RCM-II

INFORMATION SHEET
FUNCTIONAL FAILURES

FUNCTIONS
1

To supply the compressed

atmospheric air at 4.2
kgf/cm2 (G), 4200 Nm3/h of
dry air with the flow
tolerance of 4% & at 41.73
O
C.

No air is supplied.

Compressed air is supplied below

4.2 kgf/cm2(G).

FAILURE CAUSES

FAILURE EFFECTS

Units fails to start

Air demand is not fulfilled. Check for

circuit breaker, set points & relay.

Tripped drive motor

Impeller damaged.

Damaged coupling due to

disc fastener kit or hub
failure

Air demand is not fulfilled. Push reset

button, check operator interface unit,
check oil level or inspect starter for
damage.

Impeller key sheared.

Due to damaged coupling, power from

the motor is not transmitted to driven
unit.

Malfunctioning of IGV due

to inlet valve actuator

When flow rate tends to increase, IGV

throttles to maintain the pressure. But
when IGV fails to throttle, flow rate
increases & pressure decreases.

Malfunctioning of IGV due

to defective transducer

Leakage in piping from the

1st stage to outlet

Pressure decreases when air leaks out

from piping e.g. piping between 1st stage

& intercooler.

Compressed air is supplied above

4.2 kgf/cm2(G).

Worn carbon seal rings or

O-ring (shaft)

Air leakage occurs along the shaft due to

wornseal ring.

Rotor imbalance

Due to dirt accumulation or worn rotor

blades, imbalance occurs which effects its
rotating speed (rpm).

Drive Bull gear imbalance

Due to dirt accumulation, worn out gear

or damaged teeth, Imbalance of drive
gear will occur & cause less power
transfer to driven gears & hence less rpm
of driven gears.

Driven gear imbalance

Low rpm of corresponding impeller.

Coupling misalignment

Excessive vibrations which will cause

power dissipation.

Worn bull gear bearing

Power dissipation at bearing housing

resulting in low rpm of both impellers.

10

Worn pinion bearings

Power dissipation at bearing housing

resulting in low rpm of respective
impeller.

11

Worn or damaged carbon

seal in regulator.

Excessive air leaks from regulator which

results in decrease in discharge pressure.

Dirt accumulation in
impeller, diffuser or

It hinders the air flow rate thus pressure

increases & a condition called Surge may

backplates

also occur. Surge can also occur due to

high inlet temperature.

Obstruction in air filter

It causes reduction in air flow rate &

ultimately increases the air pressure.

Erratic operation of
unloading control valve
due to leaks & obstruction
in UCV piping

Due to erratic operation upstream and

downstream pressure decreases which
ultimate effects flow rate

Defective unloading valve

actuator

Lock up pressure may change resulting in

undesired opening or closing of UCV.

Defective I/P transducer

Wrong signal may be generated which

may result in wrong output

Flow rate is above 4368 Nm3/h.

Defective discharge
pressure transmitter

If discharge pressure transmitter does

not give right signal, it may cause either
increase or decrease in discharge
pressure which will consequently effect
the flow rate.

Flow rate is below 4032 Nm3/h.

Looseness of Impellers
due to looseness of
mounting nut

Less power is transmitted to impellers

Temperature of Discharged Air is

above 41.73OC.

Flow rate of LP & HP

intercooler is below
37gal/min due to .

It will cause less heat transfer

consequently the temperature of air will
increase.

Corrosion or

Less Heat Transfer.

Fouling/Scaling of tube
side of LP or HP
intercooler
G

Temperature of Discharged Air is

below 41.73OC.

After-cooler RTD
malfunctioning.

Inappropriate signal may show wrong

values of temperature.

Malfunctioning of cooling
water Solenoid valve
(CWS).

IF CWS provides coolant above 35

gal/min, temperature of discharged air is
decreased and vice versa.

To provide the coolant

(water) at 37 gal/min for Low
& High pressure intercooler

Coolant is provided above or

below 35 gal/min.

Leakage in LP & HP
intercooler drains.

Coolant will leak from the drains which

will result reduction in flow rate
consequently effecting the heat transfer.

To allow the heat transfer

between coolant &
compressed air in LP
intercooler such that coolant
outlet temperature is 148OF.

Coolant outlet temperature for

LPIC is above 148OF.

Final Interstage
Temperature RTD
malfunctions.

Wrong signal displayed.

Coolant outlet temperature for

LPIC is below 148OF

Blockage in Shell side of LP It causes reduction in flow rate which

Intercooler.
results in decrease in heat transfer& also
due to corrosion/fouling.

Coolant outlet temperature for

HPIC is above 135OF.

Aftercooler air
temperature RTD
malfunctions.

Inappropriate signal is transmitted which

displays wrong output on control panel.

Coolant outlet temperature for

HPIC is below 135OF.

Blockage in Shell side of

HP Intercooler.

It causes reduction in flow rate which

results in decrease in heat transfer & also
due to corrosion/fouling.

To allow the heat transfer

between coolant &
compressed air in HP
intercooler such that coolant
outlet temperature is 135OF.

To supply the lube oil at

desired pressure for
lubrication between Bull
Gear & Pinions.

Lube oil is not supplied.

Low Lube Oil Pressure

Disengaged/broken
coupling between motor
& oil auxiliary pump.

Power is not transmitted from motor to

oil auxiliary pump. So pump does not
provide the lube oil to meshing gears.

Motor of auxiliary oil

pump fails to start.

If motor fails to start, auxiliary oil pump

will not start and oil supply will be zero.

Disengaged/ broken
coupling between driving
shaft & main oil pump.

Power is not transmitted from main shaft

to main oil pump so oil will not be
supplied.

Chocked oil filter

cartridge.

Dirt in oil filter will restrict the oil

pressure to remain low than required.

Defective/improperly
adjusted pump relief valve

If pump relief valve is excessively open or

damaged, oil will leak out from it so
restricting desired oil pressure to
develop.

Obstruction in oil pump

suction line.

Obstruction due to corrosion or dirt

particles will decrease the oil suction.

Leaks in oil pump suction

line.

It will restrict the oil pump to develop

required suction resulting in less oil
pressure.

Obstruction in spray
nozzle.

Uniform spray of lube oil on meshing

gears will not be possible so exaggerates
the wear of gears.

Low oil level protection

system not working.

Leakage in oil sampling valve or oil

reservoir drain will lower the oil level. If

LOLS is not working, low oil level will not

be detected consequently oil pump
suction will lost.

To provide the coolant

(water) at 19 gal/min.

To allow the heat transfer

between lube oil & coolant
such that coolant outlet
temperature is 110 0F.

High Lube oil pressure

Defective oil pressure

transmitter.

Defective transmitter will not give the

desired signal. It may cause auxiliary oil
pump not to start consequently lube oil
supply will cut off or wrong input may
cause control panel to display
inappropriate output.

Coolant is provided above or

below 19 gal/min.

Excessively open cooling

water flow control valve.

It will increase the flow rate of cooling

water as a result less heat will be
transferred to unit volume of cooling
water. Thus increasing the outlet
temperature of coolant.

Leakage in oil cooler.

It willnot only effect the flow rate of lube

oil but also let the coolant and oil to mix.

Fouling, scaling or
corrosion in oil cooler.

It causes resistance to heat transfer

between water & lube oil which results in
decreased values of coolant outlet
temperature.

Oil reservoir heater

thermostat
malfunctioning.

Thermostat will cause oil heater to

overheat the lube oil thusmore heat will
be transferred from oil to coolant in oil
cooler thus increasing the coolant outlet
temperature or vice versa.

Coolant outlet temperature is

above or below 110 0F.

To provide the rotational

power at 2970 rpm with the
Motor service factor of 1.15.

Motor is not operating at desired

rpm.

Mounting nut loosened

due to vibration

Impeller adrift (drifting without

control)

Power cable fails

Input current not supplied resulting in

pump Off.

Shaft sheared

Impeller uncontrollable resulting in

damage to pump casing.

Impeller bearing getting

hotter due to less
lubrication.

Bearing seized

Casing cracked

Oil leakage resulting in pressure loss

Damaged motor inboard

bearing.

Increased friction will result in power loss

thus reducing rpm.

Damaged motor outboard

bearing.

Increased friction will result in power loss

thus reducing rpm.

Voltage & current

harmonic (result of nonlinear loads)

Increased heating of the motor core,

CEMF (counter electromotive force) due
to 5th harmonic; shortening the service
life.

Over/under voltage
condition (when the
voltage exceeds/lags the
nominal voltage by 10%
for more than 1 minute)

Efficiency drops,
Power factor improves with lower
voltage and drops sharply with higher
voltage

Motor stator heats Up.

Voltage imbalance(result
of single-phase motors
installed on a three-phase
circuit)

Generates unwanted heat in

motors. This, in turn, results in wasted
energy, insulation breakdown, and
improper/inefficient motor operation

Over load

Excessive rise in temperature in the

motor windingsto a point that is
damaging to the insulation and
lubrication of the motor.

Short winding

Motor winding destroyed, Current surge,

Electro-dynamic stress on conductor.

Loose connection

Will cause failure of the system if left

uncorrected. Monitoring is required.

Mechanical vibration due

to Electricity

May be the root cause for the other

faults. In addition, is a potential noise
hazard. It is determined that monitoring
is recommended.

10

High load applied

High current is drawn resulting in heating

of windings.

Malfunctioning motor
stator temperature RTD.

RTD sends wrong signal to control panel

which displays wrong output.

Malfunctioning motor
ventilation fan.

Dirt accumulation, fan imbalance or wear

of fan blades will cause excessive
vibration and fan will not be able to
rotate at desired rpm.