An experimental study was performed to determine the current required by an ElectroHydrodynamic (EHD) filter system to clean contaminants from Diesel Engine Lubrication Oil under normal shipboard operation conditions. The amount of current at a set predetermined voltage, which together means Power, was needed in order to anticipate the power required to perform a Shipboard Site Test Evaluation of the EHD filter.

The filter uses the effect of dielectrophoresis to separate contaminants from the lubrication oil. The filter operates at two thousand volts (2KV ac-rms) and thus requires substantial current to energize its electrodes. This type of Power is not normally readily available from typical power systems. In order to develop a power system for the filter, the required power, voltage and current needed to be determined. The laboratory experiments performed were conducted under typical operating conditions of the diesel lube oil. The normal operation temperature of diesel lube oil is 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Various parameters, which effect the current requirement, were examined in order to well define the current requirements for all the anticipated conditions. The parameters include temperature, voltage, frequency, flow rate, and contamination level of the oil.