Power station with chimneys by the water

Power generation: varnish under control

Turbines and compressors run on thousands of litres of oil that has to last for many years. Varnish, water and particles cause valve problems and shorten the life of the oil. An offline filter cleans the oil during operation.

Pilot programme with samples before and after How Delta Xero works

Varnish: when the oil turns to lacquer

Heat and oxygen break down turbine oil, and the degradation products deposit as lacquer on valves, bearings and cooling surfaces. This is measured as MPC (varnish potential): the higher the number, the greater the risk of sticking valves.

An oil change in a turbine holding 14,000 to 28,000 litres of oil is a major cost, and the new oil immediately starts to degrade again.

Water in turbine and transformer oil

In steam turbines, water finds its way into the lube oil. In transformer oil, water lowers the breakdown voltage, so the oil no longer insulates well enough.

The cartridge binds free and emulsified water and captures particles down to 0.1 µm while the equipment runs.

Cleaned in a kidney loop, without shutdown

A Delta Xero system is connected to the oil tank in a kidney loop. The oil is pumped from the tank bottom through the cartridge and back, and the turbine or compressor keeps running in the meantime.

How Delta Xero works See systems and models

Documented on real installations

On a GT26 gas turbine with 28,000 litres of oil, the varnish potential fell from 52 to 8.4 in three months. At an 895 MW power station it fell from 54.1 to 18.4 on the first gas turbine, and the solution was rolled out to all three turbines.

52 to 8.4MPC on a GT26 gas turbine in three months

14 to 70 kVbreakdown voltage in transformer oil

392 to 46ppm water in a steam turbine's lube oil

Case studies from the industry

895 MW power station: MPC from 54.1 to 18.4, then rolled out on all three turbines

54.118.4

MPC (varnish potential), gas turbine 1

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Compressor oil in Aberdeen: varnish figure from 52.2 to 6.5

52.26.5

MPC (varnish potential)

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GT26 gas turbine: varnish figure from 52 to 8.4 in three months

528.4

MPC (varnish potential)

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Steam turbine in Greece: water from 392 to 46 ppm in 17 days

20/18/1417/15/11

ISO 4406 cleanliness code

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Transformer oil: breakdown voltage from 14 to 70 kV

14 kV70 kV

Breakdown voltage, IEC 60156 (minimum: 30 kV)

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See case studies from all industries

Start with an oil sample

We analyse the oil samples ourselves, so results arrive within a few days. If the numbers show a problem, the pilot programme runs with samples before and after.

How the pilot programme works How Delta Xero works