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Power Generation
The money you can save and the downtime you can avoid by routinely sampling power plant equipment easily justifies the expense of oil analysis. Effective condition monitoring through oil analysis allows you to perform oil changes and necessary maintenance based on test results - what is actually happening within the unit - rather than on the basis of hours of operation or days elapsed on a calendar. Dramatically reduce unscheduled shutdowns. Give your maintenance program the power to predict failure—it costs so little to protect so much.
- Minimize component wear and extend equipment life
- Ensure lubricant suitability for continued use
- Monitor viscosity levels for optimum performance
- Reduce unscheduled downtime
- Increase reliability
- Boost company profits
Turbines, generator and back-up generator diesel engines, compressors, gearboxes and hydraulic systems are the units most critical to uninterrupted, trouble-free power generation. Fluid testing for power generation equipment can be separated into two regimes. Monitoring the condition of the unit and some fluid properties requires regular, monthly sampling to determine wear and contamination levels. Monitoring fluid quality requires sampling only once or twice a year from systems reservoirs, bulk storage tanks or new lube totes to determine its suitability for use.
Condition Monitoring
This testing monitors equipment condition and can identify types and possible sources of wear and contamination. It includes a Particle Count or Direct Read Ferrography. A Particle Count will identify all particles present measuring 4 to 100 microns in size. Direct Read Ferrography provides a ratio of large ferrous >5 μ particles to small ferrous <5μ particles only. Analytical Ferrography is a qualitative, rather than quantitative, analysis that provides digital imagery of those particles and can be added to the Advanced Condition Monitoring package.
Fluid Quality Testing
Testing fluid quality ensures that an oil meets manufacturer specifications and/or industry recommendations for long-term use. Sampling should be done once or twice a year from bulk storage tanks, new lube totes, or from a system's reservoir if a large sump capacity makes oil changes impractical. ASTM D 6224-98 is Standard Practice for In-Service Monitoring of Lubricating Oil and Auxiliary Power Plant Equipment. ASTM D 4378-97 is Standard Practice for In-Service Monitoring of Mineral Turbine Oils for Steam and Gas Turbines.
Applications
Turbines
Turbine oils lubricate and cool bearings and gears. They should resist oxidation, prevent the formation of sludge and contain rust, water separability and foam inhibitors. Even slight changes in these properties, as well as viscosity levels, can warrant corrective action.
Diesel Engines
Contamination and wear are constant hazards to a diesel engine. Routinely monitoring a lubricant's viscosity, as well as its ability to neutralize acids and disperse and suspend soot particles produced during combustion can tell you if anti-wear additive and dispersant / detergent levels are providing sufficient engine protection.
Compressors
High discharge temperatures and the continuous presence of heated air require compressor oils to be highly resistant to oxidation, which can adversely affect viscosity and acidity.
Condensation is also a frequent problem. If the oil cannot properly separate the water out, emulsions form preventing adequate lubrication of metal surfaces.
Gear Systems
The primary objective of a gear oil is to provide a film between moving metal surfaces sufficient enough to prevent wear and the damaging affects of pitting and scuffing. Low levels of sulfur, boron and phosphorous could indicate that wear-reducing additives have been depleted.
Hydraulics
A hydraulic fluid's viscosity should be low enough to minimize friction loss, yet high enough to prevent fluid leakage and provide satisfactory protection against wear. It should have good oxidation stability to prevent sludge from forming, sufficient water separability and air release properties and resistance to foaming.
Download the Power Generation Product Guide Here
Power Generation Test Packages
Download the Power Generation Product Guide
Advanced Condition Monitoring
Tests include:
Fluid Quality Testing
Tests include:
- 24 Metals by ICP
- Water % by Karl Fischer
- Viscosity @ 40°
- Total Acid Number
- Oxidation
- Particle Count or Direct Read Ferrography
- Analytical Ferrography (may be added)
- Flash Points and Fire Points
- Rust
- Copper Corrosion
- Foam
- Insoluables
- Color
- Water Separability
- RPVOT
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News
POLARIS Laboratories® Announces 2013 Public Training Classes
POLARIS Laboratories®, an innovative leader in the fluid analysis industry, has announced its public training class schedule for 2013. Whether attendees are just beginning to establish fluid analysis best practices or they've been in the industry for years, these classes will expand their knowledge of oils and coolants and help them understand the importance of doing fluid analysis and doing it well.
POLARIS Laboratories® Opens New Fluid Testing Lab in Moscow, Russia
The company has now expanded into Russia with the opening of POLARIS Laboratories® Russia, the official representative of POLARIS Laboratories®, located in Moscow.
Training
Denver
Cooling Systems Maintenance
May 28, 2013Denver
Oil Analysis
May 29-30, 2013Orlando
Oil Analysis
July 24-25, 2013
Tradeshows & Conferences
Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show
Weyburn, SK
June 5-6, 2013Oil Sands Trade Show
Fort McMurray, AB
September 10-11, 2013
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