Water ingress in Lube Oil System

[Poovan]

We have a problem with large amounts of water entering our lubrication oil system. The system supplies bearing lubrication oil and control oil to a steam turbine and air compressor. Ingress is suspected at the turbine bearing housings due to excessive gland steam pressures. Has anybody had a similar experience? Any suggestions?

 

[unclesyd]

Yes, We have three high speed steam driven air compressors built buy a major manufacturer that had the very same problem. The seal and bearing arraignment were such that steam would leak across the carbons and enter the spacing between the two seals. This just happened to be a shared space for the lubrication system for the turbine and compressor components. No effort by either of the parties was successful in prevent this from happening.

I will have to take credit for a solution that was not very elegant but worked with great success.
The resolution of the problem was to change the turbine oil from an asphaltic base to a paraffinic base oil and install a Racor fuel filter with a clear bowl on the oil supply line. As the paraffinic oil wouldn’t emulsify the filter separated the oil and water quite easily. The filter bowl was drained on each shift based on the amount of water in the bowel as the oil was red and water was clear until such time the water load became too high and required a shut down. The oil was Monolec 6404, a 100 sec turbine oil distributed by Lubrication Engineers.
This happened ten years ago and the compressors are still running 24/7/365.