SERVICE BULLETIN

NOTICE: The Type of Change and Recommended Compliance specified reflects Solar's best judgment regarding the Service
Bulletin. All questions should be directed to your Solar Field Service Representative. Solar, Saturn, Centaur, Taurus,
Mercury, Mars, Titan, SoLoNOx, and Turbotronic are trademarks of Solar Turbines Incorporated. Cat and Caterpillar are
trademarks of Caterpillar Inc. Specifications subject to change without notice.

NUMBER: 7.1/108A
ISSUED: May 2006
REVISED: April 2018
PRODUCT: All
MODEL(S): All
Specifics: Enclosed Units with Isolation Dampers
SUBJECT: ENCLOSURE ISOLATION DAMPER INSPECTION, CARE, AND
IMPROVEMENTS
Type of Change: Product Reliability
Product Information

Recommended Earliest Convenience

Compliance:

—REVISION NOTICE—
This revision replaces Service Bulletin 7.1/108. The previous
revision must be discarded.

Purpose:
To advise on inspection and maintenance practices, and to communicate the availability of
isolation damper with improved durability.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
There are incidents reported that some enclosed packages exhibit issues with isolation dampers
(Figure 1) failing to close after the solenoid was activated for a test during routine maintenance.
In the event of a fire within the enclosure, the louvers of the isolation damper must close for the
isolation system to be effective. Those failures fall into below categories (Figure 2),
• Degradation in the louver pivot area is causing freeze-up of louvers
 Excessive corrosion in harsh environment;
 Excessive contamination and humidity from ventilation system due to bypass
flow or enclosure filter degradation;

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  Excessive wear at the louver pivot area on legacy damper parts (see
following for detail);
 Lack of inspection and maintenance;
• Mechanical failure and function loss caused by system integrity issue
 Degradation of pneumatic actuator or loosening mount;
 Broken or missing spring;
 Shaft clamp bolts missing or loose;

Figure 1. Isolation Damper failed to close

Figure 2. Isolation Damper failures

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 Isolation dampers with excessive wear at the louver pivot area have been found as the
major contributor to the freeze-up of the louvers. It has been found that the velocity of the
airflow through some package enclosures is high enough to impart cyclic motion to the
isolation damper louvers. This repetitive, or “ fluttering” action, can wear grooves in the seal
plates along the sides of the damper frame (Figure 3). The resulting rough surface was found
to hinder automatic spring-driven closing of the damper louvers.

Figure 3. Closed to Expose Groove (Left) and Stuck at Opened Position (Right)
New and improved dampers have been developed to help with high velocity applications.
The new damper design, incorporates spacers at the pivot area with additional shaft seals and
more rugged seal plates. These have been implemented in new production and service parts
since 2006. Replacements for affected dampers are listed in attached Table 1.

Figure 4. Improved design with spacers, Shaft seal and seal plate reinforcement

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ACTION REQUIRED:

Risk mitigation practices must be in place before starting any

work; comply with all local and employer risk mitigation
requirements.

Equipment and systems should complete normal shutdown

cycles, coast down to a complete stop, and complete post-
lubrication cycles before commencing work.

Hazardous energy isolation lock-out and tag-out (LOTO) is

required. Isolations and procedures for the turbomachinery
package, ancillaries, and associated equipment/systems must
be appropriate to the work being completed.

Hot surfaces may be present, exposing personnel to burn

injury hazards. Allow surfaces in the proximity of the work area
to adequately cool, removing the hazard.

Combustible gases or vapors may be present. Test for

combustible gases and vapors; if present, stop work until safe
levels are achieved. Fuel and ignition sources must be isolated
and controlled via LOTO.

Inspect the isolation dampers by following the below procedure at earliest conveniance.
• Visually inspect each isolation damper’s mechanical components for any excessive
corrosion that may cause louver plates to fail to seal properly;
• Visually inspect for missing or broken spring;
• Visually inspect for any loose mounts or loose tube fittings to pneumatic actuator;
• Visually inspect for any contamination or humidity on pivot area that will cause
corrosion or dry out lubrication on shaft;
• Visually inspect if dynamic air flow is causing damper plate vibration and excessive
wear at pivot area;
If any of the above abnormal signs are found, then the unit needs to be stopped for further
inspection and maintenance.

Below procedure should be followed in monthly routine maintenance.

• Perform above visual inspection for mechanical integrity of isolation dampers;
• Follow O&M instruction to perform isolation damper release and reset inspection in

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 monthly routine maintenance;
• Clean shop air or a potable compressed air cylinder can be used to trigger the
pneumatic actuator. Remove the supply line to the actuator and connect compressed
air for the isolation damper release test. The minimum pressure to energize actuator
is 50 psi.

If engine does not stop for monthly inspection then

this inspection is mandatory in next engine stop
opportunity and semiannual maintenance.

• Inspect isolation dampers for freedom of movement and signs of wear such as the
grooving shown in Figure 3.
• Lubricate the louver pivot pins and ensure the louvers close under spring tension.
Avoid lightweight penetrating-type lubricants due to their tendency to dissipate too
quickly, leaving surfaces dry and open to abrasion and corrosion. Such lubricants,
often packaged in aerosol form, can be used initially to free-up frozen louvers, but
should be followed up with a good grade multipurpose machine oil.
Isolation damper replacement is required if you have excessive wear on the damper seal
plates that prevents the louvers from closing properly. It is possible some legacy part
numbers are not listed with the replacements in the table 1. Please contact your local Solar
Service Parts provider:
• If you wish to purchase any replacement listed in the table 1.
• If you wish to check the replacement availability for your legacy isolation damper.

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Attachment:
Table 1 Isolation Damper Replacement Chart

Old PN Description Material New PN

1074351-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,24X54 Galvanized steel 1106629-101
1074351-200 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,24X54 Galvanized steel 1106629-101
1074351-300 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,24X54 316 SS 1106629-401
1066933-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 Galvanized steel 1106362-101
1078351-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 Galvanized steel 1106362-201
1078351-200 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 Galvanized steel 1106362-301
1066933-300 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 316 SS 1106362-401
1078351-300 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 316 SS 1106362-501
1078351-400 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,42X42 316 SS 1106362-601
1087853-200 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,48X48 Galvanized steel 1106366-100
1087853-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,48X48 Galvanized steel 1106366-100
1087853-300 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,48X48 316 SS 1106366-400
1049471-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,36X36 Galvanized steel 1106361-100
1057312-100 DAMPER, VENT, PNEUMATIC,30X60 Galvanized steel 1106628-100
1066866-200 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,36X36 Galvanized steel 1108901-100
1066866-400 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,36X36 Galvanized steel 1108901-200
1066866-100 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,42X42 Galvanized steel 1107210-100
1066866-300 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,42X42 Galvanized steel 1107210-200
DAMPER, ISOLATION 42'' GALV, W/
1049477-100 Galvanized steel 1068994-102
PAINT
1049478-100 DAMPER, ISOLATION 42'' , W/ PAI CS W/ Paint 1066934-100
1066866-500 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,42X42 316 SS 1107210-300
1066866-600 DAMPER, VENT, ELECTRIC,42X42 316 SS 1107210-400
ISOLATION DAMPER 36'' LEVER
70-45093-100 316 SS 1106361-100
CONTROL
ISOLATION DAMPER 42'' LEVER
70-45094-100 Galvanized steel 1068994-102
CONTROL
ISOLATION DAMPER 42'' SST
70-45094-200 CS W/ Paint 1066934-100
LEVER CON
DUCT, ISOLATION
1049479-100 316 SS 1066935-100
DMPR,42X42,8L,316LSS
KIT, INSTL, DAMPER,
1068994-101 Galvanized steel 1068994-102
ISOLATION,42X42
70-45157-200 KIT, RETROFIT, DAMPER, VENT 316 SS 998615c91
70-45157-100 KIT, RETROFIT, DAMPER, VENT 316 SS 998615c91

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