REMIZ turbine oil – the pillar of the Polish energy industry

REMIZ and Ecol turbine oil – a common history

Ecol started its operations in 1992, initially carrying out tasks in the area of lubricant service and supply of lubricants for the Rybnik Power Plant (8 blocks of 200 MWe). Polish turbine oils available on the market at that time, produced in the Jasło refinery, no longer fully met the expectations of turbine users. It is true that the fresh oils had performance parameters in line with the requirements of Polish standards and Polish turbine manufacturers at the time, but they were characterised by poor ageing resistance and had a high tendency to form ageing deposits – which translated directly into the need for their frequent replacement and, above all, led to serious disruptions in the operation of the turbines. Ageing deposits posed a threat to bearings, turbine control systems and hydrogen seal systems of generators. There were known cases of serious turbine failures caused by turbine oil problems.

At the same time, the oil cleaning and filtration technologies available at the time were not as advanced and effective as they are today. These factors adversely affected the condition and cleanliness of the oil system of turbosets, resulting in significantly shorter overhaul intervals and reduced reliability.

A good turbine oil is first and foremost a high-quality oil base used in its production, characterised by appropriate physical and chemical properties and a range of additives, including oxidation inhibitors (antioxidants) and anti-corrosion additives.

the energy industry needed new solutions

Ecol, as a power plant lubricant service company and at the same time a marketable distributor of industrial oils from Poland’s southern refineries serving the power industry at the time, noticed growing problems with turbine oils in the Polish power industry and made efforts to source a new generation of product.

The founder of Ecol Sp. z o.o., Kazimierz Majka, together with experts from the power industry (including Alfred Śliwa from ZIAD, Anna Kania from Energopomiar Gliwice, Sławomir Wnuk from Elektrownia Kozienice) and oil production technology (including Elżbieta Szczawnicka – Deputy Director for Technical Affairs at CLN – Central Oil Laboratory in Warsaw), started a dialogue in August 1992, aimed at finding a solution to the quality problem of turbine oils, which troubled the Polish power industry at that time.

all roads led to Gdansk

CLN in Warsaw knew that in Poland only the Gdansk Refinery was able to meet the quality requirements while keeping the price of the final product at a level that would be acceptable in the Polish realities of the 1990s. The most important success factor was the availability of a very modern oil block in the refinery, the good capabilities of the oil blending plant and the excellent properties of crude oil imported from the Middle East.

The then management of Rafineria Gdańska, headed by Mariusz Lipowicz, Director of Production, and a group of technologists and production team members (including Mieczysław Broniszewski, Andrzej Dudek, Henryk Szmyd, Aleksandra Dołęcka) took up the challenge and, after analysing the needs presented by Ecol, began work on developing turbine oil technology. The framework of the technology for the production of the first turbine oils at the Gdańsk Refinery was developed with the participation of CLN in Warsaw, with the direct involvement of Elżbieta Szczawnicka, who from the outset participated in the development of the technology for the production of Polish turbine oils at the Jasło Refinery.

It is worth noting that the Gdansk Refinery at that time did not produce such advanced industrial oils as turbine oils.

After a number of production tests on laboratory scale, the time has come for the first commercial production batches. At the Gdansk Refinery, the decision was made to name the family of turbine oils ‘REMIZ’. The first oils were REMIZ TU-32 and REMIZ TU-46, designed for steam turbines. However, viscosity grade VG-32 was the most widely used in high-power turbines in Poland.

Several thousand megawatts for a good start
– first implementation of REMIZ turbine oil

The first deployment of REMIZ TU-32 oil took place in January 1993 at the Rybnik Power Plant (then 8 units of 200 MWe) and a few months later at the Kozienice Power Plant (then 8 units of 200 MWe and 2 units of 500 MW).

Both the physico-chemical parameters and the ‘ageing’ characteristics of REMIZ turbine oils have been the subject of numerous studies and publications, developed both by Ecol Sp. z o.o. and independent research and measurement units. These included the ‘Energopomiar’ Power Engineering Measurement and Research Establishment ‘Energopomiar’ Gliwice, the ‘ZIAD – Katowice’ Department of Computer Science, Automation and Diagnostics, the Central Petroleum Laboratory in Warsaw and the majority of company laboratories at utility power plants. Oils were also tested by turbine manufacturers, including Zamech in Elbląg.

Experts unanimously confirmed that oils from the Gdansk Refinery were characterised by exceptionally high oxidation resistance, a low tendency to precipitate and other very good performance parameters, such as good emulsification resistance, low foaming tendency and effective air release. Equally importantly, the oils were of reproducible quality and the refinery had a large production capacity to meet significant market demand.

These research centres have also carried out a number of tests on the safety of using REMIZ oils in oil systems after other oils.

REMIZ trubin oil distribution challenges

The challenge in distribution proved to be proper delivery logistics. Aware that the quality of the oil could deteriorate at the delivery and in-house distribution stage, Ecol developed a quality monitoring system covering the entire process – from pouring at the refinery to handing over the product to customers.

In the mid-1990s, Ecol was the first in the Polish oil industry to start using 1000-litre tanks manufactured by Mauser for REMIZ oils. The name became a colloquial term for pallet-boxes of this capacity. Ecol’s introduction of its own Mauser containers, designed exclusively for REMIZ oils, eliminated the risk of their contamination with other types of oil, thus ensuring their highest quality and cleanliness during delivery.

The supply chain process was complemented by an additional independent quality control system, carried out by Ecol within distribution. Each batch of REMIZ turbine oil, produced at the refinery, was checked by Ecol in a testing laboratory, first in a contracted system and finally in its own testing and diagnostic laboratory.

It is worth noting that the success of REMIZ oils was also influenced by Ecol’s implementation in 1992 of the technology of hydrodynamic cleaning and turbulent flushing of turbine oil systems in the Polish power industry. This made it possible to thoroughly clean the systems from operating sludge and to pour REMIZ oils into clean systems without the risk of contamination or mixing with old oil residues.

By 2000, REMIZ TU-32 and TU-46 turbine oils were already being used in virtually all utility power plants and CHPs in Poland, especially in turbines above 50 MW.

In a number of 200 MW turbogenerators, Polish REMIZ TU-32 turbine oils, under Ecol supervision, have operated without replacement for about 20 years, corresponding to about 140,000 hours of operation.

After 1989, Polish REMIZ oils won the race for supremacy in the turbine oil industry, beating competition from abroad.

CORVUS and REMIZ TG turbine oil

Along with the development of the product range, CORVUS oils, dedicated, among others, to air compressors and gears with Voith hydrokinetic clutches, which were used in feedwater pumps in power units, were introduced to the offer of Rafineria Gdańska after 1995. These products have captured a significant share of the market for speciality oils in the power generation industry and in heavy industries such as chemicals, petrochemicals, metallurgy and copper mining.

On the basis of the experience with CORVUS oils, the REMIZ TG oil family was developed, characterised by enhanced lubricating properties and greater resistance to oxidation under high temperature conditions. They were designed for gas turbines, industrial steam turbines with gearboxes and industrial compressors. The first implementation of REMIZ TG-46 oil took place in 2002 at EC Lublin-Wrotków in a gas turbine manufactured by Ansaldo Energia, the first of its kind in Poland.

REMIZ oils are now also available in versions based on Group III oil bases under the name REMIZ TG SUPER, which are dedicated to the most demanding applications, including gas turbines. REMIZ TU oils have also found wide application in hydropower.

As the turbine market has changed, REMIZ family oils have gained the approval of many leading turbine manufacturers, such as ABB Zamech (implementation in new 225 MW turbines at Turów Power Plant in the early 2000s), Alstom Power (858 MW turbine at Bełchatów Power Plant, 480 MW turbines at Pątnów II Power Plant and 460 MW turbines at Łagisza Power Plant), GE Power (9FB gas turbine at CCGT Włocławek), Siemens Power (turbines at Siekierki EC and 910 MW unit at Jaworzno Power Plant) or Mitsubishi Power (1075 MW unit at Kozienice Power Plant). REMIZ oils are also used in the turbines of other manufacturers present on the Polish market, such as Doosan Škoda Power, Ekol Brno or MAN Turbo.

An estimated 24,000 tonnes of REMIZ turbine oils have been supplied to the market since 1993. The largest oil system in a single steam turbine (1075 MWe), using REMIZ TU 32 oil, has a capacity of approximately 70 m³, while the largest system in a 480 MW gas and steam unit (CCGT) using REMIZ TG SUPER 32 oil is approximately 50 m³.

REMIZ turbine oils have been supplied by Ecol to, among others, power projects in Bangladesh, Israel, the UK, the Czech Republic, Austria and many other countries. Products from Gdansk have become crucial to the Polish energy industry, and the REMIZ brand is now synonymous with turbine oil. The Gdansk Refinery has thus been recognised as one of the leading producers of modern lubricants.

At Ecol, we are proud that, together with Rafineria Gdańska and later LOTOS Oil (now ORLEN OIL), we were able to create a partnership system for the distribution and service of turbine oils, which is still operating successfully on a global scale.

REMIZ oils have not only become the market leader in turbine oils in Poland, but have also set the standard for quality and innovation in the energy market. Thanks to the cooperation between Ecol, Rafineria Gdańska and key industry experts, it has been possible to create a product that has influenced the development of the Polish power industry and won recognition on international markets.

summary:
 
REMIZ oils and the development of the Polish turbine oil market

1. origins and needs of the market

• In the 1990s, the Polish power industry faced problems with the quality of turbine oils, which affected the shortening of overhaul intervals and the reliability of equipment.
• Ecol, as a lubrication service and distributor of industrial oils, recognised the growing difficulties and initiated cooperation with experts in the energy and oil technology industry.

2. creation of REMIZ oils

• The Gdansk Refinery, with its modern oil block and technological base, and the Central Petroleum Laboratory in Warsaw played a key role.
• In 1993, the first REMIZ TU-32 and TU-46 turbine oils for steam turbines appeared on the market.

3. innovation and quality

• REMIZ oils were distinguished by their high oxidation resistance, low foaming tendency and high purity, which was confirmed by independent tests in Poland and abroad.
• Innovative distribution technologies were implemented, such as the use of Mauser 1000 l containers, which eliminated the risk of oil contamination during transport.

4. Ecol technological support

• Ecol introduced hydrodynamic cleaning and turbulent flushing of oil systems, allowing new oils to be poured into clean systems, eliminating the risk of mixing with old oil residues.

5. product development and implementation

• After 1995, CORVUS oils for heavy industry and the improved REMIZ TG oils for gas and steam turbines, suitable for operation at elevated temperatures, were added to the range.
• The first implementation of REMIZ TG-46 oil took place at the Lublin-Wrotków thermal power station in 2002.

6. international recognition

• REMIZ oils have won approvals from leading turbine manufacturers such as ABB, Alstom, GE Power, Siemens and Mitsubishi Power, confirming their high quality and compliance with technical requirements.
• These products have been used in energy projects in Poland and abroad, including Bangladesh, the UK, Israel and the Czech Republic.

7. importance for the Polish energy sector

• An estimated 24 000 tonnes of REMIZ oils have been supplied to the market since 1993.
• REMIZ oils have become synonymous with turbine oils in the Polish power industry, being the foundation of long-term equipment reliability.

8. modernity and prospects

• Today, REMIZ TG SUPER oils, based on Group III bases, meet the needs of the most demanding applications, such as new-generation gas turbines.