Fuller Booster Compressor

[Scott Bristol]

Rotary Vane type compressor: Are there any know reasons why fiber board blades will shatter on start up even after following SOP for start up. This particular comp, the baldes shattered even before I could open the suction valve, it also has a excellent history of Preventative maintenance.

[RANGER1]

Whats SOP ?
Can you give more details as to the lead up to this failure .

What type of blades are they asbestos or other ?

[Scott Bristol]

SOP is for (standard operating procedures). We use the booster compressors to run our freeze tunnels at my plant. And about every 24 hours we defrost these tunnels which includes shutting down these compressors. And once we start back up we use these compressors to pull the tunnel down (temp) and maintain about 0-5" of pressure in the tunnel. We use 5 of these 125 HP compressors in line. I had started one booster pump prior and had no problems and was at about 8psi when I started the second one, it cycled on and of only once and seizes up before I could open the suction valve on the compressor, it seized up due to internal damage by the rotary vanes. I Was wanting to know what might have happened to cause the fiber blades to tare apart.

[Scott Bristol]

And I dont think the blades are made of asbestos material, the are a dark brown in color and come in a oil coated box.

[RANGER1]

The old original blades would have been resin filled asbestos , which were the best .
I think they might be kevlar or similar these days .
Blades can jam in rotor slots causing failure . This could be because of swelling of blades usually due to moisture .

They also don't like liquid refrigerant at all as well as high differential pressure , max I think is 45 psi which can break blades .
Lack of lubrication and running to hot can cause cracking & splitting on trailing edge of blades .