Bypass filter on a generator set.

[Lonnie]

Just came back from Baja California, Mexico after installing a skid mounted gen set. I was asked to go up into the hills to look at a homemade generator set that supplied electricity for a family living off the grid. The engine was a Buda with a manu date of 1926. The interesting thing is that it has toilet paper oil and gas filters. The 55 year old farmer told us his 75 year old father fabricated the filters during WWII when oil became scarse. They now, don't change oil, ever, just filters and makeup oil. Oil travels though a screen and then a stack of disc's acting as a full flow filter. This can be taken apart and cleaned. Some oil at full pressure goes through a small orifice for each filter (one about 60 thou and the other a bit smaller) and two toilet paper bypass filters in a parallel path. Each filter has three rolls, end to end. The gasoline also has a single three roll filter.

I was asked if I had any suggestions for improving the installation or the maintenance. I told them that I should be the one asking for advise. The fabrication, given the conditions was a work of art. I stayed and helped them fabaricate a crankcase breather/seperator, and paper element air filter housing to replace their oil bath filter and taught them how to gas weld with 3003H14 aluminum and gave them a case of air filters, some blue gogles (helps to see what's happening when welding aluminum), flux and welding rod to play with as they polish their up their skill. Father, son and grandpa are great craftsmen and have the farmers skill to engineer and fix just about anything.

My question is this. Are these guys are early adapaters of toilet paper technology. They told me that they learned this from family members that ran a fishing boat.

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, Lonnie, you may very well have found the true "missing link" in tp filtration.

If you ever get out that way again ..take a digital camera with you. That would rate along the lines of National Geographic around these parts.

 

[Lonnie]

Gary, the oldest of the group told me something interesting about the filters. The filter with the smaller orifice that must by definition pass less oil in a give time, also gets plugged up about twice a quick as the other filter. He said, and I would agree, that the slower process must do a better job of filtering and therefore needs to be changed more often. I see that you must be envolved with filter projects and have a lot of experience with bypass filtration. What do you think?

 

[SWHeat]

Quote:

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Gary, the oldest of the group told me something interesting about the filters. The filter with the smaller orifice that must by definition pass less oil in a give time, also gets plugged up about twice a quick as the other filter. He said, and I would agree, that the slower process must do a better job of filtering and therefore needs to be changed more often. I see that you must be envolved with filter projects and have a lot of experience with bypass filtration. What do you think?

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Now that may change my thinking about removing the restrictor with a sandwich adapter setup. Interesting.

Yes, picutres would be appreciated if you ever venture down that way again. Also, pics of your modifications. Excellent post.

 

[RalphPWood]

Three rolls of bathroom tissue will filter better than one if the oil is passing thru the three rolls at the same rate as one roll. I have a filter that has the same depth as a roll of high quality bathroom tissue but it is about 15 times the size. The housing holds about 4 gallons of oil. It was originally designed to use chopped newspaper but being a bathroom tissue filter guy I wanted a filter that could filter as good as bathroom tissue with a big size advantage. It filters at the same rate as the bathroom tissue filters. As far as I know it is the only big submicronic bypass filter available since Frantz made elements for the big Lubrafiners and others 20 years or so ago.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:

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Gary, the oldest of the group told me something interesting about the filters. The filter with the smaller orifice that must by definition pass less oil in a give time, also gets plugged up about twice a quick as the other filter. He said, and I would agree, that the slower process must do a better job of filtering and therefore needs to be changed more often. I see that you must be envolved with filter projects and have a lot of experience with bypass filtration. What do you think?

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Slower works better. Lower velocity promotes better filtration. Even in full flows the filter manufacturers have proven that as velocity increaded, the performance dropped. You can also see this principle in clarification and even in spray drying.

It's always a trade of with the physical size of the media you're dealing with. Bigger always ends up being better all other things being equal ..as Ralph is saying.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:

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Now that may change my thinking about removing the restrictor with a sandwich adapter setup. Interesting.

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It shouldn't matter in a sandwich installation. You'll have (typically) 2PSID whether the restrictor is in or not. The "back pressure" and the visc will limit the flow through the tp.

 

[handyman]

Lonnie
You could sell an article about this to “Mother Earth News” or to “Home Power Magazine” and start a whole new career as a journalist.