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Pure Tech India DSIR, GOI Supported product Emulsion Coolant Treatment- An Overview Introduction: The paper discusses the most innovative and suitable coolant recovery and treatment system developed by Pure Tech India with active financial support for R&D by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India under their Technology Development and Demonstration Programme. Emulsion Coolants Introduction: Emulsion coolant or water soluble coolant is the most commonly used Cooling and lubricating agent in machine tools. Ideally, water is the best coolant available; but because of its rusting tendency, it becomes unsuitable for usage. To overcome this problem and to ensure lubrication and reduce friction between the contact metal parts, oil is mixed with water to form an emulsion. Generally, oil and water are immiscible. An emulsifying agent is added to hold water and oil particles together and thus emulsion is formed. Emulsifying agents are normally inorganic whereas oil is organic. Emulsion coolant is of the following types and is based on the type of oil used for making the emulsion: Mineral oil based emulsion- Common brands include Indianoil Servocut S, Bharat Petroleums Sheral B. Semi- Synthetic oil based emulsion common brands include ITW Signode and Castrol Alucut etc and Synthetic oil based emulsion- common brands include Blaser and Quaker.

The life of the oil increases from mineral oil based to synthetic and so is the cost. Characteristics of a Good Coolant: The water soluble coolant is a mixture of oil and water and it should possess the following characteristics: 1. The coolant must cool and lubricate the point of contact of both the tool and work piece. At the point of contact, the temperature generated is around 300- 350 degrees centigrade and it is necessary to bring down this temperature to room temperature to ensure no change in work piece properties and shape. Further the friction generated due to the contacting metals may cause deformation in the job. To reduce this, the contact must be well lubricated. The coolant must perform both the above effectively. 2. The quality of coolant is highly dependent on the type of water used for the following reasons: 2. a. The rate of heat transfer is reduced greatly reduced by the presence of salts in the coolant. The lower the quantity of salts, better the efficiency of heat transfer. It is always recommended to use low salt water like DM water to mix the emulsion as this will conduct the heat faster from the point of contact in the machine tool. Further the heat generated at the point of contact will evaporate the water in the coolant leaving behind the salts. On continuous usage there is a possibility that the level of salt in the coolant increases to a stage that it starts leaving behind deposits on the contact surface. This generally happens at a TDS of around 1300 ppm. For the best efficiency of the equipment the TDS should be kept as low as possible. 2. b. The major cause of coolant disposal in the machine tool is the Smell and skin irritation caused by bacteria present in water. The source of bacteria in the water is the water used for mixing the emulsion. Bacteria reproduce every twenty minutes through DNA multiplication. The ideal temperature for this bacterial growth is around 25- 32 degrees centigrade which is maintained in the coolant sump. Bacteria reproduce at an alarming rate and consume the lube oil and the
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coolant oil available in the coolant. If this bacterial growth is left unchecked, a stage will come when the emulsion will break into water and oil phase. To avoid such problems it is suggested to go for the following precautionary measures: The inlet feed water used for mixing with oil can be ensured with low bacterial contamination. It can be made possible by having UV treated water or RO product water. The rate of bacterial contamination is enhanced by the presence of Tramp oil over the coolant surface. Bacteria exist as both Aerobic and Anaerobic form. Aerobic bacteria survive in the presence of air and anaerobic bacteria survive in the absence of air. The tramp oil in the coolant will form a film on the surface of the coolant preventing entry of oxygen. This condition will have an increase of anaerobic bacteria in the coolant which is more dangerous than the aerobic bacteria. To prevent this bacterial growth, it is suggested to ensure minimal tramp oil film on the coolant surface by frequent skimming of the oil from the surface. This will help in containing bacterial growth. Some Housekeeping tips for containing Coolant contamination: Use low salt water for best coolant efficiency. Ensure minimal tramp oil contamination to contain growth of bacteria. Ensure minimal usage of coolant pump. This will break the emulsion with tramp oil into smaller particle and in the process will make tramp oil removal difficult. Further, if possible use Diaphragm pump for coolant as this will ensure minimal turbulence while pumping when compared to centrifugal pump thereby reducing tramp oil coolant breakage. Present Treatment Systems and Processes: Control of Tramp Oil: The most popular and widely used in the machine tool is the belt skimmer which works parallely along with the machine tool operation to control the excess tramp oil generation in the machine tool. Control of Suspended Dust: The most common equipments used for controlling suspended dust (ideally generated machined dust from the machine tool) is by using Paper Band filters and/or polypropylene bag filters. There are some centrifuges in operation along with cyclone separators. Control of Bacteria: Bacterial degeneration or Monday morning odour is controlled by using Biocides (ClO2 based disinfectants) or by using Bio degradable disinfectants. In some companies Ozone is used for the disinfection. Typical treatment schedules and reasons for disposal as followed in companies: Generally when the Monday morning odour is very high then the coolant is removed for disposal. In some companies, the machine tool is allowed to run for about 30 minutes with coolant pump in on position before it is used for production which minimises the level of anaerobic bacteria and helps in reduced odour. The coolant is normally removed for de-emulsification on the magnitude of odour and skin irritation or if the emulsion breakage is seen. The time varies from as high as 7 days to 3 months in industries. The coolant disposal is also dependent on the MOC of work piece and the operating conditions in the machine tool. In some cases the TDS increases causing white marks on the work piece forcing the disposal of coolant.
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Pure Tech India Coolant Management Programme: The programme proposed by Pure Tech is classified under the following modules: 1. Data generation from the client site 2. Classification of coolant source for treatment into Recoverable and Non Recoverable assets. 3. Treatment for Recoverable assets 4. Treatment and disposal for non recoverable assets. 5. Coolant treatment management methodology. The following pages will discuss in detail on the methodology suggested for each type of machine shop. Data Generation from the client site: The coolant management programme is not efficient without this very important data on which the treatment scheme is to be suggested for implementation. The most common answers needed are as below: 1. Type of Machine shops and no of machine tools in the shop. 2. Average coolant sump capacities for the machine tools. 3. Generalised data on the number of machine tools and its operations for example Turning centres, grinding machines (fine and coarse), SPMs, VMC, HMC etc 4. Type and brand of coolant used in the machine tools. 5. Concentrations followed in the machine tools , it may be general for turning centres, grinding centres etc 6. Quality of water used in making the emulsion Raw water from ground, River source, open wells along with an analysis if possible. 7. Average life of coolant in machine tools. 8. Normal machine tool operation timings 1/2/3 shifts 9. Present treatment systems/ schemes followed. Classification of coolant source for treatment into Recoverable and Non Recoverable assets: In our experience there are two ways the coolant becomes fit for treatment. The Monday morning odour In this case the coolant oils life is available but the bacterial growth is so high that the coolant usage is not possible. This stage/ situation wherein the bacterial contamination containment will help in reuse of the coolant back in the machine tool are termed as Recoverable assets. The second stage/ situation wherein the stable emulsion gets thinned down/ broken due to mismatch with the work piece/ non conducive operating conditions, then the coolant becomes a non recoverable asset and has to be de-emulsified into oil and water and then disposed off into the environment after sufficient treatment. There is a separate third stage treatment which is only suitable for recovering emulsion due to its very high costs, large demand, and suitability of the oil only for special purpose machines. This involves coolant recovery followed by emulsion concentration system. The treatment needs skilled manpower and sufficient attention for effective recovery of the asset.

Treatment for Recoverable assets:

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Pure Tech offers one of the most innovative and viable solution for coolant recovery by physical separation of the contaminants and then recover the emulsion as such for reuse in machine tool. The coolant is identified for treatment on excess Monday morning odour or as per treatment schedule arrived at is subjected to PTI system where the Tramp Oil, Suspended Dust and Bacteria are separated. The detailed treatment process is explained in our presentation. The coolant removed from the machine tool is given back to the machine tool after the treatment. To ensure that the treated coolant is fit for reuse pH, TDS and bacterial testing kits are provided in the treatment scheme.

Mobile configuration machines are most suitable for the recoverable assets due to the nature of the treated coolant and its inability for storage beyond a particular duration. However when the mobile systems are not feasible then the coolant collection and treatment scheme is to be followed. In this the coolants from the machine tools are collected using Jumbo trucks and barrels and brought to the treatment shed. The recovered coolant is again transported back to the machine tools and refilled. If the treated coolant is to be stored before reuse a mobile oil separation and disinfectant dosage is to be provided before the coolant refill into the machine tool. Treatment and disposal for non recoverable assets: Pure tech offers the most suitable treatment and disposal system for emulsions. The system follows conventional chemical de-emulsification into oil and water and followed by separation of oil and filtration of dust. The outlet from the system will have oil and grease at disposal limits as prescribed by PCB. The water will be les turbid and oil free. BOD and COD reduction as per PCB norms are not feasible in the system without modifications and the outlet can be sent to ETP for further treatment. Coolant treatment management methodology: The effectiveness of any treatment methodology is dependent on the following of timely schedules for maintenance and treatment. The key points to be noted is that the best treatment schedule is based on coming back to the machine tool for recovery/ treatment after every 15 days of continuous operations. This will help in containing the tramp oil, suspended dust and bacterial built up. The life of the coolant becomes endless after compensation for evaporation and chip drag out losses. For an economical point of view the average time a coolant can be reused in the machine tool is approximately 6 times based on the assumption that the losses during each cycle is 15-20%. The coolant will be a recoverable asset leading to reduced purchase of new oil and enhanced efficiency on the machine tool. Over a period of time an effective coolant management will help in Zero discharge of the hazardous waste pollutant and help in saving the natural resources water and oil and our environment.

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