
Hot Oil Flushing
Hot oil flushing as part of a high velocity oil flushing is performed to remove contaminants and deposits on the internal surfaces of large lube oil systems used on turbines, compressors, stationary engines, and hydraulic systems. A hot oil flush may be used in the following situations:
Pre-Commissioning
Before starting up large rotating equipment, it is important to remove all traces of metal and other hard contaminants. These contaminants are frequently left behind during the fabrication, transportation, and installation of the equipment. If not removed using a hot oil flush, these hard contaminants can find their way to the bearing housing as well as other critical areas and cause irreparable damage.
Preventative Maintenance
As part of a lubrication best practice, it is important to routinely perform a hot oil flush on critical pieces of equipment. A rule of thumb would be every five years on critical systems and every ten years on non-critical systems.
Catastrophic Failure
Wear metals and other contaminants can be left behind as the result of an unexpected bearing failure. A hot oil flush should be used to remove these contaminants before the system is brought back online to reduce the chances of contaminants causing further damage to the system.
Oil Conversion
When converting to a different lubricating oil, it is sometimes important to use a hot oil flush in order to remove all traces of the old oil left behind in the piping. This prevents any non-compatibility issues. A sacrificial charge of the new oil is typically used to remove all residue from the previous product to ensure that the new oil performs as designed.
Our Oil Flushing Process Includes:
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- Console Inspection / Cleaning
- Flush Design & Flow Path Engineering
- Pipefitting & Jumper Installation
- Pre-Startup Inspection
- High Velocity Oil Flush
- Verification of Cleanliness
- Post Job Reporting / Documentation
Typical Applications for Hot Oil Flushing are:
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- Gas Turbines
- Steam Turbines
- Compressors
- Hydraulic Systems
- Natural Gas Engines
- Marine Diesel Engines


IFM provides turn-key hot oil flushing services including:
- Engineered Solutions
- Process and Procedures in accordance with API 614 and major OEM oil flushing standards including GE, Elliott, Solar, Dresser-Rand, and Siemens
- Reliable Quality Flushing Equipment
- Excellent Contractor-Client Communications
- Honest and Accurate Bidding
- Safe, Professional, and Experienced Crews
- Nightly Job Progress Updates
- Detailed Post Job Reporting