| On September
9, 2004 we asked:
A number of return line bearing samples
have been taken from a steam turbine and you are
puzzled and concerned by some of the oil analysis
results.
Your main concern is the large number
of samples that show elevated particle counts.
Its been recommended that maintenance personnel
check the seals, breathers, etc. However, this
leads you straight to the silicon count, which
is, for the most part, zero. Therefore, the increase
cannot be attributed to the ingress of normal
dust or dirt. Neither does there seem to be any
increase in any telltale wear metals or contaminants
in the elemental analysis.
You are aware that particles large
enough to contribute to the particle count may
not directly affect the elemental analysis; however,
it seems that an increase in particulate contamination
with no supporting evidence from the elemental
analysis may be spurious. What else could the
particles be? Water levels in the samples are
low, ranging from 30 ppm to 40 ppm (no interference
on laser counts).
What steps can be taken to determine
the root cause of the elevated particle counts?
Thanks to everyone
that participated in this Readers Challenge. We received
a great response. Below is this week's winner and some
of the other responses that we received.
This Week's Winner:
Dave
Yunkers, Analysts, Inc.
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