Turbomachinery Engineer asked me great questions about Flushing of gas and steam turbines

I received a great email some time ago about from a turbomachinery engineer about flushing process of their gas and steam turbines.

Email Was:

I hope this message finds you well. I’ve realized there are gaps in my understanding of flushing procedures for turbomachinery, and I’m reaching out to learn from your expertise. Below are some questions I’ve compiled. Whenever you have the time, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your knowledge.

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• ASTM D6439-11:

1. Does this standard define clear criteria for when flushing is mandatory and when it can be skipped?
2. Does it provide guidance on acceptable contamination limits or flushing fluid parameters? I haven’t read the full standard, so if there are specific sections worth focusing on, please let me know. never read the standard,

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• Mandatory Flushing After Oil Changes:

1. In which scenarios is flushing absolutely necessary after an oil change?
2. Are there specific guidelines or criteria provided by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) regarding flushing during oil changes, especially for critical equipment?
3. Do major oil companies have different recommendations or best practices for flushing when changing from one type of oil to another

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• Flushing Procedures and Best Practices:

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1. What are the key parameters to monitor during a flushing procedure (e.g., flow rates, temperature, cleanliness levels)?
2. Are there specific flushing durations or cycles recommended for turbomachinery in power plants or oil & gas facilities?
3. How do you ensure compatibility between the flushing fluid and the system materials, including seals, hoses, and metal surfaces?
4. Does EHC systems have specific flushing procedure?

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• Post-Flushing Verification:

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1. What are the best practices for verifying the effectiveness of a flushing procedure?
2. Are there standard cleanliness benchmarks (e.g., NAS, ISO 4406) that should be achieved before declaring the system ready for operation?

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• Challenges in Flushing Complex Systems:

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1. How do you address hard-to-reach areas within lubrication systems, such as dead legs or partially inaccessible piping?
2. Are there specific techniques or tools (e.g., pulsation flushing, air sweeps) that you recommend for such cases?

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• Flushing Frequency and Preventive Practices:

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1. Besides oil changes, are there other situations where flushing should be considered, such as after maintenance shutdowns or contamination events?
2. How do you decide the frequency of flushing in systems with long operating lifespans?

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• Field Experience and Lessons Learned:

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1. Are there any common mistakes or oversights during flushing that you’ve encountered?
2. Could you share examples of successful flushing cases, particularly for turbomachinery with challenging layouts or contamination issues?

In reply I sent him below videos to watch and below reply:

In The Middle Episode 02: Does my oil need to be replaced?

In The Middle Episode 17: What impacts flow when I'm cleaning oil?

In The Middle ep 80: 2024 Goals for EPT Clean Oil's High Velocity Flushing Services Team

In The Middle Episode 32: Are you maintaining your system after a flush?

In The Middle Episode 34: To flush or not to flush, that is the question?

In The Middle Episode 10: What is the difference between laminar and turbulent flow?

In The Middle Episode 13: Why do you need high flow when flushing a turbine lube oil system

EPT Clean Oil is an industry-leading integrated lubricant maintenance solution company. We combine best in class proprietary filtration technology with laboratory and high velocity flushing service to offer customized flushing programs.

Flushing Procedure

Our high velocity flushing service procedure puts safety and hazard assessment first. Our project management ensures that construction and commissioning supervisors receive daily communication and documentation to track project status and progress.

1. Pre-job meeting
2. Formal hazard assessment
3. Safety indoctrination
4. Daily safety meetings, project status and reporting
5. Field level hazard assessment
6. On-site testing results from professional chemist
7. Compliance reports
8. Final report

Flushing Process

Our approach is customized according to customer needs with flow rates of up to 600 gal/min. Our flushing process adheres to the ASTM D6439-11 standards as outlined below. We incorporate additional industry best practices and proprietary procedures based on our extensive experience in flushing to ensure successful results.

1. Selection of flushing fluid – For new turbine lubricant systems, the need for a separate flushing fluid is not always necessary. Depending on the flushing specifications, the operating fluid rather than a flushing or chemical agent can be used as the flushing fluid.
2. Preparation of system for flushing – Our pre-cleaning of flushing equipment ensures that flushing fluids exceed OEM fluid specifications before the process begins.
3. Charging flushing fluid to reservoir – Fluid is purified, dehydrated and qualified extensively throughout this process.
4. Flushing operation – Flushing occurs with optimal flow rates, thermal processing, vibration and dehydration with real-time oil analysis qualifying the cleanliness of the flushing loop.
5. Draining of fluid used for flushing – When operating fluid is used for flushing, it can be analyzed and qualified fit for service, contained, and repurposed as system fill, make up oil or flushing oil.
6. Displacement fluid – Disposal of all waste products is administered in accordance with environmental regulations.