Centrifugal chiller compressor maintenance keeps your critical plant up and running and your customers happy. The work can be scheduled to be carried out during factory shutdown, so as not to disrupt your production. We can also carry out this work to your compressors while the factory is in production. This is achieved by isolating the compressor that needs to be worked on when it is in an off cycle. The compressors on remaining machines can carry on running.
Tasks during Centrifugal Chiller Compressor Maintenance
Here are some of the tasks that we carry out…
Oil Changes
The oil becomes dirty over time by picking up contaminants that have formed in the system. Two of these contaminants are…
Acid
Compressor discharge is the hottest part of the refrigerant cycle. Acid can be formed from the refrigerant in this part of the system.
Refrigerant Types
A popular refrigerant for centrifs is R134a. Because it consists only of one kind of refrigerant, it does not fractionalise into different component refrigerants. This would be no good for a flooded system because one or more of the refrigerants would end up in the bottom of the evaporator and condenser. The remaining refrigerant would circulate and the whole plant would not function as it should. Refrigerants popular for other kinds of system are zeotropic HFC refrigerants. This means that the different component refrigerants have different boiling points- R407c is a good example.
Metal
White metal from the compressor and copper from the heat exchangers end up in the oil. They will eventually be caught by the system oil filters…
Oil Filter Change
After completing the above, now is a good time to change the filter as the compressor is valved off and has been broken into. It is also when an oil sample is taken depending on the schedule…
Oil Samples during Centrifugal Chiller Compressor Maintenance
Our oil samples are transported using our specialist kits which include the bottles and labels. This saves mix ups in our laboratory during the analysis.
Leak Rectification
The drawback of carrying out the above are leaks because the pressure has been pumped out of the compressor into another part of the system. The ‘o’ rings and shaft seal can now leak, this kind of failure can be rectified whilst still on site by the knowledge of our engineers.
0161 237 3727
service@maximuschillers.com
Oil Pre Lubrication
When the compressor starts, the oil pressure is built up first using an oil pump. This is so the internal components such as the high and low speed shaft are properly oiled before they start to rotate. They can run at 10,000 RPM and are very expensive to replace. Therefore, we check the oil pressure gauges and the system controls to ensure optimum ‘pre lubing’ of your compressors.
Volumetric Efficiency
The ratio between the volume actually compressed and the theoretical volume derived from compressor design calculations. This kind of compressor has a lower volumetric efficiency than positive displacement compressors. It is because the refrigerant is compressed off the tip of the rotating impellor or impellors. The refrigerant moves outwards in a circular path due to centrifugal force. A centrif more than makes up for this lower volumetric efficiency by the high mass and volume of the refrigerant that it circulates around the system.
Design
The refrigerant is sucked from the evaporator into the centre of the impellor which is a disc of radial blades positioned to direct the refrigerant outwards. Due to the low differential of pressure, multiple stages of impellors are often arranged in series with the discharge being directed onto the suction of the next impellor. This is simple in design with less moving parts than some other compressor types. Modern centrifs can have magnetic, levitating bearings and so remove the need for oil in the system altogether. The faster the speed, the better the efficiency- so high speed rotation of the impellor is achieved at full load. The compressed refrigerant is discharged into the condenser.
0161 237 3727
service@maximuschillers.com
Electric Drive Centrifugal Chiller Compressor Maintenance
Most modern centrifs are driven by variable speed drives. This is for efficiency as the load can be exactly matched. Another reason for this is to soft start the compressor. 415v and 3.3kv are popular volt inputs, although other voltages can be made available by the onsite transformer.
Open
An open drive electric motor is the most popular design. It has the drawback, however, of needing a shaft seal which needs to be replaced at periodic intervals. This shaft seal is also prone to leaking refrigerant and oil.
Semi Hermetic
The photo is of a semi hermetic design of this compressor type. The motor is contained inside the suction housing and so has the benefit of being cooled by the refrigerant. No shaft seal is needed and therefore it has none of the associated maintenance drawbacks.
Steam Drive Centrifugal Chiller Compressor Maintenance
On oil rigs there can be an abundant supply of steam that can be used to drive the compressor. It is often used on multi stage compressors which are used for the liquefaction of natural gas. The steam goes through a turbine which is connected to a shaft- this drives the impellors. The steam flow and pressure can be tested and adjusted during the visit.
Woops Something Went Wrong
When you suffer a centrifugal compressor failure- don’t worry. You are in safe hands with the team here at Maximus Chillers. We have a team who can get the compressor out and lift it to the workshop on site, or transport it to our Head Office. We have another team who are experts in the remanufacturing of this kind of compressor. A fast supply chain is in place for delivery of the internal moving parts, gaskets and bearings. We are so confident that you will be happy with us- we offer a 12 month warranty on all of our compressor rebuilds.
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