Water ingress in Lube Oil System
Water ingress in Lube Oil System
(OP)
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?





RE: Water ingress in Lube Oil System
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.