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Current and pending environmental legislation has placed stringent demands
on crankcase breather systems for internal combustion
engines. Reducing such crankcase-emission carryover is not just a federal
mandate with some types of engines—it’s also a key consumer concern.
Metex has responded to the need for better control over such emissions
with prolonged-life, knitted wire mesh breather elements and assemblies.
Metex products help dramatically reduce the escape of crankcase emissions
from such engine sources as:
- Condensation of crankcase aerosol
- Mechanical shearing from valve springs and other mechanical parts
- Lubricating oil that exits the engine through the crankcase breather tube
or assembly
Metex designed and manufactured Breather Elements and Assemblies
provide long-lasting performance in reducing crankcase emissions as well
as oil consumption and oil pooling on external engine and vehicle parts—
while protecting air-intake products in closed-crankcase ventilation (CCV)
systems.
Engine manufacturers have also found that Metex Breather Elements and
Assemblies provide a greater degree of market differentiation among an
increasingly environmentally conscious buying public—helping to improve
customer loyalty for specific engine brands.
PRODUCT BENEFITS
- Long service life—four times more durable than competing products
- Cost-effective—can withstand temperatures between -45°C to 650°C,
depending upon material selection
- High separation efficiencies of 95-99% and low pressure drop
- Can vary element density and surface area to solve the most difficult separation
problems
- Can accommodate any available engine space
- Easy to install in existing or new cavities or housings
- Ability to combine monofilament or multifilament material into one breather element
- Element can be die formed, layered, or spiral wound
Superior Design and Manufacturing for Meeting Custom
Emission-Control Requirements
Better, more cost-effective solutions for reducing crankcase emissions
Four decades
of experience in designing and manufacturing crankcase-emission
filtration systems have made Metex the supplier of choice for
all types of consumer- and commercial-vehicle applications, both
on- and off-highway.
Due to our unique ability to manufacture
Breather Elements and Assemblies from a wide range of ferrous
and nonferrous
metals, engineered plastics, and composites, Metex emission-control
solutions can also be found in equipment designed for use in
corrosive and high-temperature environments—such
as marine engines as well as consumer and industrial generators
and compressors.
In
addition, Metex Breather Elements can be made from any material
that can be formed into wire—allowing immediate
changes in key performance criteria for even the most demanding
applications.
Custom engineered to enhance engine performance and reliability
Metex engine-filtration solutions are custom designed for enhanced performance
in both open-crankcase and closed-crankcase ventilation systems, as either internal
or external devices. Internal devices use baffles (which only remove particles
of 5μm or larger) or coalescing filter elements in the cylinder head cover or other
locations inside the engine.
External crankcase filtration systems consist of a breather assembly or mechanical
device secured directly on the engine or by remote, bracket-mounting.
Unlike other systems, Metex Breather Elements and Assemblies are designed to
remove both fine and coarse particles, as well as fine oil-mist condensation.
In open-crankcase ventilation systems Metex helps reduce engine oil consumption,
the threat of catastrophic engine failure due to oil loss in engines in
remote locations, and invalid warranty claims due to deposition of oil on engine
and other vehicle parts. They also help eliminate accumulation of oil mist on testcell
equipment.
In closed-crankcase systems, specifying the right Metex Breather Element or
Assembly can help reduce warranty service levels due to pooling of lubrication oil
in the crankcase pressure control valve, as well as turbocharger intake compressor
and intercooler. Metex custom products also reduce the formation of an oil film
within the heat exchanger or the aftercooler or intercoolers on certain turbocharged
engines.
Reduced Crankcase Emissions & OEM Costs
Metex has the material-science knowledge, as well as design-engineering and
manufacturing expertise, to supply breather elements and assemblies in any size
and for any type of engine—with blowby levels ranging from 0.2-40 cubic feet per
minute.
From initial inquiry, through prototype development, to low- and high-volume
production, you can count on our decades of experience to deliver solutions that
solve the most challenging crankcase-emission problems.
Knitted construction permits production of elements in almost any material, density, thickness, or configuration
In-House Testing Capabilities and Equipment
Metex uses the very latest test equipment and procedures to optimize the design of
each Breather Element and Assembly.Variables such as flow rate, temperature, and
pressure drop can all be measured and controlled in our custom-designed laboratory.
From initial design, prototype fabrication and testing to full production, our
ISO9001 and QS9000 Quality System ensures that we provide only products that offer
high quality, performance, durability, and value.
Assemblies can be customized to meet your performance and space requirements
Breather Element Specifications
- Size—3-200mm height x 100-250mm
diameter (0.125"- 8" height x 4"- 10"
diameter)
- Configuration—Oval, round, rectangular,
triangle, square, or custom-designed
to mate with your product
- Service Life—Over four times more
durable than competing products
- Engine Location—Inside valve cover
or any new or existing engine cavity or
housing
- Horsepower Range—No limit
- Volume—No limit
- Efficiency—95% to 99%
- Temperature Range— -45°C to
650°C range, depending on materials
- Retrofit—Can be retrofitted to any
engine
- Pressure Control—Where required,
Metex offers a pressure control valve
and related hardware to ensure that
engine crankcase pressures remain
within design specifications
Material Selection:
Aluminum, plain steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper, nylon, ceramic, composite materials—combination of metallic and nonmetallic
Breather Assembly Specifications
- Size—Customized to meet your
performance and space requirements
- Configuration—Round, square, rectangular,
or custom
- Engine Location—Inside-engine, on-engine,
or remote-mounted to engine
- Horsepower Range—No limit
- Volume—No limit
- Efficiency—95%-99%
- Temperature Range— -45°C to
650°C range, depending on materials
- Retrofit—Can be retrofitted to any
engine
- Pressure Control—Pressure control
valve can be provided as needed
Material Selection:
Aluminum, plastic molded, stamped or fabricated steel—plain, galvanized, and stainless
The information presented in these charts is typical of the test data that is generated
to determine the optimum design and performance for a specific breather application.
Efficiency
Differential Pressure vs. Flooding Velocity
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