www.machinerylubrication.com
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March - April 2015
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45
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nents of your lube system certainly seems to make sense before
charging your system with new oil. You wouldn't want to take a
bath in a dirty bathtub. However, oil flushing can be costly. Is it
really necessary?
Flushing is not required between oil changes if the lubricant
system is free of sludge, varnish and other deposits; the majority of
old oil can be removed from the system; or the new turbine oil is of
the same type and brand as the in-service oil or extensive compati-
bility tests have verified its compatibility.
On the other hand, flushing between oil changes should be
performed when there are indications that sludge, varnish or other
deposits may be in the system; the current in-service oil is in poor
physical or chemical condition and it is not feasible to remove more
than 98 percent of the oil from the system; or the new charge of oil
will be a different formulation that may not be compatible with the
current in-service lubricant.
Impact of Putting New Turbine Oil into a
Contaminated System
Since the primary mode of turbine oil failure is oxidation, the
life and performance of a turbine oil will be dependent upon the
health of its antioxidant system. Recharging a dirty lube system
with new oil can have a significant impact on the life and perfor-
mance of this new oil. Oil degradation products are reactive
years
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10
5 3
1
New System
Oil Change 1
Oil Change 2
The life of the turbine oil in a controllable-pitch propeller system
is cut almost in half when new oil is put into a dirty system.
A wide range of deposit types were found during system
cleaning. (Photos courtesy Clarus Fluid Intelligence)
