Estimation of the Oxidative Deterioration of Turbine Oil Using Membrane Patch Color

Lubricating oils degrade into two main products: oxidation products and solid particles. Oxidation products, called varnish, of turbine oils for power generation have become a particularly serious problem in recent years. The first step in determining the potential to produce varnish is to determine the remaining life of the antioxidant in the oil, but even though turbine oil may have antioxidants of sufficient longevity, varnish problems still occur frequently. Accordingly, to prevent varnish, it is necessary to diagnose oil oxidation products. Thus, the authors have developed a diagnostic method using membrane patch color, but the relationship between membrane patch color and the remaining life of turbine oils has yet to be clarified. This paper investigates a new method for estimating the oxidative degradation of turbine oils that uses membrane patch color and the dry turbine oxidation stability test (dry TOST) based on oxidation products and the remaining life of the turbine oils. Sample oils were prepared and degraded by oxidation in the laboratory using a dry TOST apparatus, and the membrane patch color was measured using a colorimetric patch analyzer (CPA). The relationship between membrane patch color and the rotating pressure vessel oxidation test (RPVOT) residual rate was then investigated. The results show that the new estimation method using the CPA and dry TOST is able to monitor the decrease of the RPVOT residual rate from the early stages of oxidative deterioration.