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Service Bulletin: Service Bulletin NUMBER: 22.0/101 Caterpillar: Confidential Green Page 1 of 3

This service bulletin from Solar Turbines raises awareness of the potential risk of cross-connecting compressor drain lines and package drain lines. There have been several reports of compressor case and seal drain piping being mistakenly connected to general purpose skid drains, allowing process gas to enter the turbine package and pose a safety risk. The bulletin clarifies drain routing and notes compressor drain lines must be isolated from other drains. It requires verifying correct external piping connections per design drawings and following recommendations in commissioning documents to ensure drain systems are not cross-connected.

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156 views3 pages

Service Bulletin: Service Bulletin NUMBER: 22.0/101 Caterpillar: Confidential Green Page 1 of 3

This service bulletin from Solar Turbines raises awareness of the potential risk of cross-connecting compressor drain lines and package drain lines. There have been several reports of compressor case and seal drain piping being mistakenly connected to general purpose skid drains, allowing process gas to enter the turbine package and pose a safety risk. The bulletin clarifies drain routing and notes compressor drain lines must be isolated from other drains. It requires verifying correct external piping connections per design drawings and following recommendations in commissioning documents to ensure drain systems are not cross-connected.

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jussmeee
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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: 22.0/101
ISSUED: May 2017
REVISED:
PRODUCT: ALL
MODEL(S): Compressor, Mechanical Drive
Specifics:
SUBJECT: GAS COMPRESSOR DRAIN LINE CROSS-CONNECTION RISK

Type of Change: Product Safety

Recommended Information
Compliance:

Purpose:

To raise awareness of a potential risk for cross-connection of compressor and package drain
lines.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
There have been several reports of gas compressor case and seal drain piping that are being
mistakenly connected to general purpose skid drains. Gas compressor case and seal drains must
be isolated from other drains and routed to a safe location due to risk of combustion. Cross-
connection of the two drain system has resulted in near misses, where upon package start-up/shut
down, process gas released from the drain system entered the turbine package posing a safety
risk to personnel and equipment. Special attention should be paid to the dry gas seal filter and
compressor case drain connections, to ensure that gas is not re-routed to areas where unsafe
ignition may occur.

Figure 1 shows an incorrect installation of the drain system, where the package drip pan drains
and compressor seal gas drain are connected to one common drain line, which allows for the
potential for seal gas to be routed to the enclosure.

SERVICE BULLETIN
NUMBER: 22.0/101 Caterpillar: Confidential Green Page 1 of 3
Figure 1 Incorrectly plumbed drain system

ACTION REQUIRED:
Solar P&IDs, MIDs and Commissioning Documents TPIM-1010 and TPIM-1020 have been revised to
clarify site and vent and drain routing. Verify correct connection of external piping into drain systems as
per Solar design drawings, referencing general note 13 in the MID(Mechanical & Installation Drawings).
When using commissioning documents TPIM-1010 or TPIM-1020 to commission packages, be sure to
follow all recommendations of Section 2 (External Piping).

GENERAL NOTE 13 MID REFERENCE


SOLAR TURBINE PACKAGES USE ATMOSPHERIC VENTS AND DRAINS FOR CONTROLLED
RELEASE OF GAS, PNEUMATIC PRESSURE OR LIQUIDS. THIS ALLOWS PROPER ACTUATION OF
SOLENOIDS, SHUTOFF VALVES AND PNEUMATIC VENT VALVES AND PURGING OR DRAINING
OF UNWANTED LIQUIDS. IDEALLY, ALL PACKAGE VENT AND DRAIN CONNECTIONS ARE
SEPARATE DRAINS AND ATMOSPHERIC VENTS WHICH LEAD DIRECTLY TO THE ATMOSPHERE.
GAS VENT AND GAS DRAIN LINES SHALL NOT BE COMBINED WITH DRAINS ASSOCIATED WITH
OTHER MEDIA SUCH AS AIR OR OIL. PRESSURIZED GAS SHALL NOT BE USED TO PURGE DRAIN

SERVICE BULLETIN
NUMBER: 22.0/101 Caterpillar: Confidential Green Page 2 of 3
LINES. THE CUSTOMER MUST ENSURE THAT THE USE OF PRESSURIZED GAS TO PURGE ANY
OF THE TURBINE PACKAGE LINES DOES NOT INTRODUCE BACKPRESSURE INTO ANY OTHER
TURBINE DRAIN AND VENT CONNECTIONS. VENTS AND DRAINS HAVE TO BE LARGE ENOUGH
TO HANDLE ANY FLOW GIVEN IN THIS DRAWING WITHOUT EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM
ALLOWABLE BACK PRESSURE. THE GIVEN SIZE OF EACH SKID CONNECTION IS THE MINIMUM
SIZE AND CANNOT BE REDUCED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. FOR LONGER PIPE RUNS, LINE
SIZES HAVE TO BE APPROPRIATELY INCREASED. IT IS MANDATORY TO INTERLOCK THE
PACKAGE IF A BLOCK VALVE IS INSTALLED IN ANY VENT CONNECTION EXCEPT WHERE
NOTED. THE INSTALLATION OF ANY INTERLOCK, MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL, IS THE
CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY. COMMON VENT LINES EXPERIENCE PERIODIC INCREASES IN
BACK PRESSURE DURING BLOW DOWN OF OTHER EQUIPMENT. THE BACK PRESSURE MUST
NOT EXCEED THE PRESSURES VALUES, EVEN FOR SHORT PERIODS, REGARDLESS IF THE
PACKAGE IS RUNNING OR NOT. THE ADDITION OF A CHECK VALVE IS NOT PERMITTED.

SERVICE BULLETIN
NUMBER: 22.0/101 Caterpillar: Confidential Green Page 3 of 3

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