Regarding the issue of blocked circulation water lines at the cylinder of reciprocating compressors!
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Our reciprocating compressor has a water line at the cylinder, and it seems to be experiencing air blockage; when looking through the water level gauge, no flow can be seen. We removed the flange on the gauge, and after re-introducing water, the situation improved somewhat, but it still doesn’t seem to flow smoothly! What’s going on here? It can’t be that the water jacket of the press is leaking, right?
I wonder if there is scaling inside the cylinder? ? , or the pressure of the circulating water is insufficient, and there is also air blockage.
You can blow it with compressed air; there might be deposits inside, and also check whether the water pressure is low. It’s impossible for the compressor’s water jacket to leak; otherwise, the compressor wouldn’t be able to operate properly, and there would be a knocking sound.
As long as the exhaust temperature doesn’t get too high, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?
Common problems with compressors include not only poor circulation of water in the cylinders, but over time the same issue can occur with the cooling water used for the packing as well. In the cylinder cooling system, scaling and blockages can form inside the water jackets or pipes, resulting in a low pressure difference between the inlet and outlet water streams. During the design and installation of the compressor, the water inlet and outlet pipelines located near the cylinders are designed without proper venting, which prevents the accumulation of scale and debris from being removed in a timely manner. The low water pressure makes it impossible to flush out this accumulated debris from the outlet side, leading to an increasing amount of buildup inside. It is recommended to install venting pipes on the water inlet and outlet pipelines related to the cylinders and packing; ball valves are the best choice for these vents, as they are easy to operate. When a ball valve is opened instantly, the flow rate of water increases sharply, allowing the scale and debris accumulated in the pipes to be quickly washed away. This also facilitates maintenance of the cooling water system during inspections, as there is no need to remove the flanges every time
The cooling jacket is blocked, or there is scaling inside. Treatment method: 1. Recirculating water backwashing ； 2. Shut down the machine for pickling of the cooling water jacket to remove scale and debris.