r/u_caltexlubricants•10 mo. ago

VARTECH ISC Helps Restore Turbine to Maximum Productivity in California unit

Chevron San Joaquin Valley Business Unit (SJV) operates more than 16,000 wells, producing 159,000 barrels of crude and 53 million cubic feet of natural gas daily in McKittrick, California making them California’s top oil and gas producer for over 100 years. The southern end of California’s Central Valley is very hot in general and during summer temperatures typically exceed 90°F making it challenging for both people and equipment.

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SJV unit uses a Solar Taurus 60 gas turbine in a co-generation configuration, simultaneously producing steam and electricity. During summer, the gas turbine runs hot as it operates at full power producing 3.3MW of electricity out its 5.5MW capacity. The high temperature was found to be the problem, more particularly varnish interference with the efficiency of the oil coolers. Not only that, but having 2MW less to sell to their local power utility as part of their business model was costing SJV over $350,000 annually in lost electricity sales.

This is where VARTECH Industrial System Cleaner (ISC) comes in. The SJV team addressed the issues by changing the oil filters, replacing 15% of the used in-service oil with Caltex VARTECH ISC followed by rebooting the system. The results were astonishing. The gas turbine continued at full capacity for two weeks with no high-temperature alarms triggered. This was followed by draining the mixture of used in-service turbine oil and VARTECH ISC, a system flush, filter replacement and refilling the system with Caltex GST turbine oil. The gas turbine has operated flawlessly at full design capacity ever since.

VARTECH ISC utilizes proprietary technology to be efficient and can remain in the system for up to four weeks without causing any operational constraints. It cuts down the cleaning process significantly by decreasing complicated extra steps like external filtration, reoccurring rinse cycles and compatibility testing with fresh oil. And unlike other industry solutions it does not lower the oil flashpoint, damage seals or plug filters and it can be used up to 20% treat rate without compromising the performance of the new oil.

Read more about VARTECH ISC varnish remover or contact your Caltex Lubricants representative to learn more about how we can help your business.

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Paul Sly is a Technical Advisor for Chevron with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and CLS and OMA-1 certifications in the lubricants field. His career includes 13 years at Caterpillar Engine Division and 18 years at Chevron, including managing the ISOCLEAN contamination control program for the past decade and as Chevron’s top field specialist in the power generation industry for both turbine and reciprocating engine applications. This field experience has built his reputation as a subject matter expert in turbine oil, including varnish issues, hydraulics, gas engines, compressors and gear boxes supporting Chevron and customer operations around the globe.

VARTECH ISC Helps Restore Turbine to Maximum Productivity in California unit

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