High-velocity flushing of lube oil during compressor overhauls is a vital maintenance practice that offers numerous benefits, including removing contaminants, restoring lubrication quality, preventing corrosion and improving heat transfer.
By incorporating high-velocity flushing into overhaul procedures, businesses can optimize compressor performance, extend equipment life and minimize the risk of costly downtime and repairs.
Over time, contaminants such as dirt, debris, metal particles and carbon residues can accumulate within lube oil systems. These contaminants not only impede performance but also accelerate wear and tear on critical components. High-velocity flushing effectively dislodges and flushes out these contaminants, ensuring clean internals and preventing potential damage.
Lube oil serves as a protective barrier between moving parts within the compressor. Over time, contaminants and degraded oil can compromise the quality of lubrication, leading to increased friction, heat generation and potential component failures. Oil flushing removes old, degraded oil, restoring the lubrication system to optimal condition. This ensures that critical components receive proper lubrication, minimizing frictional losses and enhancing overall efficiency.
Corrosion poses a significant threat to compressor components, particularly in environments with high humidity or corrosive gases. Contaminants present in the lube oil can promote the formation of corrosive byproducts. Flushing eliminates these contaminants, allowing end-users to maintain a clean and corrosion-free environment and mitigate corrosion-related damage.
Efficient heat transfer is essential for maintaining compressor performance and preventing overheating. Contaminants and degraded oil accumulate on heat exchange surfaces, insulating them and hindering heat dissipation. High-velocity flushing removes these deposits, restoring optimal heat-transfer efficiency. By enhancing heat dissipation, lube oil temperature is kept within safe limits, reducing the risk of thermal-related failures and improving overall reliability.
The specific requirements for an oil system can vary based on factors like system size and complexity, the types of contaminants present and the desired cleanliness level. In a high-velocity flush, the goal is to create a turbulent flow to enhance flushing effectiveness. Turbulent flow increases fluid mixing, aiding in contaminant removal. To accomplish this, the Reynolds number should exceed 4000. The pumping skid must have sufficient flow capacity to maintain high velocity through the system piping.
To prevent damage, components sensitive to high pressure or flow, such as equipment bearings and relief valves, are bypassed using temporary hoses. Filtration is done using a pumping skid with external bag filters, as normal system filters are typically not rated for the required high flow rates.
You can regularly monitor the cleanliness of the flushing fluid using particle counters or other methods and adjust the flushing duration and procedures as necessary to achieve the target ISO cleanliness code.
The ISO cleanliness code measures particles in three size ranges: ≥ 4 microns, ≥ 6 microns and ≥ 14 microns. Each number in the ISO cleanliness code corresponds to the number of particles present in each size range. For example, an ISO cleanliness code of 16/14/11 means:
- No more than 16 particles per milliliter are ≥ 4 microns in size.
- No more than 14 particles per milliliter are ≥ 6 microns in size.
- No more than 11 particles per milliliter are ≥ 14 microns in size.
Once the desired cleanliness is achieved, the lube oil system can be commissioned without the risk of damage from poor lube oil condition to the newly overhauled equipment. Conhagen Field Service can help you develop a custom solution for your turbomachinery lube oil flushing needs.
For more information, visit conhagen.com.
