OIL EXTRACTION APPLICATION, BUILD UP OF OIL/RESIN ON THE PISTON AND CYLINDER SURFACES

IMPORTANT NOTICE: when using the TRS21 in the Oil Extraction Application the user needs to install a high efficient distillation chamber.The distillation chamber must be placed before the TRS21 recovery pump to extract the oil from the butane or propane gas.Failure to do this allows residual oil and resin to travel into the compressor cylinder which can gum up the piston-cylinder seal causing premature leakage of butane or propane gasses to atmosphere.Below are pictures of a compressor that had an inefficient distillation chamber.

Please note that the RKMAC kit p/ns listed in this repair are for oil extraction application.For refrigerant recovery application, add the letter “N” (neoprene O-rings) to the end of the p/n.

To check on the condition of the piston-cylinder seal we will need to remove the cylinder from the piston. See COMPRESSOR HEAD REMOVAL instructions to expose the piston-cylinder assembly. Resin build-up can make the removal of the cylinder difficult. If this condition exists, the piston seal may need to be replaced as the resin deposits on the cylinder wall can damage the piston seal. Clean the piston seal surfaces and cylinder wall surface with alcohol. Inspect both the piston seals and cylinder walls. In some cases the cylinders can be cleaned and reused. The cylinder walls must be ultra-smooth. If there are any blemishes or other imperfections in the cylinder wall, replace the cylinders. RKMAC sells replacement cylinders under p/n RKMAC-6.

Once the clean-up is complete, reassemble the unit and retest using the TR and TRS Piston Seal Diagnostics

If new piston seals are required, order either p/n RKMAC-1 to upgrade the TRS21 to the RK MAC 2-piece SS piston design or p/n TR21X3 for the OEM’s original connecting rod/piston assembly.If the RKMAC-1 kit is already installed, order p/n RKMAC-3 for a set of piston replacement seals.