Ingersoll-Rand CENTAC Series User manual

INGERSOLL-RAND
AIR COMPRESSORS
CENTAC
Troubleshooting Guide

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-Dec-94
Copyright Notice
Copyright 1996-1997 Ingersoll-Rand Company
THE CONTENTS OF THIS MANUAL ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND WITHOUT ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER.
Ingersoll-Rand air compressors are not designed, intended, or approved for breathing air
applications. Ingersoll-Rand does not approve specialized equipment for breathing air
applications and assumes no responsibility or liability for compressors used for breathing air
service.

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-dec-94
Table of Contents
Surge______________________________________________________________________1
Low Seal Air Pressure________________________________________________________2
Low System Air Pressure _____________________________________________________3
High Vibration ______________________________________________________________4
Low Control Air Pressure _____________________________________________________5
Low Instrument Air Pressure __________________________________________________5
Failure to Start ______________________________________________________________6
No Control Power ___________________________________________________________7
Failure to Load______________________________________________________________7
Low Oil Pressure ____________________________________________________________8
High Oil Temperature ________________________________________________________9
High Air Temperature _______________________________________________________10
Common Conversions and Information ________________________________________11
1. Temperature __________________________________________________________11
2. Pressure – gauge______________________________________________________11
2. Pressure – gauge, continued ____________________________________________12
3. Length_______________________________________________________________12
4. Flow_________________________________________________________________13
5. Volume ______________________________________________________________13
6. Electrical_____________________________________________________________14
6. Electrical, continued ___________________________________________________15
7. Vibration _____________________________________________________________16
8. Water Quality Requirements_____________________________________________17

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 1
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-dec-94
Surge
Cause Solution
1. Dirty inlet air filter. Replace filter.
2. Too small inlet pipe (remote-mounted
air filter). Replace pipe.
3. High interstage air temperatures. Investigate. Check to see what is
necessary to lower air temperatures.
Check water temperature, water flow,
water pressure, etc.
4. Increase in water temperature. Investigate. Check to see if it is possible
to lower water temperature.
5. Increase in inlet air temperature. Lower setpoint.
6. Setpoint higher than design discharge
pressure of compressor. Lower setpoint.
7. Defective system pressure controller. Adjust or replace.
8. Too low CLL or LLR (throttle surge). Increase CLL or LLR setting.
9. Too low P1, PR3, or mechanical stop
adjustment (unloaded surge). Increase P1, PR3 or adjust mechanical stop.
10. Improper calibration of valve I/P,
positioner, or actuator. Calibrate as necessary.
11. Defective bypass valve. Repair or replace.
12. Restriction in customer's system. Investigate. Take necessary steps to
correct restriction. Check for closed block
valve or excessive dryer pressure drop.
13. Restricted air flow through air coolers. Clean air coolers.
14. Dirt build-up on impeller vanes. Clean impeller.
15. Blockage of diffuser air passage. Clean diffuser.
16. Improper wheel clearance. Reset clearance.
17. Worn or damaged impeller. Replace.
18. Butterfly valve pin broken. Replace pin.
19. Discharge check valve hanging up. Repair or replace.

2CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-Dec-94
Low Seal Air Pressure
Cause Solution
1. Seal air regulator malfunctioning. Adjust, clean, or replace regulator.
2. Low instrument air pressure. Increase instrument air pressure.
3. Damaged seal air line. Replace.
4. Leaking fitting. Replace or tighten.
5. Leaking seals. Replace.
6. Seal air bleed valve open too far. Adjust.
7. Instrument air filter dirty. Clean or replace element.
8. Excessive clearance between pinion
and seal. Investigate. Replace seal and/or pinion.

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 3
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-dec-94
Low System Air Pressure
Cause Solution
1. Incorrect setpoint. Adjust.
2. Incorrect valve calibration. Restroke valves.
3. Bad controller. Repair or replace.
4. Dirty inlet filter. Replace filter elements.
5. Compressor operating unloaded. Switch selector switch to load.
6. System demand greater than
compressor capacity. Check for excessive air usage like open valves, leaking fittings, etc., and correct.
Start additional compressor. Recommend
that customer purchase another Centac if
additional capacity is required.
7. Compressor block valve closed. Open valve.
8. Incorrect controls calibration. Adjust controls.
9. Discharge check valve sticking. Repair or replace.
10. System air pressure sensing point in
wrong location. Relocate control air connection
11. Excessive pressure differential across
air dryer. Investigate and correct.
12. Too low CLH setting. Increase setting (Do not exceed
FLA+SF).
13. Leaking bypass valve. Investigate and correct. Replace seat;
free up sticking valve.
14. Bypass valve stays open; inlet valve
functions normally. Lower CLL to activate bypass valve on MP3 panel. Ensure 2TR is operating
properly on Electro-Pneumatic panel.

4CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-Dec-94
High Vibration
Cause Solution
1. Low oil temperature. Increase oil temperature by adjusting oil
heater thermostat. Close cooling water
valves to oil cooler. Circulate oil.
2. High oil pressure. Reduce pressure. Adjust main oil pump
pressure relief valve with oil at operating
temperature.
3. Oil not draining properly from
bearings. Investigate and correct. Check for restriction, improper venting, too high oil
level.
4. Incorrect coupling alignment. Realign coupling.
5. Worn coupling. Replace.
6. Excessive grease in coupling. Remove excessive grease.
7. Bad bullgear or intermediate gear
bearings. Replace.
8. Unbalanced motor rotor. Have motor rotor balanced.
9. Bad motor bearings. Replace.
10. Worn rotor assembly parts. Replace rotor assembly or necessary
parts.
11. Excessive build-up on impellers. Clean and balance rotor assembly.
12. Excessive pipe strain. Remove pipe strain.
13. Incorrect type of oil. Replace with correct oil.
14. Bad rotor assembly bearings or seals. Replace.
15. Excessive moisture carryover. Investigate and correct. Check for
restriction in condensate drainage
system.
16. Inadequate oil supply to plain
bearing. Investigate and correct. Ensure oil supply groove in plain bearing shell is aligned
properly with oil supply hole through
casing.

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 5
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-dec-94
Low Control Air Pressure
Cause Solution
1. Too small control air line. Replace with larger diameter pipe.
2. Moisture in control air line. Remove moisture.
Provide permanent method for moisture
removal.
3. Sensing control air pressure from
wrong location. Change location of sensing pressure.
4. Leaking fittings or damaged pipe. Repair or replace.
5. Closed C.A. valve. Open valve.
Low Instrument Air Pressure
Cause Solution
1. Instrument air line too small. Replace with a larger pipe.
2. Instrument air dryer malfunctioning. Repair or replace.
3. Instrument air valve closed. Open valve.
4. Instrument air supply pressure below
recommended pressure. Increase supply pressure. Obtain a different air source of adequate pressure.
5. Dirty I.A. filter. Clean or replace.
6. I.A. filter wrong size. Replace.
7. Leaking fittings or damaged pipe. Repair or replace.

6CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-Dec-94
Failure to Start
Cause Solution
1. No power to motor starter. Energize power.
2. Blown fuse. Replace blown fuse.
3. STOP button pushed in.Pull out STOP button.
4. Overloads tripped. Reset overloads.
(If trip occurs do not reset find cause of
trip)
5. Control wiring incorrect. Investigate and correct.
6. Trips at transition. Mechanical linkage out of adjustment.
Bad 2M contactor. Replace or repair
contactor.
7. Interlocks not satisfied. Investigate and correct. Adjust
mechanical interlocks.
8. Bad motor starter. Repair or replace.
9. Loose or corroded wiring. Tighten and/or clean as necessary.
10. Control relay defective. Replace.
11. Low voltage. Investigate. Increase voltage supply.
Increase wire size. Increase breaker size.
12. Control circuit not grounded properly. Ground neutral at transformer. Check
wiring.
13. Wiring to remote starter incorrect. Investigate and correct.

CENTAC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 7
CST-TP0007
1994 Ingersoll-Rand Company
Date of issue: January, 1999 Supersedes: 16-dec-94
No Control Power
Cause Solution
1. POWER ON selector switch OFF. Turn POWER ON switch to ON.
2. Blown fuse. Replace fuse.
3. Bad control power transformer. Replace.
4. Control power transformer wired
incorrectly. Correct transformer wiring.
Failure to Load
Cause Solution
1. LOAD selector switch in the wrong
position. Turn switch to LOAD.
2. Inlet valve stuck. Investigate and correct.
3. Controller setpoint too low. Adjust.
4. No control air signal. Investigate and correct. Check for closed
valve.
5. Surge sensor tripped. Adjust or replace.
6. Bypass valve will not close. Investigate and correct.
7. No power air to inlet or bypass valve. Investigate. Open power air shutoff valve.
8. Valve actuator or positioner
malfunctioning. Repair or replace.
9. REMOTE/LOCAL switch for CEM in
wrong position. Turn to REMOTE for CEM operation.
10. Incorrect CLL setting. Reset to correct value.