HEATCRAFT Vol. 3, No. 4 January 1995 OPICS Oil Pressure Problems in Refrigeration Systems by Steve Maxson, Heatcrapt Inc. M: refigeration compressors serviced today have positive displacement oil pumps to help lubricate the internal compressor pars, Most compressors that have positive oil pumps also ave a control which senses il pressure and asafey device whenever the ol pressure falls below a certain threshold level. 1 the ction ofthe oil safety control we will discuss in this text Ol. Sarery CONTROLS There are several types of ol safey contol sets devices on the market today. The two basic con- trols we are mos familiar with are the mechan: cal differential control, and the ‘pressure sensing electronic contro’, The mechanical control uses tubing that senses the suction pressure of the compressor andthe outlet ol pressure ofthe pump. The electronic control has a special pres- sure-sensor which mounts in te outlet ofthe pump and connects only with an electrical cable, In the mechanical control, the total pressure from the pump, ess the suction pressure i de actual net oil pressure, The control used! most often o Copeland ™ compressors set to open the safety contact points afer a short ime delay whenever the net oil pressure falls below nine psig. The con- trol requires manual reset once its tripped. In the electronic contro, the pressure sensor sends signal to the control module whenever the pres- od falls below 7 - 9 psig. This signal causes the control module to open the safety con. ‘act points afer atime day. This control also requires manual reset once it has tipped, On sure se Refrigeration Products both controls, the opening of the safety contacts = breaks the electrical current in the system con: wwol circuit When the service person gets cll hat the refrigeration system is not operat- ax ing, one thing checked is whether the oil safety control has tripped. It has tripped, the fun begins when the mechanic mus figure out what caused the ol lure control to open. ‘Sometimes, the actual cause of the trip is obvious, for example when there isno oil showing in the crankcase sight glass Often, however, the cause is not noticed and is more dificult to figure out, calling for detective work to keep the refrigeration system operating A typical oil pressure safety control. Ot. PRessuRE ConrROL CHECK List ‘The following isa general listing of possible caus- sof oi lure trips. + Low compressor oil level «# The system refrigerant piping is not designed or sized properly + The sstem has not been properly adjusted and balanced. + Lack of proper “winter charge” of refrigerant (Low refrigerant) « Refrigerant migration, * The system controls have not been properly set + Electrical problems. * Compressor problems. Continued on Page 2RES |) 5 | = TT TT IT The figure below shows the importance of proper suction line design. OIL PRESSURE PROBLEMS (contnved from Page 1) a Compressor OiL LEVEL ‘What is the level of oil in the crankcase sight glass? You should be able to see the oil level in the sight glass. If you can’t see the oil level, there is cither too much oil in the compressor or not enough In most compressors the il level inthe sight glass should e between 1/4 and 1/2 sight lass, Too litle olin the compressor results in an obvious ol trp. Too much oil in the compressor can also cause oil rps, Excessive oll can cause enough turbulence inthe crankease to result in a low net oil pressure. In another twist of too much oil in the sight 1 SO as, the high level of ol may ou EXCESSIVE be caused by lig uid refrigerant in the crankcase, row The liquid refrig- cerant could be = CO mixed with the oil or collect beneath the oil on the bottom of the crankcase. In either case, the refrigerant inthe crankcase wil cause the net oil pressure to be low, Irthere is too much oil in the crankcase, the excessive oil should be TecheTopics is published quarterly by and for the employees, suppliers, distributors and friends of Heatcraft Inc. It is produced by the Corporate Public Relations Department i cooperation with other company operating groups, staffs and strategic busi 3s units. Contributing Writers: Steve Maxson, Steve Attrl Correspondence should be directed to: here are several compressor problems which can cause the ol failure control to wip. Compres- sors with oil pumps are totally dependent upon the oil pump to provide the necessary pressure to lubricate the bearings and other moving parts insidé. Ifthe oi pump itslfis defective or worn excessively there is ustal- ty no net oil pressure. On three phase equipment, the rotation of the pump can he reversed to see ifit liinates the problem. If the compressor i leaking oil pressure internally, there is usually some net ol pressure, Internal oil Jeaks can be a result of excessive wear on bearings and load surfaces wed with the crank shall, This problem is a symptom, not cause, of poor lubrication. The lubrication problem should be corrected and the ‘compressor replaced if this condition persists. Smaller horsepower compressors (without exter- nal control modules) can trip on ol failure ifthe compressor does not start when electrical power is applied o the terminals. In this situation, the compressor contactor is energized and the oil safety control thinks the compressor is operating and producing ol pressure. f the compressor problem and cannot star, the oil control will trip after the time out period of the contro. This situation can occur on three-phase equipment and on single-phase equipment, Se Cae tid Bore tng ere) assoc Oil contamination (trash or other foreign matter) can cause problem atthe pick-up tube in the compressor crankcase, A fine mesh sereen sur= rounding the pick-up tbe inthe erankease can become clogged with debris under severe condi- tions. On models with electronic ol controls, there is also a sereen in the special ol sensor of the control. Contamination can result in low net oil pressure snl an ofl falure wip. In older compressors, oi failures can oceur because of the pressurization of the crankcase Continued on Page 8 FeeOIL PRESSURE PROBLEMS (continued from rage 5) ddue to blow-by from the pistons or piston rings. This can cause the oil reuurn check-valve, located between the motor compart- ‘ment and the crankease, to close and not allow oil to return into the crankcase, When the crankcase is emptied of oi, the control trips and must be manually reset By the time the mechanic gets to the job to reset the control, the crankease has equalized, and the ol has drained from the motor compartment. Shor eyeling occurs when the compressor pumps more ol than normal Short cycting, caused by many conditions — low head pressures, low refigerant charge, improper difleentialseting ‘ofthe low pressure contro, or leaking of the liquid soleno valve — can cause the oil control to trip. Fina Say Todays refrigeration mechanic must be knowledgeable and not afraid to ask questions. To isolate the oil problem, sometimes asking the right question can uncover vita information, HEATCRAFT + Does the operation of the facility difer at night, when no one is around — or at other various tines during the work period? Can the evaporator fan motors be turned off without shutting off the compressor? Are breakers which control die evapora- tor fans turned off at night?) + Do the evaporator fan motors shut off when the fixture door is open? + How long isthe fixture door open during loading and unloading? + Does the refrigerant load change drastically over certain periods? ‘This article has briefly covered some possible causes of ol file ure in refrigeration equipment, bu certainly no all. Service per sons should alvays be alert to unique or unusual equipment problems, and to conditions causing oil failure problems. TECH-TOPICS ® Panes on rece paper