Maintenance and Leakage Failures of Air Compressor Coolers
Coolers shall be cleaned periodically according to ambient conditions to ensure the compressor operates at normal temperature and extend its service life. The compressor discharge temperature will rise if the cooler is fouled and blocked. Generally, the exterior of air-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours, and the water side of water-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours. Periodic cleaning of coolers brings the following benefits:
Maintain the unit operating at an ideal temperature (below 95°C), which benefits equipment performance and service life.
Dirt can be removed by cleaning solutions. Otherwise, thick dirt will lead to complicated cleaning work; the cooler has to be disassembled and cleaned by mechanical means.
Cleaning Procedures for the Cooling Medium Side of Coolers
Air-Cooled Coolers
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Open the access cover of the air guide hood or remove the cooling fan.
Blow off contaminants with compressed air in reverse flow direction and clear debris out of the air guide hood. Spray degreaser before blowing if heavily contaminated. If this method fails to achieve satisfactory cleaning, disassemble the cooler, soak or spray it with cleaning solution, and scrub with a brush (steel wire brushes are prohibited).
Reinstall the access cover or cooling fan.
Water-Cooled Coolers
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Disconnect the cooling water inlet and outlet pipelines.
Inject cleaning solution for soaking or circulate the solution with a pump (backflushing delivers better results).
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Reconnect the cooling water inlet and outlet pipelines.
If heavy scaling occurs on the oil cooler and the above cleaning method cannot achieve satisfactory results, remove the oil cooler separately, open the end covers on both ends, and remove scale with special steel brushes or other tools.
If cleaning the medium side of the cooler fails to effectively reduce the operating temperature, the oil side needs to be cleaned as follows:
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Disconnect the oil inlet and outlet pipelines.
Inject cleaning solution for soaking or circulate the solution with a pump (backflushing delivers better results).
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Dry with dry compressed air or remove residual water with dehydrating oil.
Reconnect the oil inlet and outlet pipelines.
Coolers shall be cleaned periodically according to ambient conditions to ensure the compressor operates at normal temperature and prolong service life. The compressor discharge temperature will rise when the cooler is fouled and blocked. Generally, the exterior of air-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours, and the water side of water-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours. Periodic cleaning of coolers brings the following benefits:
Maintain the unit operating at an ideal temperature (below 95°C), which benefits equipment performance and service life.
Dirt can be removed by cleaning solutions. Otherwise, thick dirt will lead to complicated cleaning work; the cooler has to be disassembled and cleaned by mechanical means.
Intercoolers are installed between all compression stages of air compressors to reduce power consumption and ensure reliable operation. Inside intercoolers, gas is cooled by cooling water via convective heat transfer. If an intercooler leaks, the gas passage communicates with the cooling water passage, and the leakage direction depends on the pressure difference between gas and cooling water.
For the intercooler after the first compression stage, cooling water pressure is normally higher than gas pressure. If leakage occurs in the first-stage intercooler, cooling water will enter the gas side, moisture will be mixed in the compressed gas, and the water drained from the first-stage oil-water separator will increase significantly.
For the second-stage and subsequent intercoolers, cooling water pressure is normally lower than gas pressure. If leakage occurs, compressed gas will leak into cooling water, and a large number of bubbles can be observed escaping from the cooling water collection tank.
Therefore, intercooler leakage of air compressors can be judged according to the above two phenomena.
Maintain the unit operating at an ideal temperature (below 95°C), which benefits equipment performance and service life.
Dirt can be removed by cleaning solutions. Otherwise, thick dirt will lead to complicated cleaning work; the cooler has to be disassembled and cleaned by mechanical means.
Cleaning Procedures for the Cooling Medium Side of Coolers
Air-Cooled Coolers
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Open the access cover of the air guide hood or remove the cooling fan.
Blow off contaminants with compressed air in reverse flow direction and clear debris out of the air guide hood. Spray degreaser before blowing if heavily contaminated. If this method fails to achieve satisfactory cleaning, disassemble the cooler, soak or spray it with cleaning solution, and scrub with a brush (steel wire brushes are prohibited).
Reinstall the access cover or cooling fan.
Water-Cooled Coolers
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Disconnect the cooling water inlet and outlet pipelines.
Inject cleaning solution for soaking or circulate the solution with a pump (backflushing delivers better results).
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Reconnect the cooling water inlet and outlet pipelines.
If heavy scaling occurs on the oil cooler and the above cleaning method cannot achieve satisfactory results, remove the oil cooler separately, open the end covers on both ends, and remove scale with special steel brushes or other tools.
If cleaning the medium side of the cooler fails to effectively reduce the operating temperature, the oil side needs to be cleaned as follows:
Shut down the unit, confirm all pressure has been released, and switch off the main power supply.
Disconnect the oil inlet and outlet pipelines.
Inject cleaning solution for soaking or circulate the solution with a pump (backflushing delivers better results).
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Dry with dry compressed air or remove residual water with dehydrating oil.
Reconnect the oil inlet and outlet pipelines.
Coolers shall be cleaned periodically according to ambient conditions to ensure the compressor operates at normal temperature and prolong service life. The compressor discharge temperature will rise when the cooler is fouled and blocked. Generally, the exterior of air-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours, and the water side of water-cooled coolers shall be cleaned every 1,500 operating hours. Periodic cleaning of coolers brings the following benefits:
Maintain the unit operating at an ideal temperature (below 95°C), which benefits equipment performance and service life.
Dirt can be removed by cleaning solutions. Otherwise, thick dirt will lead to complicated cleaning work; the cooler has to be disassembled and cleaned by mechanical means.
Intercoolers are installed between all compression stages of air compressors to reduce power consumption and ensure reliable operation. Inside intercoolers, gas is cooled by cooling water via convective heat transfer. If an intercooler leaks, the gas passage communicates with the cooling water passage, and the leakage direction depends on the pressure difference between gas and cooling water.
For the intercooler after the first compression stage, cooling water pressure is normally higher than gas pressure. If leakage occurs in the first-stage intercooler, cooling water will enter the gas side, moisture will be mixed in the compressed gas, and the water drained from the first-stage oil-water separator will increase significantly.
For the second-stage and subsequent intercoolers, cooling water pressure is normally lower than gas pressure. If leakage occurs, compressed gas will leak into cooling water, and a large number of bubbles can be observed escaping from the cooling water collection tank.
Therefore, intercooler leakage of air compressors can be judged according to the above two phenomena.
