Oil clean-up

[mdeshaies]

I have a system with 4 Frick 600 series NH3 compressors (good size system) which regularly pukes lubrication oil into the system recirculators. Frick says we can re-use the oil, but it is opaque and looks quite contaminated. Is there any system out there that can clean up this oil before returning it to the system? We have tried 1 micron bag filters and a Kleentek unit with little luck. The compressors have 5 micron filters on them which do little to clean up this oil

[nh3wizard]

US Petrolon has an oil filtering system that has worked well for us, but we have just been filtering the oil while in the compressor, we sample before and after and the results have been great..

Here is their web site http://www.uspetrolon.com

I would be curious on how well it cleans the oil from an oil pot

[US Iceman]

My question is; what is your definition of clean?

Filters only remove debris and solid particles based on the micron and beta rating of the filter element. To my knowledge, if the oil color has substantially changed this does not have anything to do with debris.

More than likely the color change is due to oil breakdown or contamination of some sort. An oil analysis report should be able to tell you exactly if the oil batch is OK for reuse.

You might want to heat up a small sample of the oil and see if anything cooks off from the oil.

PS. BTW, welcome to the RE forums. What part of the country are you located in?

[Ponca Dave]

In the last 30 years I have concluded that new oil is cheaper than a compressor

[nh3wizard]

In the last 30 years I have concluded that new oil is cheaper than a compressor

Really Thanks for your point of view

[TXiceman]

Like suggested, start with an oil sample from the compressors as well as the recirculators.

If the compressor oil is clean and the recirculator is dirty or contaminated, you shoudl probably dump the oil rather than put it back into the compressors.

You need to find out why the compressor are "regularly" puking oil to the recirculators. Are you getting an up set and liquid hitting the compressors...like during a defrost cycle? Also, if you discharge pressure take a sudden nose dive, you can loose large quanities of oil.

The oil should not be dark and smell off. If it is much beyond a medium amber, it is probably contaminated.

Ken