Machining coolants

Hello ss members,
First, I'd like to thank everyone here for the wealth of information so far! This is a great site that I've quickly become addicted to and visit daily!
Well, I did a search here and even google too and couldn't find anything directly related.
A little background...
I'm somewhat new to the hobby, and
I currently have a 5 ton with the multi-fuel engine. Im new to biofuels as well but am wanting to run a wmo/mix in it. I have a decent reserve of wmo already and have access to a limited amount more. It's hit or miss when acquiring a decent amount of used oil at any given time. I am starting to look into a filter setup as well. I have barrels and plastic totes to store and transfer the oils into. I'd prefer to just use natural ways like gravity, sun light, time and simple bag filters. However, I think it might be better to use a pump and filter system to better filter the oils....?
Anyway, I learned that I do potentially have access to a steady amount of machining coolants. There is both oil base, and water base. Im hoping they will segregate them, but am not sure yet. We machine titanium mostly, and the coolants are pulled out of the chips via a centrifuge. But it's not micro filtered. Just dumped into a holding tank and the chips sent to a recycler. They will put the coolant in barrels for me just to save the cost of having it removed.
So my questions are, would anyone consider using filtered machining coolants in their trucks? I would think there is probably more metal suspended in the coolants versus waste motor oil, but I just don't know.
Would a centrifuge work?
Or is this just a bad idea?

Well since titanium is a non Ferrous metal you wont be able to trap it with magnets. I think your only option then is to further centrifuge it and filter it down to say 1 micron. Be really careful though if you suspect they have mixed water in with it. Then you will need to either heat it or let the water settle out.

I'm hoping to stay away from the water base, but will probably have to let it settle out awhile just to make sure. Here in the north, even let it freeze and pull off the top. Hopefully trapping much of the metal in the ice. I have considered getting a centrifuge with this much coolant being available. But I have plenty of tanks and time to let nature work too. Will the centrifuge pull out more metal or is a pump and down to 1 micron filters enough to trap the non ferrous metals?

Logically a centrifuge should do an excellent job at removing the metal from the liquid. If you are overly concerned keeping the oil warm while you run it through a centrifuge should help it separate more.

I think oil based coolants are mainly mineral oil with chloride and sulphur additives (for lubricity). I remember using water based coolants for high speed machining (CNC Mills/Lathes) and oil based for heavy duty stuff (threading, gun drilling, hogging out stainless steel key ways and the like). The additives are what would make me pause before putting this into a diesel.

Custer said:

So my questions are, would anyone consider using filtered machining coolants in their trucks?

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In a heart beat.

Custer said:

I would think there is probably more metal suspended in the coolants versus waste motor oil, but I just don't know.
Would a centrifuge work?
Or is this just a bad idea?

Click to expand...

I would settle machining coolants first to separate the aqueous coolants from the oil-based coolants, then I would blend gasoline with the oil-based coolants at about 20%, then leave it to settle for a week, then filter to 1-micronl then centrifuge the blend, then burn it in my engine.

FireFighterHill said:

Well since titanium is a non Ferrous metal you wont be able to trap it with magnets. I think your only option then is to further centrifuge it and filter it down to say 1 micron. Be really careful though if you suspect they have mixed water in with it. Then you will need to either heat it or let the water settle out.

Click to expand...

Centrifuges remove all sediments, regardless of their size. While particles below 1-micorn are arguably not large enough to cause a wear issue, why not remove them, when you can with a centrifuge that costs under $200?

All our coolants are collected and distilled to remove the oil. As I understand it coolant is a emulsion of oil/water that cannot be separated with a centrifuge ?
BUT, it would be a good cheap way to water inject a engine without the corrosion issues?

Oh and hello fellow weirdos