Questions regarding the ammonia compressor oil station
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Our ammonia compressor (commonly known as a chiller) is manufactured by SHENGU. Recently, there has been a problem of the liquid level in the tank continuously dropping. At first, we thought it was caused by a leak in the oil cooler, but even after switching to another oil cooler, the liquid level continued to drop rapidly. We analyzed the water at the inlet and outlet of the oil cooler and found no signs of leakage. There are only a few spots where oil drips from the chiller, but it’s impossible for the oil level in the tank to drop that fast – almost a whole barrel of oil is lost per day. Could someone please help analyze what could be the cause? Where did all the oil go?
It should have been brought into the system as well. The reason is that the oil-based treatment isn’t effective; either the oil molecular sieve is damaged or the O-ring used for sealing it isn’t working properly. It’s possible to take it apart and check it. My ice machine also experienced this issue, and the manufacturer’s technicians suggested replacing the molecular sieve, but I didn’t do that. Upon inspection, it was found that the sealing ring on the molecular sieve was misaligned; after fixing that issue, the problem persisted for another 2 months
Where does the molecular sieve come from in the ice machine? ? ?
I have one here; it’s from Yantai Binglun. It is placed before the oil separator in the refrigeration system, serving to reduce the load on the oil and improve the separation efficiency
What they are referring to is likely screw chillers, while you are talking about centrifugal chillers!
There are several possible reasons: 1. The breather valve at the coupling end of the unit itself is contaminated with oil； 2. The discharge volume of the low-point drain and oil drain for the unit’s dry gas seal has increased ； 3. The oil exhaust pipe at the gas station has a high oil discharge volume ； 4. Excessive oil leakage at the machine unit’s shaft ends ； 5. The instrument O-rings and sealants are damaged, causing oil leakage! Wait
If it is a centrifugal compressor, it should be connected to the system. In the case of an ammonia synthesis plant, check whether the efficiency of the heat exchangers has decreased; or opening the bottom drain may result in oil coming out – this phenomenon has occurred in our facility as well.
Is an oil seal used for the shaft end sealing?
If there is oil leakage, it can be easily detected; usually, this is caused by poor control of the gaps in the heat exchanger or during assembly, which leads to high oil temperatures and the entry of oil into the system. You can check whether the oil temperature is high; adjust the clearance of the screw chiller again