MANN+HUMMEL outlines centrifugal filtration
Additional oil filtration for heavy-duty CV applications helps preserve hard working engines. Gary Winslow, product and marketing manager, MANN+HUMMEL, looks at the role centrifugal filtration can play.
Oil filters carry out the important task of filtering contaminant from the oil, thus protecting the engine from premature wear and tear. With some heavy-duty engines, i.e. on commercial and light-commercial vehicles where service intervals can be higher than on a car, additional filtration can be utilised to help filter these contaminants whilst also prolonging the life of the primary flow oil filter. One such filter is a centrifugal oil filter.
During the combustion process of diesel fuels, soot particles are formed and pass into the lubricating oil. Modern oils containing additives trap soot particles in suspension to prevent these deposits clogging the engine. The downside of this is more wear-inducing particles causing the engine oil to thicken, sometimes prematurely. This can put additional strain on the primary oil filter and cause reduced service intervals or early clogging.
The solution lies in a process in which part of the lubricating oil is diverted and finely filtered separately by a secondary flow centrifuge. MANN-FILTER centrifuge filters (such as ZR 9007 for applicable DAF applications) filter even the smallest particles, typically down to 1 μm (microns). For context, one micron is 1,000th of a millimetre (a human hair strand is in the region of 75 micron). This additional centrifugal filtration thus supports the main flow filter.
Check for filter
The centrifuge rotor is rotated by the pressure of the diverted oil flow. Depending on temperature and oil viscosity, more than 10,000 rotations per minute can be achieved, which results in the impurities in the oil being pressed against the outer wall of the centrifuge, compressed and adsorbed. Due to this spinning action, centrifuge filters (also called rotors) reliably free oils of even the smallest solid particles such as dust, abraded metal and soot particles.
As such, when servicing a commercial or light-commercial vehicle, always check if it is fitted with an additional centrifuge filter. This filter is usually disposable and serviced in conjunction with the main filter and should not be ignored.
The MANN-FILTER online catalogue can assist with identifying the correct filter part number for your vehicle, and as with all MANN-FILTER parts, is original equipment quality.
