Component Care For Turbines

Title: Gas Turbine Oils
Description: Understanding the challenges faced by turbine oils in an energy demanding world
Duration: 5 minutes 6 seconds

Audio:
The world’s population is growing, and it’s predicted that global energy demand will double by 2050. Power generation turbines are being worked much harder, increasing the risk of unscheduled maintenance and costly downtime.

As operating conditions become more challenging, those working in the power generation sector are under increased pressure to ensure that the lights remain on.

A single turbine failure can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour - so it’s essential for operators to implement comprehen¬sive maintenance and lubricant management processes, to prolong equipment life and prevent unscheduled downtime.

(interview FRANS de MILLIANO, Rotating Equipment Specialist, Yara)
Maintenance intervals are getting longer, power output is increasing, and the volume of your oil system is less and less, so oil is suffering more and more.

Audio
A critical component of any turbine system is the lubricant, so let’s take a look at the challenges the oil faces in a gas powered turbine, and explore how using the appropriate high-quality turbine oil - together with proactive lubricant management practices - can help you to anticipate potential problems before they become critical - avoid costly downtime and reduce total cost of ownership.

(interview Volker Null, Product Application Specialist, Shell)
Regular oil condition monitoring is very key and important to ensure that the oil remains within its operational limits and then reduces the risk of costly downtime of the turbine.

Audio
Gas turbines operate at very high temperatures and require lu¬bricants that can actively limit deposit formation and withstand impacts of high temperature operation.

Using an inferior oil can lead to turbine problems due to poor ther¬mal stability and oxidation, this degrades the oil and will adversely affect the performance of the turbine. In time this can cause var¬nishing on the thrust and journal bearings, which can disrupt heat transfer and lead to higher bearing temperatures.

This in turn can increase the risk of deposit formation, leading to unresponsive or sticky servo valves and blocked oil filters which, if left unchecked, could result in bearing failure and significant down¬time.

To maintain the efficiency and reliability of the turbine, it is also essential that the oil has a low foaming tendency and can release air quickly. If air does not dissipate quickly it can seriously affect the oils ability to lubricate effectively, leading to wear on the journal and thrust bearings and accelerating the rate of oxidation within the oil.

(interview Ed Van Schaik, Regional OEM Approval Manager, Shell)
Excellent protection is given by innovative products. The right lubricant, in the right application will help the customer to have higher reliability of this equipment.

Audio
Over many decades Shell has built an extensive knowledge and expertise within the power generation sector, understanding both the challenges facing operators and providing practical cost effec¬tive solutions.

Shell’s range of turbine oils are formulated to provide long service life by reducing deposit and varnish formation. They release air quickly and deliver excellent wear protection and filterability.

By using a combination of high-performance Shell Turbo turbine oils, together with a preventative maintenance strategy using the Shell LubeAnalyst oil monitoring program
- Shell can help to reduce your total cost of ownership and keep your turbines running reliably and efficiently - so that you can con¬tinue to keep the lights on.