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Oil Flushing & Polishing

Turbulent Flow vs. Traditional Flow Oil Flushing

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delta team industrial cleaningDelta Tech Service provides high turbulence oil flushing and other services for lube oil, hydraulic oil and seal oil systems. Please review the following discussion regarding flushing methods, traditional vs. high turbulence. We also have the equipment to perform on site particulates evaluation.

The traditional method of oil flushing has been to install 100 mesh screens and operate the oil system until the screens are clean. This method has been widely accepted by industry. This type of oil flushing does have shortcomings. They are: laminar flow and lower than normal operating velocity because the installed screens create back-pressure. This means particulate entrained in the system will either move extremely slowly out of the system or not at all during this type of flush.

The method of flushing that Delta Tech Service and the Society of Iridologists & Lubrication Engineers prefers is to use lower viscosity oil and a high performance circulation system that will generate constant high turbulent flow in piping system.

plant cleaningTo understand what we mean by high turbulent flow you must first have an understanding of Reynolds Numbers. The Reynolds Numbers is a calculated number that takes into consideration the flow velocity, viscosity and density of the oil and its relationship to the internal diameter of the piping system. There are three Reynolds Numbers of significance: laminar flow with a Reynolds number of less than <2,000 and no turbulence at the pipe wall, transitional flow with a Reynolds Number between 2,000 and 4,000 and some but not Constance turbulence at the pipe wall. Most circulating systems are designed for laminar flow. This means your normal circulation system is not designed to remove particulate contamination. With the addition of 100 mesh (149 micron elements) your further add resistance to the oil system creating less flow. The higher the Reynolds Number, the faster and better the system will flush.

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