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Ingersoll Rand / Cameron TA6000 Overhaul

This TA6000 had run for over ten years at an automotive engine plant in China. The customer called us when stage efficiency dropped, vibration trended up and the discharge temperature started climbing at the design point. What we found was not one fault — it was the full set of age-related wear that every TA6000 will show after a decade of steady service: cavitation on all three impellers, erosion through the stage scrolls, a cooler with ten blocked water tubes, worn bearings and a gearbox whose factory contact pattern had rubbed flat. Here is the full overhaul record.

Quick facts

Machine background

The TA6000 is a three-stage integrally geared compressor. A single bull gear drives three pinion shafts at increasing speed and decreasing impeller diameter, building pressure across three stages inside one compact frame. Between each stage an intercooler removes the heat of compression, so any loss of cooler performance shows up as rising discharge temperature rather than as an obvious mechanical fault — which is exactly what this customer noticed.

This unit had run steadily for over ten years on plant air duty. The maintenance record showed oil, filters and consumables had been changed on schedule, but the last major overhaul was four years earlier. When vibration trending up and discharge temperature climbing together on the customer monitor, they booked a full strip-down rather than just a bearing change.

What we found when we opened it

Once the casing was lifted and the gearbox opened, every major subassembly showed age-related wear. Here is the inspection summary from the overhaul record:

Air-end — impellers, scrolls, seals

• All three impellers — cavitation pitting on the blade leading edges and black deposit build-up on the hub faces. Pitting was light enough that we kept the impellers and had them glass-bead blasted and inspected with dye penetrant.
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd stage scrolls — heavy erosion on the discharge side of each volute. We measured the wall thickness at the thinnest points: all three were still within minimum, so we ran them through the bead blast cabinet and put them back.
• 1st and 3rd stage oil seals — heavy coke deposit on the labyrinth teeth and measurable wear on the land. Both were replaced.
• 1st / 2nd stage air seals — light wear plus heavy deposit. Cleaned and refitted.
• 3rd stage diffuser — measurable erosion on the vane tips. This was left in place because the vane profile was still within OEM tolerance.

Gearbox — gears, shafts, bearings

• Bull gear — factory contact pattern (the red lead marking) had rubbed almost flat. Tooth contact was still correct but the case-hardened layer was visibly worn.
• Low-speed pinion shaft — measurable scoring and burnishing on the bearing journal, plus a light coke deposit on the shaft face.
• Bull gear bearing — contact marks on the babbitt. The bearing was removed and the journals lapped.
• High-speed pinion bearing — wear contact on the babbitt pads.
• Low-speed pinion bearing — cavitation erosion on the babbitt surface. This was replaced.

Coolers and lubrication

• Oil cooler — water side was fouled hard. We found ten tubes fully blocked with scale and debris. The bundle was removed and chemically descaled.
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd stage drain traps — all three were rusted badly and operating at reduced capacity. Replaced.
• Main oil pump — bearing wear on the rotor. Pump was stripped, cleaned, coupling element replaced.
• Auxiliary oil pump — visible wear groove on the drive shaft. We replaced the overhaul kit and the coupling element.
• Oil filter / bypass check valve — replaced as consumables.

Valves, piping and controls

• Blow-off control valve — leaking through the seat. Replaced.
• Discharge check valve — leaking through the seat. Replaced.
• Inter-stage piping — rust scale on the external surfaces, treated with anti-corrosion paint.
• Inlet guide vane (IGV) — coking and rust on the guide plates, light sticking in the mid-range. Cleaned with the bead blast cabinet and checked for free movement after reassembly.
• Main coupling — diaphragm pack and bolt set replaced.

Parts replaced in this overhaul

Items inspected and cleaned but not replaced: bull gear, high-speed pinion, 1st / 2nd stage impellers, 1st / 2nd / 3rd stage scrolls, oil cooler (descaled in place), IGV, inter-stage piping (rust treated).

Photo record

Vibration probe gap voltage — before and after

A vibration probe gap that drifts over time is one of the early signs that the rotor is shifting — either from bearing wear, shaft growth, or incorrect tip clearance. The TA6000 specification is 9.0 ± 0.5 V. We re-set all three probes after reassembly:

Coupling alignment record (cold)

The TA6000 specification allows ±0.15 mm for both offset (parallel misalignment) and face alignment. Motor was shimmed up slightly so that when the machine warms up the coupling gap stays inside tolerance. Final measured values:

• Parallel offset (J): 0.00 mm at 0°, 0.10 mm at 90°, 0.17 mm at 180°, 0.07 mm at 270° — all within ±0.15 mm
• Face alignment: 0.00 mm at 0°, 0.03 mm at 90°, 0.05 mm at 180°, 0.02 mm at 270° — all within ±0.15 mm
• Coupling face-to-face distance: 500.0 mm (spec. 500 ± 0.5 mm) — within tolerance

Protection device set points (verified during test run)

Test run result

After reassembly and alignment the machine was started and run up under load. All stage pressures, bearing temperatures, lube oil pressure and vibration readings returned to within the OEM operating range. The customer returned the machine to service at its design duty of 0.73 MPa discharge pressure and 12,500 m³/h capacity.

Why a proper overhaul is cheaper than a quick bearing change

The customer first called thinking they needed a bearing change. When we opened the gearbox we found that a single bearing was only the visible symptom of a machine where every subassembly had accumulated ten years of wear. A quick bearing swap would have run for another six months, but only by asking the remaining worn parts — the scrolls, the coolers, the seals — to make up the difference. This overhaul cost more than a bearing change would have cost, but the customer reports stable operation two years on and has booked the next four-year major overhaul with us.

Turbomax supplies TA6000 replacement parts (bearings, labyrinth seals, impellers, scrolls, coolers, valves and consumables) matched to OEM drawings and part numbers. We also handle compressor repair and complete overhauls on site — measurement, strip-down, parts supply, reassembly, alignment and a recorded test run — so you have a paper trail for your next plant audit.

Covered spare parts range for the TA series

The parts used in this overhaul belong to the same family we supply across the Cameron TA range. Alongside the TA6000 we hold drawings and part numbers for the TA2000, TA3000, TA9000 and TA11000, and for the MSG integrally geared range. Items we are asked for most often when a TA6000 comes out of service:

Most Cameron TA6000 intercooler and Cameron TA6000 bearing enquiries reach us with a photo of the old part rather than a part number. Either works — send the model, serial number and a clear photo showing any stamped number, and we will confirm the drawing, dimensions and lead time before you commit to a shutdown date.

Frequently asked questions

Need an overhaul or spare parts for your TA6000?

Send us the compressor model, serial number and the part numbers stamped on the nameplate or maintenance manual. We will confirm the part list, dimensions and availability before your shutdown window is fixed.

Related parts pages

Cameron TA6000 spare parts Cameron parts list Cameron MSG parts Impellers Intercoolers & aftercoolers Tilting pad bearings

Other maintenance cases

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Spare parts by model

T2ATXATRATRET3ATRXTA3000TA6000TA9000TA11000MSG