any refrigeration engineers here

[RaceDiagnostics]

This refrigerated centrifuge is not cooling but the motor/compressor is pretty hot, is it likely out of gas? I can hear the pump cycling on and off every few minutes.

Seems pretty hot but not sure what temp the pumps/compressor normally gets too.

 

[voipio]

Compressor temperature seems rather high. How hot is the condenser getting, at both ends (inlet and outlet)? Is the pipework, just above the laser dot in the first image, getting even slightly cold? Are there any gas test ports, or is everything brazed together. The pump could be getting hot because of a system blockage, and the thermal protection is causing it to cycle.

With lab based refrigeration issues, it's worth getting in a refrigeration engineering company.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Only thing I felt was the condenser, it felt room temp. At home with a beer now so will check on Monday.

I didn't spot any ports bug did find a pn for replacement gas so they must be there somewhere.

 

[JimmyS]

Compressor could well be hot if low on gas or completely lost it's charge as sometimes on hermetic and semi hermetic compressors the refrigerant in the suction line would still be slightly subcooled to cool the motor windings. Do you know what the refrigerant is or was?
I take it the metering device is just a capillary?

If you are not seeing any sign of cooling at all then pretty likely its lost its charge I'd say.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Had another look this morning, it turned out to be the starter capacitor that had gone open circuit. It was 60uF, I found another 80uF that seemed to do the job.

 

[Blobber]

Nice work, you must be saving this place £££££ fixing all this stuff!

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Keeping a running total, ~£43,000 saving in either replacement or call out charges over the last 6 weeks.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Keeping a running total, ~£43,000 saving in either replacement or call out charges over the last 6 weeks.

Hope you're on 'result based' bonus....

 

[addjunkie]

Keeping a running total, ~£43,000 saving in either replacement or call out charges over the last 6 weeks.

Take a couple of weeks off, go back and-ask for a rise!

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

The way the workshop has been working is crazy, all jobs are put into a database, then as they are worked on our labour hourly rate and parts costs are allocated, that's totaled at the end of the month and allocated out to the various departments.

Nowhere is the value of our work recorded or reported. I brought this up with the workshop manager today and said it's crazy not to record the value of the work, he agreed. Essential if the department ever comes under threat as well as pay/bonus negotiation.

I am sure that the management levels above him have no idea, but they soon will when I start issuing the monthly report.