Atlas copco GA5 oil leaking from intake during loading (a lot!)
Hi there,
Got a problem with an old GA5. After about 1 minute after compressor running in loading mode oil starts to leak out from the air intake. Looking in to air intake (i have air filter housing off), i can see oil level raising while compressor is loading until oil reaches intake valve hole, and then starts leaking out. it is a lot - i get probably 50ml or so in five minutes of compressor running. Oil looks quite foamy when leaking out, i use shell corena. I also noticed, that when compressor switches to unloading before the shutdown, it pumps air out from the air intake.
I thought maybe oil separator element is blocked, but tried to run compressor with it removed today, and still have same problem.
Any help would be appreciated!
Jaras
1 Answer
Hi Jaras,
I'm not sure what is happening here... it could just be excessive foaming? But that would normally not happen. Did you change oil brands recently? I know it can happen if you mix two types of compressor oil that are not compatible. And I've seen strange oil problems once on a chemical plant where chemicals in the air reacted with the oil.
Maybe there's a blockage at the screw element outlet? How is the outlet pressure and flow? Normal?
Thanks,
Cas
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