Delfin, curious if you looked at the Fleetguard Centriguard separator systems? Any thoughts on having filter media in the rotor?
Ted
Oil seems cheap compared to the cost of repair, so saving $100 once a year in oil I could have kept doesn't seem material enough to worry about, given other boat expenses.
Delfin, I'm curious, are you conducting oil analysis? Some evidence suggests that certain additives can be removed by extreme filtration. For anyone who does oil analysis, whether or not bypass filtration is used, I recommend taking a reference sample, that is analyzing a sample of new, unused oil, to which later samples are compared. If additives were being removed, the reference sample would allow you to identify this.
An excerpt from an article on the subject, "The lubricant supplier said that additive suppliers indicate using filters down to a 3-micron size in hydraulic fluid
and wind turbine gear oil applications should remove particulates without leading to additive removal. But use of filters below 3 microns can cause problems. The lubricant supplier says, “We often hear that defoamers may be the first
additive to be removed from a lubricant if filters that are less
than 3 microns are used in a specific system.”
Another article on the subject https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/30566/defoamant-additives-filtered
Probably more of an issue with splash lubrication, as in gearboxes, but still worth monitoring in crankcase oils that are uber-filtered.
It seems defoamants are the most vulnerable to extreme filtration.
For those who are interested, an article on oil analysis http://stevedmarineconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FluidAnalysis143_Final.pdf
Delfin, so are you saying that you run this big genset no more than about a 100 hours per year?
Delfin, was the oil new with the filter installation, or did it already have hours on it?
Much obliged...
From what I can tell, a 50% load is ok, and I can get to that when charging batteries. I read on a CAT advisory that if you can load the genset for 2 hours every 100 hours at 80%, you can burn any deposits off pretty well. With battery charging, water making, washer and dryer going and the oven on, that will be possible. Next up would be a 10kw boom box to annoy the neighbors.
"Bypass filtration?" Are you sure you know what is being discussed? Who doesn't want that? Every engine that I am familiar with that actually has a factory filter has "bypass filtration."
I think that more damage is done by neglect and cold starts than done by manufacturer-recommended filtration.
Delfin, why is my skepticism of this wonderful new method of oil filtering any less valid or more "obtuse" than an assertion of its veracity? I can't possibly care what any of you do to your engine; if the latest gadget makes you feel better and your engine feels smoother to you or it didn't blow itself up when you used it last summer or whatever other method you use to judge how successful the doo-dad was, I can assure you it won't drop any rocks in my pond. Many entrepreneurs have sold us boat-things that they claim will do wonders for us and sometimes these sellers even get rich. I listed a few above. Like selling diesel in a can with a nice perfume in it and asserting it has special powers; fuel "polishing;" dino vs synthetic; anchor shape and size; Marvel Mystery Oil in your fuel; STP in your oil; 2 micron fuel filtration, and so it goes.
My engine was installed in 1995 and it has about 3000 hours on it. That includes 5 years when it actually worked commercially; should you all be standing around it staring at it in wonder (a vision of a creche springs to mind!) because it has survived all these years on factory filtration?
My experience is entirely anecdotal. The ONLY way to decide if my engine is some weird outlier that survived all these years DESPITE not having "bypass filtration" (Fleetguard says it does) or is it right in the middle of the pack of its expected life span? That would need an adequately-populated blind study. Here's another question for you: if you actually could prove that you could put something on your boat that will guarantee to make the engine go for 20 more years and you own it for the next 5, does it make sense to install it?
Interesting and not surprising, my experience with centrifuges is they keep oil visibly cleaner, which is backed up in oil analysis reports.
Hi,
Can you answer why all ship diesel engines use head filters just centrifugal filters and not spin off filters if they do not give any added value to the engine?
To my knowledge, they are the best way to filter oil.
NBs
The do work, they have been scientifically proven (I quoted one of the Department of Energy tests in the article I shared previously). However, in addition to actually working well, the reason they are used aboard seagoing ships is to eliminate the need for carrying replacement elements, with a centrifuge you never run out of "filters".
Not to mention the disposal fees.Handling a screw on filter for a 100,000 HP Wartsila might also be a bit awkward.
Can you answer why all ship diesel engines use head filters just centrifugal filters and not spin off filters if they do not give any added value to the engine?
"Handling a screw on filter for a 100,000 HP Wartsila might also be a bit awkward. Not to mention the disposal fees."
What a strap wrench !