Procedure

1 choose suitable equipments

What is maintenance and why is it performed? Past and current maintenance

practices in both the private and government sectors would imply that
maintenance is the actions associated with equipment repair after it is broken.
The dictionary defines maintenance as follows: the work of keeping something in
proper condition; upkeep. This would imply that maintenance should be actions
taken to prevent a device or component from failing or to repair normal
equipment degradation experienced with the operation of the device to keep it in
proper working order. Unfortunately, data obtained in many studies over the past
decade indicates that most private and government facilities do not expend the
necessary resources to maintain equipment in proper working order. Rather, they
wait for equipment failure to occur and then take whatever actions are necessary
to repair or replace the equipment. Nothing lasts forever and all equipment has
associated with it some predefined life expectancy or operational life. For
example, equipment may be designed to operate at full design load for 5,000
hours and may be designed to go through 15,000 start and stop cycles.

The need for maintenance is predicated on actual or impending failure ideally,

maintenance is performed to keep equipment and systems running efficiently for
at least design life of the component(s). As such, the practical operation of a
component is time-based function. If one were to graph the failure rate a
component population versus time, it is likely the graph would take the bathtub
shape shown in Figure 5.1.1. In the figure the Y axis represents the failure rate
and the X axis is time. From its shape, the curve can be divided into three
distinct: infant mortality, useful life, and wear-out periods.
Where is Compressed Air Used?
Compressed air powers many different kinds of devices. It can be used to push a
piston, as in a jackhammer; it can go througha small air turbine to turn a shaft, as
in a dental drill; or it can beexpanded through a nozzle to produce a high-speed
jet, as in apaint sprayer.
Compressed air provides torque and rotation power for pneumatic tools, such as
drills, brushes, nut runners, riveting guns and screwdrivers. Such tools are
generally powered by some form of rotary air motor such as the vane or lobe
type or by an air turbine.Equally common are devices producing lateral motion
and direct force, either steady or intermittent. Common examples are clamps,
presses and automatic feeds. Air pressure can also beused to accelerate a mass,
which then exerts an impact upon an anvil, as in paving breakers and pile drivers.
Common applications in industrial plants and on construction sites are air-
powered nail guns, staplers, torque wrenches, screwdrivers, paint spraying and
conveying of material. In paint
spraying and in air conveying, the dynamic pressure of the air imparts motion.
2. Illustrat the suitable step during maintaining process

Maintenance requirements for reciprocating compressors are a combination of

preventative
maintenance of the motion work and major components and essential predictive
maintenance
based on measured performance such as valve temperatures, rod drop, vibration.
Valves, rod seals, bearings can be accessed by removal of local covers. Removal /
maintenance of seals and bearings requires lifting equipment to support and position
motion
work as required. The pistons and rod are normally removed as an assembly by
unscrewing the
cross-head nut. Only then can the rod seal, and the piston rings, be inspected and
changed.
Reciprocating compressors are thus relatively maintenance-intensive, reducing the
availability
compared to screw compressors.

Internal Corrosion
Compressors which have been out of service for some time, particularly if left open to the
weather, can suffer major corrosion damage. Hence standby machines should be
regularly be
brought into service for a minimum of 24 hours, and machines which are out of service
should
ideally be sprayed inside with a light coating of lubricating oil, protected from the weather
and
purged with a small flow of dry air. Note that the compressor must be run to the Service
Air
manifold, or to atmosphere via a filter, for several hours to remove all the oil, before
going back
into instrument air service. The crankcase and cross-head areas will be reasonably well
protected by the lubricating oil, particularly if the unit is test run on a regular basis
RECIPROCATING AIR COMPRESSOR MAIN COMPONENTS
Reciprocating air compressors are similar to process gas compressors, see
Section 4.4.6, but
are somewhat simpler. Specifically :-
Piston rod seals are simpler as only air is vented.
There is only a simple distance piece to carry the rod seal & oil seal.
The crankcase atmosphere is air.
"Dry" compressors use carbon/ PTFE seal rings, piston rings and piston rider
bands, so
there is no cylinder lubrication system and no oil drains.
There is no recycle valve, instead excess air is vented (via a silencer).
Unloader control is common, using mechanical devices to force open selected
inlet valves.
Intercooler and lubrication system tend to be integral to the compressor.
ANCILLARIES
Lubrication System
The lubrication system of a dry reciprocating compressor is fully self-contained and
should not
come into significant contact with the compressed air. Hence the oil should stay clean and
can
be sampled and checked for contamination e.g. from damaged bearings. An oil pump,
filter and
oil cooler are normally fitted, to supply clean cool oil to the bearings and crosshead. The
main
oil pump is often shaft driven, for simplicity. A small motor driven pre-lubrication pump
may be
fitted. Loss of oil pressure must trip the compressor.

Cooling System
A water-based cooling system is expected to cool the circulating jacket water against sea
water.
The sea water will be supplied from a utility manifold and returned to open drain. A pump
will be
required to circulate the jacket water. This pump should be interlocked to the main motor
starter.
An air cooling system will require a plentiful supply of clean air from a safe location, this
will
normally be the same as the air supply for the compressor air intake. A ventilation fan will
be
included in the compressor package, but additional fan(s) may be required if the air inlet
and
outlet are restricted by ducts.