마이크로 버블 발생장치와 결합된 오일 플러싱 장치 개발

Abstract

This paper reports the development of an oil flushing system combined with a microbubble generator. Oil flushing plays a crucial role in regulating the lubricant’s performance during the lubricant replacement process. Moreover, harmful contaminants, such as sludge, wear particles, and rust, from piping systems or lubrication system can be removed by oil flushing. Oil flushing aims to increase the system’s efficiency using a dedicated flushing oil, increasing of the supply pressure and generating a vortex. In addition, it helps the mechanical system or equipment achieve peak performance and reduces the potential for premature failure. However, the contaminant-removal applications of existing oil flushing system are limited. In this research, we aim to improve the performance of oil flushing system by incorporating a microbubble generator, which uses the venture effect to generate microbubbles and mixes them with lubricant. The microbubbles in the blended lubricant remove contaminants from the lubrication system more effectively. Structural mechanics and fluid dynamics are analyzed through fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis, and the numerical analysis results are used for the designing the system. The magnitude of the maximum stress is investigated based on the pressure results obtained by the CFD analysis; through the CFD analysis, the mixing ratio of air (bubble) and lubricant is evaluated using the volume of fluid (VOF) model according to the working conditions.