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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: 3.3/111
ISSUED: December 2020
REVISED:
PRODUCT: Mars 90, Mars 100, Titan 130
MODEL(S): Compressor, Generator, Mechanical Drive
Specifics: Units with Remanufactured Conventional Dual Fuel Injectors
Only

SUBJECT: REMANUFACTURED DUAL FUEL INJECTOR ISSUE CAN


ALLOW INTERNAL LIQUID FUEL MIGRATION AND MAY LEAD
TO FIRE

Type of Change: Product Safety


Recommended Immediate
Compliance:

PURPOSE:
To advise that a potential issue within remanufactured conventional dual fuel injectors has been identified.
This issue has the potential to cause an internal liquid fuel leak and may lead to a fire.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
In August 2019 an incident occurred on a Titan 130 Conventional Dual Fuel package while operating on
liquid fuel that resulted in the overheating of the gas fuel manifold and gas fuel pigtails. The overheated
gas fuel manifold and gas fuel pigtails activated the fire detection system and released the fire
suppressant into the package.

The failure investigation identified an internal leak inside of a single injector that allowed liquid fuel to
enter the gas passage of the injector. The leak occurred in a braze joint which was reworked during the
remanufacturing process. This liquid fuel eventually migrated into the gas fuel manifold and gas fuel
pigtails where it auto ignited. The burning liquid fuel in the gas fuel manifold and gas fuel pigtails caused
the overheating event.

All Titan 130 (T130) & Mars conventional engines containing remanufactured dual fuel injectors require
inspections. Remanufactured injector part numbers will be preceded with the letter ‘E’ as shown in Table
1. Suspect injectors must be replaced with new (non-remanufactured) injectors. If at the time of
inspection, an injector has accumulated fewer than 1000 hours of operation, it will require a follow up
inspection after 1000 hours.

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Table 1 - List of Affected Part Numbers
Standard Production P/Ns Special Order P/Ns
E301380-60X E204349-XXX
E301380-80X E301395-10X
E303195-XXX E301395-40X
E373138-10X E301395-50X
E301395-60X
E301395-70X

An inspection process has been developed to identify injectors that have a suspect braze joint so they can
be removed from service. Though the failure rate is very low, if failure of the braze joint occurs, it will most
likely occur early in the life of the part. Injectors that have accumulated more than 1000 hours of operation
and do not show signs of leakage are acceptable to remain in service until the next planned overhaul.
These injectors do not require any further inspection.

ACTION REQUIRED:
Identify if your injectors require inspection:
The first step in identifying whether your injectors require inspection is to locate the Part Number (P/N) and
Serial Number (S/N). The P/N and S/N can be located on the side of the injector flange as shown below in
Figure 1. It is required to identify injectors that require inspection that are currently installed in the engine
as well as those that are currently in inventory to be used as spares.

Figure 1 - Part Number Location

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The P/N and S/N follow the format shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - P/N and S/N Format

An injector requires inspection only if it satisfies all conditions listed below:


• P/N starts with an “E” and
• P/N is listed in Table 1 and
• S/N begins with a date code prior to AUG20

NOTE: If an injector satisfies the above conditions, was purchased as spare part and has never been
installed in an engine, contact your District Office for exchange.

Solar recommends not operating on liquid fuel with potentially affected injectors until after completion of the
inspection process and installation of replacement, new injectors, if inspection deems necessary.

Inspection Process:
Injectors with a suspect braze joint will show signs of leakage in the gas passage and/or the central air
tube.

NOTE: The following inspections require the use of a 4mm borescope or smaller. Contact your District
Office for assistance if you do not have access to a suitable borescope.

Step 1 – Inspect Gas Passage:


The gas passage may be viewed by inserting a borescope into the gas fitting shown in Figure 3.A

Figure 3 - Gas Passage Inspection


• If the gas passage is clear as shown in Figure 3.B there is no evidence of leakage
o Continue to Step 2
• If the passage shows the presence of carbon build-up as shown in Figure 3.C
o Continue directly to Step 3

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Step 2 – Inspect Central Air Tube:
This step requires removal of the injector from the engine. The central air tube may be viewed by inserting
a borescope into the large hole in the face of the injector as shown in Figure 4.A.

Figure 4 - Central Air Tube Inspection


• If the central air tube is clear as shown in Figure 4.B there is no evidence of leakage
o Continue to Step 3
• If the passage shows the presence of carbon build-up as shown in Figure 4.C
o Continue to Step 3

Step 3 – Disposition:
• If both passages are clear as shown in Figure 3.B and 4.B then there is no evidence of leakage
and the injector may be returned to service.

• If there is evidence of carbon build-up as shown in Figure 3.C or 4.C it may be caused by liquid
fuel leaking into the passage.

Injectors that show evidence of carbon build-up in the gas passage or central air tube must be prevented
from operating on liquid fuel. This can be accomplished by either removing the injector(s) from service or
by inhibiting liquid fuel operation as outlined in the following section.

In either case please contact your District office to schedule a full inspection of the fuel system by Solar
personnel. Suspect injectors confirmed during inspection by Solar personnel will be removed from service
and will need to be replaced. Your District Office will assist in ordering replacements.

Inhibit Liquid Fuel Operation (if required):


If gas fuel only operation with injector(s) that show signs of carbon build-up is required, temporarily disabling
the liquid fuel supply will mitigate the risk of fire due to a suspect braze joint. This can be accomplished by
closing the off-skid liquid fuel supply valve. Closing the off-skid liquid fuel supply valve will ensure the
proper purge systems remain active, but it may result in a shut down if a transfer is attempted. Be sure to
follow local safety lock out procedures (e.g. “LOTO”, “Lock-Out, Tag-Out”) to prevent accidental liquid fuel
supply to the package.

The liquid fuel supply may be reinstated after the completion of the fuel system inspection by Solar
personnel.

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