DETROIT, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- New technology to improve oil separation
in closed crankcase ventilation systems required to meet stringent new
emission requirements will be introduced by MANN+HUMMEL at the 2003 SAE World
Congress in Detroit.
MANN+HUMMEL's new oil-separation technology uses centrifugal force to
separate harmful contaminants and emissions from a vehicle's engine oil. The
new designs are more efficient and durable than previous systems.
Closed crankcase ventilation is mandated by European and future U.S.
emission standards to keep engine pollutants from escaping into the atmosphere
through a vehicle's crankcase.
At SAE, MANN+HUMMEL will show a new parallel-cyclone system that features
an especially compact design. In addition, the company will unveil a new
centrifuge system that provides a high-quality alternative to fleece,
labyrinth or cyclone oil-separation systems.
Dr. Pius Trautmann, who heads the company's process development group for
air filter elements and crankcase ventilation systems, notes that the newly
developed parallel-cyclone and centrifuge systems are both designed to meet
current and future oil-separation and emission requirements for crankcase
ventilation.
"Our parallel-cyclone design is especially suited for applications where
space is at a premium," Trautmann notes. "This new system provides a high-
quality alternative to the labyrinth oil-separation systems used in the past."
Blow-by gases and other contaminants are able to escape into the engine
crankcase from an engine's combustion chamber through gaps between the pistons
and cylinder walls. Closed crankcase ventilation systems prevent these gases
from being released into the atmosphere by filtering or separating out oil
droplets and returning the cleansed gases to the engine's air-intake system.
MANN+HUMMEL engineers have developed a system that utilizes parallel
cyclones to achieve even better results than today's typical systems that use
labyrinth, impact-separator and single-cyclone devices. The new system
achieves separation efficiencies of 70 to 80 percent. The company's new
centrifuge system has an even higher efficiency rating of more than 95
percent, similar to the degree of separation achieved by the company's high-
quality fleece separators. Fleece, however, must be replaced at regular
service intervals.
Technical Background:
Cyclones are centrifugal separators through which contaminated blow-by gas
is passed. The measure of a cyclone's separation efficiency is "separation
drop size" or the minimum size of a droplet of oil that can be separated from
blow-by gas. Separation drop size in turn depends on the pressure drop within
the separator itself. Since the pressure drop in an individual oil separator
is limited, MANN+HUMMEL developed a series of smaller cyclones operating in
parallel to improve overall system efficiency. For example, tests have shown
that six cyclones operating in parallel can reduce the separation drop size by
up to 40 percent, compared to a single cyclone.
MANN+HUMMEL's new centrifuge systems incorporate a disk separator and
chamber centrifuge. The design uses centrifugal force to separate gas and
contaminants from engine oil. In general, as faster rotation is achieved, the
oil is more efficiently separated from blow-by gas in the crankcase.
MANN+HUMMEL's disk-stack centrifugal separators represent a high-quality
alternative to both fleece and cyclone systems.
About MANN+HUMMEL
The MANN+HUMMEL Group is an international company. In 2002, the company
achieved sales of approximately $1.1 billion. The MANN+HUMMEL Group currently
employs around 9,500 people at 41 locations worldwide. The company develops,
produces and sells technically complex automotive components such as air
filter systems, intake manifold systems, liquid filter systems and cabin
filters for the automotive industry, and filter elements for vehicle servicing
and repair. For general engineering, process engineering and industrial
manufacturing sectors the company's product range includes industrial filters,
filter systems, and materials handling systems and equipment. MANN+HUMMEL's
customers come from a large number of sectors, with OEM supply for the
automotive industry occupying a key position. Further information about
MANN+HUMMEL can be found under http://www.mann-hummel.com .
SOURCE MANN+HUMMEL AUTOMOTIVE, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.mann-hummel.com
CONTACT:
Company Contact - U.S.: Julie Morey of
MANN+HUMMEL AUTOMOTIVE, Inc., +1-248-857-8515, E-mail:
jmorey@mannhummelauto.com ; Company Contact - Worldwide: Gabriele
Jost of FILTERWERK MANN+HUMMEL GMBH, +011 49 7141 98 2583,
E-mail: info@mann-hummel.com ; or Media Contact: Larry Weis of
AutoCom Associates, +1-248-647-8621, E-mail: lweis@usautocom.com
, for MANN+HUMMEL AUTOMOTIVE, Inc.
|
