Air separation unit and high-pressure compressor maintenance.
For plants running small cryogenic air separation units and reciprocating high-pressure compressors, especially Russian/Soviet-built equipment that few engineers still know hands-on. I learned this equipment by repairing it for twelve years.
- Air separation unit
- K-0.15 cryogenic ASU
- Compressor
- 305VP-16/70 high-pressure reciprocating
- Turboexpander
- ~120,000 rpm, overhauled
- Electrical
- LV up to 400 V, control circuits
Who this is for
Medical and industrial gas producers with aging small-capacity air separation units, where spare parts are slow to arrive, original documentation is incomplete or only in Russian, and the engineers who installed the plant are long gone. In that situation, the plant depends on someone who can find the real cause of a fault and keep the equipment running with what is available.
What I do
- Fault diagnosis and troubleshooting: loss of oxygen purity or output, unstable operation, rising energy use, trips and alarms.
- Compressor repair and servicing: valves, piston rings, packing, lubrication and cooling on high-pressure reciprocating compressors.
- Preventive maintenance programme: what to inspect, how often, which records to keep, and which spares to hold.
- Spare parts planning and fabrication: identifying what can be repaired, adapted or made locally in steel, copper or brass when originals are unavailable.
- Electrical and control: LV troubleshooting up to 400 V, control circuits and panels.
- Training: for operators and technicians, on your own equipment.
Typical problems worth a call
Every plant is different, so these are starting points for diagnosis, not a checklist to work through blindly:
- Purity or output drops without an obvious cause, often traced back to the air purification front end, process conditions or refrigeration balance.
- Compressor problems: abnormal temperatures, noise, pressure that won't build, frequent valve or ring failures.
- Cold box and refrigeration issues: slow cool-down, difficulty holding temperatures, signs of blockage.
- Electrical and control faults: trips, failing interlocks, panels modified over the years with no drawings.
How I approach a fault
Listen
Symptoms, history, recent changes and operating logs.
Diagnose
Find the real cause before ordering parts.
Repair
Fix, adapt or fabricate with what is available.
Document
Record what was found and done, so the next fault is faster.
Questions
Which equipment do you know best?
Small cryogenic air separation units of the K-0.15 type and 305VP-16/70 high-pressure reciprocating compressors, which I operated, maintained and repaired for twelve years. The diagnostic approach carries over to similar Russian/Soviet-built and other small ASUs.
Can you help without coming to the plant?
Often, yes. Many faults can be narrowed down from symptoms, operating logs, photos and a video call. If the cause needs hands and eyes on the equipment, I plan an on-site visit.
Do you travel to plants outside Armenia?
Yes. I am based in Gyumri, Armenia, and work on-site wherever the plant is, as well as remotely.
Can you train our operators and technicians?
Yes. Training is most useful on your own equipment, built around your procedures and the faults you actually see.
Related: cryogenic turboexpander overhaul · keeping a Russian ASU in production · all industrial services
Send the symptoms, the equipment model and what changed recently. I'll reply with what I would check first.
Keep your air separation unit in production.
Remote diagnosis, an on-site visit or a maintenance programme: tell me what you are dealing with.