why does a compressor have high intercooler temperature?

Question

This is the first time I am trying the Yahoo. Ans. To clarify.

I have an Oil free compressor (Atlas Copco-ZT55) and service personal mentioned that the intercooler temp is high 220oC. I want to know what causes the intercooler to have high temperatures.

Answer 1

*high intercooler temperature=high temperature of shell skin of shell and tube type intercooler?
*high intercooler temperature=high temperature of air/gas?
*high intercooler temperature=high temperature of cooling media?

*If the heat exchanger is not taken care of periodically,then choking of the tube may retard the heat transfer causing rise in temperature,
*Further, inside baffles are corroded then the purpose of giving more surface area will not be fulfillled.
*If there is a shell side choking , then heat transfer will be affected.
*Cooling media, if it is cooling water , then it is possible that it is more than the required one due to in-efficient cooling tower.
*If intercooler is multi-pass and pass partion ribs are damaged or partition plate of channel/waterbox/dome are corroded , then also recirculation will occur and heat transfer will be affected.
*Compressors are jacketed one :If jacket cooling is improper then it will adds to temperature in the inter-cooler.
*If compressor valves are male-functioning, then also temperature of compressed gas will be affected and so on to the inter-cooler.
*Check for the tube-leakage.
*check the flow of cooling media is suffice or not.

Answer 2

I suppose you are referring to the gas temperature leaving the intercooler.
How do you know the temperature is "to high" ?
May I add to some of the other answers - is this something that has happened gradually or suddenly ? For instance, has the unit just been put back on-line after maintenence ? Were the mechanics familiar with the compressor, or were these new people ? Was it inspected ?
Is this a new installation, operating for the first time ? If so do you have start-up service in the purchase contract ?

Answer 3

High intercooler temps are usually due to fouled tubes on the water side which reduces coolant water flow, or reduced coolant water flow due to a change in the cooling water system.
If nothing else in the system has changed, i.e. compressor rpm, inlet gas temp and pressure, cooling water system, etc., I would shut it down and pull the heads on the cooler and check the tubes.

Answer 4

Several possibilities:
1. Low Coolant Flow. (restricted flow. low source pressures)
2. Blockage of the cooling coil in the inter cooler.
3. Oily buildup by carry over on the coils.
To give you more possibilities I need more data.

Answer 5

It requires energy to do the compressor work and hot air is harder to compress. Cold air needs less less work to get the same result. So, the more heat removed before compression the more efficient the turbine.

Answer 6

compressor the light pressure to hight pressure gas

Answer 7

Because compressing a gas causes its temperature to rise.
PV = nRT (Ideal Gas Law)

HTH

Doug