Ultrasonic atomization of highly viscous biodegradable oils for MQL applications

Axel Lefebure, Dongha Shim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper establishes the vibrating-mesh ultrasonic mist-generation of highly viscous biodegradable oils as a novel implementation for MQL (minimum quantity lubrication) applications. Initial studies on ultrasonic MQL have already been carried out, but the usage of highly viscous biodegradable oils in a non-diluted setup has never been explored. This research studied the atomization rate and mist droplet size distribution, influenced by oil viscosity, and actuator-related properties, such as mesh pore size and driving voltage. Through the FLDC (fibre liquid delivery column) method, using a 113 kHz vibrating mesh piezo actuator, solution feasibility was shown for three currently in-industry-used highly viscous MQL oils, including a maximum liquid viscosity of 37 cSt, higher than the previous record of 28 cSt for ultrasonic atomization. An atomization rate of 13.4 ml/h and mean droplet diameter of 27.5 µm were followingly achieved for this new maximum viscosity. The demonstrated setups and their novel atomization performance data were gathered in the form of a design guide, aiding in the future development of ultrasonically atomized viscous oils for MQL applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5503-5516
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Mechanical Science and Technology
Volume35
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021

Keywords

  • Biodegradable oils
  • Minimum quantity lubrication
  • Piezoelectric actuation
  • Ultrasonic atomization
  • Vibrating mesh atomization

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