Compressor Review: part three

Hydrocarbon Engineering provides an overview of the most advanced compressor technologies available in the downstream processing industry.

Johnson Controls

York Process Systems, a business unit of Johnson Controls Incorporated, is a global leader in process refrigeration and gas compression systems, with extensive factory packaging and control system capabilities. With manufacturing facilities in the US, Brazil, China, and several European locations, the company provides solutions to the oil and gas, and petrochemical industries in all regions.

Frick brand screw compressors and York brand centrifugal compressors are utilised in customised systems, while some process cooling requirements can be handled by modified standard chiller products.

The Frick RXF, RWF II and HPS Series oil flooded rotary screw compressor units cover a broad range from 120 - 14 000 m³/hr (70 - 8250 ft³/m), with pressures as high as 50 Bar (725 psig). The York Turbomaster horizontal split gas multistage centrifugal compressor is available in 1 to 8 stages, with flow up to 40 000 m³/hr (24 000 ft³/m) and discharge pressures as high as 41 Bar (600 psig).

Common drivers are electric motors, steam turbines and gas turbines. Control of the compression and refrigeration systems is accomplished either with proprietary microprocessor designs, or customised PLC systems using Allen-Bradley or Siemens platforms. Applications include both open and closed cycle (refrigeration).

Typical applications include natural gas gathering, CO₂ compression, fuel gas compression and process refrigeration using propane, propylene, ammonia and the latest alternative refrigerants including R-134A, R-507, R-410A and others. The process refrigeration applications include natural gas liquids recovery and dew point control, NGL and LNG boil off, polysilicon production, industrial gases, chlorine liquefaction, ammonia storage, pharmaceutical manufacturing and environmental test chambers.

Following successful installation and commissioning, the Johnson Controls/York team of factory trained technicians (generally locally based) can provide preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, repair and retrofit services in any area of the globe.

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Founded in 1885, and with over 170 000 employees today, the company had 2014 revenue of almost US$43 billion.

Kobelco Compressors America

Kobelco Compressors America, Inc. began manufacturing compressors in 1915. Kobelco designs, manufactures and packages three major types of compressors for any process gas application: centrifugal (API617), screw (API19), and reciprocating (API618). Each system is custom engineered for optimum performance and outstanding return on investment. Through innovative technology and quality manufacturing, Kobelco delivers solutions to boost productivity, reduce operating costs, and safeguard the environment.

Kobelco provides both integrally geared and single shaft overhung centrifugal compressors. The application range for centrifugal compressors extends up to 1500 psi (100 bar) and 235 000 ft³/min (400 000 m3/h). Kobelco single shaft overhung centrifugal compressors (DH model) are industry proven. Kobelco has extensive global experience with the DH model in large plant environments for petrochemicals (PE/PP), refineries, ammonia, and methanol services.

Kobelco oil injected screw gas compressors have virtually no compression ratio limit and a wide, stepless turndown capability (from 100% to 20%) for superior savings on power and money. Kobelco oil injected screws are best suited for dealing with low molecular weight gases and high compression ratios. They are also ideal for services with fluctuating suction pressure and operating load conditions such as hydrogen, helium, ethylene, propylene, and fuel gas boosting applications. Kobelco oil injected screw compressors are suitable for not only downstream applications, they are also suitable for LNG plants boil off gas application.

Kobelco oil free screw gas compressors meet the challenges of difficult gas services, including refinery flare gas recovery, and petrochemical polymer forming gases. Kobelco has cutting edge oil free screw gas compressor technology and the world’s largest capacity: up to 84 000 ft³/min (142 000 m³/hr).

Kobelco reciprocating compressors serve in a wide variety of heavy industry applications and are well suited for processes such as PSA, hydrogen, and ethylene compression. The company offers reciprocating gas compressors with an ultra high pressure capability of up to 15 000 psi (1000 bar).

Kobelco can provide all three types of compressors to meet customers’ toughest challenges. Kobelco provides custom engineered compressor solutions for virtually any process gas application.

MAN Diesel & Turbo

MAN Diesel & Turbo is a leading global provider of large bore diesel engines for marine and stationary applications and is also one of the leading suppliers of turbomachinery on the global market. The company employs approximately 15 000 people at more than 100 sites around the globe.

The turbomachinery division of MAN Diesel & Turbo (formerly known as MAN Turbo) provides a wide range of products and services, from single casing compressors and turbines up to large multi casing trains including various types of turbine drivers and/or electric motors for nearly all industrial applications, including: oil and gas production, transportation and subsequent downstream processing. Full train responsibility with maximum efficiency and reliability throughout the entire lifetime is one of the company’s core strengths.

Custom made centrifugal, axial and process gas screw compressors are capable of handling volume flows up to 1.5 million m³/h and pressures up to 1000 bar, according to the specific customer requirements. Steam turbines are available for both mechanical drive as well as power generation applications up to 160 MW, while the gas turbine portfolio covers the range between 6 - 13 MW.

Major references include world scale turbomachinery for oil and gas processing, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), fluidised catalytic cracking (FCC), iron and steel production and air separation (mainly for xTL), as well as very large machine trains for purified terephthalic acid (PTA), fertiliser production, ethylene plants.

Moreover, DWE^®-Reactors also belong to the turbomachinery division. The product range includes reactors and heavy apparatus for chemical and petrochemical processes (e.g. fluid catalytic cracking) as well as physical process systems. Currently, these reactors are in use for 77 different processes with an outcome of 53 different products.

Compressors

• Barrel type centrifugal compressors.
• Pipeline compressors.
• Integrally geared compressors.
• Isothermal compressors.
• Hermetically sealed compact compressors with integrated high speed electrical motor and active magnetic bearings.
• Axial flow compressors.
• Process gas screw compressors.
• Vacuum blowers.
• Machinery trains.

Gas turbines (6 - 13 MW)

• Mechanical drive.
• Power generation.

Steam turbines (1 - 160 MW)

• Mechanical drive.
• Power generation.

An extract from the Compressor Review, which featured in the August 2015 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/special-reports/12082015/compressor-review-part-three-1261/