Last week we were out on an offshore platform to survey the removal of a turbocharger from a standby generator.
Our engineers had previously attended as the Paxman Valenta standby generator was losing a lot of coolant, and whilst rectifying that issue, we found the drive end turbocharger was leaking oil into the air inlet system.
The turbocharger required swapping with another unit or an overhaul, and the free end turbocharger would need to be removed to allow the seals between the turbocharger and the exhaust manifold to be changed.
Due to the limited space in the engine room, the initial option was to remove the enclosure roof to take the turbocharger out, however, as this is not possible due to site restrictions, we had to find an alternative solution.
We have been able to put together a plan, but only with strict lifting and handling processes in place.
To reduce downtime the platform had invested in a spare turbocharger which they were holding in their stores (we had overhauled this 3 years ago). Before installing, it came down to our workshop to ensure it was still in good condition.
Click here to see some of the poorly stored parts we’ve come across in the past.
As you can see from the pictures of the turbo, rustproofing methods and correct storage have meant the assembly is still in excellent condition and can be installed once the inhibitors have been cleaned off.
That is visible as the yellow/brown coating in the turbo faces.
