MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT

LECTURE – 38

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT

AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING SUBJECT COORDINATOR

8th Semester VAIBHAV GUPTA

Topic Covered

 Maintenance of Air Conditioning Equipment

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 1

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MAINTENANCE OF AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENTS

1. ABSORPTION MACHINES

 The refrigeration effect is produced by maintaining a high vacuum in the evaporator section
(between 0.2 and 0.25 in of mercury absolute).
 At this low pressure, the refrigerant (water) boils at35 to 40°F.
 The heat required for the boiling action is extracted from the chilled water being cooled.
 To maintain the high vacuum in the evaporator and to allow the cycle to continue, the water
vapor formed by the boiling refrigerant is continuously absorbed by a lithium bromide
solution in the absorber section.
 Since this water-vapor absorption tends to reduce the concentration of the solution

2. LEAKTIGHTNESS.

Purge Units:
 Purge units and purging techniques vary depending on machine design.
 Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for operation and maintenance.

Pumps:
 Pumps are used to circulate the refrigerant and lithium bromide solutions within the
machine.
 On earlier machine models with open-type pumps, mechanical seals are used to prevent
leakage of noncondensables, water, and lithium bromide.
 These seals should be replaced every 2 years.
 Motors on open pumps should be lubricated every year.

Service Valve:

 The diaphragms on service valves located on the machine should be replaced every 2 or 3
years.

Safeties:
 Various controls such as the refrigerant and chilled water low-temperature cutouts and the
chilled water and condenser water flow switches should be checked every 6 months for
proper operation.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 2

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Leak Testing:
 Consult the equipment manufacturer for the latest leak testing techniques that are in
compliance with EPA regulations regarding refrigerant emissions.

3. AIR WASHERS

Cleaning

 Remove all rust appearing on outside damper blades.

 Check fan and fan motor and remove any accumulation of foreign material.
 Check the entire spray section at regular intervals.
 Remove lint and dirt from spray nozzles and piping.

Fan

 Check fan blade angles and clearance. Adjust where necessary. Remove and dismantle fan
motor periodically in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations for inspection.

Lubrication

 Check fan bearings and lubricate approximately every 4 months with water resistant
grease.
 Inspect main shaft bearings of automatic strainer.

4. CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSORS

Lubrication

 Use only high-grade oil that meets the compressor manufacturer’s specifications.
 Check the oil levels daily and maintain the proper levels in all parts of the lubricating
system.
 Oil levels should be checked both during operation and when the machine is shut down.

Bearings
 Bearing maintenance consists mainly of maintaining clean oil in the lubricating system.
 Oil filters should be changed at least once a year.
 If bearing temperatures rise above normal, check the oil cooling system and oil supply to
the bearings.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 3

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 Inspect the bearings once a year and replace when necessary.

Oil Heater

 The oil heater should be on during compressor shutdown.

 Refer to the compressor manufacturer’s operating instructions.

Safeties

 Safety controls should be checked approximately every 6 months.

 These include the chilled-water and refrigerant low-temperature cutouts, condenser high-
pressure cutout, oil low pressure cutout, and chilled water and condenser water flow
switches.

Leak Testing

 Regularly check all compressor joints for refrigerant leaks, and check the purge for air and
water leaks.

5. COILS

Maintenance

 Cooling coils and heating coils are made with prime or extended surface tubing.
 Maintenance in either case is essentially the same and involves two features—tightness
and cleanliness.

Tightness

 In the case of coils handling refrigerant for direct cooling, a tightness check should include
inspection of all joints in the piping connections.
 All leaks should be repaired promptly.

Freeze Protection

 Coils handling water should be observed periodically for leakage and must be given careful
and thorough attention seasonally to protect against damage due to freeze-up.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 4

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6. AIR-COOLED CONDENSERS

Inspection

 Condenser must be inspected periodically; how often depends on usage and location.
 Coil should be inspected for physical damage and airflow restrictions.
 Examine fan for bent blades and alignment.
 Belt drive, if used, should be inspected for wear, proper belt tension, and sheave alignment.

Cleaning

 The condenser should be cleaned at the beginning of each cooling season and at regular
intervals during the season, with length of interval depending on usage and location.
 Airborne dirt may be removed from the air-inlet screen, coil face, and fan by brushing,
vacuum cleaning, or spraying with low-pressure water.

Lubrication

 Follow manufacturer’s lubrication instructions.

7. COOLING TOWER

Exposure

 Cooling towers use outside air and are usually outdoors.

 Protection must be provided for motor, starter, disconnect switch, and drive. Also, the
structural part must be suitable for such exposure.

Maintenance

 Steel casing, basin, and framework should be painted regularly with a good protective
paint.
 In some locations such painting will be necessary annually to prevent rust and
deterioration.
 A regular schedule should be established for such maintenance, and the time between
paintings should not exceed 3 years.
 Redwood will last without paint. The life of redwood is shortened by painting all surfaces.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 5

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Fans

 Fans should turn freely.

 Propeller-type fans generally can be adjusted for capacity by pitch adjustment of blades.
Uniform pitch of all blades is important, and adjustment must keep power requirements
within motor capacity.

Cleaning

 The water basin should be drained and hosed out weekly.

 The strainer should be checked and a regular routine established for cleaning.

8. DAMPERS

Automatic Dampers

 These dampers are motor operated and under automatic control. Sluggish response to
command of the controlling instrument results in poor regulation of conditions.

Maintenance

 For good results all operating parts of the control system must move in proper
relationship.
 All automatic dampers should be checked for freedom of movement and lubricated at
bearing points.

Relief Dampers

 A large quantity of outside air is used for conditioning some buildings during certain
seasons.
 This will build up the pressure inside the building to interfere with distribution, and make
the opening and closing of doors difficult.
 Relief dampers are installed to prevent this pressure buildup.

Maintenance

 Trunnion bearings, unless of the oil-impregnated type, should receive a film of light
machine oil (with all surplus wiped away) each spring.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 6

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 Blades may become bent or warped and should be checked for complete closing twice
annually.

Source: Maintenance Engineering HandBook by R. Keith Mobley Page 7