Turbine Deposit Removal: How Foam Cleaning Compares

Deposits on power plant turbine blades lead to deterioration in efficiency and loss of performance. A range of causes may be responsible for the formation of deposits. Such deposits can be removed in various ways. The most common methods are mechanical removal by blasting, water wash, wet steam washing and foam cleaning. Almost unknown in Europe, foam cleaning has been successfully applied in power plants in the United States for over 40 years. This article compares the different methods for scale removal, looking at respective advantages and disadvantages. Being quite “new” to Europe, the foam cleaning method is described in more detail, including examples by Dr-Ing Frank Udo Leidich FULPowerConsulting, Worms, Germany and Wojciech Majka President of the Board, Managing Director at Ecol, Rybnik, Poland