Overview
A chemical fertilizer facility in Egypt was battling sticky varnish on the governor valve of a steam turbine-driven compressor train — causing sluggish valve response and repeated automatic turbine trips that halted nitric acid production. Oil analysis confirmed the cause: an MPC® value of 30.3, deep in the high-risk range. Fluitec treated the lube oil system with DECON™ while the train stayed in service — no shutdown, flush, or oil change.
The result: MPC dropped to 9.4 (a 69% reduction into the low-risk range), valve response returned to normal, and varnish-related trips were eliminated. With an estimated $280,000+ in avoided losses in the first treatment cycle, the project delivered a return of more than 13:1.
Problem
At the heart of its nitric acid production process, a chemical fertilizer plant in Egypt operates a steam turbine-driven compressor train that consists of an Air Compressor, Nitric Oxide Compressor, and Expander. These units run continuously at full capacity, and any unplanned shutdown directly disrupts nitric acid and downstream fertilizer output, with significant financial and safety consequences.
Maintenance personnel found the steam turbine’s governor valve responding sluggishly and after physical inspection, a sticky varnish layer was seen on the valve stem and spool. Oil analysis confirmed the cause: an MPC ΔE value of 30.3, well above the industry high-risk threshold of 25, indicating heavy varnish-precursor deposits throughout the lube oil system.
The impact was immediate and costly. Erratic valve response caused control deviations exceeding 10% of setpoint, triggering automatic turbine trips. Each unplanned shutdown meant 6–8 hours of lost nitric acid production — and the plant recorded multiple such events before intervention.
Solution
NATCOM, Fluitec’s affiliate recommended DECON, an oil-soluble varnish removal chemistry that dissolves and mobilizes deposits from metal surfaces during normal operation hence, no shutdown, flush, or oil change required.
Two drums were dosed directly into the lube oil reservoir while the train remained in service. DECON addresses the polar degradation molecules that form varnish, returning them to the bulk oil where conventional filtration captures them. No additional hardware was needed. MPC testing before and after treatment tracked progress.
Results
Following DECON treatment, the results were rapid :
• MPC reduced from 30.3 → 9.4 showing a 69% reduction, falling well below the industry low-risk threshold of ΔE < 15
• Governor valve response: improved significantly; control deviation remained below the 10% trip threshold following treatment
• Turbine trips: zero varnish-related trips recorded after treatment
• Estimated cost of each unplanned shutdown: ~USD $85,000–$120,000 (6–8 hrs lost production + restart labour)
• Turbine trips avoided (estimated): 3 events × ~$100,000 avg = USD $300,000+ in avoided losses
• Estimated ROI: >13:1 greater than USD $280,000 net benefit in the first treatment cycle
Beyond the direct financial return, elimination of turbine trips reduced wear on the governor valve and control actuators, improving long-term mechanical reliability of the compressor train. The MPC result of 9.4 confirms the oil system is now operating in a low varnish-risk condition, providing a stable baseline for ongoing oil condition monitoring.
“The governor valve had been giving us problems for some time. After adding DECON, the response improved noticeably and we have not had a trip related to valve sticking since. The MPC number speaks for itself, the oil is clean and the train is running reliably.”
— Reliability Engineer
Chemical Fertilizer Production Facility, Egypt