Efficient Plant February 2018 - 28

feature | lubrication strategies

Oil
Systems
Need to
Breathe

Properly maintained breathers
make it possible for lubrication
systems to effectively protect
moving parts.
Ken Bannister, MEch Eng (UK), CMRP, MLE
Contributing Editor

The most-common breather
is the combination filler/
breather design that allows
a single reservoir opening
to serve as a fill port and
breather. Note that, as is
the case in this photo, no
breather will do its job if
it's not properly attached.
Photo courtesy Engtech Industries, Innerkip, Ontario,
engtechindustries.com

28

TO BREATHE IS to allow air to freely enter and
exit a fully enclosed space. We humans are accustomed to breathing automatically without thinking
about the process. When it comes to machines,
however, the design engineer must be cognizant of
enclosed spaces and mechanisms that can internally
create air-pressure buildup. Any machine or system
design must be able to relieve, or ventilate, the excess
air pressure at a controlled rate to return or maintain
the space to a neutral or positively pressurized state.
The ability of internal mechanisms to breathe
and equalize pressure has a profound effect on a
machine's ability to perform work efficiently, and its
component(s) lifecycle. A perfect example of this is
found in early combustion-engine design in which

| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

crude piston-and-ring technology inevitably allowed
combustion gases to leak past the piston rings into
the crankcase, a process known as "blow-by."
With no engineered provision for venting the
enclosed crankcase, pressure would build up and
compromise seals and gaskets, allowing crankcase
oil to diffuse to atmosphere. This would result in
engine power losses, oil contamination, and constant
leaks. The problem was eventually solved through
improved piston and ring design and the introduction of a crankcase ventilation system that introduces
fresh air through the filler cap. The air mixes with
combustion gases and drafts out through the roaddraft tube, which is connected to the crankcase. The
system was further refined by introducing the pres-

FEBRUARY 2018


http://www.engtechindustries.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant February 2018

Maximize CMMS, EAM Use
Tribology Program Fills Skills Gap
Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Press-Brake Safeguarding Matters
Oil Systems Need To Breathe
SAP: Kicking Bad Habits
Advice For Automated Substations
Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency
Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis
Heed These Signs of Inefficiency
Implementations
IIoT
Efficiency Insight
Editorial
On The Floor
Solution Focus
Products
Showcase
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover1
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover2
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 1
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 2
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 3
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 4
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 5
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Editorial
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 7
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Implementations
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 9
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Maximize CMMS, EAM Use
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 11
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 12
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 13
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Tribology Program Fills Skills Gap
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 15
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 16
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 19
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 20
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 22
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 17
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 18
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 19
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 20
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Caring For Bearings In Extreme Environments
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 22
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 23
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Press-Brake Safeguarding Matters
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 25
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 26
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 27
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Oil Systems Need To Breathe
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 29
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 30
Efficient Plant February 2018 - SAP: Kicking Bad Habits
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Advice For Automated Substations
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Good BOMs Boost Maintenance Efficiency
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Smarten Up About Rotor Analysis
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Heed These Signs of Inefficiency
Efficient Plant February 2018 - On The Floor
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 37
Efficient Plant February 2018 - IIoT
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Solution Focus
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 40
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Products
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 42
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 43
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 44
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Showcase
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 46
Efficient Plant February 2018 - 47
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Efficiency Insight
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover3
Efficient Plant February 2018 - Cover4
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