I would like to ask how to deal with severe carbon buildup in natural gas reciprocating compressors
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Hello, moderator. I am the equipment manager at a gas station. The compressors at my station are from the Italian company Sefer, and they have been working well for over 10 years. A major repair was carried out in April, but since then problems have started to occur frequently; there is a lot of carbon buildup inside the cylinder liners as well as on the intake and exhaust valves. We clean them every 10 days, but we still can’t identify the cause. Have you encountered such a problem before? How was it handled?
Has the brand of lubricant been changed, causing a change in its flash point?
The brand hasn’t changed; it’s still LDAB-150
If the cause cannot be found, check whether there has been any change in the quality of the natural gas: lol
Carbon buildup is related to the quality of the oil in terms of temperature and pressure. Everything follows a cause-and-effect relationship; since there were no problems before, the emergence of issues after the major repair could be due to the way the compressor was assembled~`
We use PPI hydrogen compressors; does anyone know if PPI has any agents in China?
If there is no change in the lubricating grease and no change in the composition of the natural gas, then the inspection must focus on maintenance aspects – by checking what the machine was like before any maintenance work was done. It is still advisable to examine the grease and the gas supply as well
The temperament isn’t good; check the packing seal
The temperature is high, and there is too much lubricating oil
It would be best to send a diagram of the compressor’s structure. It seems that the temperature of the lubricating oil is too high, causing it to deteriorate. Additionally, compare the process parameters and operating conditions with those before the maintenance to see what changes have taken place.
It is recommended to check the following: 1. Whether there are any changes in the composition of the medium before and after maintenance； 2. Check whether there is any leakage in the air valves after maintenance; air valve leakage leads to an increase in exhaust temperature and cylinder temperature, which in turn causes the lubricating oil to carbonize ； 3. Check whether the cylinder cooling water is blocked and whether the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet flow rates is normal ； 4. Check whether the cylinder is worn; excessive clearance between the cylinder surface and the piston rings, as well as air leakage, can also cause the lubricating oil to carbonize