Firenze, 11-12 September 2018
It has just ended here in Mecoil an advanced training session dedicated to specific requirements of our client Solar Turbines. Two full days in which topics of interest were dealt with: lubrication and condition monitoring on gas and steam turbines. First of all, have been exposed the main issues of maintenance philosophy, to ensure understanding the advantages of a preventive attitude compared to the reactive one. Indeed preventive maintenance makes possible to plan the machine stops, to better control budget and to reduce collateral damages. If progression of failure is monitored by skilled personnel, machine repair can be scheduled prior to catastrophic breakdown; that’s the reason why expertness is so crucial. Defined tribology and recalled basics of lubrication, the training focused on turbine fluids, according to Client’s needs. It’s not the right place to dwell on the details but maybe it’s appropriate to hint that gas and steam turbines often need similar lubricants, with some differences: in gas turbines, lube oil is commonly exposed to higher temperatures and is required to have better thermal and oxidation resistance; in steam turbines, lube oil is potentially exposed to moisture coming from water steam, and is required to have good demulsibility. Current formulation trends are towards supplying a single product for both equipment types, but it’s necessary deal with degradation and contamination fenomena. There was the chance also to introduce a much discussed topic by insiders: varnishes, oil-insoluble deposit very hard to remove. Once clarified these base concepts, it has been possible to talk specifically about oil analysis, starting from the best practices related to sampling. A good chance to learn how to use our Ultra Clean Vacuum Device, the revolutionary sampling method developed by Mecoil. In conclusion of the event, partecipans have been able to visit our lab and to be introduced to analytical instrumentation. The evaluation of this international event is certainly positive: to understand the processing steps and the peculiarities of each activity is the crucial to cooperation.
