Oil dripping from the dry gas seal vent pipe of the compressor
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What’s causing oil dripping from the dry gas seal vent pipe of the compressor? Is there a leak in the dry gas seal?
It’s possible that the differential pressure of the dry gas seal is too low
What kind of oil is being dripped? If it’s lubricating oil, then: 1. The pressure of the isolation gas in the dry gas seal is too low, so it cannot contain the lubricating oil; 2. It’s possible that the gap between the comb teeth is too large, resulting in oil leakage. If it’s just oil dripping, the problem should not be serious. Another issue is poor return of lubricating oil; lubricant accumulates in the bearing housing over time, and eventually it may seep into the seals. Check the oil return situation of the unit to see if the return oil pipes are too narrow.
Generally, there is a higher probability of lubricant being present; even if the medium produced by the unit mixes together, it will not appear in the form of liquid oil droplets at the vent point! It is still recommended that you check whether the differential pressure at the oil seal is indeed low, as BOSS suggested. As for the issue of poor oil return mentioned by Haiyou, it is relatively rare; the diameter of the oil return pipe is much larger than that of the oil inlet pipe, and high-precision filters are installed throughout the entire lubrication pipeline!
There are several reasons for poor oil return: 1. The fan in the oil station has low power, which prevents the fumes from being properly expelled; some of the smoke in the oil return pipeline may also cause problems with oil return. 2. By \"the return oil pipes being too narrow,\" I mean the return oil pipes for each individual circuit, not the main return oil pipe. It is not impossible; one can go to the site and check the level of oil in each return oil viewing window. If the oil level in the window remains above half of the window, then one should pay attention.
1. Most catalytic cracking gas stations do not have a fan system, so this aspect was not taken into consideration. Thank you for reminding me; it has helped me learn something new! 2. Compared to the oil inlet pipes of each branch, they are indeed much thicker than the oil return pipes. However, the method you mentioned of checking through the oil return view window is indeed a good one! Thank you for sharing; keep participating to gain more!
All of these are insights gained from work; communicate more and learn from one another.