Maximizing Oil and Equipment Life with Mobil SHC™ 824

Situation

Kinder Morgan operates four Solar Centaur turbines at its Lockport, New York compressor station. Installed between 1989 and 1991, the units continue to use the initial fill Mobil SHC™ 824 high-performance synthetic turbine oil. Although Kinder Morgan conducts quarterly turbine oil analysis, the company approached ExxonMobil engineers to determine the turbine oil’s viability for continued use.

Recommendation

ExxonMobil engineers recommended conducting a Suitability for Continued Use Study as part of its Field Engineering Service (FES) program to analyze the overall condition of Mobil SHC 824 after more than 25 years in service. Formulated to deliver outstanding protection for some of the most extreme industrial gas turbine applications, Mobil SHC 824 high-performance synthetic turbine oil is scientifically engineered to provide outstanding protection against rust, corrosion, and wear.

Impact

After conducting their evaluation, ExxonMobil engineers found that all four turbines remained in good working condition. In fact, the company reports Mobil SHC 824 has logged more than 85,000 hours and 25 years of service in the its oldest unit. By maintaining the original oil, the company estimates that it has saved more than US $67,000 annually by reducing expenditures on new oil, oil disposal costs and third party filtration services. Furthermore, Kinder Morgan estimates it has improved employee safety by reducing human-machine interaction by 1,344 hours, and minimized the company’s environmental impact by reducing waste oil disposal by 28,000 gallons.