Turbine Oil Coalesce

Turbine Oil Coalesce

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Bennett Filtration helped a company resolve their issues with turbine oil contamination, optimizing their operations without compromising their oil quality.

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A small steam turbine lube reservoir that had previously been fitted with a gravity settling water removal arrangement became contaminated with water levels reaching 800 ppm. The plant had increased the reservoir temperature in an attempt to dissipate water, resulting in higher than OEM-recommended bearing temperatures.

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They came to Bennett Filtration in search of a solution to consistently maintain water levels <150 ppm on the 500 gallon (1875 liter) lube reservoir to lower the reservoir temperature and reduce excessive bearing temperatures.

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Our team of experts installed a Hy-Pro COT10 and conducted a baseline oil analysis that showed that the oil was visibly cloudy, with 788 ppm at the inlet of the coalesce skid. An additional analysis of the oil sample on the COT10 outlet showed visibly clear oil and 80 ppm. Approximately 6 hours after starting the coalesce skid the oil analyzed on the inlet of the COT10 showed visibly clear oil and 78 ppm. 

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After several months of operation the turbine was taken offline for maintenance. Upon start-up there was a high ingress of water around the shaft seals, which led several gallons of accumulated water to be discharged by the coalesce skid. Eventually the reservoir temp was lowered and the water levels remained under control below 150 ppm. 

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The plant did not have auxiliary heat available to keep the oil warm during downtime, so we started the turbine traditionally with a slow-rolling manual start. We then outfitted the COT10 with on-board headers to maintain oil temperatures and keep it warm, clean, and dry. That solution eliminated the need for the slow-start up, optimizing the plant’s operations without sacrificing the quality of their oil.