Your turbine’s electro-hydraulic control (EHC) system plays a critical role in reliable turbine operation, and changes in fluid condition can provide an early indication that the system needs attention. These issues can lead to service failures, valve sticking, reduced system responsiveness, and in severe cases, complete system failure, often resulting in costly forced outages and unplanned downtime.

Recognizing warning signs early can help prevent damage to sensitive components, unexpected control issues, and costly downtime. Here are several common indicators to watch for:

• Increasing Acid Number
  • A rising acid number can indicate that the EHC fluid is degrading and forming acidic byproducts. If acid levels continue to increase, the fluid may require more than routine filtration or conditioning to restore its condition.
• Water Contamination
  • Water in EHC fluid can reduce fluid performance and contribute to corrosion, degradation, and other system problems. Even relatively small amounts of water contamination can be a reason to investigate the source and evaluate the fluid condition.
• Particulate Contamination
  • Elevated particulate levels can affect the performance of precision components, including servo valves. Increasing contamination levels may indicate that filtration or cleaning efforts are needed to maintain the system's required cleanliness.
• Servo-Valve Issues
  • Sticking, sluggish, or inconsistent servo-valve operation can be associated with particulate contamination, varnish or deposits, or degraded fluid. Because servo valves are critical to turbine control, recurring performance issues should be investigated promptly.
• Sluggish Control Response
  • If the turbine's control system is responding more slowly than expected, fluid condition and contamination should be considered among the potential causes. Changes in control response can be an important warning that the EHC system needs evaluation.
• Degraded Fluid Condition
  • Changes in fluid appearance or oil-analysis results, including increasing acid number, contamination, or other signs of degradation, can indicate that the fluid is no longer performing as intended.

When contamination is widespread, fluid degradation is significant, or recurring servo-valve problems indicate routine fluid conditioning is no longer sufficient, a more comprehensive corrective approach, including system flushing, may need to be considered based on fluid analysis, system condition, and OEM recommendations.

Early identification is key to preventing fluid problems from becoming larger turbine control issues. Breaux Energy provides EHC flushing solutions designed to address contamination and degraded fluid conditions and help restore system cleanliness.

If you're seeing any of these warning signs, get in touch with one of our team members today by emailing info@besreliability.com to determine the right approach for your turbine’s EHC system.