The Trouble with Varnish The Situation A “peaking station” at a large power plant with a 3,700-gallon capacity GE frame size 6 gas-powered turbine had problems with varnish caused by moisture contamination building up in the turbine lubricants while running at sump temperatures reaching 140°F. The moisture and varnish that accumulate in the lubricating fluid causes thefollowing problems: reduced heat transfer; sticking valves, and equipment failure. In order to keep the varnish under control, this power plant would perform regular testing of oil samples and change the oil often. The initial sample showed the varnish potential rating was at 66 per the Quantitative Spetrophotometric Analysis, used by Analysts, Inc. The level of varnish is found to be high due to oil degradation with the .45

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