CHALLENGES DURING THE LIFE OF YOUR TURBINE OIL

CHALLENGES DURING THE LIFE OF YOUR TURBINE OIL

Uncover the operational issues that can occur during the life of the oil in your turbine power plant, or combined-cycle plant, as well as the lubrication management best practices that may help you to avoid costly and disruptive problems

Today, turbines are expected to operate on a bigger scale than ever before. The fluctuating demand for power output coupled with the demand for greater efficiency from smaller equipment units means that the machinery is working at an irregular pace for extended intervals.

These factors, along with infrequent maintenance and smaller oil sumps lead to issues such as aeration, ineffective water separation and excessive foaming. Left untreated, these can cause severe damage and will dramatically decrease the equipment’s lifespan.

When operational issues occur, operators may occasionally implement superficial responses that fail to address the underlying problem. In order to reduce downtime and prolong the lifespan of their machines, operators must implement effective lubrication maintenance regimes.

Shell Lubricants has developed a five-point guide for maintenance, to help turbine operators avoid, identify and manage operational issues to promote effective lubricant maintenance and prolong their turbine’s life cycle.

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  • Identifying key challenges throughout the oil’s lifespan

    In order to meet the demands of increased productivity and prolong the lifespan of their equipment, operators must select the right lubrication for their machinery.

    When making lubrication choices, understanding the value of turbine oil properties such as low viscosity, water separation, and an oil that is thermally and oxidatively stable, allows operators to ensure their equipment is adequately protected from the offset.

    Implementing best practices including flush and drain and fill and filter intervals and proactive oil analysis monitoring can help turbine users identify challenges before they occur and increase their equipment’s lifespan, lowering their total cost of ownership.

  • Avoid commonly encountered issues and protect against accelerated wear

    Long term resistance against issues such as varnish formation and deposits, dirt particles foaming, and air entrainment and rust and corrosion is pivotal to system protection and process reliability.

    It is important that turbine operators understand how preventative properties are identified and measured through industry standard testing to inform their turbine oil choice.

    Through adopting gas-to-liquid technology based turbine oils, turbine operators wear protection is increased by 25%, compared to industry standard requirements.

  • Futureproofing your equipment

    Resolving operational faults correctly is as important as preventative maintenance in prolonging the lifespan of turbine machinery.

    Incorrectly addressing issues such as blocked filters, failing to scrape sludge and varnish deposits off journal bearings and oil discolouration often means extended periods of downtime in the long run.

    Through vigilance and regular maintenance intervals, turbine users are also more likely to detect fewer common issues in their equipment.

    By learning about these key indicators and understanding how to detect them, operators can improve their overall understanding of what is happening in their equipment, thereby ensuring they can prolong its lifespan.

 

 

 

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