Tag Archives: oil purification equipment

Improving Hydraulic Fluid Operation

Hydraulic Fluids and Oils

The loss of performance by hydraulic fluid systems is a rather important problem because it leads to serious issues with turbine system performance and safety.  The loss of performance is normally caused by failures and damage in the regulation, lubrication and the sealing systems of the generator shafts.

The problem has become increasingly important because many power generation facilities are approaching the end of their service life and require increased attention and maintenance.  But, the current methods and devices for oil quality control, as well as oil purification equipment, are often obsolete and far from efficient further compounding the power company’s problems.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) recommends that reliable operation of turbine systems requires that the amounts of particulate matter in circulating turbine oils be kept to between 3 and 25 microns.  (See ISO 4406).  Anything larger can have adverse consequences on your turbine equipment.  These limitations are due to the fact that the distance between the support and the bearing pad with max load is 10 microns.  At start up, the lubricating layer of oil on the bearings is between 5-8 microns.

Most turbine regulation systems include spools and sleeves with radial clearances of between 50 to 100 microns.   If the spools rotate between them and the bearing box, the clearance should be set to between 10 to 25 microns.  The functioning of the turbine regulation system may be accompanied by failures due to solid contaminants that accumulate in the gaps in the regulation assemblies and spool clearances.  Serious damage may be caused by foreign particles entering the support bearing which may lead to a disruption of the pad setting.

If the turbine oil is contaminated by foreign substances and/or water, it will inevitably lead to over heating during operation and will cause premature failure of the bearings.  Such operation also makes the regulation system operation unstable and will cause additional unscheduled repair costs.

If the oil becomes contaminated and loses its ability to perform its intended purposes, it must be changed.  But, that will significantly increase your equipment operating and maintenance costs.  This can be avoided however, by performing timely scheduled preventive maintenance that includes purification of the hydraulic/turbine oil.  The GlobeCore Purification Process (GlobeCore Process) is designed to extend the service life of your hydraulic oils from 3-5 years to as much as 10 years.  Using The GlobeCore Process therefore, will lead to significant savings in long term maintenance costs.

Hydraulic System Filters

Some of the commonly used filtering elements used in hydraulic equipment are made from fabric, composite membranes, paper, polypropylene, zeolite, fuller’s earth, fiberglass, metal fibers, ceramics, products of powder metallurgy, ion exchange resins and metal meshes.  Each filtering media has both advantages and disadvantages.

Metal Mesh Filters

Considering the high degree of contamination that can be found in hydraulic fluids and oils used in modern equipment, the first filter choice seems to be to use metal mesh filters with between a 10 to 20 micron filtration fineness.  There is a catch however, even a 20 micron mesh filter can only capture particles of this size nominally.   That is because the orientation of particles in the liquid is random.  It should also be remembered that the beta ratio of filtration describing the retention capacity is from 10 to 100 times less than metal mesh filter’s advertised fineness.  Pump vibrations will also serve to further decrease the efficiency of metal mesh type filters.

To restore the functionality of a contaminated mesh filter, it will require rinsing and cleaning.  It is however, a complex process that requires an ultrasonic bath in detergent with heating and a very careful air purge process.  Even rinsing does not fully clear all contaminants from the mesh.  Thus, the life cycle of such elements is limited.

Another point to keep in mind is that the price of a mesh filter is approximately five times that of single-use filter element.

Fuller’s Earth Systems

Fuller’s Earth is not generally used for turbine oil purification since it can capture the inhibitor and salts from the oil causing “dieseling” of the oil.  Fuller’s Earth however, is widely used in transformer oil purification and regeneration.  Its main advantage being the ability to undergo multiple re-activations over hundreds of regeneration and purification cycles.

Centrifuges

Centrifuges are another means of oil purification, but they cannot remove particles smaller than 5 microns from the oil.  If the amount of the particulate matter is large enough, they can significantly degrade oil purity and cause equipment failures.

Electric Purification

For especially clean hydraulic fluids, electric purification is another possible choice.  This is a quickly developing modern method of fluid purification.  It has been tested extensively with oils stored in sealed vessels with excellent results.  There has been sufficient experience in using electric purification methods for petrochemical products and crude oil to gain wide acceptance in the fluid industry.

The process requires the preliminary heating of the liquid, but causes no resistance to the flow of the product and is simple to control.  The intensity of the process depends on applied voltage and the viscosity of the oil product.  The disadvantage of this method is that the equipment for this purification method cannot currently be installed on operating machines.  One of the issues with such systems is the need for protection against electric breakdown.  Another factor is the reduction of the oil’s “interfacial tension” after electric purification process.

There is therefore, no single systematic approach to purification of industrial oils.

Combined Approach

Problems with hydraulic oils and fluids can first arise at the stage of purity control.   Since all facilities are not fully supplied with reagents and the proper required equipment, oils and fluids may not be free from moisture and other forms of contamination at the point manufacture and delivery.

Years if industry experience shows that high quality oil purification requires a combined approach that includes the following:

1. Formation of an independent group of experts and service personnel for the control of oil purity in turbines and hydraulic systems.

2.  Creation of separate of “Chemical Control Departments” at nuclear, hydro and thermal power generating plants.  They will run oil analysis labs and and provide digital moisture meters for oil monitoring.  These departments with be responsible for scheduling and performing preventive and scheduled maintenance.

3.  The best solution for your oil purification problems would include purification by GlobeCore’s UVR oil purification equipment.

4.  Maintenance departments at power generation companies should be equipped with modern service equipment (such as the GlobeCore  UVR purification units) and the personnel should be adequately trained for the use of such equipment.

The GlobeCore Process is most efficient and cost effective oil purification process in the world today!

It’s time to get with the Process.  The GlobeCore Process!

Transfromer Oil Purification Equipment by GlobeCore

Application

CMM systems designed and manufactured by GlobeCore can perform the following functions: Degassing, dehydration and filtration of transformer oil, cable oil, turbine oil, and other industrial oils.  The CMM units remove gases, free and soluble water, and particulate matter from oils and fluids.  The CMM units are used in the installation, repair and operation of oil-filled high voltage equipment up to 1150 kV (power transformers, high-voltage switches etc.) as well as industrial turbines.

The GlobeCore CMM units perform the following services:

  • Purifying and drying of Transformer Oil
  • Vacuum filling of Transformers and Electrical apparatuses
  • Drying and Purifying of oil in transformers (on and off-line)
  • Vacuum Drying of Transformers
  • Degassing of Transformer Insulating Oil
  • Filtration of Transformer Insulating Oil

Technical Description

GlobeCore CMM units are designed as multipurpose Transformer Oil Conditioning units for field or factory use.  The units incorporate high capacity multi-stage electric oil heaters,  large capacity Vacuum Pumps with external connections for Vacuum filling work, three (3) stage particulate filtration systems, and connections for a large variety of service applications.

The Unit’s measuring devices include vacuum, pressure, and temperature meters.  The equipment can also be optionally supplied with a “water-in-oil” measuring device.  Installation of a water-in-oil measuring device allows in-line monitoring of water content.

Flow rates are variable from 0 to >10,000 liters per hour (L/H) and heating from 24KW to 210 KW in four stages.  GlobeCore systems are designed for easy operation and maintenance.

The principal functions of transformer insulating oils are to serve as a dielectric medium and as a transformer coolant or heat transfer medium.  In order to perform these functions, transformer oil must have the necessary qualities at the time of initial impregnation and filling at the factory and later be able to maintain the same quality in normal operation.

High Vacuum Treatment improves insulating fluids that includes transformer oils and silicone fluids. GlobeCore transformer oil purification equipment was developed as a result of 30 years of experience in vacuum treatment of transformer oils.

Benefit

Every company dealing with oil-insulated high voltage equipment (transformers, high-voltage switches, turbines, etc.), shares the problem of having to change and dispose of contaminated oil and fluids.  The costs of changing and disposing of insulating oils are frequently very high and need a significant investment in time, labor, and money.  At GlobeCore, our equipment offers a practical, proven and economical method to purify oil so that it can be used again and again for your high voltage equipment.

Thermally accelerated Vacuum Dehydration and Degassing of Transformer Oil has gained wide acceptance as one of the most economical methods for the removal of dissolved water and gases.

On-Site Transformer Oil Purification is the most cost effective transformer maintenance service in existence today.  The GlobeCore CMM units not only purify the oil within the transformer, but actively regenerate the Transformer Insulating System by removing impurities that had become built up within the transformer over time.

Thermo-vacuum purification and degassing of transformer insulating oil, as performed by the GlobeCore Process, will result in the improvement of the condition of the entire insulating medium of your electric power transformers.

Here are some additional benefits of the GlobeCore Process:

  • Removal of dissolved moisture from transformer insulating oil
  • Reduction of combustible gases and oxygen
  • Improvement of insulating oil dielectric values
  • Improvement of transformer insulating oil power factor
  • Extension of oil service life
  • Extension of transformer service life and reliability

We at GlobeCore are committed to provide our customers with high quality products that satisfy technical and economic objectives.  We offer our vast experience in manufacturing, servicing and operation of transformer oil purification systems to your company.

Machines by GlobeCore come with a block of approved original equipment spare parts.  These spare parts meet all specifications required of the engineering process.  Over the years, optimal and high quality components have been carefully selected for our equipment.  GlobeCore guarantees the performance of our machines and the results of the oil treatment processes.  We have placed our equipment in more than 70 countries around the world and a reference list available upon request.

Short Process Description

Hot Filtration Mode

A gear type pump draws in the oil for processing via a valve and a strainer.  Processed oil is then pumped through the cartridge filter, the three-way valve and is then discharged to the processed oil vessel via a connecting line.

The above mode is also used for transformer core drying.  Transformer oil is circulated through the oil purification equipment.  After filtering the oil to remove the particles, the oil is heated up to max. temperature of 800C/1472F.  All residual gases are removed and the moisture is evaporated in the vacuum degassing chamber.  Residual moisture content can be reduced down to less than 3 parts per million (ppm).  Oil purification is a necessary maintenance process for oil-filled transformers and can be employed for removal of moisture from the transformer’s core and solid insulation. Heating of the transformer oil moves the moisture from paper to the oil and allows for its removal from the transformer.  The most common mistake made by operators of transformer oil purification equipment is to stop the drying process after reaching oil moisture content of less than 5 ppm.  After some time, when normal transformer operation conditions exist, the moisture content of the oil increases. It is essential to dry the transformer oil continuously throughout a long period.

Transformer Evacuation

Another required process is the immediate evacuation of the transformer after pumping the insulating oil out of the transformer tank.  The “Vacuum Effect” on the insulation surfaces greatly improves moisture content removal.  The process must be repeated several times before the desired effects will be achieved.

Hot Filtration and Thermo-Vacuum Drying

A gear type pump draws the oil in for processing via a strainer and cartridge filter.  It then directs the oil to the heat exchanger where the oil is heated by the heat conductor.  The oil is then fed to the vacuum drier’s sprayer after being heated to 60C/140F.  The Vacuum Pump maintains vacuum in the vacuum chamber.  a Vacuum can be regulated by valve(s) and monitored on the vacuum meter.  Filtered hot air comes into the chamber and removes gases and vapor from the oil’s surface effectively drying the oil.  The air is then discharged into the atmosphere via an oil separator by the vacuum pump.  A gear type pump then directs the oil into the processed oil vessel.  A programmable thermal regulator switch monitors the plant’s function continuously and maintains the pre-set temperature.

Hydraulic System Operating Oil – What should we do next?

The cooling and purification of industrial hydraulic oil is a basic requirement in extending the service life of any hydraulic system.  Efficient cooling and purification solutions increase the reliability and service life of hydraulic equipment systems.  Efficient operation, along with timely prevent maintenance, will increase your long term profits.  To protect your equipment and the components of your hydraulic systems, the GlobeCore company, which operates in more than 70 countries in the field of oil purification equipment, offers a wide range of systems for reclamation and regeneration of any oil type.  This includes transformer insulating oil, hydraulic oils, transmission oils, turbine oils, and industrial oils of all types.

Used oils do not need to be used only as relatively cheap heat or energy sources any longer.  At present, it is possible to restore the used oil to its full market value.  GlobeCore has developed the GlobeCore Process for degassing, drying, and the purification of oils and hydraulic fluids.  Today, GlobeCore regeneration systems will allow your company to profit from used oils instead of having to pay for oil replacement and for the cost of disposing of used oil.

The Problem

Disposal of waste oil is becoming less and less common.  According to the latest expert conclusions, a large amount of waste oil products are constantly being generated in many industrial applications.  This rise in industrial waste oil has led to increases in handling and disposal costs and fines for violations of environmental regulations.

The Solution

GlobeCore offers an excellent solution to the problem.  The GlobeCore Process is now available for the complete restoration of used oil used in commercial applications.  The customer will no longer have to  pay for oil disposal, oil handling and for environmental licenses.  Instead, the customer can now reuse the what used to be a waste product.  A unique oil purification and regeneration process is used in a wide range of GlobeCore products.  The GlobeCore Process is environmentally sound because it does not cause the emission of unwanted gases, liquids and solid materials into the environment.  The use of the GlobeCore Process  facilitates up to a 95% conversion rate and that equates to a tremendous saving for your company in time, labor, oil and money.

GlobeCore has a line of equipment intended for the purification and regeneration of used industrial oil by removing solid particles, water, and other contaminates.  The process produces oil color improvement due to the removal of oil aging products, unwanted additives and finely dispersed asphaltenes.  The GlobeCore machines are quite simple and easy to operate.  They do not require complex adjustments and enjoy the competitive advantage of high mobility and the use of special self-reactivating sorbents for the regeneration of fluids.

Up to 90% of tar, asphaltenes, carbenes and carboids are removed from the used oil in the process of purification with mild effect on the oil’s additives.   Various solid particles and water are removed entirely with complete restoration of the oil to it’s original specification and color.

Complete GlobeCore plants may be used for the filtration and adsorption process of various types of oils, including hydraulic fluids and industrial oils.  The GlobeCore systems does not require readjustment for various oils.  They also do not require filter replacements since the regeneration and adsorption elements automatically reactivate themselves after each cycle of oil restoration/regeneration has been completed.

The uniqueness and affordability of the GlobeCore Process units makes them an excellent and cost effective investment for your company.

It’s time to get with the Process.  The GlobeCore Process!