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Khashayar Hajiahmad, ??????, ?????? ??????, ??????, ??????
Business Development Manager - Middle East, Africa ???? Enjoying ???? 5? 0? 8? 0? 0? LinkedIn Followers
To treat turbine oils as an asset in oil and gas companies and power plants, several key changes need to be implemented across various operational stages. Below is a detailed outline, focusing on the perspectives of purchasing, maintenance, maintenance management, and asset management & reliability.
1. Purchase Point of View:
a. Specifications and Compatibility:
- Turbine oil selection should begin with a detailed analysis of the operational requirements, ensuring the oil meets OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifications.
- Compatibility with the machinery’s metallurgy and seals should be ensured, as different materials interact uniquely with oils, potentially causing degradation.
- Oils must be selected for their ability to resist oxidation, contamination, and thermal breakdown under harsh conditions.
b. Vendor Selection:
- Establish strategic partnerships with reliable suppliers known for providing high-quality turbine oils, supported by technical expertise and post-purchase services like oil analysis and technical support.
- Consider long-term contracts with vendors who offer continuous improvement initiatives, product development, and lifecycle management to align with evolving asset requirements.
c. Cost vs. Value:
- Shift focus from just the upfront cost of the oil to its overall lifecycle cost, including its longevity, impact on maintenance intervals, and ability to reduce component wear and failures.
- Implement total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations when purchasing, factoring in oil performance in preventing failures, minimizing downtime, and reducing maintenance costs.
d. Stock Management:
- Oil should be purchased with a focus on managing inventory efficiently, ensuring it is stored in optimal conditions to prevent contamination and degradation before use.
- Evaluate the benefits of oil reconditioning or reclamation programs to extend the usable life of the turbine oil.
2. Maintenance Point of View:
a. Routine Oil Analysis:
- Regular oil analysis (RCA, particle count, water contamination, and varnish potential) must be integrated into the maintenance routines to monitor oil health and avoid premature failures.
- Develop a predictive maintenance schedule based on oil condition rather than time-based intervals. This includes monitoring critical parameters like oxidation levels, acid number (AN), and viscosity changes.
b. Oil Filtration and Contamination Control:
- Install offline filtration systems to continuously remove contaminants like water, particulates, and varnish-forming compounds. Contamination control directly affects oil longevity and turbine performance.
- Utilize high-efficiency filters capable of capturing fine particles and moisture to prevent accelerated oil degradation and machine wear.
c. Oil Degradation Prevention:
- Implement procedures for thermal management, ensuring that turbine oil is not subjected to extreme heat cycles, which lead to quicker oxidation and varnish formation.
- Monitor operating temperatures and ensure proper cooling systems are in place to keep oil temperatures within optimal limits.
3. Maintenance Management Point of View:
a. Data-Driven Decision Making:
- Implement condition-based maintenance (CBM) programs, leveraging oil analysis data to guide maintenance activities rather than relying solely on reactive or preventive maintenance.
- Use digital platforms to monitor oil condition and track performance indicators in real-time, facilitating proactive maintenance actions.
b. Maintenance Scheduling Optimization:
- Align maintenance activities with the oil's lifecycle, factoring in predictive analysis from regular monitoring to extend service intervals without compromising reliability.
- Coordinate maintenance tasks across different systems (e.g., turbine and lubrication systems) to reduce downtime and increase efficiency.
c. Knowledge Management:
- Train personnel on the importance of turbine oil health and maintenance, emphasizing the role of lubrication in preventing failures.
- Create a knowledge base and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistent oil management practices across teams.
d. Maintenance Accountability:
- Integrate turbine oil management into KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for maintenance teams, ensuring accountability for oil health and asset performance.
4. Asset Management and Reliability Point of View:
a. Lubrication as a Critical Asset:
- Treat turbine oil as a core part of the asset management strategy, recognizing its critical role in asset performance and longevity.
- Use reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) principles to assess and mitigate risks related to lubrication failure. Focus on maximizing oil performance to extend turbine and component life.
b. Long-Term Planning:
- Implement a long-term strategy for lubrication management, including planning for oil replacements, reconditioning, and eventual upgrades to newer, more efficient formulations as they become available.
- Plan for full time maintenance with right filtration technique to remove varnish and sludge build-up, ensuring the system remains efficient and the oil's performance is not compromised.
c. Integration with Reliability Systems:
- Incorporate oil analysis data into the broader asset reliability management system, integrating findings with other condition monitoring systems (vibration analysis, thermal imaging) to create a comprehensive view of asset health.
- Align turbine oil management with broader asset reliability strategies like root cause analysis (RCA) to address lubrication-related failures and optimize future performance.
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d. Lifecycle Asset Management:
- View oil management as part of the entire asset lifecycle management (ALM) process, recognizing that oil health directly impacts turbine availability, operational efficiency, and total lifecycle costs.
- Create a replacement and retirement strategy for oils that can no longer be reconditioned, balancing the costs of new oil purchases with the risk of operational failures due to poor lubrication.
5. Additional Recommendations:
- Digitalization and Automation: Implement IoT-based systems for continuous online oil condition monitoring, providing real-time alerts on contamination, viscosity, or any other parameter that may indicate impending failure.
- Environmental Impact Consideration: Treat turbine oil not just as an operational asset but also from an environmental and sustainability perspective. Consider the ecological benefits of reducing waste oil generation through effective reclamation and recycling programs.
- Sustainability and Circular Economy: Utilize oils that are formulated with renewable resources or those that have a reduced environmental impact over their lifecycle to align with corporate sustainability goals.
### Conclusion:
By adopting a strategic approach that spans purchasing, maintenance, management, and asset reliability, oil and gas companies and power plants can treat turbine oils as an asset rather than a consumable. This approach extends the lifecycle of both the oil and the turbine, reduces unplanned downtimes, and maximizes overall operational efficiency.
This outline can be expanded into a comprehensive article to address the specific requirements of turbine oil management in critical industries like oil and gas and power generation. Let me know if you'd like additional details or specific examples.
P.S. By Going Through Below Resources from EPT Clean Oil you can achieve above target
Blogs:
Technical Papers:
Videos:
In The Middle Ep. 66: Is particulate-related failure typically the cause of journal bearing failure? (youtube.com)
In The Middle Episode 41: Is an increased servo value replacement budget cheaper than maintenance? (youtube.com)
In The Middle ep. 72: What's a blind spot in our industry in terms of lubricant breakdown? (youtube.com)