Excessive oil consumption in oil-injected screw compressors is a common but serious operating issue. When lubricating oil is not effectively separated from compressed air, oil carryover increases, leading to contaminated air, equipment damage, and higher operating costs.
In most applications, the allowable oil content of compressed air should not exceed 3 ppm. When this limit is exceeded, the condition is usually referred to as high oil consumption or oil carryover.
This article explains the main causes of high oil consumption in screw compressors, their risks, and the corresponding treatment methods.
The main causes and hazards of compressor oil fault are as follows:
Oil separator blockage is one of the most common causes of high oil consumption in oil-injected screw compressors. When the oil separator is blocked, it will cause excessive current of the air compressor motor. It is also possible that the oil separator will be deformed due to excessive pressure, and the engine will lock up if the motor is overloaded seriously. In addition, excessive current will shorten the service life of the contractor or cause major accidents due to contact burning. Generally, the screw air compressor has a pressure gauge in front of the filter element. In practice, when the pressure difference reaches 0.08 MPa, the oil separator element should be replaced immediately.
When the oil separation element is damaged, the air compressor will consume a lot of oil, and there will be a lot of oil in the air tank and pipeline. In serious cases, the air compressor oil will be discharged directly when the air tank blowdown valve is discharged.
When the oil separator element is damaged, oil separation efficiency drops sharply, allowing lubricating oil to enter the air system. The main causes of this fault are:
(1) The oil separator element was not replaced on time;
(2) The oil separation element with poor quality is selected;
(3) The installation process did not follow the procedures, such as inserting the oil core when installing the oil return pipe.
The burning of the oil separator element is not common in the operation of the air compressor, but it also happens occasionally. The main performance is that the oil separator filter screen is partially or completely carbonized, and even the oil separator element metal shell is burned. This type of failure poses a serious safety risk and should be addressed immediately to prevent further damage or fire hazards.
The main reasons for such failures are:
(1) The quality of air compressor oil is poor;
(2) The quality of the oil separator element is too poor;
(3) When installing the oil separator element, there is no reliable connection between the oil separator shell and the oil separator barrel, which cannot be grounded. When there is static electricity, the oil mist will be ignited and the oil separator element will be burned.
Poor oil separation performance usually results in excessive oil content in compressed air, even when no obvious component damage is visible.The main performance is that the oil content of compressed air is too large, causing damage to post-treatment equipment and user equipment.
The main reasons for this failure are:
(1) The quality of the oil separator element is too poor;
(2) The installation did not follow the procedures.
High oil consumption in screw compressors is closely related to oil separator condition, oil quality, and installation practices. Regular inspection, timely replacement of separator elements, and the use of qualified components are essential to keeping oil content within acceptable limits and ensuring reliable compressor operation.
Reading Extension:
Screw Compressor High Oil Consumption Reasons and Treatment (Part 2)
© ELANG All Rightes Reserved
