Protect Your Engine: Using MagDog as an Optimal Solution

Prepared by: Robert J Hammer, Ph.D., Adan Reinosa, P.E., and Valentin Amezquita

The Nature of the Problem

Studies by industry experts, educational institutions, professional associations, and others have consistently determined that very small ferrous debris (often less than 5 microns in size) traveling through a vehicle's lubrication system may cause considerable damage to engine wear-sensitive surfaces. By contrast, a human hair is about 40 microns in thickness.

Modern engines have tighter tolerances, resulting in smaller, and more restricted pathways for oil to travel, and they rely less on steel and more on lightweight materials, such as aluminum. Tighter tolerances and large “soft” targets make the removal of hard ferrous debris critical for optimal performance and longevity. The greater the amount of soft materials made from aluminum, lead,

copper, zinc, and other soft materials found in an engine, the larger the number of targets for steel debris to strike and damage.

Unfortunately, the typical factory spin-on oil filter is not capable of capturing the ferrous material below 25 microns. And damage to engines from debris as small as 2 microns has been documented.

Made of strong billet aluminum, MagDog fits almost any spin-on oil filter. Installation is quick and simple, and maintenance consists of opening the chamber and cleaning the magnets about every 25,000 miles. MagDog has been tested by independent laboratories with extremely positive results.

A Comparison of Solutions

Various solutions have been proposed to resolve this problem. The first, and possibly most important point to consider is that each solution has been developed with trade-offs in mind.

Full-flow oil filter solutions, because of pore size and oil flow requirements, cannot trap and hold below the 20-25 micron threshold. Yet, many ferromagnetic debris in the range of 2 to 25 microns re-circulate freely through the engine, causing damage.

Wrap-around magnetic filters take advantage of oil full-flow by applying powerful magnets outside of the filter wall to capture debris. However, they are difficult to remove, and the filter must be cut open to check for trapped debris. If the filter bypass valve opens, these devices can be subjected to hot or cold oil surges which may release the most recently captured concentrated debris directly into the engine. Therefore, to increase magnetic particle capture efficiency and retention, MagDog concentrates on fluid conditions that facilitate the separation and retention of particles by providing a low velocity and surge protected magnetic area with high-flux magnets. This results in a high gradient magnetic flux in direct contact with oil. This occurs in a quiet and isolated zone. In this way, captured debris detachment is heavily reduced.

The MagDog Advantage

Through a methodical engineered solution, MagDog offers a number of unique advantages over other devices. The following matrix includes the more critical advantages. These include:

Performance

	MagDog	Full-Flow	Wraps	Plug
Direct contact with magnets
High retention rate
Not affected by bypass valve surges
Not affected by cold start debris release
Not affected by high demand surges
Maximum capture
Slow and deliberate capture (no slough)
No magnetic leakage
Not subject to full flow turbulence
Full magnet area used
High operating temperature
Additional cooling surface
Direct contact magnetic concentrators
Customizable (Fins, color, graphics,etc.)

Maintenance

	MagDog	Full-Flow	Wraps	Plug
Easy installation and removal
Easy to clean and inspect
Long service between maintenance
Easy access port (Gauge, bypass, etc)
Sensing collar for diagnostics/metering
Turbulence control (Away from full flow)
No magnetic field high temperature decay
Slow, deliberate capture (No sloughing)
Non-intrusive to engine bay
Modular
Scalable - Stackable

As the chart demonstrates, MagDog provides the most complete engineered solution for the removal of ferrous contamination.