Need to know what is the Synthetic equivalent of BP Turbine oil Energol THB 46. This oil is being used in a synthesis gas compressor of an Ammonia plant. Siemens Steam Turbine is driving the Cooper centrifugal compressor. THB 46 is common lube oil to both, it also serves as the seal oil for the compressor. It contains some amount of sulfur, which is killing the synthesis in the downstream of the process. We need a sulfur free mineral oil or synthetic oil. It will be good if equivalent is either from Shell or BP.

Your lubricant supplier should be your first source for an oil that is a replecement for the oil youare now using. I would probably insist on a synthetic if it were my equipment. the synthetic will be sulfer free and should last much longer than a mineral oil.

Arshad,

Many Turbine oils have antiwear packages and ZDDP is almost never used for Turbine oil packages. This leaves a sulphur-phosporous type of additive package for use in Turbine oils.

In all probability the Sulphur content may not be more than 250 to 400 ppm in such packages.

Thus the turbine oil may not affect the process. However you must also note that all base oils undergo a de-sulphurisation or sulphur stripping process in the refinery. If base stocks have higher Sulphur content then this may get compounded with the SP additive package. Thus you may not be in a position to obtain "sulphur free" products readily.

In the circumstances Synthetic is a good choice. Most of the Aviation Turbine Lubes are synthetic oils. I will search my database and in my next post I will give some brands and names.

Hussam Adeni

Arshad Mansoor

You can use Caltex Regal R & O 46 as equivalent to BP Energol THB 46 for the abovesaid application .

You can contact the Oil company representative on their website www.caltexoils.com or www.chevrontexaco.com

These oils have < 0.03 sulfur in them.

Arshad,
My apologies for replying to this so late but have not had access to this site for a while. Direct comparables to BP turbine oil Energol THB 46 are: Castrol Perfecto T46
Exxon Teresso 46
Mobil DTE Medium
Shell Turbo T46

Hope this is of use to you, there shall be other grades from other companies but i can not guarantee that they will be directly comparable to the above. A good synthetic equivalent would be Castrol 778.

Dear Arshad,
You can replace with BP's Turbinol X46, which is made of hydrogenated base oil and has very good performance on TOST&RBOT, more attractive, the price is quite lower than synthetic oil's.

Try Agip's OTE TCA 46 (specially made for ammonia environment). You may be able to get the stuff from IMALCO (M/s Ibrahim Mohd Kulaifi) in Doha, Qatar. Contact Mr. Backer at +9744418030 or +9745512329 or fax +9744434979.

OTE TCA 46 is also used at QAFCO and Dukhan gas projects. Good luck