Rotary Screw Compressor, running twice (2) per day, 20 minutes/cycle

[hondashadow1100vt]

I am looking for operation and maintenance information/feedback on rotary screw compressors in a specific but simple/common application.

I have an oil free application where a rotary screw compressor will need to charge a 1,000 gallon receiver tank about twice (2) per day with 100 psig compressed air via a START-STOP pressure switch based control strategy with a 10-psig band. The compressor is sized to do this in about 20 minutes.

Is there anything inherent about rotary screw type that would make this application maintenance intensive relative to other types of compressors?

I am looking for data/references as well as shared experienced based pros and cons.

Thank you in advance for any input/feedback that you may be willing and able to offer!

 

[georgeverghese]

Oil free screw compressors dont last as long as oil flooded screws, but you have the assurance that the exit compressed air stream is indeed oil free. Vendors for oil flooded screws may provide you with elaborate schemes for scrubbing the exit stream free of entrained lube oil vapor, but they are are all prone to fail with short run times.
Feedback I got from operations staff is a run time of approx 3years for oil free machines.

 

[hondashadow1100vt]

Thank you for your input/feedback. Is it fair to say that run time that was reported to you was intended to report about 3-years before maintenance overhaul ...as opposed to expected overall life of the equipment being 3-years?

Any reported issues with more maintenance required due to start-stop control strategy as opposed to continuous operation?

 

[georgeverghese]

Believe what was indicated was a life of 3years for oil free machines. It may be that this oil/gas OpCo just wouldnt bother to send these machines for an overhaul, given the cost of a new machine - they would just get a new one and return the old one to the supplier, even though the old machine may still have a few more years life after an overhaul.