Two common mistakes that often occur when using air compressors

1. The oil scraper ring was wrongly installed

In the repair of single-acting air compressors, repairers often fail to pay attention to the assembly direction of the oil scraper ring, thus causing misinstallation: most of these air compressors are lubricated by splash lubrication, but the amount of oil splashed on the working surface of the cylinder is difficult to control. If too much lubricating oil enters the cylinder, and the flash point of the upper and middle lubricating oil is low, it not only increases the consumption of lubricating oil, but also is prone to form carbon deposits at the exhaust valve, channel and ring groove, etc., affecting the normal operation of the equipment. If too much lubricating oil enters the air system and cannot be discharged in time, when the mixed gas of air and oil vapor reaches a certain concentration ratio, it may cause over-combustion and explosion. Therefore, the assembly direction of the oil scraper ring must be correct; otherwise, it will not function as it should. Meanwhile, in order to ensure that the scraped oil can flow smoothly back to the crankcase and not accumulate in the cylinder, corresponding oil return holes are opened on the piston at the lower part of the oil scraper ring, allowing the lubricating oil to return to the crankcase together.

2. The wrong lubricating oil was selected

The lubricating oil used for the air compressor cylinder adopts the SYB1216-60S standard, and the grades of compressor oil are HS-13 and HS-19. From the perspective of viscosity, HS-19 lubricating oil is generally used in summer and HS-13 lubricating oil in winter. However, some operators do not pay attention to the selection of cylinder lubricating oil, believing that as long as there is lubricating oil in summer or winter, it will be fine. If HS-13 lubricating oil is selected in summer, due to the high ambient temperature and the relatively high temperature of the air compressor cylinder, the viscosity of the lubricating oil will decrease. On the one hand, this is not conducive to lubrication and is prone to causing the piston rings to scratch the surface of the cylinder. On the other hand, it is not conducive to the sealing of the cylinder, is prone to air leakage and increases energy consumption. Similarly, if HS-19 lubricating oil is used in winter, its viscosity is too high. Although it is beneficial for sealing, it increases the movement resistance of the piston rings of the air compressor and the resistance of the gas flowing through the valve channel, thereby increasing the energy consumption of the compressor.

Therefore, the cylinder lubricating oil must be replaced in a timely manner according to the change of seasons.