Turbine & Compressor Exchange
CLIENT: Santos
LOCATION: Moomba, South Australia – Big Lake
RESOURCES: Aurora Specialist Laser Cleaning Equipment
In July of 2021, the Rotation Solutions team delivered scheduled turbine and compressor maintenance at Santos’ Moomba facility in South Australia. We put the latest Laser Cleaning Technology to the test with Aurora Laser Services for an outstanding result.
Part of our culture is to adopt new technologies early. Jake and Ben were the first technicians in Australia to laser clean the body of a compressor during a bundle change.
Check out the video for yourself and read the full project document underneath.
Project Run-Down:
Industrial lasers are an innovative, environmentally and personnel-friendly technology, rapidly gaining traction within industrial processes globally.
A laser is ideal for removing coatings and contaminants with extreme precision and without damaging supporting substrates with a wide variety of applications.
Being quick to set up, mobilise and eliminate health risks associated with traditional blasting and chemical cleaning methods, lasers are revolutionising and modernising industrial processes.
Santos scheduled a planned turbine change-out and 2-year compressor service with a 21-day schedule.
Rotation Solutions were engaged to assist Santos crew in this exchange. A compressor bundle exchange presented as an ideal test case to explore the use of industrial laser cleaning.
Traditionally, the compressor body cleaning had been executed by bead blasting, requiring substantial facility preparation, EHS controls and cleanup.
Rotation Solutions partnered with Aurora Laser Services and used their portable laser unit for the compressor body. Clean time-matched bead blasting but resulted in a better quality surface finish.
The significant time saving was eliminating blast booth preparation, minimal cleanup time, and no waste to clean and collect.
The laser proved effective in cleaning oil, grime and rust from parts such as flange faces and varnish from white-metal bearings. Complex shapes and hard to reach areas were easily cleaned, resulting in high-quality surface preparation without damage or surface abrasion.
This opportunity allowed us to prove that processes that currently rely on chemical cleaning, stripping or etching, manual cleaning, surface abrasion, media blasting or grinding, and lasers can offer a faster, safer, more efficient, environmentally friendly alternative.
Contact us today to learn more about our Laser Turbine Cleaning or any of our specialist turbine services!
