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LECTURE
SUB - OBJECTIVE
At the end of this lesson the trainee will be able to:
Replace burned-out compressor types, and Causes of a burnout.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Compressor burnout is the breakdown of insulation on motor windings. This causes
the motor to short out and fail. There are two types of burnout. There is a separate
cleanup procedure for each. If the system is not cleaned properly it will burn out
again.
2.0 TYPES OF BURNOUT
The two types of burnout are:
2.1 Mild In a mild burnout the motor stops before contaminants produced by the
burnout leave the compressor, as shown in FIG. 1.1 An example of a mild burnout is
when a small part of the winding is burned, as shown in FIG. 1.3.
2.2 Severe In a severe burnout the contaminants are pumped through the system
before the motor stops, as shown in FIG. 1.2. In this type of burnout, a large part of
the winding is burned, as shown in FIG. 1.4.
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Moisture is one of the chief contaminants It is present in all systems and is the most
common cause of corrosion, with all its various complications and subsequent
chemical reactions So all reasonable precautions should be taken to keep the
moisture level in the system as low as possible Moisture in a refrigeration system
often is caused by condensation from moist air which has entered the system;
charging the 'system with wet refrigerant or poor grades of refrigerant oil; moisture on
internal parts; or leaks in the low pressure side or water cooled condensers Moisture
also can be created within the system by chemical reactions Air, with its free oxygen,
may oxidize the oil and combine with the liberated hydrogen in the oil to form water
Excessive moisture also may result from the breakdown of insulation in hermetic
compressors. Improper evacuation can result in an excessive volume of air remaining
in the system this will tend to increase head pressures and, consequently, head
temperatures the increase in head temperature will tend to cause other
chemical,"actions to take place within the system.
3.2 Soldering and Brazing Flux
The very function of a flux makes it harmful if it enters a refrigeration system Most of
the compound, used to form either soldering or brazing fluxes are potential
troublemaker,
Soldering flux facilitates the wetting of a metal or molten solder One of functions of
bra2ing flux is its ability to dissolve all oxides and to provide and maintain a clean
metal joint surface After cleaning, the flux must protect the joint surface from air
contamination and further
Oxide formations throughout the initial preheating period to a temperature at which
the flux becomes chemically active
Even though fluxes may be listed as non-acid base, there is, no guarantee that they
will not help to produce acid" or deteriorate on heating when mixed with various other
components of a refrigeration 'system.
3.3 Iron and Copper Oxide-Iron oxide
Is formed by rusting or corrosion of any ferrous, metal parts in the 'system Water, acid,
and the various metallic, Salts found in fluxes, will contribute to the formation of iron
oxide or an iron base, Salt Chemical tests, have shown that refriger ant-22, at a
temperature of 572F will decompose rapidly, in fact, as much as 85% in 24 hour, in
the presence of iron oxide as a fine powder Refrigerant-12 and R-134a also tend to
breakdown under these 'same conditions There is definite evidence that iron oxide
travels through the system, so it, should be collected at some cold location to keep it
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from reaching a hot spot, 'such as a compressor head, where it would act a, a catalyst
in furthering a reaction For all practical purpose, the rate of decomposition may be
considered to double for each 50F increase in temperature Copper oxide promotes
reaction similar to those caused by iron oxide It can be caused by air in the system,
improper, soldering or brazing technique" and inefficient cleaning of component parts
Copper oxide is probably most troublesome when it circulate, through the system,
causing plugging at various location If flux gets into the system it may eventually
dislodge any copper oxide deposits and cause this, contaminant to move through the
system.
3.4 Oil and Hydrocarbon Sludges
Low quality oil, should not be used in a refrigeration 'system Using a good grade of
refrigeration oil will decrease the amount of water that may enter the system and keep
the oil from breaking down into hydrocarbon sludge Heat, water, refrigerant and acid
all will help break down the oil into sludge When oxygen combines with oil it starts
generating water and sludge The dark residue created when the oxygen removes the
hydrogen from the carbon atom is essentially pure carbon Since it usually is
impossible to oxidize oil completely, various, side reactions take place and result in
the formation of acids Most refrigeration grade oils have a flock point low enough so
that formation of wax is no major problem Even with a good grade of oil, however, it
still is possible for the refrigerant to dewax it further and deposit this wax at some cold
spot in the system. Oil which is, too highly refined will hold up exceptionally well for a,
short period of time, but once it, Starts to break down it degenerate, rapidly Alcohol
and Alcohol Base Solutions-The use of anhydrous, alcohol was, formerly considered a
good method to prevent water freeze-up, in 'system" despite the fact that anhydrous,
alcohol has a marked corrosive effect in the presence of water With the increased use
of new types of insulation in hermetic windings, it has been found that alcohol has
serious, embrittlement effect on these new material, It is, therefore, very important to
avoid the use of alcohol or alcohol-base compound, in a refrigeration system.
3.5
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3.6
Acetic Acid
When any cellulose-base insulation materials in a system break down, acetic acid is
formed This, is particularly true in hermetic compressor," where the refrigerant is in
direct contact with the winding, The presence of this, acid accelerate, formation of
various, gums and sludge.
3.7
A mild burnout
is caused by defects or damage in the winding insulation. Winding insulation is a thin
layer of varnish on the windings. A spot where the varnish is too thin can cause a
short, especially in the end turns. Each time the motor starts, the locked rotor inrush
current flexes the winding end turns. This flexing wears off the varnish and eventually
causes a short. This happens sooner if the compressor is allowed to short cycle.
Scratches or nicks in the varnish can also cause a mild burnout. A motor winding can
be nicked when the motor is installed in the compressor. This damage may not be
serious enough to prevent the motor from passing the factory start-up test. However,
when the compressor is put into operation, it may fail.
Severe burnouts are caused by a combination of:
1. High motor winding temperatures.
2. Motor protection system failure to shut down the motor before it overheats.
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The motor protection system includes all the safety devices in the electrical circuit
(such as overcurrent protection) and switches that sense high and low pressure, oil
pressure, and temperature.
Wait until the unit is running again to check safety devices for proper operation. When
it is back in operation check current, pressure, and temperature to ensure they do not
exceed trip limits. Once it is determined why the protection system failed and the
problem is corrected, the next step is to determine why the motor windings
overheated. To do this, you must also wait until the system is back in operation.
Overheating starts in the refrigeration or electrical systems.
In the refrigeration system causes include:
1. Poor installation procedures which allow moisture and air to get into the system.
This causes insulation to break down.
2. High head or low suction pressure, or a combination of the two. This increases the
compression ratio and the current draw of the compressor.
In the electrical system causes include:
1. High or low voltage.
2. Short cycling on controls or safety devices. This causes a buildup of heat because
the heat from the previous start has not been removed.
Another problem causing overheating involves both the refrigeration and electrical
systems. It is called a flooded start. This happens when the compressor starts with
liquid refrigerant in the crankcase. See FIG. 1.5. If there is enough liquid refrigerant in
the crank case it will get into the compressor motor. There the liquid reduces
resistance between the motor windings and the compressor shell or casting. If a
winding leaks current through a nick or thin spot in the varnish, the refrigerant may
cause the current to arc to the shell. This causes a direct short to ground. It can also
cause a short between windings or a turn to-turn short. Flooding can also occur if a
crankcase heater is not working or the compressor is not equipped with one.
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3. Make sure the refrigerant has been removed before opening the system, as shown
in FIG. 1.9.
4. Cut the refrigerant piping with a tube cutter, as shown in FIG. 1.10. Do not unsweat
it because the oil in the piping might ignite.
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To check for a burnout, measure the resistance of the compressor motor windings and
the resistance to ground. Do this at the control box. Do not measure the resistance at
the terminals on a compressor. See FIG. 1.11. If there has been a burnout the
terminals could be loose. If you remove the wires from loose terminals the refrigerant
pressure could cause a terminal to "blow out." The refrigerant and oil mixture can be
discharged, causing severe burns. To determine where to disconnect the wires and
place the meter probes, refer to the unit wiring diagram. Do not forget to check the
condition of the wires back to the compressor. If there is a broken wire, for example,
the meter will show an open circuit, causing you to think the winding is bad.
On three-phase compressors the resistance of each winding should be the same.
To determine the exact resistance refer to the manufacturer's specifications.
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Remove the entire refrigerant charge before cleaning the system. If there is no carbon
in the head, and the motor checked out bad, it could still be either a mild or a severe
burnout. To determine the type of burnout, check the acid content of the oil with an
acid test kit. See FIG. 1.13. Refer to the instructions in the kit for complete details.
To check out the type of burnout in a hermetic compressor, cut the discharge line and
check for carbon. Lack of carbon does not mean it is a mild burnout. You must check
the oil for acidity to determine the severity of burnout. However, whether it is mild or
severe burnout, the refrigerant can be reused.
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4. Transfer the necessary components from the old compressor to the new one on
systems with semi-hermetics. These include the crankcase heater and unloaders.
5. Add an angle valve to the crankcase, as shown in FIG. 1.15. This allows you to take
an oil sample for an acid test.
6. Triple evacuates the system. To reduce the time of evacuation, hoses should be as
short and as large in diameter as possible. The first two times the system is
evacuated it should be pulled down to 5,000 microns, or 29.72 inches of mercury.
Then each vacuum should be broken with the same type of refrigerant used in the
system.
The third evacuation should be a deep vacuum of 500 microns, or 29.90 inches. A
vacuum gauge, as shown in FIG. 1.16, is more accurate than a suction pressure
gauge. Break the deep vacuum by recharging the system.
7. Operate the system for two hours.
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8. Take an oil sample through the angle valve and check the acid content. This is an
added precaution to ensure contaminants were not pumped out of the compressor
during the burnout.
6.2 CLEANUP PROCEDURE FOR A SEVERE BURNOUT
Any burnout in a hermetic system should be treated as severe. This is because the oil
cannot be changed without opening the system again, which is time consuming. The
following cleanup procedure is for a severe burnout.
1. Remove the refrigerant charge, compressor, and liquid line filter drier (if there is
one).
2. Flush the piping with clean refrigerant Flush it in the direction opposite the normal
refrigerant flow, as shown in FIG. 1.17. The refrigerant should be the same as the one
used in the system.
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FIG 1.17 FLASH THE SYSTEM OPPOSITE THE NORMAL REFRIGERATION FLOW
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11. Operate the unit for two more hours. Check the complete system to determine
the cause of the burnout. Correct any problems.
12. Change the liquid line filter-drier after checking the unit. The suction line
filter-drier must be removed from the system and replaced with tubing. If it is an
hermetic compressor system the cleanup is complete.
13. For semi-hermetic compressors take an oil sample and check the acid content.
See FIG. 1.20. If there is no acid, the cleanup procedure is complete. If it tests
acidic, change the oil.
14. Operate the unit for one or two more hours and check the oil again.
Note: Operating the system is the most thorough method of cleanup, when done
properly. It allows the refrigerant and oil to circulate and pick up contaminants.
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