We just came out of a steam turbine overhaul and found the lube oil had been contaminated with water. I suspect the Lube oil has been too cool during operation and shutdown. Normal Tank oil temp during operation is nominal 120 Degrees F. There is no heater in the tank so when shutdowns occur tank temp can drop to around 80 degrees F. Water removal is handled by a centrifuge. At what temperature should I keep the turbine lube oil to ensure effective water removal by the centrifuge?
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Correct Lube oil Temp. for water removal
- Thread starter Tedops
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electricpete
Electrical
I would say the hotter the better although I have never seen a sump much more than 120F.
In addition to minimizing condensation, there can be a another big benefit for higher oil high temperatures. As temperature increases, the saturation level increases and oil will tend to dissolve more of any standing water from low points into the oil and transport it to filtration points where it can be removed. So with high temperature oil, there will be higher ppm water on the input to those filtration devices (centrifuge), so those devices will likely remove water (assuming their efficiency doesn't drop), and free water is removed quicker from the system (although draining is the best way if possible of course).
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In addition to minimizing condensation, there can be a another big benefit for higher oil high temperatures. As temperature increases, the saturation level increases and oil will tend to dissolve more of any standing water from low points into the oil and transport it to filtration points where it can be removed. So with high temperature oil, there will be higher ppm water on the input to those filtration devices (centrifuge), so those devices will likely remove water (assuming their efficiency doesn't drop), and free water is removed quicker from the system (although draining is the best way if possible of course).
=====================================
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I just checked on 2 Elliot air compressors we have that have been running for about 20 yrs with a Racor Filter separating water from the lube oil (a Paraffinic base 100 sec oil from Lubrication Engineers}. The filter collects 8 fluid ounces every 8 hrs and is automatically drained. The whole system operates between 115°F and 125°F.
The filter is a fuel filter with separator.
The filter is a fuel filter with separator.
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