yet another oil problem

[Loafa]

Hi all,
Got a Frick ammonia compressor, zero oil pressure, done the obvious new filtrers, cleaned strainers.
The oil at the inlet of the oil primer pump is white froth so suspect pump not picking up.
Can not having oil heaters functioning cause this, given machine only shut down a few hours or most likely water contamination fron PHE oil cooler?
appreciate your thoughts , comp had been running sweet for weeks

[Oregon Jim]

I hate to ask the most obvious question of all, but is it possible that your compressor is just low on oil?

I have an old Frick rotary booster that causes me oil problems if the oil temperature becomes too low. At low temperature the oil foams badly and will carry over into my flash cooler, leaving the compressor low on oil. I might add that it does not take operating my compressor very long at low temperature to develop this problem.

[Loafa]

Thanks mate,
plenty of oil but it appears that the heaters are not working so maybe that is causing the oil temp to be come to low, the machine seperator was cold when I went to start it so will work on that today

[US Iceman]

If the oil separator is ambient temperature when you start it up, then you probably have issues with the sump heaters.

If the oil separator is colder than ambient temperature you could have liquid refrigerant sitting in the sump. The oil sump heaters are not sized to burn off the ammonia in this case. If this happened, then you probably have issues with flood back.

[Loafa]

Thanks guys, found the problem, much easier sorting out problems during "normal" working hours instead of 12.30am when I should have been asleep!
Oil pump knackered, rotors jammed and broke the motor spline, motor was running but pump wasn't

[NH3LVR]

Sometimes it is the simplest of problems that takes the most work to find.
Stuff happens

[US Iceman]

And another important lesson to be learned...

Always check the easy things first.