Turbine Guide Bearing Oil Cooler

Turbine Guide Bearing Oil Cooler

Design key parameters

Type of cooling medium:

Water-cooled: high cooling efficiency, suitable for large turbines (e.g. generator set turbine), need to be equipped with circulating water system.

Air-cooled: no water source required, simple structure, suitable for water shortage scenarios or small turbine equipment (e.g. industrial turbine compressors).

Pressure and temperature range:

The lubricant inlet temperature is usually 60~120℃, and the outlet temperature needs to be controlled at 40~60℃; the working pressure is usually 0.2~1.0MPa, and it needs to be designed according to the specification of the turbine machinery.

Application Fields

1. Electric power industry

Turbine system:

In the steam turbine of thermal power plant and nuclear power plant, it cools the guide bearing lubricating oil, maintains the lubrication state when the rotor is rotating at high speed, and avoids overheating of the bearings which leads to turbine shutdown.

Gas turbine power generation:

Used in the bearing lubrication system of gas turbine, especially in combined cycle power generation, to ensure the reliability of high load operation of the unit through efficient cooling.

2. Industrial power equipment

Petrochemical:

Cooling the turbine guide bearing lubricant of catalytic cracking device and gas compressor (e.g. ethylene compressor), preventing the lubricant from carbonization and deterioration under high temperature, and guaranteeing the continuous operation of chemical process.

Metallurgy and Mining:

In the blast furnace blower, mining turbine crusher and other equipment, cooling bearing lubricant, reduce equipment wear and prolong service life.

3. Transportation and Ship

Aviation engines:

In the bearing lubrication system of some small turbine engines (e.g., turboprop and turbofan engines), a compact oil cooler is used to control the oil temperature, adapting to the needs of low-temperature or high-speed operation at high altitude.

Marine Turbine Propulsion Systems:

Cooling the guiding bearing lubricating oil of marine turbine or gas turbine to ensure the stable operation of the power system of the ship during navigation.

4. Other turbomachinery

Industrial Turbine Expanders:

Used in air separation units or natural gas liquefaction processes to cool the bearing lubricant of the turbine expander and maintain lubrication performance under low-temperature operating conditions.

Turbochargers:

Cools bearing lubricants in turbochargers of large diesel engines to prevent overheating problems caused by high turbine speeds (up to 100,000 rpm or more).

1. Routine Maintenance

Periodic cleaning:

Remove scale (water-cooled) or oil (lubricant side) from the tube bundle, either chemically or mechanically (e.g., high-pressure water flushing), to avoid loss of heat transfer efficiency.

Oil quality monitoring:

Check the viscosity, acid value and impurity content of the lubricating oil, and replace the aging or contaminated lubricating oil in time to prevent blocking the cooler channel.

Leakage check:

Monitor the sealing of the shell and tube bundle connection, inlet and outlet flanges to avoid the penetration of cooling medium (water or air) into the lubricating oil system.

2. Common faults and solutions

Cooling efficiency decreases:

The reason may be tube bundle fouling, insufficient lubricant flow or cooling medium temperature is too high, need to clean the tube bundle, check the pump group or adjust the cooling medium circulation system.

Pressure abnormality:

Lubricant inlet pressure is too high may be due to clogging of the tube bundle, outlet pressure is too low may be due to leakage, need to disassemble and inspect and replace damaged parts.

Oil temperature fluctuation:

May be caused by unstable cooling medium flow (e.g. valve failure) or temperature control valve failure, need to calibrate the temperature control device or repair the valve.