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The Electronic Newsletter of The Industrial Refrigeration Consortium

Vol. 14 No. 3, 2014

OIL MANAGEMENT – DO’S AND DON’TS

Oil management is one area of major difference between ammonia refrigeration systems and those systems using
fluorochemical refrigerants like R22. The refrigerant-oil solubility in fluorochemical refrigerant systems means that
both refrigerant and oil will circulate throughout the system. In these systems, provisions must be made in the design
and operation to ensure oil returned to the compressors for lubrication. In contrast, the oils generally used in
ammonia refrigeration systems have quite low solubility with the refrigerant. This means that any oil migrating
outside of the compressor package will tend to settle out in the system – accumulating in low points and usually
requiring manual removal.

In this edition of The Cold Front, we discuss both design and operating practices to effectively manage oil in

IRC Staff
Director
Doug Reindl 608/265-3010
or 608/262-6381
dreindl@wisc.edu In This Issue
Assistant Director • Standards Update 1-13
Todd Jekel 608/265-3008
tbjekel@wisc.edu • Upcoming Ammonia Classes 2
Research Staff • Noteworthy 2
Dan Dettmers 608/262-8221
djdettme@wisc.edu

John Davis
jgdavis@epd.engr.wisc.edu

IRC Contact Information Mailing Address

Toll-free 1-866-635-4721 1513 University Avenue
Phone 608/262-8220 Suite 3184
FAX 608/262-6209 Madison, WI 53706
e-mail info@irc.wisc.edu Web Address www.irc.wisc.edu
 Vol. 14 No. 3, 2014

built-up industrial ammonia refrigeration systems. We

review where and why oil is needed in ammonia systems as Upcoming Ammonia
well as why we strive to prevent its migration from the Courses
compressor package itself to other parts of the system.
Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration
System design practices intended to enable safe oil Systems
management are presented along with maintenance October 8-10, 2014 Madison, WI

practices aimed at ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable Principles and Practices of Mechanical
Integrity for Ammonia Refrigeration
ongoing system operation.
Systems
November 5-7, 2014 Madison, WI

Introduction Intermediate Ammonia Refrigeration

Oil is a critical element needed to support the efficient and Systems
December 3-5, 2014 Madison, WI
reliable operation of the positive displacement compressors
used in industrial ammonia refrigeration systems. In the Process Safety Management Audits for
Compliance and Continuous Safety
case of screw compressors, oil is used as a lubricant for Improvement
bearings and it is injected into the compressor as a dynamic January 12-14, 2015 Madison, WI
sealant to fill the tight clearances between the meshing Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration
rotors and the enclosing housing that envelops the rotor Systems
March 4-6, 2015 Madison, WI
tips. As a dynamic sealant, oil helps minimize internal
leakage of the refrigerant vapor being compressed; thereby, Ammonia Refrigeration System Safety
April 13-15, 2015 Madison, WI
preserving high volumetric efficiency during the compression
Design of NH3 Refrigeration Systems
process. Oil is also used as a hydraulic fluid for actuating the
for Peak Performance and Efficiency
movement of slide valves, slide stops or other hydraulically- September 14-18, 2015 Madison, WI
actuated control devices on the compressor package. In Process Hazard Analysis for Ammonia
reciprocating compressors, oil is used to lubricate the Refrigeration Systems
September 23-25, 2015 Madison, WI
pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft. Like screw
compressors, oil can also be used as a hydraulic fluid to
actuate cylinder unloaders. Although the vast majority of oil

Noteworthy
Noteworthy
•• Visit
Sendthe IRC of
items website to next
note for access presentations
newsletter made Jekel
to Todd , tbjekel@wisc.edu.
at the 2011 IRC Research
and Technology Forum.
• Mark your calendars now for the 2012 IRC Research and Technology
Forum – May 2-3, 2012 at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI.
• Send items of note for next newsletter to Todd Jekel, tbjekel@wisc.edu.

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 Vol. 14 No. 3, 2014

in an industrial refrigeration system is used for compressors, it is also used as a lubricant in some other
subsystems such as bearings in open-drive liquid refrigerant pumps.

Because the volume flow rate of oil through screw compressor packages is relatively high, a specialty device
called an “oil separator” is used to remove oil from the compressor discharge gas stream. Most oil separators
use three principles for removing oil from the discharge gas: impingement separation, gravity separation &
filtration using coalescing elements. We go to great lengths to retain oil in compressors to avoid two (2) very
undesirable consequences when it escapes out to the refrigeration system. First, the loss of oil from a
compressor package will diminish the reservoir of oil available for continued use as a lubricant within the
compressor package. Second, the “lost” oil from the compressor package will migrate to other parts of the
refrigeration system to become a contaminant. Compared to a refrigerant such as ammonia, oil is an extremely
poor heat transfer fluid and any oil accumulation within heat exchangers will result in a marked loss of heat
transfer capability.

Figure 1 shows an illustration of a screw compressor package with its oil separator. The oil separator is a
large vessel that receives the discharge gas exiting the compressor. When the oil-laden discharge gas enters
the separator, the gas-oil stream is directed toward the vessel’s head. The momentum of larger oil droplets
causes them to impinge on the head where they are removed by impaction. The larger cross-section area of
the oil separator dramatically decreases the gas velocity and as the gas moves laterally through the separator,

Compressor
Motor
Discharge
vapor

Compressor discharge Oil Separator

Oil

1st Stage Oil Separation 2nd Stage Oil Separation

Figure 1: Typical screw compressor oil separator.

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intermediate size oil droplets simply fall to the bottom of the vessel by gravity. The very small droplets of oil
continue to be carried along by the refrigerant vapor flow where they proceed to flow through a second stage
of separation. In this stage, the refrigerant vapor-oil stream is forced through a series of “coalescing filter”
elements. The coalescing filters increase the surface area available to intercept the smaller misty droplets of
oil. Ideally what leaves the oil separator is high pressure ammonia vapor that is free of oil. Because no oil
separator is 100% effective, a small amount of oil will leave the oil separator and migrate out to the system.
The goal is to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, “oil carryover” from the oil separator.

The two (2) biggest factors that can lead to excessive oil carryover are (1) increased gas velocity through the oil
separator (both during steady operation and transient conditions) and (2) compromised function of the
coalescing filters. The velocity of gas through the oil separator is dependent on the mass flow rate of
refrigerant (capacity) through the compressor and the density of discharge gas. If the gas velocity through the
oil separator is higher than planned for in the original design, an increase in oil carry-over will occur. The
following are examples of changes that increase the refrigerant gas velocity through the oil separator:

• Operating with suction pressures higher than the limits identified in the original design
o Increasing suction pressure significantly increases compressor capacity and increase
compressor capacity results in higher mass flow rate and thus higher gas velocity
• Operating with discharge pressures lower than the limits identified in the original design
o Decreasing discharge pressure also increases compressor capacity but the capacity increase is
minor. The bigger effect is the decreased gas density in the oil separator causing increased gas
velocity.
• Operating with an excessive refrigerant flow rate for liquid-injection oil cooling (increases mass flow
rate in oil separator)
• Running the compressor at a higher shaft speed than the original design (i.e. increasing the capacity of
the compressor)

Table 1 below illustrates how changes in the discharge pressure and suction pressure impact the volume
flow rate of gas through the compressor’s oil separator. Because the cross-sectional area of the oil separator is
constant, the changes in volume flow translate directly to changes in the gas velocity. Higher velocity means
lower separation effectiveness. As the high-side pressure decreases from the design condition of 166 psig to
115 psig, the velocity of discharge gas through the oil separator at full-load condition will increase by 41%.
Approximately 5% of that increased gas velocity is attributable to the compressor’s increase in mass flow rate –
the majority of the increased gas velocity is due to the decrease in gas density at the lower discharge pressure.

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Table 1: Effect of changes in suction and discharge conditions on thermosiphon oil cooled compressor
performance.

Psuction Tsuction Pdischarge Tdischarge Capacity Mass flow Volume flow Volume flow
(psig) (°F) (psig) (°F) (tons) (lb/min) (CFM) (% change)
166 180 390.5 165.4 344.4 Baseline
25 11.7
115 172 412.1 166.8 485.4 +41%
30 17 115 167.2 463.7 187 538.6 +56%

In addition to the above-mentioned conditions, there are short-term transients that often cause excessive oil
carry-over. The most common condition is a rapid decrease in the compressor’s discharge pressure. When a
rapid drop in discharge pressure occurs, the density of refrigerant gas in the oil separator decreases which
results in a proportional increase in gas velocity. The increased gas velocity degrades the oil separator’s ability
to remove oil from the refrigerant and increased oil carryover results. Rapid decreases in discharge pressure on
the high-side can be caused by poor condenser capacity control during cool weather conditions (e.g. cycling
water pumps on and off for head pressure control) and high instantaneous hot gas demands for defrost (too
many evaporators simultaneously calling for hot gas or defrosting large evaporators without a soft-gas step that
gradually allows the pressure to build in the evaporator reducing the rapid in-rush of gas at the start of the
defrost cycle).

Apart from the above-mentioned operating conditions that can cause

increased oil carryover, there is also are also maintenance issues that can
enable oil carryover. Consider the second stage coalescing filters
themselves. Generally, a multiplicity of these filter elements, similar to the
one shown in Figure 2, are needed for the second stage oil separation.
If the filters themselves are not properly seated and sealed, discharge gas
can bypass the filter media and increased oil carryover results.

The intent of the discussion regarding oil separation thus far is to increase
your awareness of common factors that cause increased oil carryover. The
key is to avoid known conditions that can increase oil carryover and when
Figure 2: Coalescing filter element.
oil carryover is suspected take immediate steps to address the causes.
Preventing oil migration out of the compressor will minimize the adverse effects it can have on low-side
performance as well as the need to deal with oil that has left the compressor packages.

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Oil Management
We have already discussed the purpose of oil and the goal of preventing oil from leaving the compressor
package. How then do we deal with or manage oil that does manage to escape the compressor package(s) and
migrate out to other parts of the system? For the vast majority of industrial ammonia refrigeration systems, oil
management on the low-side of the system involves installing points in the system where it is intentionally
allowed to accumulate and then monitoring those points so the oil can be manually removed on an as-needed
basis. The subsystem designed to collect the oil is called an “oil pot.”

IIAR 2 includes the following requirements relating to oil management:

14.2 Oil Removal

Provisions shall be made for removing oil from piping and equipment where oil is likely to collect.
…
14.2.3 Oil removal shall be accomplished by one or more of the following:

a. A rigid piped oil return system.

b. A vessel equipped with an oil drain valve in series with either a self-closing or manual quick-
closing emergency stop valve connected to the oil drain point, a vent line, a vent line isolation
valve, and an approved pressure relief device.

c. Piping which provides capability for isolation and refrigerant removal to another portion of
the system.

d. An oil drain valve in series with a self-closing or manual quick-closing emergency stop valve.
When draining to atmosphere, rigid piping routing the oil 2 to 4 ft [0.6 to 1.2 m] away from and
within sight of the valves shall be provided. Use of temporarily attached rigid piping and
emergency stop valves is permitted.

e. Any other suitably engineered system.

The “rigid piped oil return system” option identified in 14.2.3(a) typically consists of a central oil accumulator
vessel located in a machinery room (or outdoors) and a dedicated piping system designed to convey
accumulated oil from various points out in the system to a central “oil accumulator” vessel where it can be
safely removed from the system and subsequently recycled. In this design, the oil return process is
accomplished by operators actuating manual valves to allow oil to flow from the various drain points to the
accumulator.

Oil Pots
The majority of plants with industrial ammonia refrigeration systems utilize the option described in 14.2.3(b)

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where the “vessel” referred to is an “oil pot.” Figure 3 shows a schematic for an oil pot installation
connected to a recirculator package. The oil pot itself is a small vessel with its supply line piped from a low
point on the recirculator. Because oil is heavier than liquid ammonia, it will tend to collect in the low points of
a system. In this case, oil that finds its way into the recirculator will collect at the bottom of the vessel. With
the liquid refrigerant supply pipe to the pump physically stubbed higher into the bottom of the pressure vessel,
a small volume to collect oil in the main vessel is created. The liquid supply line to the oil pot is then connected
so that any accumulated oil along with liquid refrigerant will flow by gravity to the oil pot. Because the oil pot is
uninsulated, heat gain from the ambient environment causes the colder liquid refrigerant within the oil pot to
evaporate and return back to the pressure vessel through the oil pot’s vent line. The oil is nonvolatile at these
low temperatures and collects at the bottom of the oil pot. The intent of an oil pot is to provide a means of
isolation from the system so that oil can be safely drained.

Recirculator
Oil pot vent

Oil pot supply

Oil pot drain

Oil Pot

Figure 3: Recirculator package with oil pot.

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Figure 4 shows a more detailed schematic of the oil pot itself including its key valves. During normal
operation, the liquid drain valve (V-101) is open and liquid ammonia containing any accumulated oil flows from
the main vessel will flow to the oil pot. The liquid ammonia within the oil pot will absorb heat from the
surrounding environment and evaporate. The ammonia vapor produced during this evaporation process then
flows back to the vessel through the vent line because the vent valve (V-102) is normally open. The oil drain
valve (V-104) and the quick-close valve (V-105) are normally closed. Most oil pots have the vent pipe stubbed
down into the pot slightly. This arrangement creates a small vapor pocket in the top of the oil pot to minimize
the likelihood of liquid ammonia flowing out the relief valve (V-103) if it were to weep. Figure 5 shows a
photo of an oil pot installed on a low-temperature recirculator. The frosted portion of the oil pot’s surface is
the portion of the oil pot that contains low temperature liquid ammonia. The refrigerant vapor that collects at
the top of the pot is relatively poor at transferring heat so the rate of heat gain absorbed from ambient
environment is sufficient to prevent frost from forming on the top of the pot. The melted frost at the bottom
of the oil pot is due to the presence of collected oil. As oil continues to collect in the pot, the frost level will
progressively rise. It is desirable to drain oil prior to the pot completely filling so operators will use the
progressive disappearance of frost on the pot as a visual cue to schedule the pot for oil draining.

Valve Type Normal Position During Oil Draining

V-101 Shut-off Open Closed
V-102 Shut-off Open Closed
V-103 Safety relief Closed Closed
V-104 Shut-off Closed Manually regulating
V-105 Self-closing Closed Open

V-103
V-102 V-101

V-104
V-105

Refrigerant vapor

Refrigerant liquid

Oil

Figure 4: Oil pot details.

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Vapor ammonia

Liquid ammonia

Oil

Figure 5: Various levels shown on an actual oil pot installed on a recirculator.

Oil Draining
So it’s time to drain oil – what’s next? Prior to draining oil, the oil pot must be properly prepared prior to
executing the oil drain.

CAUTION: Read, learn, train, and follow your plant’s written operation/maintenance
procedures for oil draining on your specific process equipment!

Knowing that you will have plant-specific procedures for your oil draining, here we discuss key steps that
should be consistent with your established procedures. Let’s look at the steps involved and discuss why we
proceed in this fashion.

Referring to the valve nomenclature shown in Figure 4, the steps involved in oil draining are as follows:

1. Close liquid supply valve (V-101)

This first step is intended to prepare the oil pot for draining by ensuring the liquid ammonia is
evaporated out of the oil pot. When we close the liquid supply (V-101) to the pot while leaving the
vapor vent valve (V-102) open, we are allowing ambient heat to evaporate the residual liquid
ammonia within the pot.

2. Wait

With the liquid supply valve closed, we let a sufficient time elapse to allow the ambient heat gain an
opportunity to fully evaporate the residual liquid ammonia resident in the oil pot. The complete
melting of frost from the outside of the oil pot gives us a visual indication that the residual liquid
ammonia has evaporated and vented back to the accumulator. Usually 24 hours is sufficient to

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complete the evaporation process.

3. Gather PPE, oil receptacle, and other plant-required authorization/permits

Generally, plant procedures will prescribe the PPE operators are required to have accessible or donned
during oil draining. These may include chemical resistant gloves, apron, and safety glasses with face
shield (or full-face respirator). Some plants have developed safe work practices such as “line-break
permitting.” For these plants, oil draining likely falls within the scope and permits or other forms of
authorization would be required prior to oil draining. Once these details are addressed, the actual oil
drain process can proceed.

Figure 6: Operator with plant-required PPE donned performing an oil drain. Note the oil pot is not
frosted during the actual oil draining. Also note the second operator in the background behind the oil pot
serving as a backup.
4. Close vent line valve (V-102)

This step now fully isolates or segregates the oil pot from the system.

5. Position the drain receptacle to collect oil and carefully remove plug from oil drain line

The plug in the oil drain line is intended to prevent any spillage of oil while the pot is in its normal
service. Often there is some residual oil from the prior drain so proceed with caution and care in
removing the plug.

6. Open the self-closing “deadman” valve (V-105)

When the self-closing “deadman valve” is opened, there should not be any flow of oil from the pot

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because the oil drain shutoff valve has not yet been opened.

7. Carefully open the oil drain valve (V-104)

While manually holding the deadman valve open, the oil drain shut-off valve is now slowly opened to
initiate the flow of oil from the pot. The oil drain valve is used to manually regulate the rate of oil flow
from the pot to the receptacle - opening more to increase flow and closing more to decrease the rate of
oil flow. If there is an unexpected increase in oil flow i.e. it “spits”, the self-closing deadman valve can
be released; thereby, quickly stopping the oil drain flow. The oil flowing during the draining process
often appears brown in color and is a bit “frothy” as shown in Figure 7. As mentioned above, the
type of oils commonly used in ammonia refrigeration systems have low (but not zero) solubility with
ammonia.

Figure 7: Oil drained from pots is often chocolate in color and frothy.

As the oil level in the pot decreases, the pressure of the residual ammonia vapor in the pot will also
decrease. If the connected recirculator is operating at a pressure above atmospheric, the recirculator
can be used to build-up pressure in the oil pot. This is accomplished by closing down on the oil drain
valve (V-104) until it is just cracked open followed by releasing the self-closing deadman valve (V-105)
to fully stop the oil flow. The vent valve (V-102) can now be opened momentarily to allow vapor from
the recirculator to re-pressurize the pot. Re-close the vent-valve (V-102) and resume the oil draining by
re-opening the deadman valve (V-105) and regulating the flow with the oil drain valve (V-104).

The oil drain process is complete when the oil flow begins to be intermittent with vapor from the pot.
Carefully place the oil receptacle in a well-ventilated area to let any ammonia vapor absorbed in the oil
to off-gas.

8. Securely close the oil drain valve (V-104) while maintaining the self-closing “deadman” valve (V-105)
in the open position

The intent of maintaining the deadman valve (V-105) in the open position once the oil drain valve (V-
104) is closed is to enable any oil/vapor contained in the line between these two valves to flow out.

9. Open the vent valve (V-102)

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10. Open the liquid supply valve (V-101)

11. Carefully crack open the deadman valve (V-105) once again to verify the oil drain valve (V-104) is
properly holding. If the oil drain valve is holding, then reinstall the cap or plug in the oil drain line. If
the oil drain valve does not appear to be holding, retighten the drain valve until secured. Crack open
the deadman valve (V-105) once more to release any residual oil and then reinstall the cap or plug in
the oil drain line.

12. Log the quantity of oil drained

Once the “swelling” of the oil has gone down following the off-gassing of ammonia, determine the
volume of oil drained. The location of oil removal, the quantity of oil removed, and the date oil was
drained should be noted in an oil log in accordance with Section 6.2 of IIAR Bulletin 110. Periodically,
the quantity of oil added to the system’s compressors should be compared with the oil drained to
ensure there is not a net accumulation of oil in the system.

13. Dispose of the drained oil

The oil drained from points out in the system is not suitable for reuse in the compressors. This oil is not
only particulate-contaminated but will also contain water at concentration levels above thresholds
acceptable for the compressors. The drained oil should be properly recycled.

Do’s and Don’ts

Managing oil in an industrial ammonia refrigeration system is not rocket science but it does require planning,
care, and attention to detail – particularly during the process of draining oil.

Do:

• Check compressor oil levels in your routine daily rounds.

• When adding oil to a compressor ensure that you
o Confirm the oil being added is the correct for that particular machine
o Log the date, time, quantity of oil added, along with the unique compressor identification in
your oil log
• Troubleshoot increased compressor oil consumption immediately when it is suspected.
• Use your plant-specific procedures for oil draining. If items in this edition of the Cold Front provide
information to improve your oil draining procedures, update your procedures using your management
of change (MOC) process as required by the PSM Standard. Retrain on revised procedures.
• Adhere to your plant-required PPE and associated safe work practices
• Ensure all technicians engaged in oil management are appropriately trained
• Positively isolate oil pots from connected vessels or other equipment when draining oil to atmosphere
– do not drain oil “live.” If this cannot be accomplished, either hard-pipe the oil return system or utilize
a temporary movable vessel to receive the oil.

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• Fit your vessels or other equipment with provisions for oil draining in accordance with the
requirements of Section 14.2.3 from IIAR 2. Figure 8 shows both a high-side vessel (left) and a
low-side vessel (right) with inadequate provision for oil draining.

Figure 8: Examples of vessels without adequate provisions for oil draining.

DON’T

CAUTION: DO NOT DRAIN OIL LIVE (i.e. not isolated from system pressures)!

References
IIAR 2, “Equipment, Design, and Installation of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems”, with
Addendum B, International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, Alexandria, VA (2008).

IIAR 110, Start-up, Inspection and Maintenance of Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems”, International
Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, Alexandria, VA (2008).

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