Refining of Used Engine Oil

Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181

Vol. 9 Issue 05, May-2020
Refining of used Engine Oil

Sharad Shanbhaga, Swapnil Ramanib, Sanjeel Naikc
a,b,c
Don Bosco College Of Engineering,
Goa, Faculty. Mechanical Eng. Dept, India
Abstract— This paper presents the result of Recycling of used shops, transportation companies and industries and depends
engine oil using glacial acetic acid, kaolinite and activated on local situation seasonal consumption collection source and
charcoal. After a certain period of useful life, the lubricating or- Refining of Used Engine Oil Lubricant oils have been
oil loses its properties and cannot be used as such in machinery. used primarily for reducing friction between moving parts of
Build up of temperature degrade the lubricating oil ,thus various machinery or equipment, minimize material wear,
leading to reduction in properties such as viscosity, density, improve the efficiency of equipment machinery and for fuel
flash point etc. Dirt and metal parts worn out from the and energy savings. Access to lubricants is essential to
surfaces are also deposited into the lubricating oils. with any modern society and not only does lubrication reduce
increased time of usuage, the lubricating oil loses its lubricating
friction and wear by interposition of a thin liquid film
properties as a result over reduction of desired properties, it
must be replaced with a fresh one.The lubricating oil consist
between moving surfaces, but it also removes heat, keeps
of 98% Base oil and 2% additives,the base oil never gets equipment clean, and prevents corrosion. Waste lubricating
spoiled,it only gets dirty hence using the refining process the oil refers to the engine oil, transmission oil, hydraulic and
contaminants and the additives are separated from the base oil. cutting oils after use. These oils must be changed and
It is a device that receives used engine oil and refines devalued removed from the automobile after a few thou- sand
properties of the oil close to its original valued properties. The kilometers of driving because of stress from serious
process includes various steps like supplementation of glacial deterioration in service. The amount of lubricating oils that is
acetic acid, mixing, centrifuging, mixing of kaolinite , collected annually in India is very large, approximately 1.7 to
dehydration and bleaching using activated charcoal.The unit is 3.5 million tons. This large amount of waste engine oils has a
semi-automated,it is programmed by using a arduino significant impact on both economic and environmental
board,Testing of the used engine oil and the refined engine oil aspects. If discharged into the land, water or even burnt
was carried out sucessfully,the refining of used engine oil as a low grade fuel, this may cause serious pollution
with acetic acid-clay treatment was carried out sucessfully problems because they release harmful metals and other
resulting in red transparent colour base oil.This process of pollutants into the environment.
refining of used engine oil did not emit poisonous gases like
sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere.In addition the glacial
acetic acid has less impact on the processing equipment II. LITERATURE REVIEW
compared with sulphuric acid.This method produces base 2.1 Refining of used Engine oil using M.E.K
oil comparable to that produced using conventional methods. Mr. Merai Yash P. worked on refining of used engine oil and
having carried out the following process:
Keywords— Engine oil, base oil, Kaolinite, Charcoal
Process: 1 - Dehydration The oil is heated to 130➦C in a
I. INTRODUCTION closed vessel to boil off emulsified water and some of the
Waste engine oil is a high pollutant material that requires fuel diluents. The point at which oil contains the maximum
responsible management. Waste engine oil may cause amount of dissolved water is termed the saturation point.
damage to the environment when dumped into the Higher the temperature, higher is the saturation point and
ground or into water streams including sewers. This may hence more water held in solution, in the dissolved phase.
result in ground water and soil contamination. Recycling Similarly, older the oil, higher is the level of water that can be
of such contaminated materials will be beneficial in reducing dissolved. Water is a generator of other contaminants in the
engine oil costs thus causing significant positive impact on oil such as waxes, suspensions, carbon and oxide insoluble
the environment. The conventional methods of recycling and even micro-organisms, so it is removed by dehydration.
of waste engine oil either requires a high cost technology Process: 2 – Vacuum Distillation The vacuum
such as vacuum distillation or the use of toxic materials such distillation column internals must provide good vapor-
as sulfuric acid. These methods also produce liquid contacting while, at the same time, maintaining a
contaminating by-products which have high sulphur levels, very low pressure increases from the top of the column top to
re-refining of used lube oil is an econom- ically attractive the bottom. Therefore, the vacuum column uses
recycling method in terms of resources conservation and distillation trays only where withdrawing products from the
environment protection.it allows processing of hazardous side of the column (referred to as side draws). Most of the
material in a safe and effective way to recover a high quality column uses packing material for the vapor- liquid
oil product. This results in a strong economic incentive for re- contacting because such packing has a lower pressure
refining considering oil price. Re-refining can produce base drop than
oil group 1 or group 2 that is suitable feed stock to refin- ery
units. Used lube oil is generally a mixture of different types distillation trays. This packing material can be either
and grades of used lube oils, coming from motor crankcases structured sheet metal or randomly dumped packing’s.
and industry users. Used lube oil is made up of multitude of The dehydrated oil is then fed continuously into a vacuum
small individual batches collected at garages maintenance
IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 715

(This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)
distillation plant for fractional in exactly the same fashion as period, the acidic-oil was properly sedimented and was
crude petroleum. The fractions obtained are as follows: decanted into another 500 ml beaker while the residue i.e
acidic sludge at the bottom of the beaker was discarded.
1. Light fuel and diesel: It can produce enough diesels
from the used oil feed stock to run all the burners and Bleaching: The acidic oil in the beaker was then
boilers, giving total self-sufficiency in fuel. subjected to bleaching. The oil was placed on a regulator
hot plate and the temperature was maintained at a
2. Lubricating oil: The bulk of the feed stock will distill
temperature of 110➦C. 6 wt % of bleaching earth
off in the plant to produce a lubricating oil fraction.
(industrially produced) was introduced into the oil and the
3. Residue: The non-distillable part of the feed stock. mixture was continuously stirred for 10 minutes. At the end
This contains all the carbon, wear metals, degraded of the bleaching step, the bleached oil was neutralized.
additives and most of the lead and oxidation products. This
residue is successfully used as bitumen extender for roading. Neutralization: The bleached oil was neutralized to adjust
the pH of the oil to neutrality. At this step, 4 wt% of the oil
Process: 3 -- Solvent extraction and final atmospheric of hydrated lime was introduced into the bleached oil by
distillation Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) is a selective taken into consideration the pH of the bleached oil at a given
aromatic solvent employed in the solvent extraction process. point in time. The bleached oil was neutralized with a
The lubricating oil obtained by vacuum distillation is mixed continuous manual stirring for 10 minutes. At the end of the
by agitation with MEK in ratio of 2:1. The lubricating oil bleaching and neutralization steps, the oil was allowed to
and solvent mixture is allowed to settle in separator tank. sediment in the beaker for 4 hours and was decanted into the
The aromatic content and degraded additives present in the beaker, while the residue at the bottom of beaker was
lubricating oil fraction will settle at the bottom and the discarded.
lubricating oil fraction and solvent mixture layer forms at
the top. Solvent mixture is again subjected to atmospheric Bleaching using activated Carbon: At the end of the acid
distillation. The atmospheric distillation is carried out at treatment step, if the acidic oil is to be bleached using
activated carbon (charcoal), the same procedure for
temperature of around 80➦C which is the boiling point of
bleaching using industrial bleaching earth is also used.
MEK. The MEK vapor produced is condensed and is again Except that the temperature was increased and maintained at
used as solvent by blending with fresh solvent The
a range of 130➦C–140➦C. The same amount of activated
lubricating oil produced at this stage is similar to that of
the base lubricating oil. Additives have to be added to carbon as that of the industrial bleaching earth and hydrated
further improve the properties and to make them eligible lime was used. Sedimentation /Decantation:During this stage,
for use in the automobile engines. Zinc Dialkyl the oil was allowed to sediment in the beaker for 4 hours
Dithiosulphate is the common additive added to the and was decanted into another beaker, while the residue at
lubricating oil. the bottom of the beaker was discarded.
Conclusion: Re-refining of waste lubricants could result in Filtration: The sedimented oil was finally filtered using a
both environmental and economic benefits. Re-refining of filter cloth and the filtrate was collected in a filtration flask
waste oil to manufacture base oil conserves more energy than and was observed to be clear while, the residue (filter cake)
reprocessing the waste oil for use as fuel. The energy was discarded.
required to manufacture re-refined oil from used oil is only Conclusion: From the result of experiment obtained, used
one-third of the energy required to refine crude oil to engine oil can be regenerated on a bench scale at controlled
produce virgin base oil. Therefore, re-refining is considered conditions.It showed a better quality of regenerated oil using
by many as a preferred option in terms of conserving industrial bleaching earth with a viscosity at 400➦C,
resource as well as minimizing waste and reducing damage specific gravity and total acid number so close to that of the
to the environment. standard grade.
2.2 Refining of used Engine oil using Bleaching Agents 2.3 Refining of used Engine oil using a New Washing
Mr. Abdulkadir presents the result of regeneration of used Agent Ihsan Hamawand, Talal Yusaf and Sardasht Rafat
engine oil using industrial bleaching earth and activated have worked on refining of used engine oil and having
carbon as the bleaching agents. The used oil undergoes carried out the following process: This paper addresses
acidification and bleaching steps to remove the aromatic recycling of waste engine oils treated using acetic acid.
content and to improve the color and quality of the oil. The The advantage of using the acetic acid is that it does not react
process showed a better quality of regenerated oil with a with base oils. The recycling process takes place at room
viscosity of 53.16cP at 40 Celsius The processes are as temperature. The recycling process started with removing
follows: Acid Treatment: 300 ml of used engine oil was the contamination from the used engine oil. Glacial acetic
measured in a 500 ml beaker. Also, 30 ml of sulphuric acid was mixed with the used engine oil using a ratio of 0.8
acid was measured in a separate 50 ml beaker. The mL acetic acid to 10 mL used engine oil. This was followed
regulator hot plate was switched on and the measured base by stirring in a closed container at room conditions (room
oil was placed on top. The temperature of the base oil temperature and pressure) for one hour. The mixture was
(used engine oil) was maintained at 40-45➦C. At this left for 24 hours at room conditions and then underwent
temperature the sulphuric acid was introduced into the used centrifugation for one hour to separate the base oil from the
engine oil simultaneously with stirring of the mixture for 10 contaminants. The separated base oil was then mixed with
minutes. Sedimentation /Decantation At the end of the acid kaolinite at a ratio of 1 mL oil to 4 g kaolinite. The kaolinite
treatment step, the acidic oil was allowed to settle 4 hours was added to remove the dark color and the smell which
to form sediment at the bottom of the beaker. After this result from oxidation of some components in the oil. This

was achieved by heating to a temperature slightly higher dehydration, heating takes place at 110➦ C (approx.) where
than 250 ➦C, followed by centrifugation for 30 min. This the entire water content is removed. [2]
process produced a yellow clear base oil and an amount of
sludge very close to the initial weight of the kaolinite used 5)Centrifugation:The mixture then undergoes centrifugation
plus 5 wt%. Conclusion: This research has shown that (3000 RPM) for a period of 30 minutes.Thus a black dark
used engine oil can be recycled by using glacial acetic acid. sludge at the bottom of the container is obtained. Followed by
This method produces base oil comparable to that bleaching using activated carbon which is done to adjust the
produced using conventional methods. PH of of the oil to neutrality.[1]
6) Bleaching using activated Carbon:At this stage the oil is
III.WORKING METHODOLOGY heated to a temperature of 120➦C and then transferred to
the mixing chamber where activated charcoal is introduced
The Base oil never gets spoiled,it only gets dirty hence and it is mixed for about 10 minutes
using the glacial acetic acid-clay treatment we are separating and is then allowed to settle for a period of 10 minutes
the base oil from the contaminants and the additives. followed by a centrifuging(3000 RPM) for a period of 1
hour wherein the residue settles at the bottom which is then
discarded and a dark red transparent base oil is
produced.which is then stored in the base oil container.[3]
III. DESIGN AND FABRICATION

The design and fabrication of oil refining unit was made as an
effort in find- ing environment-friendly means of waste oil
refining .It is an alternative solution to the huge imports of
engine oil.It is a prototype/laboratory scale model that will
serve as the baseline in developing commercial oil refining
plants.The main components are the frame,used oil storage
conatainer,glacial acetic acid container,mixing
chamber,kaolinite/Bleaching chamber,heating chamber and
base oil storage container.
4.1 Factors to be considered for a Reliable Design

To ensure the safety is not compromised and the design is
economic at the same time following factors are to be kept
in mind:
PROCESS PROFILE
1. Strength should be greater than stress induced
1) Supplementation of Glacial acetic acid:Glacial acetic
acid is mixed with the used engine oil with proportional 2. Simplicity of Design
ratios(For 2 litres of used engine oil 160ml of glacial acetic
acid is used) followed by stirring the 3. Safety & Convenience of control
Refining of Used Engine Oil
4. Low Cost
mixture in a closed container at room temperatures for a
period of 1 hour. The mixture is then left aside for a few 5. Good Appearance
hours at room temperature(12-14Hours).[1]
2)Centrifugation:The mixture then undergoes centrifugation 4.2 Conceptual Design of oil Refining Unit
(3000 RPM) for a period of 1 hour which involves the The following shows the photos of the CAD Model of the
application of centrifugal force to separate the base oil from oil refining unit designed on the solidworks software 2014
the contaminants.[1] and of the working model.The design was made taking
3) Mixing with kaolinite:The separated base oil is mixed with into consideration of cost,simplicity and avoiding complexity
kaolinite with appropriate ratios(For 2 litres of used engine of fabrication.
oil 80gm of Kaolinite is used) for a period of 1 hour.and is
then allowed to settle for a duration of 30 minutes. Kaolinite
is added to remove the dark color and smell, which result
from oxidation of some components of the oil. Followed
by dehydration.[1]
4) Dehydration:The used Lubricating oil usually contains
aromatics and water content etc,heating at high
temperature to remove emulsified water, mixed lighter
fractionators fuel oils in the heating container . In the

Figure 4.1: Conceptual Design of Oil Refining Unit
Figure 4.5: Electronic Assembly(Working Model)
4.3 Conceptual Design of Centrifuge

The following shows the photos of the CAD Model of the
Centrifuge designed on the solidworks software 2014
and of the working model.The design was made taking
into consideration of cost,simplicity and avoiding complexity
of fabrication.
Figure 4.2: Top View of Oil Refining Unit
Figure 4.6: Conceptual Design of Centrifuge
Figure 4.3: Front View of Oil refining Unit
Figure 4.7: Dimensions of the Centrifuge
Figure 4.8: Centrifuge(Working Model)

Figure 4.4: Working Model of Oil Refining Unit(5Litres Capacity)

Figure 4.9: Assembly of Centrifuge(Working Model) Figure 4.11: Dimensions of Containers
4.4 Conceptual Design of Frame 4.6 Conceptual Design of Glacial Acetic Acid Container
The following shows the dimensions of the frame,the frame The Glacial Acetic Acid container was designed on the
takes the entire load of the oil refining unit hence the factor solidworks software 2014,the following shows the
that the strength should be greater than the stress is taken dimensions of the glacial acetic acid container,the capacity
into consideration. of the the containers is 1 litre.There is only 1 container of
the following dimensions.
Figure 4.10: Frame Dimensions
4.5 Conceptual Design of Containers

The containers were designed on the solidworks software
2014,the following shows the dimensions of the
Figure 4.12: Dimensions of Glacial acetic acid Container
containers,these containers are used as the used oil storage
container,kaolinite/Bleaching mixing chamber,mixing V. COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT
chamber,heating chamber and base oil storage container.The
The main components designed and fabricated for the
capacity of the the containers is 5 litres.There are total 5
refining process are as follows
containers of the same dimensions and capacity as shown
1.Base Frame.
below.
2.Mixing container,
3.Kaolinite/Bleaching Container,
4.Heating container
5.Auxiliary Components
5.1 Base Frame

Frame is the base of the machine. The frame is fabricated
and is strong enough to sustain the load of all the
containers,piping,valves.Apart from sustaining the weight the
frame should be light and cost minimum considering all the
factors mild steel was chosen. The formability or

workability of the mild steel is very good and the design of

the frame has been done in SOLID WORKS 2014.
Figure 5.2: Serial LCD
5.5.3 Motor Driver

FIGURE 5.1: BASE FRAME It comes up with a simple TTL/CMOS based interference
that can connect directly to the IOs of an MCU.It has a
5.2 Mixing Container breaking feature that can guarantee immediate halt on the
This is the container used to mix the used engine oil and shaft of the motors in most high power applications and also
the acetic acid in appropriate proportions( For 2 litres of used includes protection circuitry to avoid any electrical
engine oil 160ml of glacial acetic acid is used ) where mixing fluctuations affecting the normal operations of an MCU.
process will be initiated for a span of 1 hour.
5.3 Kaolinite/Bleaching Container

Here the oil is being agitated with kaolinite for a span of 1
hour and is then allowed to settle for a duration of 30
minutes ./The oil is mixed with activated charcoal for a
period of 10 minutes followed by a settling time of 10
minutes.
5.4 Heating Container

This container has an industrial oil immersion heater which
heats the oil uniformly and efficiently thus making it free
from its long chain burnt carbon atoms, and also helps in
removing the humidity and moisture content present in the
used engine oil.
FIGURE 5.3: MOTOR DRIVER
5.5 Auxiliary Components
The Auxiliary components used in the oil refining unit are 5.5.4 Relays
Arduino Board,Serial LCD,Motor Driver,Relays,SMPS,DC Relays are switches that open or close electromechanically
Motor,Centrifuge,Oil Immersion Heater and Resistance or electroni- cally.It’s a 5V relay a normally open and one
Temperature detector(RTD). normally closed contact,the control pins with pull-down
circuit,prevent floating relay malfunction.
5.5.1 Arduino Board
Arduino is an open source, computer hardware and
software company, project, and user community that designs
and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and
microcontrollers kits for building digital devices and
interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the
physical world. Arduino board designs use a variety of
microprocessors and controllers.
5.5.2 Serial LCD

The interface contains only 3 pins, +5V,GND and RX. It
uses only one microcontroller pin ,and so it saves lots of
hardware complexities and time. Upto 8 custom characters
can be defined and used easily.
Figure 5.4: Relays

5.5.5 SMPS 5.5.8 Oil Immersion Heater

SMPS stands for switch-mode-power-supply.It rectifies the This works on the principle of joule heating.It has an
AC input per- forms the power factor correction and then electrical resistance heating element encased in a tube
converts the output into one or more lower voltage DC which converts the electrical energy into heat energy,a
outputs. temperature sensor triggers a thermostat to control the
temperature of the oil.
5.5.9 Resistance Temperature Detector(RTD)

RTD Pt100 is a device with a typical resistance of 100
ohm at 0➦(it is called Pt100). It changes resistance with
a change in temperature. They are used in a variety of
applications, including temperature measurement. They have
been used for many years to measure temperature in
laboratory and industrial processes,and have developed a
5.5.6 DC MOTOR reputation for accuracy, repeatability.
VI. FABRICATION PROCESS
The Fabrication processes were carried out at Don Bosco
College of Engi- neering Workshop.The various fabrication
and machining operations carried out are cutting the pipes to
required dimensions,welding the pipes to the
container,drilling holes for the container,cutting of
sheets,threading of pipes and grinding and finishing.
6.1 Fabrication of oil Refining unit parts

The following Parts were fabricated at the Workshop
1. Frame
2. Containers
Figure 5.6: DC motor 3. Piping
4. Centrifuge
IT IS A 12V DC MOTOR WITH A METAL GEARBOX WITH
300 RPM . 6.2 Fabrication and Machining Operations
5.5.7 CENTRIFUGE 6.2.1 Cutting the Pipes to Required Dimensions

PVC pipe of ➼ inch diameter was cut using hacksaw
THE EQUIPMENT IS DRIVEN BY A MOTOR,WHICH SPINS LIQUID blade for different lengths of 3 inches (4 Nos.),4 inches
SAMPLES AT HIGH SPEED. IT WORKS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF (4 Nos.) and MS pipe of ➼ inch diameter was cut for
SEDIMENTATION WHERE THE CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION IS different lengths of 55inches and 4 inches (2 Nos.) and 2
USED TO SEPARATE SUBSTANCES OF GREATER AND LESSER inches (2 Nos.) and level pipe of 12 inches was cut to
DENSITY. connect the glacial acetic acid container and mixing
container.
6.2.2 Welding Pipes to Container
Electric Arc Welding was used:
To weld the MS pipes to the kaolinite/Bleaching container

and the heating container.
To weld the cover plates at the bottom of the container to

make it leak proof.
To weld the 10x12inches sheet metal panel to the Base

frame.
Figure 5.7: Centrifuge
6.2.3 Drilling Holes for Container
Holes of different diameters were drilled on the containers
using the Verti- cal Drilling Machine,the containers were
placed on the regular work table and clamped to it using a G-

clamp. Holes of different diameters were then drilled to it indicating the degree of change of viscosity of oil with
using drill bits of diameter 28mm,24mm,8mm,5mm and change in temperature. It is one of the most criti- cal
3mm. factors to consider for selecting lubricating oil for use in
an internal combustion engine since the oil must function
6.2.4 CUTTING OF SHEETS over a wide range of temperature. For oils of similar
MS SHEET METAL WAS CUT IN CIRCULAR SHAPES OF kinematic viscosity, the higher the viscosity index the
DIAMETER 200MM AND 10MM FOR THE BOTTOM AND TOP OF smaller is the effect of temperature on its kinematic
THE CONTAINERS FROM A MS SHEET METAL USING A viscosity.
GRINDER, ALSO A 10X12INCHES RECTANGULAR SHAPED Test Procedure (ASTM D 2270) Viscosity index was
SHEET METAL WAS CUT FOR THE ELECTRONIC PANEL. determined from kinematic viscosities at 40➦C and
100➦C . The calculation of viscosity index from
6.2.5 THREADING OF PIPES
THREADS WERE GENERATED ON A LATHE MACHINE FOR ITS kinematic viscosities at 40➦C and 100➦C is exact, and
ACCURACY AND FOR ITS VERSATILITY. THREADS WERE
no precision limits can be assigned to this calculation. The
GENERATED ON A ➼ INCH MS PIPE HAVING THREAD PITCH
accuracy of the calculated viscosity index is dependent only
on the accuracy of the original viscosity determination.
LENGTH OF 0.07143 AND 14 THREADS PER INCH.
Test Method D 445 has a stated repeatability limit of 0.35 %
and a reproducibility limit of 0.70 %.
6.2.6 Grinding and Finishing
The stress concentration causes cracking which can be
7.3 Moisture Content
eliminated by using the grinding technique, the grinding
Moisture Content: Moisture is generally referred to as a
machine has a grinding wheel disc which is composed of an
chemical contamination when suspended in engine oils.
abrasive compound which can easily remove the hard and
water created in engine oil is a result of: absorbing
brittle materials which are difficult to remove by cutting
moisture directly from the air (oil is hygroscopic),
tools and also provides the required surface finish.
condensation (humid air entering oil compartments), heat
exchanger (corroded or leaky heat exchangers), combustion
VII. PROPERTIES AND TESTING OF OIL (fuel combustion forms water which may enter the lubricant
oil through worn rings), oxidation (chemical reaction) and
The Testing of the following properties of used engine oil
neutralization (when alkalinity improvers neutralize acids
and refined engine oil was sucessfully carried out at FAN
formed during combustion), and free water entry (during oil
SERVICES(Materials & Product Testing Laboratory)-
changes).
Satpur,Nashik.
Test Procedure (ASTM D 5349) The Oil sample is weighed
7.1 Kinematic Viscosity
and air dried to equilibrate it with the atmosphere. The
Kinematic Viscosity: Viscosity is a measure of the
residual moisture is then determined using the Drying Oven
resistance to flow and may be regarded as the internal or
Method. Air drying and Residual moisture are combined to
fluid friction of the lubricating oil. It is a single most
report gross moisture.
important property of a lubricant and must be known when
formulating lubricants. It is a key measurement for detect-
7.4 Density
ing a number of used oil conditions including fuel dilution,
Density: Density is the ratio of the mass of volume of Oil to
oxidation and contamination. Oxidation products and
the mass of the same volume of water and depends on two
contaminants such as soot, dirt, glycol and water cause
temperatures, at which the mass of the oil and the water are
viscosity increase while fuel dilution and shearing of
measured. Density is influenced by the chemical
viscosity index improver in multi-grade oils cause viscosity
composition of the oil. An increase in the amount of
decrease. Kine- matic viscosities of the used and re-refined
aromatic compounds in the oil results in an increase in the
oil samples were measured at
density, while an increase in the saturated compounds
40➦C and 100➦C with Canon-Fenske Routine viscometers results in a decrease in the density. Density is an important
or Canon-Fenske Opaque viscometers according to ASTM quality indicator for automotive oils where it affects pricing
D 445 standard test methods for transparent and opaque storage,handling and combustion.
liquids respectively. Test Procedure (ASTM D 1298) The sample is brought to the
pre- scribed temperature (standard reference temperature of
Test Procedure (ASTM D 445) Kinematic viscosity is 15➦C) and transferred to a cylinder at approximately the
determined by measuring the time for a volume of oil to
same temperature.The appropriate hydrometer is lowered
flow under gravity through a calibrated glass capillary
into the sample and allowed to settle. After temperature
viscometer. The dynamic viscosity can be obtained by
equilibrium has been reached, the hydrometer scale is read,
multiplying the measured kinematic viscosity by the density
and the temperature of the sample is noted. If necessary
of the oil.
the cylinder and its contents may be placed in a constant
temperature bath to avoid excessive temperature variation
7.2 Viscosity Index
during the test.
Viscosity Index: Viscosity index (VI) is the viscosity-
temperature re- lationship and is an arbitrary number

7.5 Flash Point 10.2 EXPERIMENT 2

Flash Point: The flash point of an engine oil is the lowest
temperature to which the oil must be heated under specified 10 ML OF WASTE ENGINE OIL WAS TAKEN AND MIXED WITH
conditions to give off sufficient vapor to form a mixture 1.6ML ACETIC ACID.LATER 0.4GMS OF KAOLIN CLAY WAS
with air that can be ignited spontaneously by a specified ADDED AND MIXED THOROUGHLY FOR 30 MINUTES AND
flame. The flash point of engine oil is an indication of the HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE OF 80➦C.
oil’s contamination. A substantially low flash point of an
engine oil is a reliable indicator that the oil has become CONCLUSION: 2 LAYERS WERE OBSERVED, THE BASE OIL
contaminated with volatile products such as gasoline (YELLOW) BEING AT THE TOP LAYER.
Test Procedure (ASTM D 92) The test cup is filled to a

specified level with oil sample. The temperature is rapidly
increased at first, and then at a slow constant rate as the
flash point is approached. At specified intervals a small test
flame is passed across the cup. The lowest temperature
at which the vapors above the surface of the liquid ignites
is taken as the flash point.
7.6 Color
Color: New oil is amber in color as engine oil gets darker it
can indicates high heat, contaminants, the presence of
additives that cause the oil to darken during normal use.
FIGURE 8.2: EXPERIMENT NO.2
Test Procedure (ASTM D 1500) Using a standard light
source, a oil sample is placed in the test container and 8.3 Experiment 3
compared with colored glass disks ranging in value from 0.5 10 ml of waste engine oil was taken and mixed with
to 8.0. When an exact match is not found and the sample 1.2ml acetic acid for 60 minutes and kept for 24 hours.
color falls between two standard colors, the higher of the two After 24 hours, centrifugation was performed for 1 hour.
colors is reported. Conclusion: The dark black oil turned out to be light black
also after centrifugation the contaminants got settled at the
VIII. EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED IN LAB bottom of the test-tube.
A total of 3 experiments were conducted out of which

experiment 3 showed comparatively better results.
8.1 Experiment 1
Oil was taken in a bottle and mixed thoroughly for 15
minutes. 5ml of oil was added in a test tube and mixed
with glacial acetic acid this was stirred for 20mins.
Conclusion: The black engine oil turned into a fainted brown Figure 8.3: Experiment No.3
colour, there was also a change in colour of glacial acetic acid
from colourless to light red colour. IX. LAB TESTING REPORTS
The Testing of the following properties of used engine oil
andrefined engine oil was sucessfully carried out at FAN
SERVICES(Materials & Product Testing Laboratory)-
Satpur,Nashik.The testing of the following properties was
carried out sucessfully ,kinematic viscosity at
40➦C,kinematic viscosity at 100➦C,density at
25➦C,density at 15➦C,specific gravity,moisture con-
tent,flash point,colour,colour rating and viscosity index.The
lab testing reports of used engine oil and refined engine oil
were then compared with the standard base oil(ASTM).The
Figure 8.1: Experiment No.1 refined engine oil showed comparable results as shown by
the traditional methods.Hence based on the lab testing
reports this process can be implemented in the pre-treatment
section of the waste engine oil refining for commercial use.

9.1 Report of Waste Engine oil 9.3 Comparison Table

The Testing of the following properties of used engine oil The Sample of waste Engine oil and Refined oil was tested
was carried out in order to determine the properties and as per ASTM Standards for colour,Flash
contamination levels of used engine oil which was later Point,Density,kinematic viscosity at 40➦C and
compared with the refined engine oil.
100➦C,viscosity Index and Moisture Content and the
results were compared to the standard Base oil Group
1(ASTM Standards).Testing of the used engine oil and the
refined engine oil was carried out sucessfully,the refining of
used engine oil with acetic acid-clay treatment was carried
out sucessfully resulting in red transparent colour base
oil.This process of refining of used engine oil did not emit
poisonous gases like sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere as
compared to the traditional refining methods.In addition the
glacial acetic acid has less impact on the processing
equipment compared with sulphuric acid used by the
traditional refining methods.This method produces base oil
comparable to that produced using conventional
methods.Based on the comparison table it can be stated that
the refining of used engine oil was sucessfully carried out
and this process can be implemented in the pre-treatment
section of the oil refining for commercial use.
X.CONCLUSION
Testing of properties of used Engine oil was successfully
carried out.
Testing of properties of Refined Engine oil was
successfully carried out.
FIGURE 9.1: TEST REPORT OF WASTE ENGINE OIL The refining process was carried out and transparent red
color Base oil was obtained.
9.2 Report of Refined Engine oil Refining of used engine oil with acid-clay treatment was
The Testing of the following properties of refined engine carried out successfully resulting in Red transparent colour
oil was carried out in order to determine the properties and base oil.
reduction in contamination levels of refined engine oil and This Project has shown that used engine oil can be recycled
was compared with the used engine oil. by using glacial acetic acid. This method produces base oil
comparable to that produced using conventional methods.
Optimum conditions for recycling used engine oil using this
method are room temperature. The process for recycling is
simple, as it only requires mixing at room temperature,
settling, centrifugation and finally mixing with kaolinite
and mixing with activated charcoal.
This new process of refining of used engine oil did not emit
poisonous gases like sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere.
In addition, glacial acetic acid has less negative impact on
the processing equipment as compared with sulphuric acid.
Outcome
The device is Cost efficient.
This device is cost efficient as it does not use high end cost
technology such as stripping kettle,thin flim
evaporator,high vaccum molecular distilation and vaccum
skid.
It is Environment-Friendly.
Figure 9.2: Test Report of Refined Engine oil

This new process of refining of used engine oil did not emit
poisonous gases like sulphur dioxide to the atmosphere. In
addition, glacial acetic acid has less negative impact on

the processing equipment as compared with sulphuric

acid.
It is Portable to shift.
This device is very light in weight and hence it can be
easily moved to different places.
The above process shows better quality of regenerated oil.
This process of refining of used engine oil was performed and
the refined engine oil was tested for various properties in
the lab and it was found that it showed comparable results
as shown by the traditional methods of refining of used
engine oil.Hence this process of refining used engine oil
can be implemented in the pre-treatment section of the oil
refining plants for commercial use.
Future Scope
In future this project can be improved by the following
ways:
Addition of vaccum distillation wherein the oil is passed
through a vaccum distillation column , under higher
vacuum and temperature, to distill off lighter oil. The
undistilled oil is subjected to high vacuum, high
temperature in an induction heated plant. The distilled oil
will have a viscosity of about SAE 40 at ambient.
Addition of oil pumps and a 10 litre capacity centrifuge
including solenoid valves would automate the entire process.
REFERENCES
[1] Recycling of Waste Engine Oils Using a New Washing Agent by
Ihsan Hamawand , Talal Yusaf , and Sardasht Rafat.
[2] Merai Yash P.” Re-refining of used lubricating oil” International
Jour- nal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 6, Issue 3,
March-2015
[3] Isah, A. G., Abdulkadir, M., Onifade, K. R., Musa, U., Garba, M.
U., Bawa, A. A and Sani, Y.” Regeneration of Used Engine Oil”
Proceed- ings of the World Congress on Engineering 2013 Vol I,
WCE 2013, July
[4] Waste and used Lube oil Refining Process almost zero clay
SLMAC (SHORT PATH DISTILLATION) by Arslan Enginery.
[5] Guide to ASTM Test Methods for the Analysis of Petroleum
Products and Lubricants 2nd Edition by R. A. Kishore Nadkarni.
[6] Ramon, Manoel Carlos. ”Arduino IDE and Wiring Language.”
Arduino
[7] Pair, C. ”C++ Programming, Programming Languages and
Program- ming Methods.” Psychology of Programming (1990): 9-
19. Web.W.-K. Chen, Linear Networks and Systems. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, pp. 123–135, 1993.


Refining of Used Engine Oil

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Refining of Used Engine Oil

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Refining of Used Engine Oil

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181

Refining of used Engine Oil

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 715

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 716

III. DESIGN AND FABRICATION

4.1 Factors to be considered for a Reliable Design

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 717

Figure 4.1: Conceptual Design of Oil Refining Unit

Figure 4.5: Electronic Assembly(Working Model)

4.3 Conceptual Design of Centrifuge

Figure 4.2: Top View of Oil Refining Unit

Figure 4.6: Conceptual Design of Centrifuge

Figure 4.3: Front View of Oil refining Unit

Figure 4.7: Dimensions of the Centrifuge

Figure 4.8: Centrifuge(Working Model)

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 718

Figure 4.9: Assembly of Centrifuge(Working Model) Figure 4.11: Dimensions of Containers

Figure 4.10: Frame Dimensions

4.5 Conceptual Design of Containers

5.1 Base Frame

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 719

workability of the mild steel is very good and the design of

Figure 5.2: Serial LCD

5.5.3 Motor Driver

5.3 Kaolinite/Bleaching Container

5.4 Heating Container

5.5.2 Serial LCD

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 720

5.5.5 SMPS 5.5.8 Oil Immersion Heater

5.5.9 Resistance Temperature Detector(RTD)

6.1 Fabrication of oil Refining unit parts

5.5.7 CENTRIFUGE 6.2.1 Cutting the Pipes to Required Dimensions

6.2.2 Welding Pipes to Container

Electric Arc Welding was used:

To weld the MS pipes to the kaolinite/Bleaching container

To weld the cover plates at the bottom of the container to

To weld the 10x12inches sheet metal panel to the Base

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 721

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 722

7.5 Flash Point 10.2 EXPERIMENT 2

Test Procedure (ASTM D 92) The test cup is filled to a

A total of 3 experiments were conducted out of which

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 723

9.1 Report of Waste Engine oil 9.3 Comparison Table

Figure 9.2: Test Report of Refined Engine oil

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 724

the processing equipment as compared with sulphuric

IJERTV9IS050510 www.ijert.org 725

You might also like