Don’t Kill Your Turbine on Startup

Your lube oil temperature needs to be lower at startup and shutdown than at full
speed.

Your turbine’s rotor does not actually ride on the surfaces of its bearings. It rides on a thin film of oil between the rotor and the bearing. At high turbine speeds the rotor hydroplanes across the oil, eliminating contact with the Babbit of the bearing. The heat generated by the turbine decreases the viscosity of the oil and increases its “slipperiness”, which is important at high speeds. As the rotor slows, the oil needs to be more viscous to repel the force towards the bearing.

Failure to lower the lube oil temperature (and therefore increase viscosity) can result in light bearing wipes or smearing.  These conditions would occur during turning gear operation, unit startup and unit coast down during shutdown.  The ideal lube oil temperature at these lower speeds is 90 degrees F.  Of course, oil temperature can also be too cold on startup, similar to trying to start your car on a cold winter day. Operational personnel are ultimately responsible for maintaining this lower lube oil temperature by regulating water through the lube oil coolers.

Maintaining lube oil cooler cleanliness is also very important. The tubes must be clean for efficient transfer of heat. The bundles should be cleaned every two (2) years.  Lube oil coolers are the single most common area for contaminants to hide. These contaminants can also lead to bearing failures, as discussed in an earlier Turbine Tip.