Compressor-motor unit

Figure 9.5 Sectional view of an integrated two-stage compressor-motor unit (one centrifugal compressor stage at each rotor side) for natural gas.

Table 9.2 summarizes typical ratings and sizes of integrated compressor-motor units. 

Table 9.2 Integrated compressor-motor units - main technical data (by courtesy of ALSTOM Power Conversion GmbH, Essen/Germany)...

Figure 9.6 Motor section of a compressor-motor unit according to Fig. 9.5 fora natural gas compressor station.

The motor part of such a compressor-motor unit is shown in Fig. 9.6. 

Usually, dual oil pumps are included, so that one pump failure will not shut down the compressor-driver unit. The first or main pump may be driven by electric motor, and the standby steam or gas may be driven by turbine. Any combination is acceptable as long as the selection takes into account the specific local conditions and service reliability. Figures 12-50A-C show an overall assembly, including accessories. 

The compressor, motor, condenser, receiver, and letdown valve are all components of your home central air-conditioning unit. They are installed as a package, surrounded by the condenser, outside your house. The evaporator is located in your attic. To continue our description of the process flow ... 

As an example for a large gas compressor drive unit, Fig. 6.60 shows a 3.2 MW synchronous motor, whose stator-rotor part and exciter set are... 

A high efficiency motor will be integrated with the TIVM compressor/expander and a prototype compressor/expander/motor unit will be fabricated and delivered to ANL for independent testing. 

Motor-driven, multistage reciprocating compressors have reportedly been the most popular choice for aeroderivatives. Motor-driven, oil-fiooded screw compressors are also used in some cases. High horsepower, multistage centrifugal compressors, similar to those used at many pipeline compressor stations, may be required for the newer heavy-duty units if the distribution pipeline pressure is insufficient (see Pipelines). Gas turbines have more stringent fuel-gas specifications in terms of cleanliness than do gas-fired boilers. Thus oil- and water-knockout systems, coalescing filters, and fine-mesh filters are used. 

On a typical pipeline, compressor stations are located at 81—161-km intervals and may contain up to 15 compressors. These stations may use either gas-turbine, reciprocating-engine, and/or motor-driven centrifugal compressors capable of boosting pipeline pressure and keeping gas moving at an average speed of about 24 km/h. Gas-turbine-driven units are the most popular. 

From equation 60 one can obtain a theoretical power requirement of about 900 kWh/SWU for uranium isotope separation assuming a reasonable operating temperature. A comparison of this number with the specific power requirements of the United States (2433 kWh/SWU) or Eurodif plants (2538 kWh/SWU) indicates that real gaseous diffusion plants have an efficiency of about 37%. This represents not only the barrier efficiency, the value of which has not been reported, but also electrical distribution losses, motor and compressor efficiencies, and frictional losses in the process gas flow. 

Compressors up to around 75 kW (100 hp) usually have a single center-throw crank, as illustrated in Fig. 10-83. In larger sizes compressors are commonly of duplex construction with cranks on each end of the shaft (see Fig. 10-87). Some large synchronous motor-driven units are of four-corner construction i.e., they are of doubleduplex construction with two connecting rods from each of the two crank throws (see Fig. 10-88). Steam-driven compressors have one or more steam cylinders connected directly by piston rod or tie rods to the gas-cyhnder piston or crosshead. 

Refrigerating capacity is the product of mass flow rate of refrigerant m and refrigerating effect R which is (for isobaric evaporation) R = hevaporator outlet evaporator mJef Powei P required foi the coiTipressiou, necessary for the motor selection, is the product of mass flow rate m and work of compression W. The latter is, for the isentropic compression, W = hjisehatge suction- Both of thoso chai acteristics could be calculated for the ideal (without losses) and for the ac tual compressor. ideaUy, the mass flow rate is equal to the product of the compressor displacement per unit time and the gas density p m = p. 

The main power source is a 2,200 kW rated motor, which drives two high-speed pinions through integral gears. The first stage of the compressor operates at 17,900 rpm, while the second and third stages operate at 21,800 rpm. The unit is controlled by a local control system, but operators can also monitor the operating parameters from the plant control room. 

Reciprocating compressors are available with a large variety of other drivers, which include the piston engine, steam turbine, or, in rare cases, a gas turbine. Next in popularity to the electric motor is the piston engine. The arrangement lends itself to skid mounting, particularly with the semi-portable units found in the oilfield. The unit is also popular as a lease unit, which may be lifted onto a flat bed trailer and moved from one location to another as needed. The engine is either direct-coupled or. as with smaller compressors, it may be belt-connected. 

For most of the rotary compressors in process service, the driver is an electric motor. Compressors in portable service, however, particularly the helical-lobe compressor, use internal combustion engines. Many of the rotary compressors require the high speed that can be obtained from a direct-connected motor. The dry type helical-lobe compressor is probably the main exception as the smaller units operate above motor speed and require a speed increasing gear which may be either internal or external (see Figure 4-1). The helical-lobe compressor is the most likely candidate for a driver other than the electric motor. Aside from the portables already mentioned, engines are used extensively as drivers for rotaries located in the field in gas-gathering service. Steam turbines, while not common, probably comprise most of process service alternate drive applications. 

Most of the drivers used with the sliding vane compressor are electric motors. Variable speed operation is possible within the limits of vane speed requirements. The vanes must travel fast enough to seal against the cylinder wall but not so fast that they cause excessive wear. For the smaller units, under 100 hp, V-belts are widely used. Direct connection to a motor, however, is possible for most compressors and is used through out the size range. 

The compressor or blower installation in a typical refinery or chemical process unit is not out-of-doors completely. Some form of shelter often is provided, ranging from only a roof to a completely closed building. When process equipment such as a centrifugal gas compressor, which is not hazardous in normal operation, is present in the shelter, the hazard classification depends on the extent to that which the shelter restricts ventilation. The extent of the shelter provided determines the area classification and the type of motor enclosure that should be applied. 

The inverters are either voltage source or current source (see Figure 7-7a and b). There are other variations, but they apply to drivers smaller than the ones used with compressors. However, pulse-width-modulated (PWM) (see Figure 7-7c), transistorized units are less complicated and are relatively maintenance-free with reliable units available to at least 500 hp. For all but the smaller compressors, the current source inverter is the one typically used. With a six-step voltage source, a rule of thumb has been to size the motor at two-thirds of its rating so as not to exceed the insulation temperature rise. For current source motors, the output torque is not constant with decreased speed, which fortunately is compatible with most compressors, as torque tends to follow speed. For current source drives, one needs to upsize the motor captive transformer by approximately 15% to account for harmonic heating effects. 

The low speed gear shaft and the housing must be designed to permit installation of a stub shaft for a torsiograph unit if an operational problem occurs. API 613 gives the details of the shaft end requirements for attaching a torsiograph. This should be done on all synchronous motor compressors and on multiple driver or multiple compressor case trains. 

A motor-driven compressor is used as an oxidation system for a chemical unit. The control scheme for this arrangement is shown in Figure 8-40(c). Description of the control blocks follows. 

High-speed units are typically engine or electric motor driven, although turbine drivers have also been used. Engines or turbines can be either natural gas or diesel fueled. By far the most common driver for a high-speed compressor is a natural gas driven engine. 

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