Tag: maintenance

Air Compressors: Maintenance and Optimization

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

In one of my previous jobs, I was responsible for the operation of the facility, and one of my biggest jobs was the operation of our air compressor.  Like with many industries, the compressor system is the lifeblood of the company.  If the compressor fails, the whole facility will stop.  In this blog, I will share some maintenance items and schedules for air compressors.

Because the cost to make compressed air is expensive, the compressed air system is considered to be a fourth utility.  With such an important investment, you would like to keep it operating as long and efficiently as possible.  To do this, it is recommended to get your air compressor a “checkup” every so often.  I will cover some important items to check.  Depending on the size and type, some items may or may not apply.  But please, always check with the manufacturer of your air compressor.

Intake filter: The intake filter is used to clean the air that is being drawn into the air compressor.  Better filtration results in less debris getting into your system.  Particles can damage the air pump mechanisms over time as well as plug filters and heat exchangers downstream.  If they are not properly monitored and cleaned, the air flow can be restricted.  This will cause the compressor motor to operate harder and hotter.

Compressor Oil: This would be for flooded screws and reciprocating compressors that use oil to lubricate the bearings and sleeves in the air pump.  Most systems have an oil sight to verify levels.  The oil can also be checked for acidity, which will tell the degree at which the oil is breaking down.  Just like the motor oil in your car, you will have to replace it after so many hours of operation.

Belts & couplings: These items transmit the power from the motor to the air pump.  Check their alignment, condition, and tension (belts only) as specified by the manufacturer.  You should have spares on hand in case of any failures.

Electric Motors: A mechanical device that turns electric energy into rotational energy.  It is the main component that uses a lot of energy to make compressed air.  So, some checks are required to foresee any potential issues and major shutdowns.  For the windings inside, the resistance should be measured with a multi-meter, and it should fall within the motor’s specifications.  Another check should be on the start capacitor.  The start capacitor stores energy to give the motor a powerful boost to get it turning.  One other item is the centrifugal switch.  Just like the name states, it will disconnect the start capacitor when the motor starts spinning.  One other item for large electric motors is the phase converter.  These are typically capacitors, and they are designed to keep the direction of three-phase motors going in the correct rotation.  Both types of capacitors can be checked with a multi-meter.

Air/Oil Separators: This filter removes as much oil from the compressed air before it travels downstream.  It returns the oil back to the sump of the air compressor.  If the Air/Oil Separator builds too much pressure drop, excess oil can travel downstream.  Not only will the air pump lose the required oil level, but it will affect the performance of downstream parts like air dryers and after-coolers.  Also, the pressure drop is a waste and can rob your air system of workable energy. 

Internal filters: Many air compressors will come with an attached refrigerated air dryer.   With this type of air compressor, they will place coalescing filters to remove any residual oil.  These filters should be checked for pressure drop.  If the pressure drop gets too high, then it will rob your compressed air system of pressure, and you will not get the required performance.  Some filters come with a pressure drop indicator which can help you to determine the time to change the element.   

Unloader valve: When the air compressor unloads, this valve helps to remove any of the compressed air that is trapped in the cavity.  When the air compressor restarts, it does not have to “work” against this air pressure.  If they do not fully unload, the air compressor will have to work harder to start, wasting energy.

Preventative maintenance is very important.  As for a schedule, I created a rough sequence to check, change, or clean certain items that are important to your air compressor.  You should also check with your local compressor representative for a more detailed maintenance schedule.

Daily:

  • After stopping, remove any condensate from the receiver tank.
  • Check the oil level.

Monthly:

  • Inspect the cooling fins on the air pumps.  Clean if necessary
  • Inspect the oil cooler. Clean if necessary

Quarterly:

  • Inspect the inlet air filter.  Clean or replace if necessary.
  • Check the belt for tension and cracks.  Tighten or replace.
  • Check differential pressure indicators on outlet compressed air filters.
  • Ohm check on the electric motor

Yearly:

  • Replace Air Inlet Filter
  • Replace the air-oil separator
  • Test safety valves and un-loader valve
  • Replace compressed air filters
  • Change oil
  • Grease bearings if required

Keeping your air compressor running optimally is very important for pneumatic operations.  But there is much more than an air compressor in your system.  To help, there are steps that can be used on the demand side.  EXAIR created a Webinar – “Optimizing Your Compressed Air System In 6 Simple Steps”.  With this combination, you can keep a healthy compressed air system.  You can always contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR to see how much money can be saved by energy reduction, safety, and monitoring.  

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Image courtesy of Compressor1 – Creative commons license

Erratic Performance And Simple Solutions

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

If that’s not a vague title that would get you to click on the blog, then I’m not sure what is. The image definitely adds some context to what this may be about. Nearly one year ago I wrote a blog about tailored cooling solutions and industrial controls. It’s a fairly simple process that doesn’t require a lot of time and often results in some improved performance for electrical enclosures running cooler. Well, one of the keys to understanding how to do this is the basics of air movement and always starting at the top.

The 2017 Honda Pioneer 1000. Sitting nose in to the closest light we had before, we replaced batteries so we could easily see where to hook up the jumper pack.

This past weekend I took two of my daughters and one of their friends to some other friend’s property near Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. If you have a property like this with equipment like side by side or boat that isn’t used frequently, then you understand how easy it is for equipment to start acting up for no apparent reason. Even if you run a machine shop or company with excellent preventative maintenance, you know that sometimes, stuff happens and machines go offline. This past weekend, we had three of three machines go offline at the property. After some troubleshooting and repairs, we had 3 for three back up and running. The fun part for me is always the troubleshooting and discovery.

The first was the boat. I didn’t get any repair photos. It is a 150 HP out-drive motor that had fuel issues. We traced it to a fueling problem and after fresh fuel, fuel filter, new spark plug, swapping coils between locations, and swapping fuel injectors, we determined there must’ve been a clog in the fuel rail as it cleared up and ran great. That’s when the rain hit. So then we went on to the side by side. This beautiful machine right here was going into limp mode anytime you reached wide open throttle. One of two batteries was fairly weak and required jump-starting, so we started there, then it still did it. When working on the batteries, we did find a nice little mouse nest in the air pre-cleaner. That box has about a 2″ I.D. tube that runs from the front of the vehicle to just behind the front seats where the motor and air filter/box sit. After the battery didn’t solve the issue, we moved to the next basic issue; air and fuel. It had plenty of fresh fuel, so we started with air. When we removed the air filter, we found an entire 44 gallon trash bag that had essentially been vacuum formed into the air filter. We had two guesses. One was the mice, the other was that someone who previously owned it must’ve sat it in that 2″ tube when they were working on the vehicle to prevent anything from falling down it and over time it worked its way back to fully block the filter. Once that was removed, the machine ran tremendously better with no issues. So a simple lack of air movement took this performance machine to its knees.

The culprit… The 44 gallon bag was formed to the pleats of the air filter. Still in usable condition, needless to say, it went into the permanent trash container far away from the air intake.

That’s a lot like an air-to-air heat Exchanger with a filter that hasn’t been changed in a machine or production area full of floating air debris. I’ve seen spindle drives on CNC machines that had heat dissipation fins where you couldn’t see the fins, just a brick of oily soaked chips. This will cause drive failure in no time, just like the side by side, Lack of appropriate air movement took the machine offline and no fun was had.

If you want to look at a solution with no moving parts and that is extremely reliable, much like the fact we left the hood open, so the mice don’t feel so secure in that pre-filter area, contact an Application Engineer today to let us help you size your Cabinet Cooler System. Even if you want to use these as a fail-safe for your equipment.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS
National Business Development Manager

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Basic System Maintenance

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Maintenance is something that can have two different forms; preventative and reactive. At home, I try to ensure I perform preventative maintenance on my major appliances. For instance, I clean the coils on my A/C condensing coils at least once a year, if not twice. I change the intake air filter on the air handler once a month because it is a 1″ thick filter, which is the manufacturer’s recommendation. When it comes to our aging vehicle fleet of two, I do a combination of preventative maintenance such as tire rotations, fluid checks and changes, as well as reactive maintenance such as thermostat replacements and sensor changes when they go bad.

Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Mechanical Technician
1 – Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Mechanical Technician

Regarding industrial facilities, the same kind of maintenance can be found. I have worked in facilities where the only type of maintenance that is done is in fact reactive. You know the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That is legit how some of these facilities I have been through function. In fact, they will take parts off a broken production line that they are waiting on the parts for and put on another machine when it breaks down just to keep something going. The inventory of replacement parts was non-existent on-site and would cause downturns due to mechanical failures often. This has resulted in low up-time scores, which also sends production costs through the roof because they are trying to make up for downed lines by running overtime and increasing speeds on the lines that aren’t down.

While preventative maintenance can seem like it is costly and troublesome because it can take a machine out of production, I assure you it is still cheaper and easier than having that emergency maintenance call that comes after hours on a Friday. This is one of the main reasons we talk about installing point-of-use filters on systems that require clean compressed air. If you start to see more than a 5 psig drop across a filter, then you should look at replacing the filter element to ensure optimal performance like the video below showcases for model 9004. Should something like a main dryer fail, these point-of-use filters will help to collect any bypass or remnants in the system from just such a failure of up-stream equipment.

If you would like to discuss other preventative maintenance steps, like monitoring the usage of a system to see leakage when it starts, or how to clean and maintain your EXAIR products, contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS
National Business Development Manager

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

1 -PEO ACWA, 1/14/2019, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Mechanical Technician, retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/acwa/39775534373/in/photostream/

Any Machine Is A Smoke Machine If You Operate It Wrong Enough

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

While most folks think this old adage applies only to personnel not being familiar with the OPERATION of machinery, it’s also a reminder that ‘operating it right’ necessarily includes keeping up with regularly scheduled preventive maintenance. This includes pretty much anything with moving parts and components in a system that fluids might flow through. But today, I’m going to focus on certain parts of a typical industrial compressed air system. Failing to change oil in an industrial air compressor, for example, will “let the smoke out” just as fast (and sometimes faster) than anything a day-to-day operator can do to it.

The folks at Compressed Air Challenge are dedicated to (and this is right from their website) “helping you enjoy the benefits of improved performance of your compressed air system.” Their “Best Practices For Compressed Air Systems” stresses the importance of:

  • Proper maintenance as a means to ensure operational efficiencies and systems reliability.
  • Continuous checks for preventive maintenance items.
  • Implementing a detailed system maintenance program, including schedules of required maintenance, and records of its performance.

And that’s just from the introduction. It goes on to list the major components that should be included in this program: the compressor, heat exchanger surfaces, lubricant, lubricant filter, air inlet filter, motors, belts, and air/oil separators. The steps for properly maintaining these components range from standard housekeeping practices, to mechanical operations that are typically performed by trained operators, to services that might be best handled by qualified manufacturer’s representatives:

  • Cleaning: The air compressor itself, and any heat transfer surfaces, have to be kept clean & free of contaminants. Moving parts generate heat, and dirt, scale, corrosion, etc. are essentially insulation that’ll prevent that heat from being dissipated.
  • Lubrication: It’s critical to service the lubricant & any lubricant filtration per the manufacturer’s specifications. Again – not doing this is one of the best ways to “let the smoke out” of any machine.
  • Power transmission components: Regular inspection, including alignment checks, of belts & couplings is probably the 2nd best way (next to lubrication maintenance) of keeping the moving parts of the air compressor, and its drive, in good working order.
  • Intake filter: An air compressor will try to compress anything that’s drawn in with its air intake. If it pulls in particulate, that can damage internal surfaces, especially moving parts with tight tolerances to each other, like pistons & cylinders, scrolls & casings, rotary screws & chambers, impellers & volutes, etc., depending on the type of compressor. Plus, anything that makes its way into your compressed air header will also have a chance to foul up your pneumatic tools & devices, and get on anything that you use compressed air to blow off.
  • Motors & drives: Simply put, if you can’t turn the shaft of the compressor, it won’t compress any air. Periodic checks of electric motor windings, bearings, ‘soft start’ capacitors, phase converters, etc., are among the basic maintenance items that operators can inspect.

In addition to the compressor itself, the air distribution system should be properly maintained as well:

  • Filtration: The intake filter is there primarily to protect the compressor. Many times, the aforementioned tight tolerances between the moving parts in the air end will result in (hopefully) small amounts of particulate being carried over into the compressor discharge. There’s usually a main particulate filter, along with a dryer (for entrained moisture – the intake filter won’t do anything about that either), and possibly even a coalescing filter for oil & oil vapor. Good engineering practice calls for servicing those filters when the differential pressure across them reaches a certain value (5psid is a common one), but those elements, being relatively inexpensive, can also be replaced during regularly scheduled downtime as well.
  • Leak detection & repair: Leaks make the compressor run harder, so any reduction in the amount of compressed air leakage will, by definition, reduce the wear & tear on the compressor. EXAIR makes it easy to find them with the Ultrasonic Leak Detector.
  • Filtration Part 2: Don’t forget about contaminants that can enter the system downstream of the compressor, too. Iron pipe headers are subject to internal corrosion, which can result in rust particulate. Environmental pollution can enter if flanges or fittings are broken & made up during maintenance. Point of use filtration, like EXAIR Automatic Drain Filter Separators, can keep this debris (and any moisture that’s not removed by the compressor’s dryer) out of your pneumatic tools & products.
EXAIR has a number of Accessories and Optimization Products to help you get the most out of your compressed air system.

Compressed air is expensive enough without throwing in a bunch of easily preventable repair costs. Schedule time for maintenance, or it’ll schedule the time for you…and it may even send you a ‘smoke signal’ when it’s ready. If you’ve got questions about getting the most out of your compressed air system, we’ve got answers.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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