TIPS from the experts at J & E Hall on getting the best from compressors are proving popular with refrigeration engineers across the country. Hall's have manufactured, repaired and serviced compressors in refrigeration systems for more than 100 years.
Training courses to help engineers identify faults leading to compressor failure, run by the company at its Derby training centre, were sold out this autumn and in response to this, J & E Hall, through its Halltherm subsidiary, is running a new series next year (2006).
Engineers from leading UK Contractors have been among those attending. Halltherm business development manager for remanufacturing Nick Alty says the object is to encourage refrigeration engineers to improve the maintenance of compressors and ultimately avoid breakdowns.
He said: “It’s a reminder that this is a very important piece of equipment. A compressor, with a little ‘tlc’ will run happily for years. I know of some manufactured by J & E Hall which, with the right maintenance, have been going for as long as 40 years.
“Our day-long training course also reminds delegates not to take the compressor for granted. At Halltherm we are specialists in compressor remanufacturing. Some compressors arriving here have taken terrible abuse – completely smashed inside. They are rebuilt totally and made as good as new but simple maintenance techniques can avoid these calamities. That’s what the course is all about.”
At the Halltherm factory in Derby, the company remanufactures compressors for industrial and commercial customers in the refrigeration industry from the UK and abroad. Delegates attending the training course are shown the remanufacturing processes at close hand on a tour of the shop floor.
They see how each unit is stripped down when it arrives, parts cleared and checked for manufacturer’s tolerances, then washed, cleaned and rebuilt with new components. After charging with oil, the refurbished compressor is run-tested to simulate system conditions, then evacuated, pumped with oxygen-free nitrogen, redressed and resprayed ready for the market.
Remanufactured units represent good value. They are usually sold at less than half the price of a new model and yet offer years of excellent service if maintained properly. Halltherm refurbishes compressors from all leading manufacturers. Size can vary from an own-brand J & E Hall single screw unit found on a warship, to the much smaller Prescold K-Body.
The training course looks in detail at the reasons behind compressor failure, taking a revealing look at the insides of a compressor and setting out how to diagnose problems at an early stage. This includes burn-outs and leakages.
Halltherm instructor John Jackson says many common problems stem from poor lubrication. He explained: “It’s a false economy not to look after compressors and lubricate them properly. After all, oil is cheaper to buy than metal. Engineers who are brilliant on the systems as a whole often lack detailed knowledge of what makes an important item like a compressor tick. So our job is to give an insight into how good maintenance and fault spotting can save a great deal of time and money.”
After a morning tour of the shop floor and a compressor clinic led by Nick and John, the afternoon is devoted to the electric motor. Andrew Bowden, general manager of Coulstock and Place, a sister company of J & E Hall, instructs delegates on the finer points. “My aim is to ensure that refrigeration engineers understand the electric motor in a compressor as if it were a book,” he explained.
Andrew sets out the principles of construction, maintenance and testing. He also looks at problems caused by dust, poor ventilation, contamination, misalignment, excessive temperatures, vibrations and careless servicing.
Delegates then have the opportunity to do their own fault diagnosing on a selection of particularly fearsome motor failures.
The course highlights J & E Halls's commitment to training and the importance of maintaining high standards in the refrigeration industry.
