Common Failure Analysis（1）

Common Failure Analysis（1）

Screw air compressors in daily use will appear in a variety of faults. Some faults are directly manifested in the air oil separator, such as high oil content in the exhaust, the pressure gap of the air oil separator being too large, air oil separator burst, air oil separator burning, or other reasons. To solve these problems, we must find out the cause of the machine failure. The use of poor-quality air oil separators is one of the causes of these phenomena. In practice, we found that the quality of the air oil separator does not cause many failures. Here, other common causes of loss are briefly explained:

(1) High exhaust oil content. 

High exhaust oil content usually refers to the engine exhaust containing excessive oil resulting from mechanical failure, fuel system problems, or improper engine operation. The following are possible causes of high exhaust oil content:

     1. Inadequate design or selection of air-oil separator tank.

    2. Excessive refueling or high oil temperature.

    3. Large gas consumption, overloaded low-pressure use, or reduced pressure use.

    4. The oil return system is blocked.

    5. Return oil check valve is damaged.

    6. Inadequate installation of the oil return pipe.

    7. Minimum pressure valve failure.

    8. The use of unqualified oil.

    9. The use of mismatched oil.         

   Solving the problem of high exhaust oil content requires repair and diagnosis. The best thing to do is to have an experienced technician inspect the situation to understand the exact cause of the problem and take the appropriate steps to fix it. Failure to address the issue of high exhaust oil content may result in decreased power, increased fuel consumption, and environmental pollution.

(2) The pressure difference of the air oil separator is too significant.            

Excessive air oil separator differential pressure usually means that the oil filter differential pressure of the engine is often high, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, some of which may include:

              1. A faulty oil and gas differential pressure sensor or a damaged and inaccurate gauge.

    2. Poor environment around the air compressor and many pollutants in the air.

    3. Poor quality of the air filter, oil filter, or oil.

    4. Long time without oil replacement, dirty oil.

    5. Poor sealing on the pipe between the air filter element and the air inlet.

    6. The machine running temperature is low, water vapor can not be discharged in time, and too much water vapor leads to increased resistance of the air oil     separator.

    7. The air oil separator shelved for too long filter material moisture.

    8. The use of mismatched oil core or poor quality oil filter.

    9. Oil filter clogging: oil filter clogging is one of the most common reasons. When the filter element in the oil filter is clogged or blocked, it will limit the flow of oil, resulting in higher differential pressure in the air oil separator.

     10. High oil temperature: If the initial oil temperature is too high, the oil's viscosity may increase, resulting in the oil filter being more likely to clog.

    11. Oil pump problems: the oil pump may have problems, resulting in unstable oil flow, which increases the differential pressure of the oil filter.

    12. Engine problems: specific engine problems, such as piston ring wear, piston ring damage, or abnormal piston ring gap, may lead to more oil into the combustion chamber, increasing the burden on the oil filter.

   Solving the problem of excessive differential pressure in the air oil separator requires replacing or replacing the oil filter, as well as addressing the root cause of the problem. Suppose the air oil separator differential pressure persists. In that case, it may result in damage to the motherboard or reduced performance, so it should be dealt with promptly. The best action is to consult a professional service technician for proper diagnosis and repair.