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Is Turbine Flush Justified?
Kal Farooq, Sr. Staff Engineer, Pall Corporation
I recommend a flush. Since babbit in oil is an important bearing
failure indicator, the babbit from the previous failure should
be removed through flushing so that any current or future bearing
wear can be identified and corrective action taken. Besides, the
presence of paint chips and rust indicates that the system needs
to be cleaned before start-up to avoid these contaminant causing
further damage.
High efficiency filtration can flush a turbine in about 3 days
(excluding the preparation time). With few weeks of shut-down
remaining, it should be possible to perform the flush.
See other responses
to this Readers Challenge.
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