TL;DR
Overheating almost always means a blocked intercooler or aftercooler. Clean both coolers and verify the thermostatic bypass valve opens at the correct temperature.
What you might see
- high temperature shutdown fault on controller
- compressor trips on thermal protection
- outlet oil temperature above 100 degC
- hot air discharge from enclosure
Likely causes
Blocked intercooler or aftercooler fins reducing heat transfer, common in dusty environments
Thermostatic bypass valve stuck open, routing hot oil directly to the element without cooling
Low oil level reducing the cooling circuit's heat capacity
Ambient temperature above the compressor's rated maximum, insufficient ventilation in the compressor room
Required tools
- Coil fin cleaning brush or low-pressure air nozzle
- Non-conductive coil cleaner spray
- Thermometer (ambient)
- IR thermometer
- LOTO kit
- Atlas Copco-approved compressor oil
Safety first
- Depressurize and allow the compressor to cool before opening access panels. Hot oil and pressurized air are present.
- Use PPE when handling compressor oil. Some formulations are skin irritants.
Procedure
- 1
Read the fault history on the Elektronikon controller. Record the exact temperature and time of the high-temperature shutdown.[1]
- 2
Lock out the compressor and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before opening access panels.
- 3
Inspect the cooler fins. Clean both the intercooler and aftercooler with low-pressure compressed air or a non-conductive coil cleaner spray.[1]
- 4
Check the oil level in the sight glass. Top up with Atlas Copco-approved oil if below the min mark.
- 5
Verify room ambient temperature with a thermometer. If above 40 degC (or the rated limit on the nameplate), improve ventilation or add a room cooler.
- 6
Test the thermostatic valve by observing oil temperature on the controller display during a supervised start. Oil temperature should begin dropping once the thermostat opens, typically around 70 degC.
- 7
If the thermostat does not open and temperature climbs unchecked, replace the thermostatic cartridge.
Sources
Atlas Copco GA VSD+ Air Compressor User Manual, Atlas Copco
Atlas Copco GA VSD+ IOM, cooling system maintenance and thermostatic valve procedures (general)
View source
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