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Q&A
1. How does the 920 Series Oil Separator differ from conventional oil separators? From a centrifugal oil separator?
The 920 Series employs a specially formulated filter to do two things:
- Clean up all solid contaminants to 0.3 microns and…
- Separate oil from refrigerant in the 99% efficiency range.
This saves the end-user money and the service tech time…which is money.
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2. How does a 920 Series Oil Separator work?
Regular impingement screen separators use a screen and the concept of "expansion of gasses" to slow mass flow and agglomerate the oil to fall to the bottom of a reservoir. Temprite engineers employed this methodology in 1948 when we designed the first oil separators for refrigeration. Virtually all oil separators are copies of this original design.
Centrifugal separators are no more efficient than impingement screen separators. They're velocity dependant which means the efficiency drops off when the compressors are cycled off or unloading, (velocity drops). Tests run by Emerson's Climate Technologies Group at Copeland's test labs showed that the old tried and true 500 and 600 Series oil separators were more efficient at separating oil than the centrifugals. The 920 Series separators continue to work at 99 percent efficiency throughout the compressor's variable load regardless of velocity.
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3. How do you know when the filter gets clogged up?
By measuring the pressure drop across the filter. Temprite has available a Pressure Differential Indicator available that tells you when enough solid contaminants have accumulated in the filter so that it must be changed. The PDI can be visually inspected, on site, or wired to the controller to sound an alarm.
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4. Doesn't a 920 Series separator have more pressure drop than a conventional impingement separator?
Actually, the opposite is true. The coalescent filters are made of 99% void material that allow as little as 0.5 lbs. pressure drop across a new 920 Series separator filter. Conventional oil separators run about 7 psid/0.48 bar.
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5. When the filter gets clogged up, doesn't it break apart and go down stream?
Over the last 12 years of filter development, Temprite has worked to eliminate hydronic cracking. The O-ring at the top of the filter is designed to dislodge slightly after the pressure drop reaches about 30 psid/2.1 bar, allowing the discharge mass flow to bypass the clogged filter.
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6. How do you change the filter?
All 920 series replacement filters come with installation instructions. In general, you isolate the separator from the rest of the system, unbolt the access flange, remove the filter lock nut and filter, install the new filter, seat the washer and lock nut, and bolt the access flange back in place using the new flange gasket or o-ring. It's only slightly more complicated than changing the oil filter on your car.
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7. What happens if I have a burn out or a bust up?
Service tech's will like this. Temprite makes available a "Clean-Up" filter that allows for more dirt loading than our standard filter…about 10 times more. Install the Pressure Differential Indicator (PDI) as directed, and then monitor it for excess pressure drop. Once the PDI stays out of the "red zone" put in a standard filter and monitor it. If it stays out of the "red zone", as well, your system is cleaned up. And that's a lot easier than it used to be. It's not necessary to replace all the high-priced oil.
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8. I hate those float balls in oil separators. They always stick. What have you done about it?
We've eliminated the float ball. Temprite has introduced the "R" Series oil separator/reservoir combination. This 2 in 1 product saves money and space by combining the features of oil separation and reservoir storage. The Model 927R, for instance, allows for ease of installation, high pressure applications and a simplified oil return. This is what most supermarkets use on their rack/pack systems.
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9. Does having a 920 Series oil separator installed save the end-user money?
Yes, and lots of it.
- First, consider the fact that you no longer have solid contaminants larger that 0.3 microns suspended in the oil, scoring bearings and bushings in the compressor. That extends the compressors life.
- You don't have the same solid contaminants fouling thermostatic expansion valves.
- If you're not pushing gallons of unneeded oil around the system, you're saving kW.
- You're increasing cooling capacity because you don't have oil coating the internal coil surfaces or pooling in evaporators.
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10. Isn't an oil filter just as good as a 920 Series oil separator?
If it had the same internal area it would be. Oil filters tend to be far too small for the amount of solid contaminants floating around in the average refrigeration system. When you consider that the 920 Series separator filter can have as much as 20-50 times the internal area to catch solid contaminants, why would you use a tiny oil filter? Why not filter the oil and then separate the refrigerant from the oil with one component? Fewer components reduce the amount of solder joints …potential leak points. Furthermore, oil filters only capture contaminants from 10 to 5 microns. Temprite separator/filters capture contaminants to 0.3 microns. That's a whole order of magnitude.
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11. I hate float Balls!
Since the coalescent filter cleans down to .3 microns, there is no dirt to clog up or hinder float operations.
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12. The separator is sized for full load, what happens as the load is reduced?
Coalescent separators are not dependent on velocity to remove oil like other types of separators. That is why you can expect separation down to 10% of load.
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13. On an R model, were should the oil level be?
Maintain oil between the two sight glasses, when initial oil charge or after filter replacement, fill to bottom of top sight glass.
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14. What is the correct mounting position?
Vertical legs with legs or mount bolt down.
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15. Where can I get separators or parts?
Any wholesaler, with few exceptions.
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16. What refrigerants can your separator designed for?
All
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17. What is the efficiency on a Helical, impingement screen and Coalescent separators?
Helical and impingement 80-85%, coalescent 95-99%
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18. Why does the filter “O”-ring blow out?
The O-ring is designed to dislodge when the differential pressure across the filter reaches 30 to 40 psid (2.1 to 2.8 bar). This is to protect the filter from rupturing. The O-ring is glued on for installation purposes. The glue is designed to dissolve from the oil and refrigerant. So it may not have blown out it, is just laying there when you remove the filter.
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19. How much oil do I need?
Click here for more information
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20. What are the torque requirements?
Click here for more information
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21. What is the Weight?
Click here for more information
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22. What if I do not see a separator that works for my application?
Click here to contact us
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1555 Hawthorne Lane