Minimac Systems Pvt. Ltd.

  A 1200 MW coal-fired thermal power plant using Indo-Chinese Turbine EHC System in Southern India Synopsis The Power plant was suffering from loss in electricity generation for a few days as per the desired target. The O&M team has identified that the turbine command is not functioning properly and was tripping frequently. On further investigation, it was found that the Servo Valve (Moog valve) has failed and showing hunting or sluggish behavior. Minimac’s EH oil reconditioning system “MLC LVDH TRIX 20” acted as a rescuer for the plant and saved the plant from an unexpected shutdown. If this system would have implemented earlier, a loss of more than 5 Cr could be saved. Problems Failure of Moog valve:  This was the main reason for the trip of the turbine and breakdown in the power plant. Poor Oil Analysis Program:  An oil analysis is supposed to be done monthly for Particle count & TAN (weekly if the trend is negative) and weekly test for water content but the cu...

  A 1200 MW coal-fired thermal power plant using Indo-Chinese turbine EHC system in southern India. Synopsis The plant was struggling with the rapid increase in TAN values in the EH oil of the governing system of the turbine. Also, the moisture content was more than permissible limits. Degradation of the oil was due to contamination ingression into the system resulting in by-product formation. Minimac’s EH oil reconditioning system  “MLC LVDH TRIX 20”  proved to be the savior and an unexpected shutdown of the turbine  worth ₹1.05 Cr per day was saved. Problems A rapid increase in the Total Acid Number (TAN) could degrade the EH oil and lead to the possibilities of failure of servo valve, hunting, power generation loss, unplanned shutdown, etc Oil analysis was done to check the properties of EH oil like moisture, NAS value, total acid number. Solutions Installation of Minimac’s EH oil reconditioning system  “ MLC LVDH TRIX 20 ”  comprehensively designed with...

  A 1,320 MW (2 x 660 MW), one of the first and largest supercritical coal-fired power plants using Indo-Chinese turbine EHC system in northern India Synopsis The plant was struggling with the rapid increase in TAN values in the EH oil of the governing system of the turbine. Moisture content was also more than permissible limits. Degradation of the oil was due to contamination ingression into the system resulting in by-product formation. Minimac’s EH oil reconditioning system  “MLC LVDH TRIX 20”  acted as a savior for the plant and as a result the unexpected shutdown of the turbine worth ₹1.4 Cr per day was saved. Problems Degradation of EH oil properties at both the units of the plant. The installed regeneration system for each EHGC tank of unit #1 and #2 was failing to control neutralization number (TAN value) and showing a rapid increase in the same The company was unaware of the consequences of increased TAN values like possibilities of failure of servo valve, hunting...

  A power plant in Northern India using Indo- Japanese technology turbine EHC system saved 1.5 Cr approx. with MLC LVDH TRIX-20 EH Oil Filtration Synopsis A Power plant (2 x 600 MW) in the Northern region of India was struggling with the rapid increase in TAN values in the EH oil of the governing system of the turbine and moisture content was also more than permissible limits. Degradation of the oil was due to contamination ingression into the system and resulting in the formation of by-products. Minimac’s EH oil Reconditioning system “MLC LVDH TRIX 20 “acted as a savior for the plant which has escaped the unexpected shutdown of the turbine worth 1.05 Cr per day (approx. 15 hours downtime) and cost & effort for Replacement of oil worth 44 lakhs. In total, the company has saved around 1.5 Crore by installing external Reconditioning system at their site The above graph shows the trend analysis of NAS 1638, Moisture and TAN value during one-month installation of the reconditioning...

  A power plant in western India using chinese technology turbine EHC system saved 3.01 Cr approx. with MLC LVDH TRIX-20 EH oil filtration Synopsis A power plant (2 x 600 MW) in western region of India was struggling with the rapid increase in TAN values in the EH oil of the governing system of the turbine and moisture content was also more than permissible limits. Degradation of the oil was due to contamination ingression into the system and resulting into formation of by-products. Minimac’s EH oil reconditioning system “MLC LVDH TRIX 20 “act as saviour for the plant which has escaped the unexpected shutdown of the turbine worth 2.8 Cr (approx. 48 hours downtime) and cost & effort for replacement of oil worth 21 lakhs. In total, the company has saved around 3.01 Crore by installing external reconditioning system at their site. Problems Failure of servo valve, hunting and sluggish behavior of the turbine, unplanned shutdown, presence of varnish & silt in the clearance of th...

  Do you agree that the little things, if done consistently, add to the big things? The same applies to every field of life, whether it is personal or professional. The very recent example recites it very true. The whole story begins with an opportunity to supply and commission 8 numbers of Oil Quality Testing Equipment for a sector that is crucial regarding the nation's safety. It was a great experience to work with the best brains and brave hearts. We started our journey from Pune to a remote location in Odisha, Koraput. When we landed at the nearest airport, we knew it was more than a 5-hour journey by road, crossing many hills, valleys, forests, and ghats. During our travel, we encountered many wild animals and, surprisingly, snakes like pythons crossing the road. Probably, high wind and rain were making it more scary and adventurous. We arrived at our stay very late at night. After such a long day, we were excited to hit the bull’s eye the next day. We couldn’t resist the enth...

  Contamination is the major cause of failure for any lubricated mechanical element. Wear can easily be identified by monitoring the shape and composition of contaminants. To identify and monitor the source of contaminants, Particle Analyzer plays a very crucial role. It analyzes the solid contamination in a lubricant by counting the number of particles and categorising the degree of contamination according to the particle size. The particle analyzer is considered to be one of the most important tests in oil analysis, as it determines a wide variety of problems easily. It monitors the amount and size of the particles in an oil sample. There are many uses of particle analyzer including testing filter leaks, checking real-time cleanliness and filter efficiency, creating testing routines, etc. Benefits of Particle Analysis There are enormous benefits; some of them are as follows: It allows “real-time” analysis of oil It confirms the corrective maintenance, needs for ferrography, and s...

  Greasing is an important process that ensures the smooth functioning of machines. Let’s understand these two aspects first - Over greasing and Under greasing. To determine which of these is more problematic could be difficult but we can definitely decide which one is more damaging. Too much grease can generate excessive heat in the bearing and may result in seal failure. When the lip seals rupture because of over greasing, it allows the harmful contaminants to enter the bearing housing. This would create excessive pressure and may collapse the bearing race. On the other hand, not putting enough grease may cause damage to the rotating parts. Under greasing allows contaminants to enter the load zones. We can say that it's better to avoid both aspects of over and under greasing. How to determine the amount of grease a bearing needs? The factor responsible for determining the right amount of grease depends on the dimensions of the bearing or its housing. Greasing must be done based o...

  What is a Turbine EH System ? Electro-Hydraulic Control system (EHC system) of a turbine is the most critical equipment of a power plant. It’s the heart of a turbine which controls steam flow into the turbine. A malfunctioning EHC system can lead to turbine stoppage and thereafter create a dominoes effect on the synchronized processes of the power plant. Breakdown-free and reliable operation of the EHC system is the biggest challenge of an Operation & Maintenance Manager. To learn more follow: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited Due to high steam pressure & temperature in the vicinity of a steam turbine, as safety compliance, it is a mandate to use Fire Resistant Fluids (FRF) for hydraulic control of the EHC system. A specially designed synthetic fluid called tri-xylenyl phosphate ester demonstrates best fire resistant properties for the application. Phosphate esters are polar fluids with excellent lubricating properties that can operate under e...

  Routine Oil sampling and analysis are crucial for a successful maintenance program. It provides important information to determine the condition of the equipment. Sampling is a vital procedure for collecting fluid from machinery for the purpose of oil analysis. The results and reports of oil analysis depend on the quality of the oil sample. Thus, oil sampling must be performed keeping some important goals in mind - To MAXIMIZE the Data Density. To MAXIMIZE Consistency. To MAXIMIZE Relevance. To MINIMIZE Data Disturbance. There can be three ways of extracting samples from a component - drain port, drop-tube (in a vacuum pump), and a dedicated sampling point. A common mistake is taking an oil sample from the reservoir in circulating and hydraulic systems. Taking samples from the tank is not a best practice. If the sample is taken from the drain lines before emptying the tank, the concentration of wear metal would be much higher. Let’s discuss the common mistakes of oil sampling whi...