TECHNICAL CONCEPTS OF HIGH-SPEED OIL FLUSHING.
DIFFERENCES WITH FILTRATION
INTRODUCTION
When one
talks about the term Contamination Control in Industry, it is frequent to
hear the word Flushing as one of the necessary measures to reduce the particle
content in lubrication or hydraulic system.
In this
paper, we intend to correctly define this term and to clarify the main
differences with the term Filtration.
It is
vital that all the parts involved use the same terminology to work properly and
professionally in the field of lubrication engineering and its practical uses
in the industry.
Keywords: Flushing, Reynold, Filtration.
DEVELOPMENT
There are
various ways to define a Flushing procedure; here we’ll quote the one that
appears in ASTM D-6439-05 Standard [1].
It reads circulation of liquid through the lubrication system or a component,
when the turbine is not operating, to remove the contaminant.
It is
important to highlight that the procedure is pointed out as the right one to remove
contaminants from the mechanical equipment, its lubrication system or
components. It is not focused on cleaning or filtering the oil, rather it is
focused on cleaning the system, the mechanical components and pipes.
Several
aspects have to be considered to achieve a successful Flushing procedure, that
is, a procedure that removes the greatest amount of dirt from the system and in
the shortest time possible. The most important ones are:
1- It has
to be performed before the first start-up of the equipment (Commissioning), or
in scheduled shutdowns (major outages).
2- Achieve a turbulent flow regime. Regularly, the
Reynolds number should be greater than 4,000 to ensure that the different fluid
layers inside the pipe have better action over the internal walls of the
pipe.
3- Use of the high-efficiency filter media. Filter
media with a βx
factor higher than 200 must be used to ensure that the particles removed are
extracted from the system.
4- Use of
in-situ oil analyzers. It’s very important to have analysis equipment of ISO
4406 code (Particle Content) to perform a follow-up of the procedure and
determine when the cleaning has ended.
The above
mentioned will give Reliability and Availability to the System, allowing to
obtain a start-up without shocks and the optimization during the times of
start-up and scheduled shutdowns, concepts which are more and more demanded to
increase the Annual Production.
To
achieve a turbulent regime, it is necessary to know the diameters of the tube
which will be intervened, and to make the following equation:
Re
= 21.200.Q / (V.d) Q [lts/min]
V [Cts], at
the operating temperature
d [mm]
In
practice, to increase the Re, one can choose to use external high-flow pumping equipment,
a fluid of lower viscosity for the work, or simply to hit it up to reduce its
viscosity. Generally, one chooses a combination of all the previous
options.
Thus, for
example, to perform a Flushing in an 8” pipe (203.2 mm), using ISO VG 32 oil, and
taking into account an operating temperature of 40°C, the minimal necessary
flow to fulfill the requirements of the Standard would be 1,230 lts/min.
In relation to high-efficiency filters, it is essential
to use a set of external filter media with a βx
> 200 factor, remembering that this βx factor
indicates how efficient the filter media is in the removal of particles.
In this case βx
> 200 means that the efficiency of removal will be higher than 99.5% in
particles greater than x microns.
These
filters should be mounted in the complete flow of circulation. This is why,
frequently, large surfaces are required since we are working with high flows.
Going
back to the main point of our paper, we will indicate now the differences
between the procedure we have just defined and the one which tends to be
wrongfully used in the industry under the name of Flushing.
When the
word Flushing is mentioned, one is many times simply referring to an external
kidney loop filtration of the oil tank or the system reservoir. Even if we use
high-efficiency filter media, the reader will easily understand that the reach
of this procedure is much more limited than that of the Flushing defined by the
Standard. In this case, we simply intend to filter the oil, take it into the
right ISO Code and not perform a cleaning in the system, which is the main goal
of the concept Flushing previously defined.
This
filtration procedure may be carried out with the system in operation using much
lower flows, since the use of higher flows here, would generate turbulences
inside the reservoir which may affect the normal operation of the lubrication
or control system.
It is
normally advised to perform Flushing at the moment of the first start-up of the
equipment and at every scheduled shutdown to maintain the system clean during
the life span of the machine, thus, preventing the lube oil contamination. During
the operation of the machine, and according to the results of the daily oil
analysis, it may be necessary to connect external filtration equipment to
reduce the number of particles present in the system.
Combining,
and not confusing, the Flushing and Filtration procedures during the life span
of the equipment, one can achieve a longer duration of the mechanical
components, and, therefore, greater reliability of the equipment. Through the
bearing life span calculation, or life extension tables for bearings, hydraulic
systems, engines, gears and other mechanical elements, it is proven that the
lower the contamination level, the longer the life span of these elements. [2]
The following table summarizes the main aspects of both terms and their
differences:
Filtration
|
Flushing
|
|
Goal / Target
|
Clean Oil
|
Clean System
|
When?
|
Machine Operation
|
Start-up or Scheduled
Shutdown
|
Flows
|
Low
|
High (Re)
|
Filtration Efficiency
|
High
|
High
|
In the
following graphic, we can observe how the use of high-efficiency filter media,
instead of the filter media of the equipment, ensure a shorter duration in the
flushing process.
On the other
hand, the table below shows the main differences between a conventional
flushing and one carried out under the most demanding premises of ASTM D-6439
Standard. It summarizes the main points where advantages in reliability and service
performance time can be achieved.
CONCLUSIONS
To
achieve commissioning or a start-up after a scheduled shutdown, it is
essential to carry out a flushing procedure according to the standards, thus ensuring
the removal of all the dirt from the system and in the shortest time possible
to improve the production time of the intervened system.
Likewise,
during the operation of the equipment, special attention must be paid to the
presence of contaminants in the system with the aim of removing them, and, in this
way, guarantee the longest useful life of the mechanical elements. In this
case, the external filtration resource must always be taken into account.
It is
extremely important to be acquainted with both procedures and apply them in the
appropriate times and ways to obtain the best results from a technical and
economical point of view.
REFERENCES
[1] ASTM
D-6439-05 “Standard Guide for Cleaning, Flushing, and Purification of Steam,
Gas and Hydroelectric Turbine Lubrication System”
[2] Lubricación por Niebla de
Aceite y su impacto positivo sobre la vida de los rodamientos [Oil mist lubrication and its positive impact
on the lifespan of the bearings]. Work presented in the I
Taller Argentino de Tribología [I
Argentinean Workshop in Tribology], May 2012, Bahía Blanca.
