Solar Turbines Incorporated
PIL 161
Lube Oil System Cleanliness
R. Abercrombie and L. Weinberg
Solar Turbines Incorporated
PURPOSE
Oil cleanliness requirements were changed in
1997 to reduce the fouling problems experienced
with certain hydraulic actuators. After further re-
view, the specified filtration for different packages
was found to be inconsistent and, in some cases,
too stringent. As a result, requirements were
changed once more to provide new levels of
filtration that are uniform throughout Solar’s pack-
ages and more appropriate for a typical installa-
tion.
Other steps have been taken to ensure oil used
in Solar’s packages will remain clean, including
improvements in our manufacturing processes,
along with providing Information for customers via
the Mechanical Installation drawing notes.
The purpose of this PIL is to describe recent ef-
forts to improve turbine package lube oil system
cleanliness and to provide information to ensure
practices in the field are in support of those ef-
forts and to ensure reliable engine and package
operation.
OIL CLEANLINESS
Oil cleanliness is one of the most important fac-
tors affecting the service life of oil system com-
ponents. Contaminated lube oil is the primary
cause of early hydraulic system component fail-
ures and leads to increased costs for Solar and
our customers. Specifically, shorter than ex-
pected life was being seen with the “Tactair” hy-
draulic actuators and, in certain upset conditions,
turbine bearings. The resulting package down-
time contributes to customer dissatisfaction with
Solar’s equipment.
Over the past several years, Solar has increased
its efforts to deliver equipment with clean oil sys-
tems. Actions have been taken in several manu-
PIL 161
Caterpillar: Confidential Green
Product Information Letter 161
Product Information Letter
facturing and assembly processes to ensure the
lubricating systems are kept free from contamina-
tion. We have also improved the documentation
that we supply to the field and to customers re-
garding the procedures necessary to maintain the
integrity of the oil systems during commissioning
and operation.
The two specifications that Solar uses to ensure
that oil system cleanliness is maintained in the
test cell and the field are ES 9-224, “Specification
for Lubricating Oils for Use in Solar Gas Turbine
Engines,” and ES 2184, “Cleaning and Flushing
of Hydraulic Systems/Components.” These speci-
fications were revised recently to be more consis-
tent and help our customers keep their packages
running satisfactorily. Specifically, ES 9-224 now
has specific limits for particle contamination,
where none were identified before. ES 2184, the
specification for the initial cleaning of oil system
piping, was re-written to provide realistic, but ap-
propriate, requirements for flushing.
The following factors should be considered to
ensure the appropriate level of cleanliness of the
oil used in turbine packages.
How Is Oil Cleanliness Measured?
The relationship between particle count and
cleanliness in lubricants and hydraulic fluids is
established by ISO 4406. The first edition of the
standard provides a two-part code to represent
the number of particles, in micrometers per millili-
ter (µm/mL) in a fluid, greater than 5 µm and 15
µm, respectively. While some filter manufacturers
use a three-part code, identifying particles greater
than 2µm as well, Solar uses the ISO two-part
code exclusively. An oil sample that is deter-
mined to have a two-part code of 14/12 (per ES
9-224) allows 80 to 160 particles/mL ≥5 µm and
20 to 40 particles/mL ≥15 µm. See Table 1 for
code/particle count relationships.
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Solar Turbines Incorporated Product Information Letter 161

Table 1. ISO 4406 Fluid Cleanliness Codes oil with ISO codes of 15/12 for this type of equip-
(minimum and maximum are given ment. Electrohydraulic servo actuators used on
in particles per mL) Solar packages have clearances in the 4-µm
range, and industry practice recommends the use
ISO Fluid Cleanliness, paticles per mL of oil with ISO codes of 14/12. Since Solar uses a
4406 combined lube oil system for its packages, we
Code Minimum Maximum now specify that ISO 14/12 oil should be applied
in all of our turbomachinery.
10 5 10
American Petroleum Institute specifications pro-
11 10 20
vide information for oil cleanliness. In API 614,
12 20 40 much attention is devoted to oil filtration (4th edi-
tion para. 1.6 and Appendix E). API recommends
13 40 80
that filtration of 10 µm nominal or finer be pro-
14 80 160 vided with a beta ratio of 10, which means that as
much as 10% of particles 10 microns and smaller
15 160 320 would exist in the lubricating system. API further
16 320 640 states that other requirements may drive more
stringent filtration.
17 640 1300
18 1300 2500 How Clean Is New Oil?
19 2500 5000 “New” oils delivered to customers have varying
degrees of cleanliness, with ISO codes generally
20 5000 10000 in the 20/18 range. Drum-delivered products are
21 10000 20000 generally found to be cleaner than bulk-delivered
products. Inadequate storage and handling pro-
22 20000 40000 cedures will often contribute to the contamination
of “new” oil. In order to attain the specified ISO
23 40000 80000
14/12 cleanliness level, proper filtering/flushing of
new oil before or during filling is necessary. So-
lar’s ES 2184 describes recommended oil flush-
How Are Filters Specified? ing procedures. To check oil cleanliness, it is
normally recommended that an oil sample be
Filter efficiency is measured by a beta ratio (βx),
taken prior to tank filling.
which is defined as the ratio of the number of up-
stream particles of a given size to the number of
downstream particles of a given size in a given How Do We Know That Our Machinery Will
volume of fluid. For example, a filter with a beta Get Clean Oil?
ratio of β10 = 200 would allow one particle 10 µm Many of the factors that contribute to lube oil sys-
or larger to pass through for every 200 particles tem contamination are beyond Solar’s control.
10 µm or larger in the fluid upstream of the filter. Solar has taken several steps, however, to en-
sure the proper cleanliness level and expected
As described in API 614, the beta ratio can be life of the machinery. These include:
equated to a filter efficiency (0) by the equation:
Manufacturing Processes. Improvements in
0% efficiency = (β - 1) / β x 100 manufacturing processes over the last several
years have reduced the level of oil system con-
tamination during base manufacturing, pipe as-
How Clean Do We Need the Oil to Be? sembly manufacturing and package assembly.
Journal bearings used in Solar turbines and com- This effort, combined with more aggressive pack-
pressors require an oil film thickness in the 25-µm age flushing procedures during pre-test, has pro-
range. Thrust bearings are generally more highly duced packages that arrive at the customer’s site
loaded, requiring an oil film thickness in the 10- with much improved oil system cleanliness. Lube
µm range. Industry standards such as API 614, oil cooler flushing requirements have also been
ISO 4406 and MIL-L-23699 typically recommend imposed on cooler suppliers with good results.

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Caterpillar: Confidential Green
Solar Turbines Incorporated
Onskid Lube Oil Filters. Specification of appro-
priate onskid lube oil filters with higher efficien-
cies has been implemented over the past few
years. Filters with a specified efficiency of β10 =
200 are now standard on several models of tur-
bine packages and are being introduced on oth-
ers. When proper oil system contamination con-
trol procedures are followed in the field, these
filters do not require more frequent changeout
than older less efficient (β10 = 75) filters.
Commissioning Procedures. Improvements
have been made in the commissioning proce-
dures and the documentation that describe flush-
ing procedures and specifications for oil cleanli-
ness before tank filling. Mechanical Installation
drawing notes now recommend that installers
flush the piping in accordance with Solar’s speci-
fication ES 2184. This specification, which de-
scribes industry standard flushing procedures for
offskid piping, is based on the guidelines set forth
in ASTM D6439-99. ES 2184 describes the
methods that should be used in the field to flush
offskid piping to a level that will ensure that the
package will not be contaminated when oil is cir-
culated through the system during initial start-up.
Solar can also offer a list of contractors who can
provide onsite oil system flushing services and
who have performed effectively and efficiently in
the past.
What Additional Improvements Does Solar
Have Planned?
Oil filtration is being made consistent across So-
lar’s product lines. In the past, Solar used several
Solar Turbines Incorporated
9330 Sky Park Court
San Diego, CA 92123-5398
Cat and Caterpillar are registered trademarks of Caterpillar Inc.
Solar, Titan, Mars, Taurus, Mercury, Centaur, Saturn, SoLoNOx, and Turbotronic are trademarks of Solar Turbines Incorporated.
Specifications subject to change without notice. Printed in U.S.A. © 2002 Solar Turbines Incorporated. All rights reserved.
PIL 161
Caterpillar: Confidential Green
Product Information Letter 161
filter manufacturers, which meant different ele-
ments and filtration levels. The recent Centaur
50, Taurus 60 and Taurus 70 gas turbine pack-
ages used a fairly fine element: 3µ with β3 = 200.
These packages have now been changed to use
a filter level more comparable to the Mars and
Titan gas turbines: 9µ with β3 = 200.
Efforts continue at Solar to improve lube oil sys-
tem cleanliness. Filter efficiency tests are being
conducted to analyze and optimize the cost and
benefits of various filter media and manufactur-
ers. Other near-term goals include (1) improving
package lube oil tank access for inspec-
tion/cleaning, (2) evaluating effectiveness of al-
ternate methods of pipe and tube cleaning in the
shop and in the field, and (3) including field test-
ing of oil samples for initial oil fill and field failure
analysis.
SUMMARY
Solar’s efforts to improve lube oil system cleanli-
ness have generally been met with positive reac-
tion by customers and Solar’s field personnel.
Our customers realize that clean oil systems re-
sult in longer component life and less equipment
downtime. When clean packages are delivered to
sites that incorporate proper flushing and equip-
ment handling procedures, and packages receive
a clean initial fill of oil, commissioning of the oil
system goes smoothly. When the appropriate
level of oil system cleanliness is not achieved,
customers and Solar will experience increased
commissioning time and cost, along with de-
creased oil system performance and reliability.
3 7 September 2000