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BAD ACTOR RCFA:
PLANT-B EXPORT COMPRESSOR K7230 DRY GAS SEAL LEAK
CAUSING PRODUCTION LOSS OF 1.37Kb/d FOR 5 MONTHS AND REPAIR COST ESTIMATED
USD 1.5 MILLION
Scope
The RCFA aims to identify the root causes and contributing factors behind the dry gas seal
leak on the Plant-B Export Compressor K7230, which led to:
▪ A production loss of 1.37 Kb/d over 5 months
▪ An estimated repair cost of USD 1.5 million
▪ Multiple failed restart attempts and eventual rotor seizure
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This analysis will cover:
• Mechanical, operational, and maintenance history of K7230
• Seal system design, instrumentation, and failure modes
• Human factors, including troubleshooting and decision-making timelines
• Recommendations to prevent recurrence and improve system reliability
• Recommendations to prevent recurrence and improve system reliability
Methodology
The RCFA will follow a structured, multidisciplinary approach using the following tools and
techniques:
1. Data Collection
▪ Incident timeline reconstruction (from 6 August to 15 September 2025)
▪ Review of DCS/SCADA logs, alarm history, and trip records
▪ Maintenance and inspection records of K7230 and seal system
▪ Vendor reports and AGTS troubleshooting notes
▪ Interviews with operations, maintenance, and reliability teams
2. Failure Mode Analysis
▪ Apply Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) on dry gas seal system
▪ Evaluate potential causes: contamination, misalignment, pressure imbalance,
thermal distortion, etc.
▪ Cross-reference with OEM design tolerances and operating envelopes
3. Root Cause Identification
▪ Use logic tree and 5-Why analysis to trace failure pathways
▪ Apply Apollo or TapRooT® methodology to distinguish root vs. contributing causes
▪ Assess human and organizational factors (e.g., delayed shutdown, troubleshooting
gaps)
4. Verification and Validation
▪ Correlate findings with physical evidence (e.g., rotor condition, seal wear patterns)
▪ Compare with similar incidents (internal or industry-wide)
▪ Validate hypotheses with subject matter experts (SMEs)
Testing and Diagnostic Plan
To support the RCFA and future reliability improvements, the following testing and
diagnostics are proposed:
A. Seal System Integrity Testing
▪ Dry gas seal leakage test (inboard/outboard)
▪ Seal gas flow and pressure differential verification
▪ Nitrogen purge and buffer gas system checks
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B. Rotor and Bearing Inspection
▪ Runout and alignment checks
▪ Journal and thrust bearing wear analysis
▪ Vibration signature review (pre- and post-failure)
C. Instrumentation and Control Loop Testing
▪ Calibration of LHH63HSD-HPC and related transmitters
▪ Functional testing of trip logic and permissive interlocks
▪ Review of seal vent pressure control loop tuning
D. Contamination and Oil Analysis
▪ Lube oil and seal gas sample analysis for particulates or hydrocarbons
▪ Breather oil path tracing to identify ingress routes
PLANT -B K7230 COMPRESSOR DATASHEET
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Background of Incident
▪ Plant-B Train 2 (K7230) experience trip on LHH63HSD-HPC Primary Seal Vent Pressure
Discharge Side High SDL on the 6th August 2025 approximately at 2200 hours
▪ Few starts attempted but unsuccessful as the unit keep-on tripping on the same
indication
▪ At the last attempt unit was restarted successfully and during warm-up sequence it
was observed heavy oil flow from the HPC Discharge Side journal breather
▪ Manually down the compressor for troubleshoot
▪ Troubleshoot by AGTS 11thAugust – 19thAugust.
▪ RG initial plan for rectification from 19th August – 2nd September but found the
compressor rotor unable to rotate.
▪ The compressor has been sent to shore on 15th September for rectification.
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