Self-Cleaning Oil Bath Engine Intake Filter for Locomotive Applications

The self-cleaning oil bath air filter has been used for over 30 years for filtering intake air for large, stationary diesel engines. It has proven successful under all types of operating conditions, from the hot, sandy climate of the Southwest to the subfreezing temperatures in the North. Only recently has it been adapted successfully to locomotive applications. Previous performance standards required of locomotive engine air filters did not require the high filtering performance of this type of filter. Only since the introduction of the high horsepower diesel locomotives, where air filter standards have been considerably increased beyond the abilities of conventional locomotive filters, has the self-cleaning principle of good oil bath filtration become feasible. The purpose of this paper is to show how, through design, testing, and applications, this type of oil bath principle can be adapted to meet the critical air-cleaning needs of today’s modern locomotive engines.