GEK 28150C

Revised, January 1999

GE Power Systems
Gas Turbine

Specification For An Oil-Soluble Magnesium Additive

For Gas Turbine Fuel Treatment

These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment nor to provide for every possible
contingency to be met in connection with installation, operation or maintenance. Should further information be desired or
should particular problems arise which are not covered sufficiently for the purchaser’s purposes the matter should be
referred to the GE Company.
 1999 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
GEK 28150C Specification for an Oil–Soluble Magnesium Additive

I. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this document is to provide instructions regarding the use of an oil-soluble magnesium addi-
tive (hereinafter referred to as “additive”) to inhibit vanadium in ash-forming (crude and residual) fuel. Gen-
eral Electric normally, from the economical point, recommends the use of water soluble vanadium inhibition
for vanadium levels above 20 ppm. This instruction applies generally to heavy duty gas turbines used in in-
dustrial, marine and utility applications. However, this instruction does not purport to cover all details or vari-
ations in equipment, nor provide for every possible contingency to be met in connection with installation,
operation or maintenance. Should further information be desired or should particular problems arise which
are not covered sufficiently for the purchaser’s purposes, the matter should be referred to the Gas Turbine
Division of the General Electric Company.

The information in this instruction is of two types. Information under “Specifications” sets forth the mini-
mum requirements of the additive in terms of:A.1.

a. Adequate concentration of magnesium.

b. Freedom from contaminants which could cause hot corrosion in the gas turbine or corrosion or
fouling in the system.

c. Physical properties allowing simple and reliable storage, forwarding and fuel mixing.

As a general rule, an oil-soluble magnesium additive must satisfy these requirements when used to inhibit
vanadium corrosion in gas turbines which burn ash forming fuels.

The balance of information provides general advice regarding quality assurance, packaging and shipping,
and labeling. This advice is not necessarily all inclusive; and of course, any practice sufficient to ensure com-
pliance with the minimum requirements of Section II (and any applicable laws regarding packaging and la-
beling) is acceptable.

II. SPECIFICATION

A. Additive Grades

This specification separates the commercially available oil-soluble magnesium additives into two
grades based on critical trace metal contaminant levels. The determination of the appropriate grades is
dependent on the vanadium content of fuels as shown under the title of “Required Chemical and Physical
Properties.” This restriction is intended to limit the maximum trace metal contaminant contribution of
the additive to treated fuel.

1. Required Chemical and Physical Properties

For initial application to a General Electric gas turbine, a vendor analysis covering these properties
should be submitted to the General Electric Gas Turbine Division for evaluation. The required prop-
erties are given in Table I.

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Specification for an Oil–Soluble Magnesium Additive GEK 28150C

Table I
Property Grade A Grade B
For Fuel Up To For Fuel Up To
140 ppm Vanadium 50 ppm Vanadium
Magnesium Content Mg, % 8–35 8–35
Contaminants (Note 1)
Mg/(Na+K) ratio, min 4000/1 1500/1
Mg/Ca ratio, min 200/1 75/1
Mg/Pb ratio, min 2000/1 1000/1
Mg/V ratio, min 5000/1 2000/1
Chloride, % Report Report
Grade A & B
Physical Properties
Sediment (ASTM D2273),
% Mg/(% Sediment) ratio, min. 32/1
Flash Point, PMCC, _F, min 150
Viscosity, 60_F, cSt Report (Note 2)
Viscosity, 100_F, cSt Report (Note 2)
Pour Point, _F Report (Note 2)
Density, 60_F, lb/gal Report

Note 1.: Because these additives are available in a range of magnesium con-
tents, the contaminant limits are specified as ratios referenced to
magnesium content.

Note 2.: These are to be reported to insure compliance with auxiliary addi-
tive equipment design criteria. A maximum viscosity of 130-150 cSt
at 100_F and a maximum pour point of 0_F will avoid heating of the
additive for pumping in most locations.

2. Required Additive Characteristics

a. The additive should be liquid at 60_F and self-feeding to the suction side of the metering pump.

b. The additive should be storable without significant physical change, especially formation of an
insoluble state when stored in the original container or approved tankage for up to 12 months
at site ambient temperatures.

c. The additive should disperse readily in a desalted ASTM 4-GT gas turbine fuel (D2880) to form
a homogeneous mixture at magnesium concentrations up to 1200 ppm in the fuel.

d. A mixture of the additive and desalted ASTM 4-GT residual fuel with up to 1200 ppm of magne-
sium should be capable of being heated to 275_F for 5 minutes without separation of sludge or
formation of deposits on the surfaces of the heated container. This requirement simulates the
heating of the completely treated fuel in the fuel handling system prior to atomization.

e. The additive should be compatible with oil-soluble silicon additives at magnesium concentra-
tions of up to 1200 ppm in the fuel, and with silicon/magnesium ratios up to 2.5 to 1.

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GEK 28150C Specification for an Oil–Soluble Magnesium Additive

f. The additive may contain colloidally dispersed solid magnesium compounds, but the maximum
particle size should not be greater than 2 microns.

g. The additive should not cause plugging of fuel filters, interference with operation or wear of
fuel pumps, flow dividers, check valves and fuel nozzles, beyond that of the fuel itself. There
is no laboratory test to evaluate these properties hence these properties can only be evaluated
by actual operating experience.

III. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS

A. General

The additive specified herein should be manufactured using acceptable industrial practices and should
be guaranteed to meet the properties specified herein.

B. Tests and Inspections

1. The supplier should provide a lot analysis of the material, conducted in a qualified laboratory.

2. In the event that the user needs to analyze the additive for its magnesium content, a suitable method
is described in Appendix 1.

IV. PACKAGING AND SHIPPING

A. Packaging

Packaging should be accomplished in accordance with acceptable commercial practices for domestic
or foreign shipments, and should be adequate to assure that all material should arrive at destination in
an uncontaminated condition and ready for intended use.

B. Shipping

Shipping should be accomplished in accordance with acceptable commercial practices for domestic or
foreign shipment for this type of product. All shipping containers should be identified with the purchas-
er’s order number and vendor’s manufacturing lot acceptance number.

V. LABELING

Any toxicity of the additive should be state on the label so as to warn the user that proper handling is required.

VI. APPROVALS

General Electric does not publish a list of approved additives nor give approval to additive vendors. Addi-
tives will be approved (or disapproved) on a case by case basis, to a gas turbine user upon request by the user
through appropriate General Electric Field representatives.

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Specification for an Oil–Soluble Magnesium Additive GEK 28150C

APPENDIX 1 – Analysis of Additive for Magnesium Content

The analysis of additives using ASTM D3605 has been found to consistently under report the magne-
sium content by 10-35% w/w. Method D 5185 is now in use to replace D 3605 for the direct measurement
of dissolved metals in a petroleum base. If all or some of the element being measured is present as partic-
ulate, the accuracy of method D 5185 has been shown to be sensitive to the particle size. Since much
of the magnesium in these additives is in a fine particulate form, the following method, where magne-
sium is transferred completely to aqueous solution, is preferred.

Both dry ashing of the sample, following D 482, and wet oxidation, following D 1971, have been eva-
luated and dry ashing was found to give more consistent results.

1. Preparation of Sample

Weigh a 0.5 - 0.6 gram sample of additive to the nearest 0.1 mg into a 50 ml crucible (platinum or
quartz). Ash the sample using ASTM D 482 procedure. Allow the ash to cool and dissolve in 20 ml
of diluted (X20%w/w) analytical grade hydrochloric acid and dilute to 250 ml with distilled water.
With a pipette, take a 25 ml aliquot and dilute to 250 ml. This will give a solution containing 15 -
50 µg/ml of Mg for analysis.

A standard solution containing 195 µg/ml Mg can be made by dissolving 0.5g of analytical grade
magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO4.7H2O) in dilute acid and diluting to 250 ml with water.
Solutions containing 7.8 µg/ml, 19.5 µg/ml and 49 µg/ml of Mg can be made from the standard solu-
tion by making dilutions of 10 ml to 250 ml, 25 ml to 250 ml and 25 to 100 ml respectively

2. Measurement of Magnesium Content

The magnesium content of the prepared sample is then measured in either an atomic absorption
spectrometer or an atomic emission spectrometer, Operation and calibration of the spectrometer
should follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The dilute standard solutions can be used to prepare
a magnesium concentration vs spectrometer reading calibration curve. Reference can be made to
ASTM methods D 5086 and D 5600 for test methodology and calculation procedures.

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GE Power Systems

General Electric Company

One River Road, Schenectady, NY 12345
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