Compressor installation

The surge protection described above is for a simple, single section, constant geometry compressor with constant inlet conditions and constant speed of rotation. Many compressor installations involve more complex configurations and applications. 

Damewood, Glen and Nimitz, Walter, Compressor Installation Design Utilizing an Electro-Acoustical System Analog, ASME 61-WA-290, New York, NY American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1961. 

The necessary steps are a lot easier to accomplish if the compressor installation is still on the drawing board. This author s best field tests were run on units where the instrumentation was installed during plant construction. Sometimes, as plants are going through revisions for other reasons, it is possible to add the necessary compressor test equipment. 

Couplings are discussed with reliability partly because in the past, as the single-train compressor installations were going through early growing pains, couplings were certainly a part of the pain. Not too many words need be used here, but possibly a bit of a reminder of the past will avoid problems in the future. 

It is hoped that this material will give the reader an appreciation for the many different factors that interact to cause a compressor installation to be successful or a failure. It is sincerely hoped that when all the various aspects are critically addressed that any proposed installation will achieve the high reliability that a user may expect. 

Satisafactory compressor installations many times depend on how well the foundation or support structure was designed. An inadequate foundation design can result in equipment damage due to excessive vibration. The money saved by cutting comers on foundation design effort may be spent many times in costs associated with high maintenance and lost production. 

As previously discussed in this chapter and in Chapter 10, reciprocating compressors are generally classified as either low-speed (integral) compressors or high-speed (separable) compressors, API has provided a standard and specification for each type of compressor to help the user and the facility engineer provide reliable compressor installations. 

Figure 13-1D. Compressor installation with surge bottles and acoustic filters.

Figure 13-1E. A computer facility performs dynamic simulation and analysis of reciprocating compressor installations such as this two-cylinder compressor. Interactive pulsation and mechanical analysis ensures trouble-free operation. (Used by permission Southern Gas Association s Gas Machinery Research Council.)...

Example 13-1. Surge Drums and Piping for Double-Acting, Parallel Cylinder, Compressor Installation... 

When planning a compressor installation one of the first matters to be decided is whether there should be a central... 

In compressor operation, part of the heat given off by the compressor and motor is transmitted to the surrounding air. For plants located in closed rooms, this heat must be removed to limit the rise in temperature of the ambient air. Some of the heat dissipates through walls, windows, floor and roof, but this heat removal is seldom sufficient. The compressor room should be ventilated and the heat removed with the ventilating air. Sometimes the heat can be recovered and used for heating purposes. In an entirely water-cooled compressor installation, the heat to be removed by ventilation is relatively small, since the cooling water takes the major part away. 

Operating practices should minimize, as much as possible, the unload frequency of these compressors. Installation of a receiver tank and modification of user-demand practices are the most effective solutions to this type of problem. 

A carefully planned and executed installation is extremely important and makes compressor operation and maintenance easier and safer. Key components of a compressor installation are location, foundation, and piping. 

As shown in Fig. 2.24.2, in large plants the absorption system is more economical than compressor installations, independently of the price of steam or electricity. The low maintenance cost are reflected in the calculation, but the high uptime and reduced production interruption should also be accounted for in an evaluation no large, heavy moving machine parts are the reason for this advantage. 

There are only a few centrifugal acid gas compressors installed in the world today (and note acid gas is the key word). Therefore, there is significantly less confidence in the prediction for centrifugal machines than for the reciprocating machines. 

FIGURE 3.33 Photograph of a compressor installation. (Courtesy of Cooper Industries.)... 

Compressor installations of required parameters are selected largely on basis of availability of suitable seridly produced models, or else a particular installation may be selected because it is easy to fabricate to specifications. 

The compressor installations are also provided with safety features and individual manual controls. 

Table 36. Characteristics and principal parameters of compressor installations.

The compressor installation illustrated on Figures 106 and 107 consists of four compressor machines, type 20SVP-16/70, which work parallel charging air into one common tank sitting on a platform. To end use To end use... 

In addition to the compressor installations of the types discussed, the types OVG-4 (OVG-350/120-150) and OVG-5(OVG-350/120-250) can also be employed with in situ combustion methods (Fig. 109 and 110). 

On basis of their geological and physical characteristics, a number of major oil fields in Russia have been selected as prospects for application of the in situ combustion process. To conduct successfully the EOR operations at these fields, it shall require compressor installations with the following output and pressure capabilities ... 

Fig. 14.3 Centrifugal compressor installation. Note that the designer has chosen to locate the connecting piperack on a level above the compressor this provides the facility to anchor the piping loads caused by thermal expansion, and also maximizes access to the compressor (while minimizing the elevation). Note also the bypass control valve for surge protection...

G-4.6 Oxygen Compressor Installation Guide. Standard for current industrial practices for oxygen compressor installations, operations, maintenance, and safety (14 pages). 

A very advantageous arrangement is to provide a central compressor installation connected to the various consumer sections of the works by a ring main. For convenience of supervision these compressors should be located in immediate proximity to the workshops, where a separate compressor installation for pneumatic equipment in workshop use is often provided anyway. 

For example, the following equipment is recommended for a central compressor installation in a cement works with a capacity of 3000t/day (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4). 

Fig.3 Central compressor installation with radial supply system to consumer sections...

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