While long-term performance is a key advantage for oil-free compressor technology, there are additional benefits in terms of maintenance. Removing oil from the chiller system results in a more simplified chiller design that eliminates frequent maintenance tasks required on traditional oiled chiller systems. A chiller with a typical oil management system includes components such as an oil separator (separates the oil from the refrigerant), oil cooler (reduces the temp of the oil because hot oil loses some of its lubrication properties), oil heater (boils off Reduced Maintenance
refrigerant from the oil to prevent dilution) and an oil pump (circulates the oil through the system). A chiller using oil-free compressor technology eliminates these components and provides a design with significantly fewer mechanical parts and reduced complexity. Eliminating the oil management system means common maintenance tasks associated with oil are no longer necessary, resulting in annual savings of $3,650 or lifetime savings of $83,950 in maintenance costs assuming a 23-year chiller life expectancy.
Chiller with an oil management system
Required maintenance tasks for oiled chillers:
Check oil level Daily
Oil separator
Oil separator
Check valve
Check valve
Change oil
Oil heater
Oil heater
Annually $1,600
Evaporator
Oil cooler
Replace oil filter Bi-annually $2,000
Oil cooler
EXV
Oil pump
Oil pump
Inspect / maintain key components - oil pump, sump heater Weekly
Condenser
Oil analysis
Annually $50
Oil-free chiller
The above five maintenance tasks are no longer required on oil-free chiller systems.
Oil-free compressors: Benefits
Energy and cost savings
$
Zero performance degradation
Evaporator
Low sound and vibration
EXV
Check valve
Less complexity
Filter
High reliability
Condenser
Reduced maintenance
Compact and light weight
Low-GWP refrigerants (R513A, HFO1234ze(E))
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