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Feedwater Systems Reliability Users Group (Jan 2014)

San Antonio, TX

SGFP Lube Oil Systems & Maintenance –

Part 2

Presenter:
Art Washburn, P.E.
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DISCUSSION POINTS
• Two Rules to Get You Home and Plant Priorities
• Lubrication Oil Systems – Types
– Lubrication System – Static Sump
– Lubrication System – Forced Feed
– Grease and Oil Mist Injection
• Oil Ring Submergence
• Oil Ring Journal Surface Peripheral Velocity Limit
• Oil Ring – Maintenance
• Lubrication System – Forced Feed
• Forced Feed – Drain Piping
• Forced Feed System – Challenges
• Water Intrusion – Traditional Oil Deflector vs. INPRO Deflector
• Industry Events
• Source References
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Two Rules:
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
Rule #2 – Maintain Design Control
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
Rule #2 – Maintain Design Control

Plant Priorities:
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
Rule #2 – Maintain Design Control

Plant Priorities:
1. Nuclear Safety
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
Rule #2 – Maintain Design Control

Plant Priorities:
1. Nuclear Safety
2. Legal Requirements
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Two Rules:
Rule #1 – Make Conservative Decisions
Rule #2 – Maintain Design Control

Plant Priorities:
1. Nuclear Safety
2. Legal Requirements
3. Efficiency
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Lubrication System – Static Sump

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Lubrication System – Static Sump

- Bearing Housing contains oil as a static sump
- API-610: Oil Rings (and flingers) used to deliver oil (GPM)
to the bearings shall have an operating submergence of
0.12" or 0.25" above the lower edge of the bore of an oil
ring.
- Flingers are positively attached secured to the shaft.
- Oil is lifted by oil ring to shaft and flows to bearing
- Oil can be lifted by oil ring and flows to an internal cast
trough in bearing housing and flows to bearing
- Heat Sink: Oil Cooler located in bottom of sump in the oil
or cast in the Bearing Housing. Pumpage or separate
closed cooling water system.
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Oil Ring Submergence

Particulate in Oil?
- Stability issues identified in the 1990s. Testing identified
oil rings can go unstable and bounce around. Mechanical
contact inside the bearing housing would nick off pieces
of oil ring (non-ferrous, silicon bronze). Particulate in oil
(non-ferrous).
- Increased submergence improved stability of oil rings and
oil delivery (GPM).
- The multitude of pumps in the Field operate satisfactory.
- Look for particulate (oil ring material) from oil sampling.
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Oil Ring Submergence

Particulate in Oil? Drive End or Thrust End
- Design for Between Bearing Pump:
- Oil Rings – Same size (minimizes risk on installing in
wrong location)
- Oil Submergence in both bearing housings (same oil level)
- Oil Ring Submergence – different on each end
- Reason: Journal surface for oil ring can be different –
- Drive End shaft diameter can be larger to transmit torque
- Submergence may be more shallow on drive end
- Look for oil ring particulate on drive end.
- Solution: If particulate present, then Increase
submergence
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Oil Ring Journal Surface Peripheral Velocity Limit

Oil Ring Rides on a Journal Surface

- Journal Surface Peripheral Velocity Limit, 45 to 59 fps

- Peripheral Velocity = [π x D/12] x RPM/60, in fps (FT/Sec)

- At 45 fps, Slip commences between the oil ring and journal

surface and degrades delivery of oil (GPM)

- At 59 fps slip continues to degrade delivery of oil (GPM),

until a Force Feed Lubrication System would be required.
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Oil Ring - Maintenance

Consider Oil Ring as a consumable item

- Replace Oil Ring when bearing housing is disassembled

- Oil Ring can wear over time and affect performance (delivery
of oil)
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Oil Ring – Example of Damage

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Oil Ring – Example of Damage

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Oil Ring – Example of Damage

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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Typical Schematic
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Pressure Setting Logic:
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Bearing Housing Assemblies w/Oil Pump
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Reservoir Layout
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

- Separate Ancilliary System to Main Pump includes:
- Reservoir (suction source)
- Oil Pumps:
- Shaft Driven off main pump Thrust Bearing Housing (and
coupled)
- Auxiliary pump (electric AC, optional DC) mounted
vertically on top of Reservoir
- Pressure regulator (relief valve) for both oil pumps in
Reservoir
- Lube oil supply piping with oil cooler, filter (duplex)
- Reverse Rotation Protection for the Shaft Driven Oil Pump
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Continued:
- Supply Tubing Feeds Bearings (e.g., Drive End Bearing,
Non-Drive Thrust End Bearing)
- Supply Oil flow to each bearing (GPM) is metered by an
orifice to each bearing (Typical Example):
- Journal Bearing (Orifice 0.093" Dia, Pressure 12 PSIG, Flow
0.6 GPM x 2 bearings)
- Tilt Pad Trust Bearing (Orifice x" Dia, Pressure 12 PSIG, Flow
1.12 GPM per Side – Active and Inactive)
- Leakoff through relief valve
- Total Capacity: 3.44 GPM Plus leakoff
- Option to Feed Driver (Motor) Bearings
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Forced Feed Lubrication System

Standard Rule for Supplying Forced Feed Lube System:
- Electric Driver (motor) – Pump Supplier provides Lube
System
- Turbine Driver – Turbine Supplier provides Lube
System

- Ball Radial / Ball Thrust Bearing Arrangement can be

Lubricated by Static Sump or Pressure Lube
- Sleeve Radial / Ball Thrust Bearing Arrangement can
be Lubricated by Static Sump or Pressure Lube
- Tilt Pad Type Thrust Bearing Arrangement requires
Pressure Lube
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Forced Feed – Drain Piping

- Gravity Drains from bearing housing(s) to reservoir

- Bearing Housings must be well vented

- Drain line designed to be half full to assure vented from

bearing housing back to reservoir

- Hard Pipe (not flex hose)

- Drain line sloped: Example, 2" Schedule 80 Pipe

- 0.25"/FT Slope (4.28 GPM)
- 0.50"/FT Slope (8.56 GPM)

- Reservoir Level (Normal Operation) – below drain line

[Maintain design required level with a range]
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Forced Feed – Drain Piping

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Forced Feed – Reservoir Level Above Drain Piping

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Forced Feed – Bearing Housings to be Well Vented

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Forced Feed – Bearing Housings to be Well Vented

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Forced Feed – Drain Header Vertical Piping Replaced

with Metallic Flex Hoses/Fittings (likely Choking the
drainage)
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Forced Feed – Drain Piping for Motor Driven Assy

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Forced Feed – Drain Piping for Turbine Driven Assy

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Forced Feed System – Challenges

- Replacement Relief Valve
- (Obsolesence) – Minor Mounting Changes
- Results in re-plumbing reservoir internals
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Forced Feed System – Challenges

Changes in Supply Oil Pressure
- to improve heat sink with increased flow
- potential impact to pressure switch setpoints
- potentially impacts maximum capacity of pump to supply oil
to bearings and relief valve.
- Supply Orifice is integral to bearing housing

- One plant added orifice outside of bearing housing. Now

have 2 orifices in series. Now required to run lube oil supply
pressure at 24 psig to deliver the required oil.
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Forced Feed System – Challenges

- Original lube oil pumps were designed for Clock-Wise (CW)
Rotation. Pumps are gear type positive displacement. The
thrust plate is installed on the pump to handle thrust from
"CW" rotation.

- Original pumps were allowed to operate Counter-Clock-Wise

(CCW) rotation; however, thrust plate was never installed on
the opposite end of the pump for thrust. The CCW pump
thrust condition was accepted as long as pump differential
pressure was limited to 24 psig (max).
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Industry Events:
• 1989 - Plant Turbine Trip with Loss of Lubrication Oil for Turbine,
Generator and Excitor Bearings.
– Causes:
– Backup AC and DC Oil Pumps were not periodically tested to assure
function
– DC Backup Oil Pump tripped from protective relay (not sized properly)

• Reliability Issues for System

– Cause: Excessive moisture in oil.
– Water in Oil – 3 Types: Free Water, Emulsified, Relative Humidity
– Most common Water Separation System: Bowser (WWII Technology) –
branch side stream oil and enter a sudden enlargement; slows velocity
down and allows free water and some emulsified water to separate.
– Bowser Type System replaced with Coalescing Filters: Removes the 3
types of water present in the system. Improves system reliability and
shortens outages for startup.
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Industry Events:
• 2011 - Plant Turbine Trip with Loss of Offsite Power Results
in Loss of Oil to Main Feedwater Pump / Turbine and Bearing
Damage
– Cause: DC Backup Oil Pump Failed to Provide Oil to Main
Feedwater Pump and Turbine Drive Bearings.

• 2011 – Main FW Pump Loss of Main Oil Pump Results in

Pump Shut Down and Reduced Plant Power Output
– Cause: Shaft Driven Oil Pump coupling disengages from Main
Feedwater Pump

• 2012 – Plant Main Transformer Fire, Subsequent Turbine Trip

and Turbine / Generator Bearing Damage
– Cause: DC Backup Oil Pump tripped from protective relay
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Industry Events:
• 2014 – Freezing Weather, Heater Drain Pump Packingless
Stuffing Box dP Sensing Lines Freeze, Loss of Stuffing Box
dP, Reduced Plant Power, Secured Heater Drain Pump, Pump
Discharge Check Valve Leaked By, Pump Rotated Backwards.
Forced Feed Lube System – No Aux Backup Oil Pump (Thrust
Bearing Failed and Melted Drive Coupling), Main Lube Oil
Shaft Driven Pump – No Reverse Rotation Protection (Lube
Oil Pump Failed). Lost Generation Until Parts Replaced.
– Cause: Vintage Forced Feed Lube Oil System Lacking Features
to Adequately Protect the Main Pump and Equipment.

• 2014 – Safety Related Horizontal Raw Water Pump. Forced

Feed Lube Oil System Drain Header Backing Up and Leaking
Oil from Drive End Bearing Housing.
– Cause: Brg Hsg Not Well Vented (clogged), Header Slope (not
per spec), Flex Hose Fittings choking capacity to drain
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Water Intrusion – Traditional Oil Deflector vs. INPRO Deflector
See EPRI NMAC Lube Notes, November 2004, Bearing
Operation with an Oil-Water Mixture
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SOURCE REFERENCES:
• Centrifugal Pumps: Design & Application, Lobanoff and Ross
(practical application)
• Centrifugal and Axial Flow Pumps, Stepanoff (theory)
• Centrifugal Pumps, Gülich
• Vertical Turbine, Mixed Flow & Propeller Pumps, Dicmus
• Centrifugal Pump Handbook, Sulzer
• Pump Handbook, Karassik
• Centrifugal Pump Clinic, Karassik
• Centrifugal Pumps Selection & Operation, Karassik
• Centrifugal Pumps, Karassik
• API-614: Lubrication, Shaft Sealing and Oil-Control Systems
& Auxiliaries
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THE (HAPPY) END

QUESTIONS ?