Mist Collector or Oil Mist Collector description
Mist collectors are often called “Oil Mist Collectors”. Three methods of mist removal are available. Coalescing filters are the standard fiber woven filters. Electrostatic filters have static charged plates which draw the vapor particles to the plates. Centrifugal force mist collectors use fans to move the air in a centrifuge type structure and the vapor particles fly to an outside surface where they are trapped and drained off.
Both, the electrostatic and the centrifugal mist collectors are for small volumes of air ( less than 1000cfm) With both methods, the vapor particles can drain from the surfaces and as such are well suited for continuous operation. The oil or coolant draining from the collector surfaces can be fed back into the coolant container for re use.
The coalescing filters trap the vapor particles but the drain off is slow. Also, since the air passes through the filter, any dirt particles in the air will get trapped and drained off with the oil. These filters have to be cleaned periodically. These filters are relatively inexpensive and it pays to have multiple filters which can be switched back and forth for easy cleaning. To reuse this oil, it will have to be filtered to remove any particulates.
High speed metal cutting machines use a large amount of cooling fluid to keep the cutting tools from overheating. Most of these cooling fluids are water based, but whether water or oil based the vapors they create have to be drawn from the machine and filtered. The liquid portion can be returned to the cooling fluid container and the air released to the atmosphere.