
O plate, also of a wall 9 which is de~eloped ~i~h rotational
symmetry ~o the longitll~in~l axis L and suLLou..ds said
longitudinal axis, the wall being formed by a fine-mesh metal
grid, ~hich also consis~s of a corrosion-resistant ~etal, for
instance of a corrosion-resistant steel. Furthermore, the
screen-like shell g is of ~rus~oconical de~elopment in ~uch a
manner that the circular inne~ diameter of the drum 5
2175918
decreases f~om the bottom 6 to the other, open end of the
drum 5 ~hich is opposit~ said bottom, on ~he open end 10,
the wall is preferably rein~orced by a ring 11 ~hich
con~ntrically s~-~u.,~s t~e longitudinal axis ~, i. Q. th~
ring ~1 defines a cir~ular c~-~ing ih the drum 5 at ~he end
10 .
Th~ end 10 of the dru~ 9 extends into an auxiliary
chamber 12 ~hich i9 formed on the inner surface of the end
~all 3 ~nd which ~L~O~-~S thQ drum 5 in the region o~ the
~0 ;. end 10 o~r a partial axial length which constitutes only a
fraction of the total axial length of the drum. The
auxiliary Ch~ h~ 12 iS connected to a tubular connection 13
which, sealed-of~ ~rom the inner space 2, i5 rA ~se~ through
~he upper wall 14 arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis
~ and perr~ lar to the end ~alls 3 and 4, and serves for
th~ f~A;ng of cold fresh air (arrow A).
Through the end wall 3 there is conduc~ed ~n sealed
mannsr a length of pipe 15 which is coaxi~l to the r
ongi~ n~ ~ axis ~ and the open end of which ~hich extends
~O into the i~ner space 5' of the drum 5 is adjacent the bottom
6, s~a~e~ from it by an amount ~ich again constitutes ~erely
a fractio~ of the total axial length of the drum 5. At its
other end, the lQngth of pipe 15, which is also open there,
is conducted in sealed fashion outwards through the end wall
3, for connection to a carburetor (hOt shown) of an internal
combustion engine.
~ 2175918
In the bottom wall l? which is arranged parallel to ~he
wall 14 and spaced from it, therR is provided a connection 18
via whi¢h the oil vapor is fed, as shown by the arrow B, to
the oil separator o~ the individu~l space of the inner space
2 ~hich 5ut ~ S the drum 5. As s~o~n in ~he figures, in
the embodiment sho~n the connection 18 is so arranged that,
in the direction o~ ~he longitudinal axis L, it is clo~er to
the e~d w~ll 3 than the end wall 4 and thus also closer to
the end lo of the drum ~ whic~ extends practically over the
O entire length of the inner spac~ a formed between the end
walls 2 and 3 than to the bottom 6, i. e. t~e connection 18 is
located in the region of a part of the drum 5 at which the
latter has a smaller diameter than the botto~ 6.
Furthermore, the connection 18 is ~aterally displaced yith
respect ~o a central plane ~ which contains the longit~ A 1
axis L and extends perpendicular to the wall 14 and thQ
bo~tom wall 17 so that the oil vapor en~ers into the space 2
approxim~tely t~ngentially to the drum 5, as indicated by the
arrow B in Fig. 2. In the embodiment shown, th~ connQctio~
0 18 is arranged ih the direc~ vicinity of one of ~he t~o side
~alls 19 and 2~ w~ich lie perpendicular to the e~d ~alls 3
and 4, as ~ell as perpendicular to the ~alls 14 and 17.
on ~he bottom wall 17, in the immediate vicinity of the
end Y~ll 4, there is ~no~her connection 20 which de~ouches
in~o the inner space 2 and ~ia whic~ the oil condensate which
has deposited can be discharged as indicated ~y arrow C,
2175918
namely, ~or instance, back into the engine ~h. h~r. The
arrow D in Fig. 2, inally, also indic~tes the direction of
rotation of the drum 5, i. e thi5 direction of rotation is in
the same dir~ction at ~he ~p~in~ of the connection 18 into
the ihner space 2 as t~e direction of flow (arrow ~) of the
entering oil vapor.
The diametQr of the opening surrounded by the ring 11 is
so~ewhat greater than the outside dia~eter of the leng~h of
pipe 15~
0,.) The manner of operation of the oil separator can ~e
des~ribed as follows:
The connec~ion 13 is c~P~ted via a ~ranch to the air
intake pipe o~ an internal combustion engine so ~hat cold
fresh air is fed via this con~ection 13 as indicated by the
arrou A, namely to the auxiliary chamber 12~ The ~nn~ction
18 is connected to the vent of the engine compartment. The
connection 21 also leads ~o the engine compartment. The end
of ~he length of pipe 15 exte~ing out of the housing 1 is
connected to ~`he car~retor.
0~ For the operation of the oil separator, the electric
motor 8 is ronhec~ed~ so that the drum 5 ro~ates around the
longitudinal axis L in ~he direction indicated by ~he arrow
D.
The fresh air which is fed via the connection 13 enters
in the region o the a~xiliary chamber lZ through the grid-
shape~ wall 9 and, in particular, also through the ~nn~ r
2175918
slot formed between the ring 11 ~nd the outer surface of the
length of pipe 15 into the inner spacQ 5' of the drum 1
(arrow A') and is finally discharged via the open end 16 of
the length of pip~ 15 to~ards the car~uretor (ar~ow A' ~ ), as
a result of the suction ac~ion of the engine. B~ the
mo~ement of rotdtion of the drum 5 and by the centrifugal
force pro~l~o~ thereby, ~he fresh air ~ed passes te~porarily
al50 through t~e saree~-like uall 9 into the part of the
inner space 2 ~ ing the drum 5 ~arrow A'''), but then
o ~ flo~s again through the wall 9 ahd is discharged via the
length of pipe 15, as i~dic~ted ~y arrow A'~. By means of
the streams of air A', A'' and A''', the drum 5 is
continuously cooled over its entire wall 9. By the ~low of
fresh air A''', a cooling or r~duction of the temperatura o~
the oil vapor present in the inner spa~e 2 around the drum 5
or of the oil--vapor air-gas mixture also takes place, so that
there is, in part, a condensation of the oil ~apor dlready in
~he part of the inner spacQ 2 surrounding the drum 5, but
particularly on the outer surface of drum 5, and the oll
o ~nnA~nR~te which collects on the inner surface of the botto~
7 can ~; -ch~ge via the connection 21. By the fine screen-
lik~ development o~ the wall 9, oil vapor or çondensed oil
which has a relatively high surfac~ ~ension is preven~ed from
passing through the wall 9 in~o the inner space 5'. Oil
~ n~nsing on the outer surface of the wall g is thrown off
outward~ by the rotary movement of the drum 5 and then
2175918
finally passos bac~, via the connection 21, into the engine
compart~e~t ~arrow C).
As has been described above and, in particul~r, also
shown in Fig. 2, the housing 1 forms an inner space 2 which
is also of b~ock or cube shape corresrQn~;ng to the
deve~opment of sa~d housing, but in particular in the
section~l planes perpendicular to the longitll~; nA 1 axis L has
a cross section which differs from circular, na~ely a square
cross section in the Qm~o~ment sho~n. By thi~ cross
o.. j sectional shape the result is obtained th~t upon the rotation
of the drum 5 around the longitu~in~l axis L, a volume of air
which rotates ~ogether with the drum cannot ~orm in the part
of the inner surface which surrounds the drum. The square
cross section thus counteracts the formation of a ~ol~e of
air ~hich rotates together with the drum and thus forms, so
to speak, a "~affle" ~hich counterac~s this co-rotation.
The same ef~ect is obtAin~ if the housing has a
rectangular cross section or else a triang~lar cross section
or a different polygonal cross section, for instance a
O hexagonal cross sec~ion.
In pri~ciple, there is also the possibility of providing
further ba~fles, par~icularly in the form of ri~s, ledges or
plates Z3 protruding into the inner space 2 within the
housing
The in~ention has been described abo~e ~ith reference to
one em~o~; nnt. It iS ôbvious that changes and modifications
21 7591 8
are possible ~ithout t~ereby going beyond the inventive
c~t.
Thus, it is ~ossible, for instance, for the wall 9 of
the drum 5 to consist of several layers. Furthermore. it iB
al~o possible to de~elop the device as a soot filter, in
which case soot-laden gases, for ins~ance exhaust gases of a
diesel engine, are fed via the connection 18 and the purified
~Yh~uct gases, i.e. those freed of the particles o~ soot, are
dis~harged ~ia the pipe length 1~. The particles of soot as
~o- uell as unburned particles of ~uel preSent are separated out
on the rotating drum 5 and burned there (with suita~le
developme~t of the ~all 9 of the drum 5 of a catalytically
active material) catalytically ~nd/or in particular after ~he
slinging-off f~om ~he rotating drum 5 in the part of the
inner spac~ 2 surrounding this drum by the feeding of thermal
energy, the inner space 2 ~hen being developed as com~us~ion
chamber of an af~erburne~.
Furthermore, it is of course also possible to provide a
different drive, for instance an exh~ust-gas drive, instead
o o~ the electric motor 8.
2175918
~ist of Referenc~ Numbers
1 Housing
2 Inner space
3, 4 End wall
Drum
5' Inner space
6 Bottom
7 Shaft
8 Electric motor
9 Wall
lo End
ll Ring
12 Auxiliary chamber
13 Connection
14 Upper uall
Pipe length
16 End
17 Bottom wall
18 Connection
19, 20 Side wall
21 Connection
A - c Flow
D Direction of rotation
L Longitudinal axis
M Central pl ane
