Here's a good one. We have a rotary (centrifugal?) Cooper Besemer compressor powered by a 1000 hp 1750 rpm motor driving the compressor at 10,000 rpm through a step up gear box.
It's a dirty service so it gets sludged up and causes imbalance on the rotor and the output flow drops off.
We keep a spare rotor for it, but the bosses decided this time they would wash the machine with xylene. So the lube oil system was kept running to bearings and seals while xylene was circulated through it whilst barring over the rotor.
After 3 hours it was declared clean and the washing stopped and xylene drained. When they went to put it in service, it wouldn't turn, so the casing was heated up with steam hoses until it was freed up and then started.
Output flow was no better, vibration no better. Time to install the other rotor.
The spare rotor was sent to a shop in Texas last March for repairs, but the repairs were never authorized, so there it sits.
The oil was found to stink of xylene, but the oil was never changed despite us telling the bosses it needs to be done. They thought it would be ok.
Three days later it came to a screeching halt, seized up and amped out. Less than 1 week until Christmas.
Oil still stinks of xylene.
When I finished my last shift they hadn't figured out whether it seized due to sludging up or bearing failure.
I think it's bearing failure.
I guess an oil change would have been cheap insurance.
It's a dirty service so it gets sludged up and causes imbalance on the rotor and the output flow drops off.
We keep a spare rotor for it, but the bosses decided this time they would wash the machine with xylene. So the lube oil system was kept running to bearings and seals while xylene was circulated through it whilst barring over the rotor.
After 3 hours it was declared clean and the washing stopped and xylene drained. When they went to put it in service, it wouldn't turn, so the casing was heated up with steam hoses until it was freed up and then started.
Output flow was no better, vibration no better. Time to install the other rotor.
The spare rotor was sent to a shop in Texas last March for repairs, but the repairs were never authorized, so there it sits.
The oil was found to stink of xylene, but the oil was never changed despite us telling the bosses it needs to be done. They thought it would be ok.
Three days later it came to a screeching halt, seized up and amped out. Less than 1 week until Christmas.
Oil still stinks of xylene.
When I finished my last shift they hadn't figured out whether it seized due to sludging up or bearing failure.
I think it's bearing failure.
I guess an oil change would have been cheap insurance.
