Oil injection
Page 18
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TRANS Europe Sales and Service's new TEP3000 auxiliary oil injection unit is designed to prevent damage to turbocharging main bearings caused by insufficient lubrication.
It incorporates an automatic pump which delivers engine oil under pressure direct to the turbine main bearings during engine start-up and shut-down.
Lubrication oil is discharged by a piston and pushed forward by a spring. The piston is rigidly locked in position until the starter motor is engaged and a solenoid releases it.
The oil is discharged at 15 psi to the turbine bearings within a second of start-up, and remains at this pressure for over two minutes. (Engine manufacturers normally recommend only a minimum of lOpsi).
According to Colchesterbased TES, it is during this twominute period that turbo charger bearings are most vulnerable to damage if they do not get the required lubrication.
Once the engine is running normally and full mains oil pressure has been reached, the pump retracts, recharged hydraulically by the engine oil. The piston is pushed back past the solenoid valve and locking pin to the end of its stroke, primed for the next stage.
When the engine is switched off the piston is released from oil pressure and is moved forward by the spring — to discharge a supply of oil to the bearings at 20psi, during the two minutes of hot rundown. This cools the bearings and stopping the build-up of abrasive carbon deposits.
A locking cone at the end of the piston rod engages the locking pin to secure the piston in the stage one position once more, ready for start-up.
The main body of the TEP 3000 is fully enclosed in a steel cylinder, which doubles as the main oil reservoir with a capacity of 700cc of engine oil. The piston is mounted securely to the rod, forming an inflexible barrier.
Should the solenoid become disconnected oil flow is in no way restricted.
Overall weight is 5.8 kg (13 lbs).
TEP 3000 units can be fitted within an hour using the supplied kits which includes flexible hoses connecting to BSP, metric or JIC fittings. The TEP 3000 units can also be fitted to engines with air starters.
Trans Europe claims the lubrication pump has received "warranty clearance" from such vehicle manufacturers as Bedford, Ford, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Cummins and Perkins.
"If fitted to a new vehicle it does not affect the Ongine warranty," according to John Taylor of Trans Europe. The TEP 3000 has engineering approval from Leyland Trucks and also approval from Daf for fitting to its Nato army vehicles.
Large UK fleets already using TEP units include Imperial Tobacco, Rowntree Macintosh and UBM.