The cold snap is upon us and the water drips into ice. How to maintain a good compressed air system in the cold season, to avoid or reduce due to low temperature on the compressor and its system caused by the adverse effects?

First, the environment temperature control

Do a good job of air compressor station indoor cold measures to maintain the station temperature above freezing, the temperature of the equipment before the start of the best more than 2 ℃; outdoor installation of piping, valves, etc., should be well protected against freezing, the conditions of the key position should be equipped with heating equipment.

Tip: low-temperature environment, pay attention to the equipment around the condensate/cooling water leakage, to avoid icing caused by the operator to slip and fall. 

Precautions for winter operation of two-stage air compressor 

 1. Start-up operation

   * The viscosity of lubricating oil increases under low temperature, which may cause a series of problems, and it is necessary to pay extra attention to the status of the lubricating system.

   *Pay attention to the ambient temperature when starting up the compressor. If the ambient temperature is lower than the minimum temperature specified in the manual, a heating device should be equipped.

   * High viscosity at low temperatures will reduce the passing ability of the oil filter, thus making the compression chamber of the micro-oil compressor in the initial stage of the start-up of the oil volume is small; it is recommended to use the original lubricating oil, it is recommended to appropriately increase the frequency of replacement of oil filters in low-temperature environments, and for long-term shutdowns after start-up of the low-temperature environment, the oil filter should be replaced.

   * Low temperature caused by the increase in condensate during operation, timely oil analysis to monitor changes in water content.

   *Micro-oil air compressors equipped with heat recovery system should cut off the oil valve connecting to the heat recovery system before starting the machine; after the compressor is loaded normally, then open the valve to switch to the heat recovery state.

   *Check whether the oil level is normal, and replenish the lubricating oil if necessary.

   *For water-cooled units, check the water cooler to ensure that the water circuit is smooth and free of leakage.

   *For centrifugal compressor, check the running current and adjust the maximum load set point if necessary to avoid the equipment running at maximum load for a long period of time, which may cause motor overload damage. 

  2. Operation after shutdown 

   *After the system is shut down from a high-temperature operating state, a large amount of condensate will be precipitated from the gas in the compression chamber, piping, and storage tank in a low-temperature environment. In order to prevent the condensate from freezing and blocking the system or even cracking the device, the condensate in the compression chamber, pipeline and storage tank should be discharged in time when the system temperature drops to the ambient temperature.

   *For water-cooled units, if there may be extremely low temperatures after shutdown, the residual cooling water in the compressor water cooler should be emptied, close the inlet and outlet water valves; if necessary, compressed air should be used to purge the emptying to avoid icing caused by the cooling pipe expansion cracks.

   * Long-term shutdown of oil-free air compressor equipment, it is recommended to start once a week.