Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd

SB-295-A-029-01 RECOMMENDED

SUBJECT: IMPELLER LIVES

A.

TURBOCHARGERS AFFECTED

All NAPIER turbochargers.

B.

REASONS FOR BULLETIN

As the rated pressure ratios of turbochargers increase, the creep life of the aluminium impeller material becomes more critical as a limiting factor in service. Other than for special applications where specific agreement has been reached, Napier design for a minimum impeller creep and fatigue life, in combination, as follows :NA297 and NA357 Hours 50,000 at design pressure ratio at up to 25 deg C ambient Cycles 50,000 no load to full load cycles NA397 Hours Cycles

50,000 at design pressure ratio at up to 35 deg C ambient 50,000 no load to full load cycles

Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd 2006

CONFIDENTIAL
This bulletin is the exclusive property of Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd and is disclosed in confidence to Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd customers solely for their use in connection with the operation and maintenance of their Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd turbines. Its contents shall not be used for other purposes or copied or disclosed without written authorisation of Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd. The information set out in this bulletin is offered by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd as part of its ongoing product support services for you as one of its customers. However, the final decision for operating your plant in a safe and responsible manner rests entirely with you. This involves many factors outside our knowledge and control, and therefore Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd is unable to accept (and hereby disclaims) any liability (whether based on breach of contract, warranty or statutory duty, negligence or otherwise) for damage or loss of any kind which may be incurred as a result of applying this information.

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All correspondence to: Siemens Turbochargers Division P.O. Box 1 Waterside South Lincoln LN5 7FD England Tel: +44 (0) 1522 584000 Fax: +44 (0) 1522 584910 Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd Registered Office: Ruston House Waterside South Lincoln LN5 7FD England Registered in England No. 4729734

NA298 and NA358 (under design and validation in 2003) Hours 50,000 at design pressure ratio and up to 45 deg C ambient Cycles 50,000 no load to full load cycles Other Napier Frame sizes Hours 50,000 at design pressure ratio and up to 25 deg C ambient Cycles 50,000 no load to full load cycles This bulletin is issued to make customers, operators and service centres aware of limitations in impeller life and provides advice on actions to be taken. C. CHANGES / MODIFICATIONS

No material changes to turbocharger part designs are involved but all parties must be aware of impeller service life limits and the need for timely impeller replacement. Customers and operators should note that although creep is a significant issue in impeller service life, fatigue is also of major relevance. Data on operational cycles can be difficult to collect accurately but, unlike a creep failure, exceeding the fatigue life of an impeller could result in a sudden and major impeller failure. Operators should be aware of this, keep all data available on load cycles and change impellers systematically if operating regimes and records indicate that fatigue lives are being exceeded. D. DESCRIPTION

Based on the stated life of the impellers, Napier is introducing a simple system of date marking on all new impellers and all impellers returned forming part of overhaul or remanufacture orders. Marking will be applied at the balance operation to ensure all impellers leaving the Napier factory will be covered. For new impellers, the date will be that of the balancing. For impellers which have been returned from service, the date will be that of original impeller manufacture or turbocharger build, taken from Napier records. The marking will be etched on the leading edge pocket of the impeller hub in abbreviated month-year format in accordance with Napier drawings and marking standards (e.g. JAN-99 will denote a date of January 1999). E. IMPLEMENTATION

For purposes of turbocharger overhaul or remanufacture, Napier will assume, in absence of contrary information from the operator, that impellers less than 8 years old will have completed less than 50,000 hours of full load operation and less than 50,000 load cycles. They will therefore be re-used under the normal commercial and guarantee conditions. Where impellers are found to be in excess of 8 years old, customers will be advised of Napiers recommendation for change. The ultimate responsibility for any decision to reuse impellers in excess of 8 years old will be with the customer and/or equipment operator.

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It is critical that customers and operators understand that impeller life is limited by both creep and fatigue and that if this limit is exceeded, damage to the turbocharger may result. This is increasingly relevant as pressure ratios increase. By adopting a simple date marking system, Napier can provide guidance on the need to change impellers. The ultimate responsibility must, however, remain with the operator, as creep life is dependent upon a range of operating factors including turbocharger speeds, ambient temperatures and cyclic loadings. Napier will be pleased to advise on creep life estimates for specific applications based on customers operating records or planned future operating regimes.

Author

R.S. Amos

Authorised Head of P. Munnelly Customer Services Date of Issue: General Manager A. R. Thacker

25th April 2003

Distribution: Napier Turbochargers Original Equipment Customers Empowered Service Centres

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