Volume 93 – Issue 6/2013

Page 98 to 101 (German)

Varnish in turbine oils

By Ralf Ertelt
E.ON New Build & Technology GmbH
and Andreas Busch
HYDAC Filter Systems GmbH
Varnish in turbine oils
Varnish in turbine oils
Ralf Ertelt and Andreas Busch
Abstract
Varnish in turbine oils
The appearance of varnish in turbine oil can
lead to hydraulic malfunctions and to increased
bearing temperatures. The consequences are
unplanned downtimes and high costs. Varnish
are oil aging products that form gel-, resin-like
or solid varnish-like deposits in the fluid system.
Among other things the reason for theses depos-
its is the limited dissolution capacity of varnish
in modern turbine oils. Furthermore, these oils
also have low electrical conductivity, which
causes electrostatic discharges in the system.
This results in accelerated oil aging, and dam-
age to sensors and filter elements.
In the past an oil fill had a service life of usually
15 to 20 years. Today the service life of modern
oils is significantly less than ten years. In order
to avoid critical system operation, the routine
laboratory examination parameters must be
expanded. Early recognition of the risk of de-
posits and the use of adapted fluid care will
increase the safety of operations and reduce
operating costs.
Autoren
Dipl.-Ing. Ralf Ertelt
E.ON New Build & Technology GmbH
Gelsenkirchen, Gernany
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Busch
HYDAC Filter Systems GmbH
Sulzbach (Saar), Germany
2
Introduction
The condition of the oil in lubrication
and hydraulic systems is indicative of the
health of the entire system. There are two
essentials for ensuring productivity, for
avoiding malfunctions and for reducing
operating costs:
– Monitoring the fluid condition, on the
one hand, and
– Continuous maintenance of operating
equipment.
Varnish refers to oil aging products that
form deposits in the fluid system which
have a gel/resin-like consistency or resem-
ble solid varnish (F i g u r e s 1 to 4). These
oil aging products are readily deposited on
cool surfaces such as the tank, valve hous-
ings or coolers. This causes an increase
in bearing temperatures, malfunctions in
hydraulic valves and cooling problems. In
most cases, however, the above malfunc-
tions are not correctly attributed to the real
l cause. This results in ineffective, and often
very expensive, repair work.
The subject of oil aging is not new by any
means; in fact it has always been an issue.
However, as a consequence of the intro-
duction of more highly refined base oils,
the characteristics of turbine oils have
changed. Whereas in the past, oil had a
life of 15 to 20 years, today the service life
of modern turbine oils is considerably less
than 10 years. This means that fluid moni-
toring and fluid conditioning are becoming
more and more important.
This scientific paper provides an overview
of the changes in base oil characteristics,
laboratory analysis procedures for detect-
ing oil aging, and fluid conditioning meas-
ures for the removal of oil aging products,
with a view to eliminating possible faults.
Fig. 1. Varnish on the cover plate
of the hydraulic pump.
VGB PowerTech 6 l 2013
Alteration in base oil
characteristics and
the consequence
The base oils generally used today for the
production of turbine oils have changed
in recent years. They reflect the increased
demands with regard to higher turbine ef-
ficiency, higher bearing temperatures and
reduced levels of hazardous substances.
Whereas oils used to be produced exclu-
sively by the distillation of crude oil (ASTM
Group I oils), for some years now further
refinement processes have been employed.
The procedures used, such as hydrotreat-
ing or hydrocracking, result in superior
chemical purity and oil of uniform quality
with global availability.
These changed production processes pro-
duce base oils with lower levels of unsatu-
rated polar hydrocarbons (ASTM Groups II,
II+, and III). Base oils in the ASTM Groups
II and III are also usually free of sulphur.
During production of the turbine oil, a
sulphur-phosphorous additive is generally
therefore added.
There is a problem with this refinement in
that varnish has a polar structure. Polar
substances tend to dissolve more readily in
polar substances. If the proportion of polar
hydrocarbons in oil is reduced, oil aging
products / varnish cannot dissolve as eas-
ily. The effect is oil turbidity (F i g u r e 5 )
or deposits in the system. These changes
usually start once the oil has been in op-
eration for 3 to 4 years.
Due to the low proportion of polar sub-
stances, these oils also have low electrical
Fig. 2. Varnish on the filter element.
VGB PowerTech 6 l 2013
Fig. 3. Varnish on the tank wall.
Fig. 4. Varnish-free tank wall.
Turbine oil with high
level of varnish (MCP value 69),
Water content of < 30 ppm
Fig. 5. Oil samples with different levels of varnish for comparison.
Tab. 1. Scope of test for half-yearly routine inspection
Test item
Optical assessment
Water content
Solid particle content
Neutralization number (NN)
Viscosity 40°C
Refraction index
Colour photometric
Colour (ASTM scale)
Air release properties
Water separation capacity (WSC)
Corrosion rating
Foaming characteristics
Ageing IR (CO number)
Ageing protection IR (Phenol. inhibitor)
conductivity. If this oil flows through the
filters in the hydraulic system, an electro-
static charge can be generated. This can
lead to sparking in the system (F i g u r e
6 ). In addition to damaging the filter ele-
ments, it can cause failures in measure-
ment and control systems. In addition,
deflagrations may occur in return lines or
in the tank. F i g u r e 7 shows samples of
this damage.
Today’s technical data sheets for oils do not
give information on the base oil used. Since
oil names are often not changed when the
oil type is changed, it may mean the old oils
are inadvertently mixed with new, more
modern turbine oils during refilling. Such
Turbine oil with low
level of varnish (MCP value 25),
Water content of < 30 ppm
Varnish in turbine oils
Procedure
E.On internal procedure
Indirectly DIN 51777, Part 2
DIN 51592
DIN 51558, part 2
DIN 51562, part 1 (DIN 51558 part 2)
DIN 51423-2
E.On internal procedure
DIN ISO 2049
DIN ISO 9120
DIN 51589, part 1
DIN ISO 7120
ASTM D 892 and ISO 6247 (procedures have been
withdrawn, is still used as an E.On internal procedure)
DIN 51451, E.On internal procedure
DIN 51451, E.On internal procedure
mixing can result in chemical reactions,
which under certain circumstances may
lead to the precipitation of reaction prod-
ucts and to deposits within the system.
Laboratory analysis procedure
for detecting varnish in
turbine oils and the limit for
critical system condition
Scope of testing for a usually half-
yearly routine inspection
The scope of testing for the half-yearly
routine inspections is listed with the ap-
propriate procedure in Ta b l e 1 . The pres-
ence of varnish in oil cannot be detected
with these routine inspection parameters.
Given the increasing problems with depos-
its in turbine systems, other procedures
have been added to the routine inspection
parameters.
MPC value determination
The MPC value records the changes in col-
our of a laboratory filter membrane with
0.45 µm filtration rating. Critical system
conditions occur if the MPC value is over
40. The effect of this is that more deposits
occur in the system, as shown in Figure 1
to Figure 4.
Fig. 6. Electrostatic discharging in the
filter element.
3
Varnish in turbine oils
500 mm
215.3
Burned filter material
Fig. 7. Damage caused by electrostatic discharging in the system.
Particle counting at room temperature
and at elevated oil temperature
The size, number and composition of par-
ticles significantly impact the wear and
the function of hydraulic components and
systems. The size and the number of parti-
cles is determined using automatic photo-
optical particle counters and is displayed
as cleanliness classes to ISO 4406. The rel-
evant standard for particle counting is ISO
11500. The standard maximum cleanliness
classes for turbine lubrication systems are:
ISO 18/15/12 and ISO 17/14/13, if the
steam control system is supplied by the
same tank. In this case an increase of one
cleanliness class equates to a doubling of
the particle count in each case.
The solubility of oil aging products/varnish
is dependent on temperature; it increases
at higher temperatures and decreases at
lower temperatures. As soon as the solubil-
ity threshold is reached, oil turbidity oc-
curs. The particle counter is able to detect
this turbidity due to the high particle count
before it is visible to the naked eye. If two
identical oil samples are analysed – one at
room temperature (approx. 22 °C), and the
other at 80 °C – there will be a difference in
Particle count in an oil sample
45,000
42,244
40,000
35,000
30,000
Particel difference per 1 ml
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
1,717
0 0
> 4 mm
Fig. 8. Graphical representation of particle counts for an oil sample at 22°C and at 80°C.
4
VGB PowerTech 6 l 2013
500 mm
Burned tank ventilation filter
particle quantities in the evaluation if there In addition, partial replacement using new
is varnish in the oil. oil is possible. Although increasing the
Example: F i g u r e 8 shows just such a proportion of antioxidants, it may under
particle evaluation. The measurement was certain circumstances have the effect of
carried out using a FCU/BSU 8000 (F i g - dislodging deposits in the system, thus
u r e 9) produced by HYDAC Filter Systems adding to the particle concentration in the
GmbH. The particle distribution class at oil. For this reason with larger refill quan-
room temperature (in this case 22 °C) was tities we recommend that the existing sys-
ISO 23/18/12. The same measurement tem filtration is supported by additional
when the oil was heated to 80 °C resulted offline oil conditioning.
in a particle distribution of ISO 18/15/12. One option to specifically raise the additive
From the substantial particle differential, concentration is the addition of suitable
we can conclude that there is a high pro- inhibitors. For this, precise information on
portion of undissolved oil aging products/ the oils and their constituents is required.
varnish in the oil. Standard analysis procedures to determine
Determining the remaining this are:
proportion of antioxidants – Infra-red spectroscopy (absolute
concentration)
Antioxidants are added to the oil to slow
down oil aging and hence the formation of – Ruler (relative concentration) acc.
varnish. These additives (e.g. amines and to ADTM D 6810
phenols) degrade as the oil ages. In order – HPLC (absolute concentration)
to increase the proportion of antioxidants, Depending on the oil type and additives
one of the usual options is to make up the used, other analysis methods may have to
oil quantity lost during operation with be applied.
new oil. The addition of new oil, which
still has 100 % antioxidants, will increase Removal of varnish based
the overall concentration of antioxidants
in the oil. on the example of a turbine
lubrication system
An application on the lubrication system of
a steam turbine is explained below.
at 22 °C at 80 °C
Particle difference System description
23
– Lubrication system of a steam turbine
Cleanliness level according to ISO 4406:1999
– Oil quantity in the system: 12,000 l
– Age of oil: 27,000 operating hours
– Conductivity: <10 pS/m at 21 °C
– Oil type: Turbine oil with EP additive,
base oil ASTM Group II
22 The initial problem centred on malfunc-
tions on the steam control valve, which led
to problems on shut-down of the turbine.
The cause was found to be deposits be-
21 tween the valve body and the valve spool
due to oil aging.
20
1,310 267 19 Oil aging products/varnish are problematic
33 22
in that they are initially highly filterable and
> 6 mm > 14 mm the valve functions are unaffected. Individ-
ual particles are less than 1 µm in size. For
comparison: Standard valve clearances are
VGB PowerTech 6 l 2013
within the range of several micrometers. As
a result of ongoing oil aging or when the
oil has cooled down (e.g. during a system
shutdown), these particles agglomerate,
become larger, and form varnish-like coat-
ings. These then have the effect of increas-
ing the actuation forces in the valve and of
causing the above malfunctions.
In order to clean the varnish in the oil,
a VarnishMitigation Unit produced by
HYDAC (F i g u r e 10 ) was used. This sys-
tem is similar in construction to an offline
filter and works 24h per day, 365 days per
year. The separation of varnish takes place
by adsorption onto a specific resin. Once
the adsorption capacity of the resin is ex-
hausted, the quantity of varnish in the oil
rises again. When the critical MPC value
of 40 is exceeded, the resin-filled elements
are changed. Figure 11 shows the progres-
sion of the varnish content in the oil of this
system when using this offline filter unit,
measured by the MPC value.
Summary of results and outlook
Immediately after commissioning the con-
ditioning unit on 16 February 2012, the
MPC value fell drastically. On 25 April
Fig. 9. HYDAC Particle counter FCU/BSU 8000.
Varnish in turbine oils
2012, the separation capacity of the resin
was exhausted. The filter element was re-
placed on May 2nd, 2012. With this second
element, the service life increased to over 3
months. The varnish separation itself had
no negative influence on the antioxidant
content in the system: the antioxidants be-
have neutrally in reaction to the cleaning
process. After cleaning the oil circuit, suit-
able inhibitors are added during operation.
Conclusion
The term varnish is used, amongst other
things, for oil aging products in turbine lu-
brication systems, and accurately describes
the consistency of these substances.
The increase in the efficiency of turbines
and the reduction of oil volumes (cir-
culation indexes) increase the load on
turbine oils. Modern turbine oils with
Fig. 10. HYDAC VarnishMitigation Unit VMU.
higher chemical purity and low levels of
hazardous substances reduce the solubil-
ity or load capacity for oil aging products. broadened. By sizing & selecting the sys-
Where the filter load is too high or the tem filtraton correctly, the electrostatic
filter selected is too fine, the extremely load in the fluid is eliminated and the fluid
low conductivity of these modern oils can lifetime is extended.
also lead to electrostatic discharges in oil. Fluid maintenance measures such as the
These discharges cause an extreme ther- separation of varnish, offline filtration,
mal fluid load due to hot spots. The result dewatering and degassing reduce the
of this high thermal load is usually acceler- fluid load and thus extend the service life
ated oil aging. of the oil as well as the components. Simul-
In order to avoid critical system operation, taneously this contributes to trouble-free
the routine analysis parameters have to be operation of the overall system. l
Membrane Patch Calorimetrie MPC
Colour assessment of filtrate taken from 100ml on a 0.45 µm micron filter membrane
80
Commisioning Change Change
VMU VME element VME element
70
60
50
critical
40
MPC
30
20
10
0
Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.
Date
Fig. 11. Graph plotting the MPC value; limit at MPC 40.
5
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