Compressor Casing Crack and Leak Repair

The challenge

A compressor casing cracked and began weeping along a split line. A crack in a casting tends to run further under load and vibration, and the weep means the casing is no longer holding contents the way it should. The usual fix is to weld the crack or replace the casing, but welding a thin or aged casting risks driving the crack deeper or distorting the housing, and a new casing carries a long lead time. The owner needed the crack stopped and the section made sound without putting heat into the casting.

Our approach

We start by finding where the crack runs and stop-drilling the ends so it cannot keep traveling. We seal the active weep, then prepare the cracked area back to clean metal and rebuild the section cold with Belzona 1000 Series composites. The whole repair is cold-applied, so the casting never sees the heat that welding would put into it. We bring the surface back to profile across the split line and over the bolt faces so the casing seals and carries load again, then cure and inspect before the unit goes back together.

1. Assess and mapWe trace the crack along the split line, find its ends, and confirm the casting condition before we touch it.
2. Stop-drill and sealWe stop-drill the crack ends so it cannot run further and seal the active weep so the area can be prepared.
3. Surface preparationWe clean and profile the cracked section back to sound metal so the composite bonds to the casting.
4. Rebuild the section coldWe rebuild the cracked section with Belzona 1000 Series composites, worked cold so the casting takes no welding heat.
5. Reform and return to serviceWe bring the surface back to profile across the split line, cure and inspect, then hand the casing back for reassembly.