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Is Turbine Flush Justified?
Paul Boettcher, Contract Engineer, Dow Corning
One thing that I try to follow is: "If you question if you need
to do something, you probably do". I totally agree with Plant
maintenance. Change & flush the oil system! Some of the major
reasons are due to the findings of the boroscope inspection. I'm
not sure where the system would pick up paint chips, if it's a
closed system. However, the puddles of water, rust, and babbitt
material are some major concerns.
First, the puddles of water can affect several components of
the system. The water will not only introduce moisture to the
system, causing the rust formation, but it also introduces oxygen
into the system. This oxygen, as well as the oxygen that may be
in the system from an air leak, which let the water in the system
in the first place can cause thermal degradation. At high pressures,
this can cause the oil to degrade and burn. Thus, all of your
lubrication properties are not present.
This limited lubrication will cause bearings and other components
to fail because of increased wear and heat. This is also what
causes the babbitt material to be present in the system. Flushing
the system will not only increase these lubrication properties,
but will also prevent costly down time at a later date. This down
time could also be more expensive if the turbine was to have catastrophic
failure due to limited lubrication. This down time would have
additional parts to replace on the turbine or may be severe enough
for its entire replacement.
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