AIR COMPRESSORS

1
AT SEA
 Air Compressor produces pressurized air by decreasing the volume of
air and in turn increasing its pressure. Different types of air compressors
are used according to the usage.

2 Types of Air Compressors

There are mainly four types of compressors:
1)Centrifugal compressor
2)Rotary vane compressor
3)Rotary screw compressor
4)Reciprocating air compressor
However, on ship reciprocating air compressor is widely used.

Uses of Air Compressor on Ship

On board a ship, compressed air is used for several purposes. On the
basis of application, different air compressors are kept for a particular
usage. Normally, air compressors on board ships are:
-main air compressor
-topping up compressor
-deck air compressor
-Emergency air compressor
-Main air compressor
 Common problems
One must also know all important checks that are required to be made
before operating the compressor. As a marine engineer working on
ships, you should be able to understand and troubleshoot some of the
common problems associated with the marine air compressor.

1. Compressor Capacity is Low:

3 This is one of the most common problems seen on all types of ships.
Often, compressor capacity can go low or reduced if it is running for
long time and eventually it is unable to cope up with the air demand.
Main reasons for this problem are:
 Leakage in discharge and suction valves
 Fault or leakage in the unloader
 Leakage from relief valve
 Increase in bumping clearance
 Wrong setting of compressor auto cut-in and cut-out (too close)

2. Oil Carry Over in Air:

 If the compressed air in the system is carrying oil, would be mainly
because of the following reasons :
 Oil separator is not working correctly hence oil is being carried to the air
receiver
 The cylinder lubrication is adjusted at high quantity, leading to
carry over of oil with air
 The auto drain is malfunctioning

3. Excessive Vibration and Noise:

If the compressor is generating too much of noise and vibration, it can
be because of the following reasons:
 Loose pulley, flywheel, belt, belt guard, cooler, clamps or accessories
 Lack of oil in the crankcase
 Piston hitting the valve plate i.e reduced bumping clearance
 Compressor holding down bolts are loose
 Compressor foundation chocks worn out

4. Overheating of Discharged Air

4

If the temperature of the discharged compressed air is high, it can be

because of overheating caused as a result of the following reasons:
 Chocked or dirty intercooler tube
 Cooling water pump capacity decreased or insufficient
 The atmosphere at air suction of compressor is hot
 No forced ventilation for fresh air near compressor
 Damage in the head gasket
 Chocked air suction filter
 Valves of 1st or 2nd stage leaking

5.Milky Oil in the Crankcase

 If there is a accumulation of milky colored oil in the crankcase, it can be
because of the following reasons:
 Water leakage from cylinder liner
 Water leakage form jacket
 Oil running hour is over
These are some of the most common problems that are found in
continuously running air compressors on board ships.

5
 Maintenance
Every Air compressor on a ship is fitted with several safety features to
avoid abnormal and dangerous operational errors of the equipment. If
safety, alarms and trips are not present on the air compressor, abnormal
operation may lead to breakdown of the compressor and may also injure
a person working on or around it.
Maintenance
A compressor requires a proper planned routine maintenance for safe
and efficient operation and to avoid breakdown maintenance. Routine
for maintenance depends on the manufacturer’s advice given in the
manual. The following are the maintenance checks that should be carried
out after the mentioned running hours.

250hrs:
1) Clean air filter.
2) Check un-loader operation.
3) If belt is provided for driving cooling water pump, check its tightness.
6
500hrs:
1) Change lube oil and clean sump.
2) Clean lube oil filter.
3) Check and renew suction and discharge valves with overhauled one.

1000 hrs:
1) Crankcase inspection, main and big end bearing inspection.
2) Relief valve overhauling.

4000 hrs:
1) Piston and big end bearing overhauling, piston ring renewal.
2) Intercooler cleaning.
3) Motor overhauling.

Running hour may differ from maker to maker. The above description is
a rough idea for a general maintenance of marine air compressor.
Without the supply of air, a ship will soon be termed as a dead ship. It is
very important for a marine engineer to understand the importance of the
compressor; hence it’s the responsibility of the engineer onboard to
 maintain the compressor, the air receiver and the air pipe line and the
overall system in the proper condition.

7
 Procedures
Certain steps and systematic procedure need to be followed in order to
start or stop an air compressor on a ship. In this article, we will learn
how to start and stop an air compressor and also find out checks that are
need to be made before starting the air compressor and also during its
operation.

Checks before Starting the Air Compressor

The following steps are to be followed before starting an air compressor
on a ship.
1) Check the lube oil in the crankcase sump by means of dipstick or
sight glass.
2) All the valves of compressor discharge must be in normally open
condition.
3) If any manual valve is present in un-loader line, it must always be
kept open.
4) All alarms and trips- Lube oil low pressure, water high temperature,
over load trip etc. must be checked for operation.
8 5) All valves in cooling water line must be in normally open position.
6) Cocks for all the pressure gauges must be in open position.
7) Air intake filter should be clean.
8 ) If compressor has not been started from long time than it should be
turned on manually with a tommy-bar to check for the free movement of
its parts.

Starting and Stopping procedure: What is Unloading the

compressor?
Unloading is a normal procedure during the starting and stopping of the
compressor. It is carried out due to following reasons:
1) When starting a compressor motor, since the load on the motor is very
high the starting current is also high. In order to avoid further loading of
 the compressor an un-loader arrangement is provided which is normally
pneumatic or solenoid control and which releases the pressure during the
starting of the compressor. Once the current comes down to the running
value, the un-loader closes automatically. Normally a timer function is
used for opening and closing of un-loader.
2) Air contains moisture and during the compression process some
amount of moisture gets released. Liquid in any form is incompressible
and if some amount of oily water mixture is present inside the cylinder
then it will damage the compressor. To overcome this problem un-loader
is used. During starting un-loader comes in action and releases all the
moisture accumulated inside the cylinder.
3) Intermediate operation of un-loader is also selected so that during the
process of compression any moisture or oil accumulation cannot take
place inside it.
4) During stopping the compressor un-loader is operated so that for the
next starting the cylinder will remain moisture free.

Checks during the Operation of Compressor:

1) Check if all the pressure gauges are showing correct readings of lube
9 oil pressure, water pressure etc.
2) Check for any abnormal sound like knocking etc.
3) Check for any lube oil or water leakages.
4) If cylinder lubrication is provided, check the supply from sight glass.
5) Check if the discharge pressure for all units is normal.
6) Check air temperature after the final stage is under limit.
7) Check the flow of cooling water from sight glass.
8 ) If attached cooling water pump is provided check for its free rotation.
9) Check the relief valve of all units for leakage. In some compressor,
provision is given to check the relief valve with hand lever, if provided
check all units.
 Troubles

Compressor is peculiar equipment which tends to get some or the other

problem while working.

10

1)Lube Oil Pressure Low

The following can be the reasons for lube oil pressure low in the air
compressor:
 Faulty pressure gauge.
 Cock to pressure gauge in closed position.
 Low oil level in the sump.
 Leakage in supply pipe.
 Suction filter is choked.
  Oil grade in the crank case is not compatible.
 Attached Lube oil gear pump is faulty.
 Worn out Bearing, clearance is more.

Abnormal noise during operation

If you get any abnormal noise during operation, the following can be the
reasons:
11  Loose foundation bolts.
 Worn out bearings, clearance is high.
 Imbalance crankshaft resulting in high-end play.
 Valve plate broken or faulty.
 Relief valve lifting below setting pressure.
 Bumping clearance is less.
 Piston worn-out, broken piston ring.

Vibration in the machinery:

In case of vibrations, the following reasons are to be considered and
checked.
 Foundation bolts are loose.
 Discharge pressure high, faulty discharge valve plates.
 Liner and piston worn out.
 Small bumping clearance.

Cooling water temperature is high

Cooling water temperature can go high because of the following
reasons:
 Inlet or outlet valve for cooling water is closed.
 Inter-cooler is chocked.
  Cooling water in the expansion tank is low.
 Pipe passage becomes narrow due to scale formation.
 Water-pump belt or gear drive broken.
 Pump not working.

First stage discharge pressure high

In case the first stage discharge pressure is high, it must be because of :
 Pressure gauge is faulty.
 Inter-cooler air passage is chocked.
 Second stage suction valve is not closing properly, allowing air to
escape from 2nd to 1st stage.
 Discharge valve of first stage is malfunctioning, and remains in closed
position.
 Spring of discharge valve is malfunctioning.

First stage discharge pressure low

In case the first stage discharge pressure is low, it must be because of :
12  Pressure gauge is faulty.
 Suction filter is choked.
 Unloader of first stage is leaking.
 First stage suction valve is not closing properly, resulting in compressed
air leakage.
 First stage suction valve is not opening fully, leading to less intake of
air.
 Discharge valve is faulty and remains open permanently.
 Relief valve after first stage is leaking.
 Piston ring of first stage is badly worn out, allowing air to pass.

Second stage discharge pressure high:

In case of high discharge pressure in the second stage, the reasons can
be:
 Faulty pressure gauge.
 Discharge valve to air bottle is shut.
 Second stage discharge valve plate worn out, and even the spring worn
out.
 Valve is stuck in closed position.
 After cooler air passage choked.
 Air bottle is over pressurized.
 
Second stage discharge pressure low:
When second stage discharge pressure is low, it could be because of:
 Pressure gauge is faulty.
 Suction valve for second stage is malfunctioning, in open position.
 Suction valve for second stage is not opening fully, and thus less intake
of air.
 Discharge valve is faulty and remains open during operation.
 Piston rings of second stage are worn out, leaking out compressed air.
 Relief valve of second stage is leaking.
 Un-loader of second stage is leaking.

Relief valve of first stage lifting

If relief valve of the first stage is lifting, it can be because of
 Spring of relief valve is malfunctioning, thus lifting at less pressure.
 Discharge valve of first stage is not opening.
 Intercooler air passage is blocked.
Suction valve of second stage is in stuck position.
13 
 Water inside the compression chamber due to crack in the jacket and
water is leaking inside.

Relief valve of second stage is lifting
If relief valve of the second stage is lifting, look for the following
reasons:
 Relief valve is malfunctioning, lifting at lower then setting pressure.
 Main discharge valve to the air bottle is closed.
 Discharge valve plates and spring are worn out, valve in closed position.
 Blockage in the after cooler air passage.
 Water inside the compression chamber due to crack jacket.