Oil Bath filters

Rotary viscous self-cleaning filtration with no disposable elements for large air volumes and very high dust

Description
Technical Data

In high-dust climates, such as sandstorms, deserts and seasonal dust events like the harmattan and laterite, it is essential to protect gas turbines, compressors and large engines, as conventional air intake filtration often struggles.

Oil bath filters are a well-established technology that has been effective for decades in managing large volumes of air with high dust concentrations. Burgess-Manning’s rotary oil bath filters are designed to self-clean continuously and do not require replaceable filter media. This feature ensures a consistent pressure drop and efficiency, resulting in minimal maintenance and no ongoing consumable costs, making them one of the most cost-effective solutions for protecting equipment in extremely dusty environments.

An oil bath filter cleans the air by utilizing rotating panels that are coated with a film of oil. As the panels slowly turn through an oil reservoir, the viscous oil captures dust particles from the air. The rotation then brings the laden panels back through the oil, which washes them clean. Any dust that accumulates settles to the bottom of the reservoir as sludge, which can be easily removed by hand with a scraper. Since the panels are continuously cleaned and re-wetted, there is no need to replace any filter elements. This design maintains a constant pressure drop, rather than allowing it to rise as dust builds up. For applications requiring larger air capacities, single filters can be assembled into multiple banks.

Industries:

Power generation
Oil & gas — large HFO and gas engine plants
Mining and minerals processing
Heavy industry and industrial HVAC

Systems and Conditions:

Large HFO / diesel / gas engine combustion air intakes
Power house and engine-hall ventilation
Industrial HVAC make-up air
Sites with very high dust concentration and large air volumes
Applications prioritizing low operating cost and zero filter consumables

Minimum Information Required For Getting A Quote

Air flow rate (m³/h or ACFM)
Equipment protected like engine / ventilation / HVAC
Site conditions like dust concentration, climate and altitude
Required filtration grade
Available footprint and orientation constraints
Material and corrosion-class requirements
Applicable design codes and certifications

Operating Principles:

Rotary panels turn through an oil reservoir on a time-controlled cycle. The viscous oil film traps dust; immersion washes the panels; dust settles as sludge in the reservoir for manual removal. The result is constant cleaning efficiency and constant pressure drop, with no consumable filter elements.

Product Features and Benefits:

Single-panel (G3) or double-panel (G4) rotary panels
Pressure drop does not exceed ~250 Pa across the viscous surface even in very dusty conditions
No filter element replacement: dust removed as sludge by scraper
Single filters assembled into multiple banks for larger air capacities
Small footprint and easy on-site installation

Design Codes:

Oil bath filter grades are quoted against adapted EN 779 (G3 / G4). Since 2018, EN 779 has been replaced by ISO 16890 for general air-filter classification; the equivalent coarse grades should be confirmed for any published page.

Options:

Inertial dust extraction system
Weather louvers and weather hoods
Secondary filtration stages
Air intake silencer (tubular / splitter)
Air intake plenum, ducting and expansion joints
Skid-mounted (skid) approach

Relevant Industries

Oil and gas refineries, natural gas processing plants and LNG facilities represent remarkably intensive and acoustically challenging industrial environments, generating intense noise levels from complex processing equipment, high-pressure systems and continuous operations. Hydrocarbon processing facilities require comprehensive noise control solutions to ensure worker safety, regulatory compliance, community relations and operational efficiency.

Learn More

Power plants generate both energy and significant acoustic energy. Excessive noise can endanger employees, affect equipment longevity and violate local and international regulations. Burgess-Manning custom-engineers silencers for turbines, compressors, blowers, generators and transformers.

Learn More

Industrial applications generate considerable noise as a result of high-capacity machinery, continuous operations and complex infrastructure. Without proper noise control, these environments can pose risks to employee health, disrupt surrounding communities and violate environmental and occupational noise regulations. Implementing tailored noise mitigation solutions of acoustic walls, noise barriers and silencers while utilizing acoustic modeling, CFD, FEA and noise measurements to design solutions not only supports safety, but also enhances operational efficiency and community relations.

Learn More

Oil Bath Filters FAQ

An air intake filter that cleans air with rotating oil-coated panels. The oil film traps dust and is washed clean as the panels rotate through a reservoir, so there are no filter elements to replace.

No. Continuous self-cleaning keeps the pressure drop constant, unlike a fixed filter that loads up and restricts airflow.

Nothing is thrown away. Dust collects in the oil reservoir as sludge and is scraped out; the panels are reused continuously.

When you have very high dust and large air volumes and want the lowest operating cost. Oil bath is typically cheaper to run than static casings or pulse-clean systems in those conditions.