Vacuum Deoiling

Developments in deoiling without destroying the ozone layer

The removal of forming and pressing oils from components
prior to further processing, particularly vacuum heat
treatment and brazing, is an essential manufacturing step.
This was historically achieved using trichlorethane and CFC based solvents. However the phasing out of these ozone depleting and hazardous solvents has created a world-wide need for alternative deoiling processes.

PV/T has developed a range vacuum thermal deoiling furnaces to remove oils by volatilization at low pressure and tempertaure.

Unlike aqueous cleaning processes, vacuum deoiling does
not have any requirements for waste water treatment. Also,
oil removed from the components can be recycled.

For removal of the oil, furnaces are fitted with a specially designed vacuum pumping system that produces the vacuum levels required for volatilization of the oils. The vacuum system is also configured to operate within
the environment generated as the oil is pumped out of the chamber and discharged at the pump
exhaust for collection.

In operation, the internal walls of the vacuum deoiling furnace are maintained in a hot condition to
prevent condensation of oil vapors within the furnace.

For the manufacture of vacuum brazed aluminium heat exchangers, vacuum deoiling furnaces can
be integrated with new or existing brazing furnaces as a combined production operation.

The benefits of vacuum deoiling can be incorporated into other areas where thermal processing is
required. e.g. the combined deoiling and tempering of oil quenched steels, giving an oxide and oil
free finish to the components in one step.

A development vacuum deoiling furnace is available at PV/T for trials and evaluation of our vacuum
deoiling process for customers specific applications.