Case Studies

Case Studies

Potential Fire and $1,980,000 in Repairs Prevented with Proactive Shovel Inspections

An inspection of two Caterpillar electrical shovels revealed multiple maintenance concerns that, if left unaddressed, would leave the shovels vulnerable to breakdown. Most importantly, a housing flooded with grease and oil was discovered. This poses a serious fire risk and needed to be
addressed immediately.

By addressing these maintenance issues up-front, an estimated $1,980,000 in damages was prevented. This does not include the prevention of a major fire, which could have resulted in a total shovel loss and loss of life.

Case Studies

Shovel Inspector Saves Site Over $450,000 In Repairs

During a routine inspection by an embedded technician service provided by Mobil ServSM |RIG®, multiple critical issues were found on two Caterpillar shovels that would have caused extensive undercarriage damage and endangered shovel operators in the near future.

By finding and resolving these issues, the technician was able to save the mine operator over $450,000 in estimated repairs.

Case Studies

Excess Turbine Bearing Temperatures Resolved with Cleaning & Conversion

The Hummel Power Station noticed high thrust bearing temperatures in several Siemens SGT 5000F Turbines, but each came back with acceptable range MPC scores. To identify the issue, Hummel worked with Mobil Serv and RIG. Testing performed by Mobil Serv uncovered sodium phosphate contaminates, and cleaning by RIG removed those deposits and excess varnish. After cleaning was complete, the Mobil Serv | RIG team converted the turbines to Mobil DTE 732 G for improved future performance. Since the conversion, bearing temperatures have stabilized.

Mobil Serv | RIG and Distributor Partner for Turbines Smooth Conversion to SHC 918EE

An energy plant was looking to move to Mobil’s SHC 918 EE product, which helps increase turbine bearing efficiency by up to 15% and is the first lubricant to meet GE’s rigorous efficient turbine oil specification. The distributor brought in the Mobil Serv | RIG team to help with an upcoming cleaning and to execute the lubricant changeover. The turnaround and conversion were completed on-time and on-budget and the final fill exceeded GE’s cleanliness level requirements.

Petrochemical Facility Saves $146K with Mobil Serv℠ 

After identifying compressor run-down tanks as a direct source of contamination to the unit’s bearings, a large petrochemical facility needed an efficient way to clean tanks. The standard manual cleaning procedure requires manual vessel cleanout, which is a strain on time and labor resources. The facility reached out to the MOBIL SERV℠ | RIG’s reliability team instead. Using a patented run-down tank cleaning process, the reliability team was able to save 36 hours per run-down tank for a total of 10.5 days and $146,440 savings.

Turnkey Pre-Commissioning Services Fast-Track Plant Startup

CB&I’s St. Charles Power Station Team was looking for a single source vendor for turnkey pre-commissioning services for a fast-track project. Reliable Industrial Group’s experienced team of commercial, engineering, and field service personnel were able to provide all services, simplifying vendor management for CB&I and ultimately saving the client time & money.

PowerGen Plant GE Turbine Maintenance & Lube Oil Tank (MLOT) Cleaning

A GE Turbine system and Main Lube Oil Tank (MLOT) needed a thorough cleaning and contaminate removal to improve bearing life and protect the turbines critical parts. A lube oil flush, side-stream filtration, mechanical pipe cleaning, and varnish removal process performed, achieved an ISO particle count better than 15/14/10.

Extrusion Plant 3000-Ton Press Reservoir Cleaning & Oil Reconditioning

RIG performed oil reconditioning and tank cleaning on a 3000-Ton Press on location at an extrusion plant. The 48-hour cleaning process removed debris and returned ISO contamination to acceptable levels on a tight timeline.

Centrifugal Gas Compressor Varnish Removal & HVOF

The RIG team successfully removed varnish from a refinery’s centrifugal compressor lube oil system, achieving changing the MPC from >40 to 1. High velocity flushing combined with side streaming filtration an chemical cleaning. We were contracted to provide services on the compressor lube oil system during the turnaround. The services performed included:

  • Varnish mitigation flush with Step One Cleaner
  • Purge / particle contamination flush with virgin oil
  • Side stream filtration of final fill oil

Managed Reliability Program, Oil Analysis, and Side Stream Filtration for Injection Molding Manufacturer

RIG developed and implemented a turnkey ISO cleanliness program that increased the reliability of critical hydraulic systems for a global plastic mold injection company. The program managed 28 re-circulation hydraulic systems located in a single department of the manufacturing plant. These systems actuated sensitive valves and cylinders, with proportional directional valves being the most critical components.

The plant was experiencing issues with several electrically operated valves sticking in the closed position ever year requiring them to be rebuilt. Operating pressures of the valves were below 3000 psi. The target ISO 4406:99 cleanliness code for these systems was 17/15/11. The cleanliness program reduced maintenance, oil, and filter costs as well as prolonged the life of critical hydraulic equipment by exceeding the target cleanliness level on all 28 hydraulic systems.

Rework and Repair of Wiped Bearing Due to Previous Flushing Companies Mistake

A previous flushing provider left a flange slip screen in place during a turbine flush. The screen in front of the turbines T5 bearing starved the bearing of oil and caused $1.2 million dollars in damage. RIG’s plant reliability experts were called to find the source of the issue and help repair the damage while ensuring the system and oil lubricants were clean.

Mid-Stream Compressor Station

RIG recently completed a project for a mid-stream natural gas compressor station on a new Solar Mars 100 turbine. RIG organized a pre-job walk down and established a process and procedure document to ensure seamless job execution.

Major Petroleum Refinery Process Gas Compressor Chemical Clean & HVOF

RIG recently completed a project for a major petroleum refinery on a process compressor. The lube oil system for the compressor had never been cleaned in over 30 years of service and would benefit greatly from RIG’s services. The unit was down for a major maintenance outage which created the perfect opportunity to address the ISO cleanliness of the oil and oil system. RIG custom engineered and performed a successful reservoir and chemical cleaning coupled with a high velocity hot oil flush (HVOF) to return the system to acceptable ISO and API cleanliness specifications. In order to meet the needs of both the Reliability and Estimator stakeholders, the job was submitted with a not to exceed bid.

Multiple Turbines And New Install – Siemens and MHI Compressor Train

This case study presents a detailed overview of 11 high velocity hot oil flushes performed by RIG at a customer’s new production facility.

A multitude of contamination opportunities existed during the installation and fabrication processes of the lubrication equipment and piping. This study highlights the contamination consistently seen in lubrication systems after initial installation and the effectiveness of RIG’s high velocity hot oil flush services at removing the contamination.

Electro-Hydraulic Control System Fluid Swap

RIG recently completed a project for a major power plant by performing an electrohydraulic control (EHC) fluid change and flush. It was imperative that RIG met and exceeded the customer’s expectation and fulfilled their equipment reliability and budget needs.

On Board Cleaning of Piping Powerhouse on a Steam Turbine and Power Pack

A major chlorine manufacturer reached out after a failed attempt to perform an on board cleaning of the piping powerhouse on a steam turbine and power pack. The customer had previously attempted to perform an on-board cleaning of the piping unsuccessfully.

The dated piping design and configuration necessitated using the customer’s reservoir as well as an external reservoir to perform the chemical clean and HVOF. The following case study outlines the various stages of the chemical cleaning and HVOF including the periodic screen inspections until API 614 pipe cleanliness standards were successfully met.

High Velocity Hot Oil Flush

RIG was contacted after an alternative flush contractor was not able to achieve adequate flows to flush the Turbine. RIG was contracted to perform high velocity hot oil flush services on the Unit #1 Westinghouse 501AA located in West Pheonix

Varnish Mitigation on a Taurus 60 Gas Turbine

Solar contracted RIG to facilitate Varnish Mitigation on a Taurus 60 Gas Turbine because Membrane Patch Colorimetry (MPC) analysis on the unit showed a level of 27. RIG lowered the MPC rating from 27 to a 5.

Global Tire Manufacturer

RIG developed and implemented a turnkey ISO cleanliness program that increased the reliability of critical hydraulic systems for a global tire manufacturer. The program managed 63 re-circulation hydraulic systems located in a single department of the manufacturing plant. . ISO cleanliness program reduced maintenance, oil, and filter costs as well as prolonged the life of critical hydraulic equipment by exceeding target cleanliness levels on all 63 hydraulic systems

Mobil Serv℠ | RIG program saves Foundry over $10K in Lubricants

A leaky cylinder on a foundry press threatened to cause plant shutdown when a replacement seal was unavailable. The maintenance team reached out to their local Exxon Mobil distributor – Walthall Oil – for help since they could not afford an extended shutdown. Through the established partnership with Reliable Industrial Group, Walthall Oil coordinated a solution that kept the press running until a seal could be sourced.

Petrochemical Facility Saves $146K with Mobil Serv℠ | RIG Tank Cleaning

After identifying compressor run-down tanks as a direct source of contamination to the unit’s bearings, a large petrochemical facility needed an efficient way to clean tanks. The standard manual cleaning procedure requires manual vessel cleanout, which is a strain on time and labor resources.

The facility reached out to the MOBIL SERV℠ | RIG’s reliability team instead. Using a patent pending run-down tank cleaning process, the reliability team was able to save 36 hours per run-down tank for a total of 10.5 days and $146,440 savings.

Mobil Serv℠ | RIG Team’s Fast Response Gets Power Plant Turbine Back To Production Over Peak Consumption Holiday Weekend

An Ohio energy plant discovered a severely contaminated turbine lube system and needed an emergency lubricant change out, reservoir cleaning and 20,000 gallons of oil delivered over the New Year’s Holiday. The MobilServ℠ & RIG teams were able to quickly mobilize to meet the customer need, including getting a vacuum dehydration unit on-site and the requested lubricants delivered within 28 hours of the initial call.

RIG’S HVOF Flushing Expertise and Special Equipment Achieve Success for Customer Struggling to Clean an Ethylene Compressor

After two oil changes and a manual cleaning of the lube oil reservoir, the EPC managing the job had not achieved their target ISO cleanliness levels for their ethylene centrifugal compressor. The plant team contacted Reliable Industrial Group for help. With oil flush specific equipment and expertise in high velocity oil flushing and efficient filtration techniques, the RIG team was able to get the compressor system lube oil to exceed the target cleanliness requirements ahead of schedule.

Critical Varnish Deposits Removed With Zero Downtime

Varnish deposits in a municipal plant’s turbine threated system internals if not addressed. Using a resin-based polar attracting technology and an in-line varnish adsorption skid, the RIG team was able to remove the deposits and lower oil contamination to acceptable levels. This was achieved with the system online and no interruptions to daily plant operations.

Side-Stream Filtration Removes Critical Varnish Deposits

A turbine had developed critical varnish deposits at a municipal co-generation plant. To avoid shutting down the turbine for cleaning, a side-stream particulate filtration and varnish absorption system (VAS) was used to bring the Membrane Patch Colorimetry (MPC) value down from 61 to 5.

Pro-Active Turnaround Flushing Services Provides Fresh Start

As a proactive measure, a client decided to perform a flush on a compressor whose last service date was unknown. RIG performed high velocity hot oil flushing (HVOF) of the piping compressor lube oil system, reservoir cleaning, and filter fill reservoir with virgin oil at the completion of the project.

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