Sharing winter anti-freezing experiences: instrument air

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This post was last edited by Stranger on 2017-12-19 at 10:41. Sharing experiences on preventing freezing in winter – regarding instrument air. As the year comes to an end, there are various summaries and activities; today I’ll provide a brief summary under the topic “Sharing experiences on preventing freezing in winter – ***” to share what I’ve learned with everyone. I remember that a few years ago, at 1:00 a.m., the pressure of the instrument air in the operation workshop began to drop gradually, showing a clear downward trend. After contacting the operators in the control room to increase the pressure of the instrument air, there was still no improvement; attempting to raise the pressure further did not yield any positive results either. Ten minutes later, the pressure of the instrument air dropped even lower, falling below the critical level, which caused the equipment to stop operating. Upon investigating the cause, it was found that the main reasons were the drop in temperature at that time, which resulted in poor drying efficiency of the instrument air and a high water content; there was considerable condensation water in the instrument air. Additionally, the staff on duty lacked a sense of responsibility, failed to carry out proper inspections, and did not drain the water in a timely manner. Furthermore, the drain valve of the instrument air heating steam pipe froze, and no action was taken to address this issue in a timely manner; as a result, the heating strip failed to provide proper heating. This ultimately led to freezing at the inlet elbow of the instrument air storage tank, causing the equipment to stop operating. Measures taken afterwards: 1. Strengthen the inspection and implementation of winter cold and frost prevention measures, enhance employees’ sense of responsibility, increase the frequency of inspections among those on duty, and take severe action against those who lack a sense of responsibility. 2. The drainage of new steam and compressed air must be carried out strictly in accordance with the relevant requirements; in case of abnormal weather conditions, the frequency of drainage should be increased. It is required that station staff carry out drainage on time and keep proper inspection records. 3. Conduct a thorough inspection of the instrument air system to check whether the drying equipment and desiccants are effective, ensuring good dryness of the instrument air. Also, carry out a comprehensive inspection and rectification of the insulation in those areas of the pipelines where water accumulation and freezing are likely to occur, as well as at valves, to ensure proper insulation. 4. In cold weather, open the drain valve on the instrument air storage tank to ensure air circulation in the instrument air pipeline. Strengthen the inspection of instrument air pipelines and pressure monitoring. At the same time, the instrument air system was modified by installing a drain valve at the lowest point of the instrument air pipeline to prevent similar situations from occurring again.