An oil mist collector is a filtration system that removes hazardous coolant oil and airborne metal particles from the air during machining applications to provide safe working conditions. When not properly collected, oil used for cooling metals can contaminate the surrounding workspace creating an unsafe working environment that can cause skin and eye irritation, shortness of breath, fatigue and nausea. A high quality oil mist collector reduces worker health risks, reduces equipment maintenance costs and helps meet government regulations restricting exposure to these harmful contaminants.
In order to maximize the collection efficiency of an oil mist collector, it is important to know the distribution of the size of the droplets in the mist stream. This information can be obtained by performing particle size measurements at the inlet and outlet of the device using a particle counting instrument.
The data obtained from these measurement can be compared to the model predictions. The results show that at low inlet velocity (Uin = 2 m/s), the collection rate C is almost zero, but it gradually increases with increasing Uin. At the same time, it is observed that the distribution of C at the outlet varies with the arrangement pattern of the baffle plates. Nevertheless, ensemble averaging shows good quantitative agreement between the experimental and simulated results for six and seven plates.
Moreover, the data indicate that large-diameter oil mists are trapped by the device. This can be explained by the fact that the inertial force causes the mist to collide with the baffle plates and to break up into small-diameter droplets. Therefore, at the outlet, only the smaller particles are left behind, and the larger ones are swept away by the air flow.
When choosing an oil mist collector, look for a unit with two stages of long-life coarse and fine filter demisters, followed by a HEPA filter with combined efficiencies of 99.9 percent on particles of 0.3 micron and above. This will ensure that the unit captures and encapsulates the majority of the airborne contaminants and leaves only clean, safe air to be circulated back into the workplace.
In addition to an efficient filtration system, the design of the mist collector should be easy to install and maintain without costly machinery modifications. It should also have a compact footprint and be quiet for comfortable operation and minimal space requirements. Ideally, the oil mist collector should be located close to the machine tool to ensure optimal performance and reduce operating costs. Contact your local Nederman sales company for more information on how to optimize your air filtration system and to learn more about the oil mist collector solutions offered by our experts. We are ready to help you create a cleaner manufacturing environment and ensure employee safety, production accuracy and compliance with government regulations.