TURBOMACHINE OIL SYSTEM CLEANING METHOD Russian patent published in 2009 - IPC F01D25/18 

FIELD: power engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to power engineering and can be used at thermal power stations with turbomachines of high unit power, which have branched oil systems of control, lubrication of bearings of turbine unit and sealings of generator shaft with large diametre of drain headers. The method can also be applied for cleaning any piping systems used for transporting the following: irrigation water - to clean them off sludge; hot delivery water - to remove corrosion products, as well as oil pipelines - to remove heavy oil sludge. In the turbomachine oil system cleaning method by means of alternate impulse circulation of oil pre-heated up to maximum allowable temperature and by injecting fine gas (air) therein, hot oil flow is supplied abruptly to the pipelines which are free from oil and have temperature not more than ambient temperature. At that, the flow, in order to increase thermoshock effect in the wall area, is directed through a flat convergent nozzle at a tangent to internal generatrix of cylindrical housing surface of the flushing volute injector coinciding with internal surface of the flushed pipeline; owing to which there formed is tornado-shaped oil-and-air swirl which, besides acts with centrifugal force on the layer of deposits bonded to the surface, and axial vector supplying compressed air through an annular splitting confusor provides the resultant (total) movement direction vector of rotary swirl with increased kinetic energy along the spiral moving inside the flushed oil pipeline along its internal surface.

EFFECT: invention allows removing from oil pipelines not only sludge consisting of oil ageing products, but also heavy solid fouling particles.

2 cl, 3 dwg