Oil as a Component and the Importance of Filtration Brian Burks, CLS, OMA I Senior Application Sales Engineer
Oil should be a COMPONENT not “just” a consumable! Oil properly designed as an integral turbine component should be treated as a valuable asset
When to Consider Oil as a Component Oil is capable of long life Oil is capable of long term Oil is then a protection key component to gearbox performance and longevity
Have a Long Term Plan • Use an oil designed from the start for long life in wind turbine gearboxes • Robust monitoring program • Centralize oil monitoring in your organization
Use Consistent Labs
Additive Trending
Use Correct Condemning Limits • Obtain limits from oil supplier • Provide condemning limits to oil lab • Ensure limits are applied correctly internally
Key Factors to Track for Extended Oil Life Water - TAN - Additive Levels - Particle Contamination
Negative Affects from Water Additive depletion Filter plugging Sludging Increased wear Increased foaming Corrosion
Effect of Water on Specific Additives
Dangers of Dissolved Water
Dangers of Emulsified and Free Water • Over 500 ppm of water in gear oil the water typically begins to become an emulsification • Cloudy appearance • Water can instantaneously flash vaporize in the high heat and pressures of a roller element bearing load zone, causing erosive wear
Hydrogen Embrittlement • Thought to contribute to WEC • Water can be separated into its base form of hydrogen and oxygen in the high pressures of a bearing load zone • Due to its small size, hydrogen atoms can absorb into the bearing material and can affect the metallurgy on the subsurface • This leads to hydrogen embrittlement, subsurface cracking, and propagating to the surface and becoming pitting or spalls
Total Acid Number (TAN) What it means for gearbox and oil health • All oils have different TAN values which are based on the additives chosen to build the product. • Normal condemning limit is a value of 2 higher than starting value. • High TAN is generated from: – Oil degradation or oxidation – Water egress into the additive package (sulfuric acid)
Additive Functions Additives are used to enhance the oils ability to protect the gearbox • Anti-wear – Extreme pressure – Micropitting – Phosphorus (anti-wear, EP, micropitting) – Sulfur (used with some phosphorus species for EP) – Zinc (anti-wear) – Moly (anti-wear) • Detergent – Calcium – Magnesium – Boron • Anti-foam – Silicon – Polyacrylate (not seen on oil analysis)
Persistent Wear Protection SRV wear testing validates the AMSOIL designed evolution of durability: The evolution of AMSOIL wear additives provide increasing active wear protection after 9 years of run time.
Filtration and Filterability • Proper filtration practices are critical for long oil life and gearbox health • Normal wear particles are 1-15 microns in size • Abnormal particles start around 15 microns in size and go up
Filtration Recommendations • Consider using a 5 µm β 1000 inline filter • Change filters at recommended intervals
Offline Filtration is KEY for Optimal Component Longevity • If all other aspects of oil performance are up to the task, then offline filtration will ensure long-term oil performance • Offline filters remove more of the normal wear particles that naturally build up • Consider utilizing 3 µm absolute filter
Ensure Your Oil Can Withstand Long-Term Fine Filtration • Additive levels and foaming performance may be affected by fine filtration in some oils • Ask your oil provider for their multi-pass filtration test results • AMSOIL PTN has proven long-term performance utilizing 5 µm inline filtration and 3 µm offline filtration
Shift mindset from consumable Have a plan to component Ensure your oil is Filtration and up to the filterability are challenge of long- key for long life term protection Thank you! Brian Burks CLS, OMA I AMSOIL Senior Sales Application Engineer bburks@amsoil.com
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