Lubrication systems are used in the steel rolling industry to lubricate machinery. These systems consist of large holding tanks that contain baffles and heaters that cause sufficient de-aeration of the oil as it flows through the entire volume of the tank. Another tank function is to heat the oil to certain temperatures to maintain desirable properties. There is concern that current tank designs do not allow all of the oil in the tank to circulate; thus only a fraction of the oil is constantly reused while the remaining oil sits in the tank unused, with wide ranges in temperature. The purpose of this project is to analyze current tank designs and propose a new design that allows for more uniform flow and heat distribution throughout the tank. The selected design will prevent the development of regions of high temperature, which are known to breakdown the oil's thermal and mechanical properties. The project was completed in conjunction with Morgan Construction Company.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Andel, Matthew William
• Baczewski, Matthew M.

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 04D110M

Advisor

• Savilonis, Brian James

Year

• 2004

Sponsor

• Morgan Construction Company

Date created

• 2004-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright