The influence of external field on the lubricity of mineral oil for railway transport

Abstract

The use of mineral oil is associated with its gradual operational degradation caused by its natural aging and contamination with various impurities. As the concentration of impurities increases, the number of active surface molecules which determine the operational properties of mineral oils decreases. A promising method of recovery of the operational properties of oils is the treatment with an electric field, which makes it possible to enhance the activity of surfactants in the tribo-contact area. This statement is proved through the improvement of the wettability of the bronze surface with mineral oils after their treatment with an electrostatic field. However, the method of electrical treatment is associated with the need to increase the requirements for the purity of liquids, especially to the presence of water, which requires creating an oil pre-treatment system. As an alternative, a method of electrical treatment with special field parameters is proposed enabling to accelerate the coalescence process. The major parameter that accelerates the coalescence process is the electric field oscillation frequency. The results of the study give grounds for choosing the optimal field parameters.