Do you use Elecrostatic oil purifiers for your gas turbine oils for reducing varnish formation ? Please share your experience.. What actions can be taken when GT oil indicates high particle count ?

Question:
Do you use Elecrostatic oil purifiers for your gas turbine oils for reducing varnish formation ?

Choices:
Yes
No

 

Raj,

My past experience with GT equipment and oil testing, presence of Varnish is not acceptable, especially after repeated tests. As you would know varnish formation in oil is impacted by temperature escalation and oxidation. Hence, the root cause for varnish formation need to be addressed/determined.
When the particle count is high, it basically indicates the service life of the oil concerned is nearing an end. But, this need to be verified with other oil property tests such as Viscosity, TAN, Flash point, Insolubles, etc.
If you are seeing both varnish and high particle count in turbine oil....time to find out what is wrong with the machine, rectify and drain/flush/replenish oil...ASAP!
My 2 bits worth.

Cheers...Rajan

I work for ISOPur Fluid Technologies. GE Energy has choosen ISOPur as it's solution for varnish and offers our machines on their parts edge system. The varnish issue is a balance between oil additive health, use of your turbine, type of machinery, oil testing and an active filtration (electrostaic) system achieving 4 to 6 turns per day on your sump and regular change of filters.

There is no simple solution it truely is a holistic approach please call or write I will be happy to help you with your application.

David Cummings
ISOPur Fluid Technologies
860-599-1872
dcummings@isopur.com

OILKLEEN manufactures the OILKLEEN 500 high speed electrostatic oil cleaner. GE has recomended both electrostatic and balanced charged in a TIL letter to all users. We have alot of case studies that show the benefits of the OILKLEEN system.

Please go to www.oilkleen.com for more details.

Thank you,

Paul Jarvis
OILKLEEN International, Inc.
480.556.1520

One important thing to remember about varnish in turbine oils. Last year most Oil Companies upgraded to only making turbine oils with a group II basestock. As a lubricant it is far superior to the older group I basestocks, however, in nature and physics everything has balance, so with the extra lubrication bonus you must give up something. What you lose in a group II is the oil's saturation ability to hold oxidation by-products in suspension. The best way to describe this is to picture your oil as a "sponge". Your oil can hold oxidaiton by-products in suspension and once the "sponge" gets full then you will see varnish plate out of the oil and on to metal surfaces.

The important thing here is that switching from a group I to a group II your "sponge" is cut in half. QSA or colorimetrics analysis is designed to try and measure that "sponge" saturation point.

An electrostatic oil cleaner can remove those oxidation by-products and thus making your "sponge" strip and remove any varnish build up that is in the lines, filters, reservoir, etc...The oil actually will reabsorb the varnish and then the electrostatic oil cleaner will remove it.

An electrostatic oil cleaner is not a majic box that solves all your problems, but it does add the only way to remove the oxidation by-products that lead to varnish.

If your not already using the QSA or some colorimetric varnish testing I highly recommend adding it to your oil analysis program.

Please check out www.OILKLEEN.com for further information.

Thank you,

Paul Jarvis
President
OILKLEEN INTERNATIONAL