FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Boston, MA - When lube oil viscosity goes out of spec, compressor bearings fail, which can result in loss of proper lubrication. This, then, can lead to unplanned production downtime and high maintenance and repair costs. This can be particularly challenging for refineries and other petrochemical operations that use large gas compressors where the operating environment can be extreme.
“Our problem was at start-up and lower operating temperatures, where light hydrocarbons can mix into the lube oil, instantly dropping the viscosity. With inadequate lubrication, the bearings degrade, and then the rotor assembly on the screw compressor is critically damaged. We found monthly checks were not good enough, that we needed an online viscosity measurement tool. We turned to Cambridge Viscosity and have achieved real-time condition monitoring,” according to a plant engineer for a large Gulf Coast refinery.
Coleman Nee, Application Engineer of Cambridge Viscosity says, “Cambridge Viscosity's online viscometers are widely used to monitor real-time changes in lubricant viscosity that can happen between regular oil lab analysis intervals. This is particularly prevalent in high value equipment in processes where the costs of failure are high.” In the case of refinery gas compressors, replacement parts and repairs can easily cost over $250,000 for these types of failures.
Is ViscoPro the right viscometer for your complex applications? Click the link below, which will take you to the process viscosity data form. This form will guide you in filling out information to help our application engineers determine the best solution for your specific applications.
Process Industry Informer – One of the UK’s leading magazines for Process Instrumentation
