TECHNICAL BULLETIN

n. 7   

DOUBLING THE OPERATIONAL LIFE OF EXHAUST VALVES
BY USING ADDITIVE TREATMENT FOR FUEL OIL.
DATA OBTAINED IN THREE COGENERATION ENGINES

An exhaustive 3½-year monitoring program demonstrated that the fuel oil treatment with the additive “rb bertomeu” beco F1/ASF acts to double the life of the exhaust valves of Diesel engines. This extensive monitoring programme was applied to the three engines at the cogeneration plant at Minera de Santa Marta. 

The exhaust valves of the Deutz engine BV 16M 640 (producing 6.3 MWhe) are assigned an operational life of 9,000 hours by the manufacturers, who stipulate a maximum of 12,000 hours. The system of procedures at general overhauls on exhaust valves between the years 1995 and 1999 consisted of removing, rectifying and reinstalling the same valves. Replacements were only made when valves had blown out, been excessively corroded, suffered thermal fatigue, or when the valve seating had failed to conform to size due to successive rectification (the depth of rectification is directly proportional to the severity of corrosion). This system permitted exhaustive monitoring of the actual duration of the valves. 

The Plant at Minera de Santa Marta has used additives for fuel oil “rb bertomeu” beco F1/ASF practically since the plant was brought into operation, and it has practised this exhaustive monitoring programme that has resulted in quantifiable data on the relationship between the use of these additives and the prolongation of the operational life of exhaust valves in the engines. Throughout the 29,000 hours in operation of each engine, the anticorrosive action of the additive meant that the rectifications on the valve seats were highly superficial and that there were practically no valve blowouts. This resulted in attaining double the average operational life as estimated by the manufacturer, reaching 29,000 hours for 70% of the valve cones and for 86% of the valve baskets of the exhaust valves. In practice, this meant reducing the cost of replacing exhaust valves by half during this period (of approximately 3½ years).

For further information on this subject, consult the following documents compiled by rb bertomeu (by clicking on the chosen title):

· Minera de Santa Marta Cogeneration power plant. Valve replacement history-Jun 98
· Minera de Santa Marta Cogeneration power plant. Historial data on valves saved-Nov 98
· RB-17 Summarized study of monitoring and reduction in corrosion on exhaust valves in Deutz engines, conducted by rb bertomeu S.L.

Next you can find letters of reference from some of our customers who have corroborated the effectiveness of the additive "rb bertomeu" beco F1/ASF.

- Letter : Ufefys (25/06/2015)
- Letter : EnergyWorks-Carballo (16/06/2015)
- Letter : EnergyWorks-Carballo (24/11/2002)
- Letter : Minera de Santa Marta (01/08/1998)