Flushing with lube oil is carried out to remove dirt from the system by loosening it from the inside of the system or by dissolving it in the flushing oil. Dirt which is picked up by the flushing oil will be caught in the fine mesh installed in the return line and can be removed.
This article contains an excerpt from the paper, “Save your Centrifugal Machinery during Commissioning” by Arun Kumar and Mohit Sabharwal of HPCL- Mittal Energy Ltd at the 2018 Asia Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia.
Before charging the lube oil inside the tank, it is important to ensure that the lube oil tank & run down tank are thoroughly cleaned. All loose foreign material such as scale, sand,weld splatter particles and cutting chips shall be removed. The inside of the interconnecting piping should be wire brushed where accessible. Thereafter, the interconnecting piping shall be thoroughly cleaned before installation by air or steam blowing.
Lube Oil piping is to be connected and for initial flushing temporary bypass piping is to be connected for bearing housings and Seal Oil supply. The scheme is to be validated by the machinery OEM. Orifices, probes and other flow restrictions must be removed for cleaning and flushing to obtain optimum velocities. All removed items shall be tagged and properly store for reinstallation. All the pressure gauges except lube oil pump discharge pressure gauge, pressure switches and instrument connections shall be isolated. All the PSVs shall be removed and blinded during the flushing.
Ensure Motor power connection is provided and, that the auxiliary and emergency oil pumps are ready for use to circulate lube oil. The entire lube oil circuit is divided into different circuits/loops so as to make the flushing more effective. Flushing of successive loops shall be started after the completion of flushing of preceding loop. Fill the tank with enough oil (up to min. level shown on the level gauge) i.e., up to the level such that the pump suction is fully immersed during flushing. Note that after starting the flushing oil, the level will drop inside the tank so make-up oil arrangement should be ready. Ensure that the lube oil tank heater is commissioned and maintains the temperature between 60-70 deg C.
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