PNTC COLLEGES

Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

ACTIVITY SHEET
Name Pagtakhan, Jhesrell Kyle P. Year and Section ME PBST 22-A1
Course Code MAC 305 Course Title Auxiliary Machinery II
Module Number 1 Content Topic Purifier
Teacher 30 Joey Lyn Encabo Date 29/03/2021

PART 1. ENGAGE

What come into your mind when you hear the word purifier?

WHAT IS A PURIFIER?
Redefining purifiers as a high speed centrifugal machinery
used onboard ships to separate unwanted contaminants
from the lube and fuel oil. Purifiers are distinguished with
their components and working principle used for the
operation which includes disc type, cylinder type and
decanter type each with their respective purposes.
Specifically an oil purifier uses centrifugal force through a
system of gears from separating dirt or water from oil. During operation, solid particles are
removed by filtration and forces it towards the circumference of the bowl. Heating the oil plays
a pivotal role to increase the efficiency of the separation by reducing the specific gravity (SG) of
the oil itself. Oil purifiers usually maintain a layer of water which is acts as a seal for the oil.
Indeed, the function of purifiers in the maritime industry is essential for maintaining the
optimum quality of different machineries.

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

PART 2. EXPLORE

Materials used:

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

 How long does it take to settle the mixture in three layers?

Time Duration: 1 min and 30 sec 3 min 5 min

Progress: The sand started to The vegetable oil The process of
go underneath the started to rise up at separation is
layer of water. the surface. completed.

Based on my observation, this activity vividly illustrates the difference between the arrangements of
molecules for these materials. The homogenous mixture of the oil and the water which is influenced by the
density. On the other hand a heterogonous mixture of water and sand, that describes the molecular
arrangement of matter.

 What do you think are the factors that affect the settling process?

The settling process is greatly influenced by the mass, volume and the quality of oil used in the activity.
Different properties of oil could alter the settling process since I used cooking oil for the experiment which
possesses 0.91 to 0.93 g/cm3 compared to other types of oil. The mass and volume of an object should be
considered as a contributor for affecting the settling process. These plays a pivotal role in calculating the
density of oil and water.

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

 Which among the three compounds is on the lowest portion of the layer, which is on the middle and
which is on top? What do you think is the reason of the order? -What is the relationship of this to
purification process? Sample output picture is in the module. Submit or upload the photo of your
output in Edmodo.

In chemistry, mixture is defined as a combination of two or more substances in which identities are retained
and are mixed in the forms of solution, suspension and colloids. The sand is situated in the lowest portion
because of its molecular arrangement and the particles of a solid object is compacted. This results into a
greater density based on its formula. Density is mathematically expressed as the quotient of the mass and
volume (p = M/V). The water and oil is immiscible with each other due to the bonding of their molecules and
the water is denser than oil which makes it into the middle portion. Lastly the least dense among the three is
the oil which rises at the surface of the water. In conclusion, this activity provides a detailed visual
representation about the operations of the purifiers using the concept of centrifugal force onboard ship.

PART 3. EVALUATE

1. Describe the following:

 Bowl assembly

 It is the container-like structure inside the centrifugal purifiers which is primarily composed of
the bowl body, bowl hood and bowl nut. There are set of disks stacked on top of each other and
the dirty oil flows down the distributor through the holes in the discs.

 The bowl shell has eight equally spaced drain holes around the raised center of its bottom.
These holes facilitate draining the bowl when the purifier is in its stopping cycle. The draining
liquids are directed into the annular space between the bowl shell and the bowl casing and
then out the bowl casing drain line.

 Operating water

 The primary function of the operating water is to create a force sliding the bowl to move
downwards and open the discharge ports in the periphery. It is identical to the purpose of
hydraulics in different machineries to insert additional hydraulic force into the system.

 This is one of the most essential things to consider in maintaining the purifier. If there is a
separate operating water tank provided, check the water level in the same. If the operating
water is not sufficient, the purifier bowl will not lift, resulting in the sludge ports to remain in
open position.

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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

 Seal water

Seal Water is defined as a water phase within the bowl prior to the purifier operation and prevents the
feed liquid from flowing out of the heavy liquid side when it is supplied. In addition, these seal water
cools and lubricates the seal maintaining a quality separation of the purifier. Lastly, this are commonly
used to remove impurities in the system.

 Gravity disk

It plays a significant role towards the success of the separation process in purifiers. Specifically, it
regulates the output of the quality of the fuel. This mechanism allows the interface of oil and water
crucial to attain the effectiveness of purification and maintains the back pressure.

 Valve cylinder

Valve cylinders are also called pilot valves which controls a limited-flow control feed and regulates high
pressure. Primarily its function is for the dislodging operation of the purifier which maintains the bowl
closing water pressure.

 Separation disk/plate

The separation disk is composed of vertically arranged conical individual disks. Bars are added to keep
them spaced apart to produce gaps between the disks and results into the reduction to the
sedimentation path of the solid particles. It is considered as a major component because of its very
sharp separation, avoids emulsion and efficient for separation of liquids.

2. What is principles of purifying water or dirt particles from oil

According to Newtonian mechanics, a centrifugal force is an inertial force apparent in a rotating frame
of reference. This principle is the though process behind the purifiers used in onboard shipping vessels.
High rotary speed is achieved through systems of gears and results into separation in a short period of
time. The process of heating the oil is fundamental in reducing its specific gravity, in accordance to the
inversely proportional relationship of viscosity and temperature. Scientifically, particles have greater
thermal energy and are more easily able to overcome the attractive forces binding them together. The
aforementioned purpose of sealing water is maintained inside the bowl to separate the oil and the
particles before discharging.

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3. Why fuel oil treatment is necessary?

Determining the water content into oil products is essential for maintaining quality control, meeting
specifications and enhancing the process optimization onboard ships. The presence of water into the fuel
greatly influences the efficiency of the oil which leads into energy loss. Installation of purifier onboard ship
plays an important role in separating water and oil in the system. It separates two liquid substances based on
their difference in density with the use of gravity disc. Purification of heavy fuel oil is considered to be the
most critical treatment process and is carried out on all commercial ships. Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) mixed with
water could lead into corrosion of the important components of the system. The limit for the volume of water
in a HFO is 0.50 vol. %.
Here are the 10 fuel oil properties that should be observed in treating fuel oil.

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4. What is the purification of gravity force, filters, and centrifugal separation

Gravity Force:

In different industries, gravity force is used as a primary medium of separating two components which is
either through suspension and dry granular mixture in practical application of separators and purifiers. For
purifiers that uses gravity for separation the process occurs into the settling tanks. The separation is
influenced by the specific gravity and the differences of densities. Adding heat greatly increases the separation
process.

Filters:

Redefining the purpose of filters as a material used to remove impurities from oil, water and air onboard
ships. These are commonly mounted in pairs as a duplex system specifically in the suction and discharge side
of a system. There are different types of filters such as mechanical, cartridge and spin-on, and magnetic each
with their respective differences in design and mechanisms.

Centrifugal Separation:

The differences of specific gravity is the concept behind the separation process of purifiers onboard.
Centrifugal force working upon an object is determined by the rotating distance from the rotating center and
rotating speed. With this concept the diameter is important to control the interface of a centrifugal purifier.
Larger diameters results into a direction towards the periphery of the bowl. On the other hand smaller
diameters, the interface is intended towards the axis of rotation of the bowl.

5. Describe the following types of filter.

 Mesh/gauze elements

Mesh filters are woven metal wire that filtrates particles that are too large from passing through the
openings. It is considered as a surface filtration type because unwanted particles are captured in the
surface of the mesh. They are commonly used in lube and fuel oil system of a ship.

 Magnetic elements

Practical applications of magnetic filters are for working environment that uses ferrous, para-magnetic
and grinding medium contamination which are common problem onboard ships since ships are
composed of steel. Cylindrical bar magnets are capable of attracting magnetic particles present in the
fuel oil. It is tested by the IP 501 method and generally iron particles are in the range of 0-50ppm in the
fuel.

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 Fiber assemblies

This types of filters are usually disposable and are convenient to use for the spaces covered is minimal
compared to larger filters. Common applications are for auxiliary compressors, portable generators,
power pack onboard and filtration of fuel oil and lube oil.

6. How the force of gravity is used to separate out liquids and solids of different densities?

The mass and volume of an object are the key factors used behind separation through force of gravity.
According to Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, the mathematical formula for gravitational force
is F=GMmr2 F = G Mm r 2 where G is the gravitational constant. Since the bonding of the molecules for
solids are compacted, hence this property of matter possess greater mass and volume than liquids. For
liquids, the specific gravity determines the differences their differences. Densities of a matter is directly
proportional towards its mass and volume. It also plays an important role in distinguishing buoyancy of
liquids. In conclusion, solids are most likely to remain underneath the layer of a less dense object and
liquids with the least density remains at the surface.

7. How an oil purifier works?

The principle is identical for separation which uses centrifugal forces. Oil is purified through systems of
gears that results into high rotary speeds of the centrifugal bowl. Heavier components are forced
outwards and filtration takes place for solid residues forced towards the circumference of the bowl.
Applying heat to oil decreases their viscosity and also reduces their specific gravity. A difference
between the specific gravity would efficiently separate oil from unwanted particles. Oil Purifiers also
maintain a seal water to prevent flashing out the oil with the unwanted particle during discharge.

8. Why the use of centrifugal separation is much faster and more effective than gravity in the
separation process?

According to researches performed by G.M Hidy, the efficiency of centrifugal separation is 90% greater
than the separating through the medium of gravity. The centrifuge can generate extremely high
angular speed which results into a greater force generated compared to gravitational forces. The
different concentration and properties of a substance still greatly influences the separation process. In
addition centrifugation increases the magnitude of the gravitational field.

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9. Sketch a bowl separator and tube separator, showing the main components. (take a picture of your
actual drawing with your hand written name on it)

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10. What is the rotation speed used in the tubular and bowl oil purifier.

Tubular centrifuges rotate at high speed (typically 15 000 rpm), developing centrifugal accelerations in excess
of 10 000 g. Therefore it separate liquids of slightly different densities and retain very fine solid particles. On
the other hand in a disk-type purifier, a bowl shaped rotating element encases a stack of disks. The bowl itself
sits atop the vertical bowl spindle which is driven by a worm gear and clutch assembly. The spindle and
bearing absorbs the weight of the bowl assembly. Once operating, the bowl spins at approximately 7500 rpm.

PART 4. EXTEND

4/E Milagroso find it too difficult to keep the purifier operating normally due to some leakage and several
alarms keep on triggering at night. He secretly then decided to by-pass the purifier and fill the service tank
with untreated bunker oil at night since the engine room is unmanned. After several months the Auxiliary
generators got numerous problems to its fuel injectors, liners and shows some serious wear on the piston
crown. Based on what you have understood from our lesson what could be the problem on the scenario
given?

Fuel oil treatment plays a major role to increase the efficiency of the lube and oil system. It is also treated in
compliance of the international regulations enforced by the IMO and MARPOL in protecting the ecosystem
from unwanted fuel oil properties. In the scenario provided, 4/E Milagroso violated the protocols in filling the
service tanks with untreated bunker oil. Maintenance and troubleshooting purifiers are normal operations to
be performed to ensure a quality working performance of the machine however failure in treating the oil
results into mechanical breakdown. Corrosion could occur to the important components of the system and
results into a chain reaction of engine failures. In conclusion, 4/E Milagroso could resolve the leakages and
several alarms by checking the valves, level of operating water, feed pump, temperature and oil level of the
purifier.

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