Home
Company
Products
Example applications
References
Trade fairs
E-Mail/Contact
Terms and Conditions
Imprint
Callback
Specialist informations
about oil
about Dust-Ex and Gas-Ex
about Dust
Special offer
Brochures
 
 
RUWAC.de
RUWAC.be
RUWAC.nl
RUWAC-ASIA.com
RUWAC.net
RUWAC.com
RUWAC.ru
RUWAC.pl
 

Safe handling and treatment of oil, oil mist and oil vapour

1. What are cooling lubricants and oil?
2. What are oil mist and oil vapour?
3. Classification of cooling lubricants
4. Oil, oil mist and oil vapour are hazardous substances
5. Disposing of hazardous substances safely

1. What are cooling lubricants?

Cooling lubricants are used on chip-removal machine tools when machining metals of all types in the mechanical engineering industry.
Cooling lubricants are particularly important in high-speed machining processes
Cooling lubricants consist of mineral and synthetic oil mixed with additives.
The main purpose of a cooling lubricant is to reduce the friction between the workpiece and the machine tool.

The lubricant also cools the heat created by machining and carries away chips and shavings from the machined surface.

Coolants and lubricants
for metal machining
Lubricants for engines,
gearboxes and
machine tools


... Mist is defined as air where the lubricant droplets have a diameter of more than1 µm.

Air where the droplets measure less than this
are defined as vapour.

2. What are oil mist and oil vapour?

The machining process creates a finished workpiece but it also creates waste.
The high speed of the machine tool during the process causes turbulence in the process waste.
Oil mist is mainly the result of turbulence in the cooling lubricant. When the very fine oil droplets mix with the surrounding air, this creates oil vapour.


... Mist is defined as air where the lubricant droplets have a diameter of more than 1 µm.


Air where the droplets measure less than this
are defined as vapour.

Classification
 Droplet size Cause
Cold oil mist > 1.0 µm - Workpiece rotation and movement
- Projection of oil droplets into air
Hot oil vapour 0.5 to 0.8 µm (approx.) - Heat (caused by friction during machining)
- Pressure causing oil atomization
Limit values for cooling lubricants
Since March 1996 the MAC (Maximum Allowable Concentration) limit for water-soluble and non-water-soluble cooling lubricants with a flash point above 100C is 10mg/m3.
This limit value applies to oil mist and oil vapour.

3. Classification of cooling lubricants

4. Oil, oil mist and oil vapour are hazardous substances

Oil mists and vapours are a health and safety hazard for the machine operator and for the surrounding environment.
Fine oil mist droplets can contain carcinogenic substances. When breathed in they can cause lung, skin and liver damage.
Oil mist can interfere with the operation of sensitive electronic equipment. It can also settle on equipment machinery and products.

Skin diseases :
Contact dermatitis caused by degreasers and substances harmful to the skin.
Allergic skin reactions to components such as nickel, chrome and cobalt (ions)
Acne caused primarily by non-water-soluble cooling lubricants.

Respiratory diseases:
Respiratory tract allergies are caused primarily by the allergenic components contained in cooling lubricants.
   Allergies are caused in particular by breathing in additives.
Respiratory tract allergies are caused by micro-organisms contained in additives (e.g. micro-organisms in added water or mould spores in aerosols).
Preventive measures:
Since aerosols containing harmful micro-organisms can easily be breathed in, steps must be taken to prevent all cooling lubricant emissions. In practice, this means extracting the hazard at source directly at the point where it is produced.

Regular system cleaning. Regular changing of cooling lubricant (preferably before each work shift).

This means that employers must take steps to ensure that workpieces soaked with cooling lubricant are NOT cleaned by blowing off with compressed air.

5. Disposing of hazardous substances safely

Ruwac special vacuums operate well below the specified MAC levels.
All vacuums are tested, certified and approved by independent test authorities (e.g. Milj Chemie).
They are suitable for the trouble-free extraction of oils from production plant and machinery and are fitted with special filters for separating oil mists.

Oil mist vacuum DS 1
Standard vacuum with dome cyclone with additional oil mist cartridges.
Oil vacuum for chips SPS
For extracting and separating oil containing chips and shavings.
Vacuum of choice in VW production facility.
Special version
Oil mist extraction and treatment during chain production.