Power Generation Industry
Expert Solutions for Power Generation Companies: Turbine Lubrication Services
We Can Help You Navigate Both Planned Outages and Unplanned Outages
Next Generation Services specializes in providing comprehensive solutions to companies in the power generation industry. Our services include removing water from turbine lubricating systems, ensuring the oil remains clean and free from contaminants through turbine oil filtration, removing varnish build-up to maintain system efficiency, and providing on-site particle count to monitor the cleanliness of the oil. Our team of experts has extensive experience in the power generation field and is dedicated to providing top-notch service to our clients. With our commitment to excellence and cutting-edge technology, we are the go-to partner for companies in the power generation industry looking to optimize their turbine lubrication systems.
Water Removal
Water ingression can come from many places. Unfortunately for the turbine’s lubricating system, small amounts of water can be catastrophic. Whether it is a leaking heat exchanger, steam blowing past seals, outside contamination or other forms of ingression water in a turbine oil can spell disaster.
Turbine Oil Filtration
Like water, particulate contamination can lead to expensive and time consuming repairs. By keeping lubricating oils clean, critical equipment components are able to function as designed. With particulate contamination in turbine oil, the life of the system components is drastically reduced.
Varnish Removal
Varnish creates a unique challenge for the power generation industry. While it is a sign of lubricant degradation it can also be a sign of challenges to come. From valves sticking to fine clearances becoming obstructed any signs of varnish should be taken seriously.
Initial Fill Filtration and Transfer
Keeping oil clean, cool and dry is often described as the best way to extend the life of both the lubricant and critical components. The best practice for this starts before oil even enters the reservoir. Next Generation Services can bring new oil within specifications, transfer the oil into your reservoir and provide kidney loop filtration services on that reservoir until the ISO 4406 particle count specification is met and exceeded.
On-Site Particle Count and Water Testing
By testing with equipment on site, Next Generation Services is able to give you a quick answer of the status of your lubricating oil. This equipment is also used during and following filtration and water removal services to ensure the goals set out are being met.
Confined Space Tank Cleaning
Confined Space Tank Cleaning During an oil changeout, following a critical failure, or as a routine maintenance cleaning of the reservoir helps to remove any contaminates that may have momentarily settled. Next Generation Services team is fully certified and experienced in confined space entry.
Case Studies
A power company was in a routine planned outage when they noticed they had water in their system. Knowing that the water contamination would cause irreparable damage to their turbine and equipment they called Next Generation Services to see what the water removal options were.
The first call to Next Generation Services was on a Sunday at 10am. By Sunday evening the team at Next Generation Services had a vacuum dehydrator hooked up to the turbine lube oil system and the water was being removed. At this point the power company was able to investigate where the water came from. It was determined the water was entering the tank through a combination of a leaking seal and condensation from the lube oil temperature swings related to the outage. Thanks to a quick response and effectively removing water from the system, the unit was able to be put online in a timely manner.
On a Friday afternoon a Peaker Plant was performing routine oil analysis on their gas turbine when the results showed a significant increase in the otherwise nonexistent water content. Because this water content was higher than the limit set by the turbine manufacturer the unit that was scheduled to be dispatched on Monday morning would have to remain idle. This had the potential to have a significant financial impact as the demand for power was high. With one call to Next Generation Services, a vacuum dehydrator was on site that evening and the water was removed by the following morning. The unit was able to be dispatched as scheduled and the fear of the lost revenue was removed.
We received this service call:
“We are showing some signs of varnish in our system and have an upcoming planned outage”
Even prior to sticking valves, slow controls, additional bearing wear, a unit trip or the other host of headaches that can come along with Varnish, a customer asked Next Generation Services personnel what their options were to remove the small amounts of varnish they believed were in their system.
The customer had a planned oil change in both their gas and steam turbine reservoirs. Due to this being the case the varnish was able to be solubilized with an additive prior to the oil being removed. With the lube oil pumps still running the additized oil worked it’s way through the pipes, valves, hoses and to each critical surface of the system. With each pass it lifted more and more of the plated varnish restoring the fine tolerances to their originally engineered clearances.
Next Generation Services then removed the additized oil and made a confined space entry into each reservoir to remove any remaining contamination and to wipe down the walls, baffles, heat exchanging elements and floors with lint free cloths. Now that the system was clean, new oil that had been filtered by Next Generation Services to be cleaner than the in-service ISO code requirement of 16/14/11, was transferred from the tanker via a filtration system to the reservoirs.
Following world class lubrication practices each reservoir was filtered while the systems came back online. With the oil being clean, cool and dry, the life of both the lubricant and critical components is extended.
Our Solutions
EQUIPMENT RENTAL is also an option along with the support from our knowledgeable team.
Technical Information
The commonly accepted ISO 4406 cleanliness level for turbine oils is 16/14/11. However many valve manufacturers recommend even cleaner standards to keep equipment running at optimal levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
With a variety of equipment, knowledgeable operators and a robust rental fleet, equipment to fit your specific needs is available at a moments notice. Whether equipment is freighted or delivered by Next Generation Services the question is usually “when would you like us to be there”.
While each system can vary from reservoir size, lubricant type, lubricant age and system temperature an estimate is usually able to be given based on this information and oil analysis results. With decades in the industry, Next Generation Services leadership has worked closely with a variety of manufacturers to engineer systems with the highest water removal rates in the industry.
Balancing flow rates, proper suction/return locations and filter selection allows the team at Next Generation Services to efficiently and effectively remove contamination from your lube oil systems. With on-site particle counting, we benefit from both trend analysis and confirmation of cleanliness levels prior to job completion.
It is not uncommon for us to run across customers who have both a need for our services as well as their own equipment on site. A phrase we often use is “let us do the heavy lifting” while your equipment helps maintain dryness and cleanliness levels.