A novel dielectrophoretic oil filter

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering http://pid.sagepub.com/

A novel dielectrophoretic oil filter B Y Park, A Paradiso, M Kawabe and M J Madou Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering 2006 220: 481 DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO196 The online version of this article can be found at: http://pid.sagepub.com/content/220/4/481

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A novel dielectrophoretic oil filter B Y Park, A Paradiso, M Kawabe, and M J Madou* Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, USA The manuscript was received on 12 October 2005 and was accepted after revision for publication on 28 November 2005. DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO196

Abstract: A novel dielectrophoretic oil filter concept is introduced and proof-of-concept systems are tested. Traditional methods of dielectrophoretic separation using planar microelectrodes have a common problem: the dielectrophoretic force, which is proportional to V|E|2, rapidly decays as the distance from the electrodes increases. In this paper, the use of threedimensional electrode designs for high-throughput dielectrophoretic separation/concentration/ filtration systems is investigated. Three-dimensional electrode designs are beneficial because they provide a method of extending the electric field within the fluid, the three-dimensional electrodes can be designed so that the velocity field coincides with the electric field distribution, filtration of particles too small to be physically filtered is possible, and novel electrode designs, not based on planar electrodes designs, can be developed and used. The electric field distribution and velocity fields of three-dimensional electrode designs that are simple extensions of two-dimensional designs are presented, and three novel electrode designs that are not based on two-dimensional electrode designs are introduced. Finally, the experimental results are presented. Preliminary results from particle count analysis suggest that a reduction of up to 90 per cent in particulate contaminants could be achieved (the standard deviation was quite high owing to the small number of particles within view and the uneven distribution of particles within the oil). Keywords: dielectrophoresis, filter, flow-through, filtration, lubrication

1 INTRODUCTION The removal of particulates from lubricants is extremely important in the field of tribology [1]. Researchers estimate that 80 per cent of all machine failures are due to wear [2] and that 1.3–1.6 per cent of the GNP of an industrialized nation is lost to degradation of machinery owing to friction-related wear [3]. The abnormal abrasive wear due to lubricant contamination in marine diesel engines eclipses that of normal wear (wear that occurs even without abrasion), and the gap becomes wider with time [4]. It was found that, although oil filters used in automotive engines are designed to filter particles in the 15–30 mm range, particles with diameters below 10 mm caused 44 per cent of the wear to engine cylinders [5]. In the present work, methods of utilizing dielectrophoretic forces to remove small (