| | SS) CUP ESS 4 LU Cet — |CONDITION MONITORING FOR RECIPROCATING COMPRESSORS CONTINUES TO EXPAND Prognost Systems m: COMERESSORTecH”™ recently. inter: viewed Tike Drewes, managing dlector of Prognost Systems Gi the status of international monitoring diagnostic and safety protection sys tem for reciprocating compressor, Prognost Systems, based in Rheine Gezmany, is one of the major players i {his fei: operates worldwide from ts Rheine headquarters, fram ts Howson, ‘Texas, US.A., subsidiary headed by Skip Morrison; and through indepen ent representatives around the giobe. Prognos: Systems experienced a re iH, 10 dlscuss cond year in 2011 in both retrofiting | and new machine activities, In gpite Of uncertainiies crested by the present Rnanelal timmod, i ix expecting good resus again in 2012. There fa huge backlog of unpro- tected reciprocating compresicn in sey fice n refinery processes that is going 1 need 10 be upgraded. This is partic lie true in North America and Europe, ‘where tworils oF ut business 18 it the rewofiting ea,” Drewes said, He said tas is monty due to the fact that in the 1980s and 90s the commen ‘opinion was that the development of centrifugal compressors would alow those machines to replace recips in a varlery of small compression jobs and also in the compression of light gases sch as hydrogen. ‘At the time, # did not make sense to spend money to meniior machines destined to be decommissioned after a stor remaining period of service. Fore- requirements by 2010. Time has shown ‘hat this sift bas no taken place, Morecver, emironmental protec von Issues have obliged selineries to upgrade the fuel desulphusization tunits that required compression of JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 By Roberto Chel Eke Greves is managing arector at Prognos Sysiom 1rge amounts of hyelogen, a typ ‘al service efficiently performed by feciprocating compreseors ‘All these compressors are consid | fered! critical to the refining process ‘and are furnished, from the very be- ginning, with condition monitoring and protection units Oller compressors will need 10 be retiofted with coneltion monitoring systems to increase their productivity by reducing the risk of fature, Another application requiting. so phisticated condition monitoring is in low-density polyethylene plants. These primary and booster compressors, with pressures up to 46,400 psi (3200 ban), are dassified as critical; aa unplanned stop for maintenance entails lost of rs itaine market leadership with new services £ produetion with heavy revenue losses for the operstor Prognost Systems has more than a ‘90% share in this market segment for ew machines and + deeply involved in rewcfiting older machines, ‘We are continuously improving 0% systems in order to amintain the tech, nical advanages with competiien, Drewes said Receatly the trend of retrofising com: pressorsalreacly in service has been ex- tended to smaller, less entical machines ‘AC one tine i was a rule (0 instal and pat a backup compressor online when the production unit needled mainte rnc. This practice has been set aside in order to increase procaction, ‘continued on page 16 ‘cOMPRESSORTech™~Operas tend t© keep boris unit in continuous service and minimize down- time by fnalling a condition mentering system on both units — allowing ther to minimize mainterance downtime and prevent catastrophic failures ‘A typical example ' India, where there are stingent production targets fon refinery products, The ok! prac tice of stopping a compressor for un: planned tintenance is no longer ossible, 6 monitoring and protection systems have become necessary 'A large number of new recip max chines “have isadequate protection ‘ole practically all new turhomachin- ery equipment is provided with stan- dardized prosection and equipment 'A look at the current API 670 stan dards on protection and safety of ro- fating machines shows that recipro- cating compressors are inadequately represented, and this is the only spec fvailable, in the present revision, 5° dition, this gap will be filled and Feciprocating machines will have @ separate annex. Drewes said mary unprovected 1 providing tts lage balsnced-coposed. | facturing plants have to be of a size Compremors for the compression of | that alow an economy of scale. tyydrogen apd yeronen mitre Smaller plans have to merge to seach ‘Theters compres svt sopplrran- £4 iioietum sive or close, andthe lig- | tal cyuipment from local supple ae {er plats have resulted in a huge jump shipped dreaiy to the st, where ty in the sizeof the compressors. aro assembled und the cnet supers “n Chin we hada had job in qual ‘Son of NEAG Gampressor service per- fying local suppliers of pipes, vesiels Sonne The machines ae now com- {ane other plant cemponents, including fnisbned orn tke commissioning tage, {elect motors" A. Deters said. "Now ‘As in Graal the Indian feliney | we have a good base of chinese sup- business & near saturation and NEA piles that nee only meets the local stan £ 4s looking for opportunites In the pri- dads, but 3 able to supply the Intema sately cuned chemical industry or ¥ tinal markes, The problem is that 2s the prochition of detergents, vacing {soon a this qual levels reached, the powders, ferilzrs ete These applic” export pric: rises to levels cnly sigy fons usally requ higher specifier {below tnterational prices with great tions and NEA conmpressors mect the {profi forthe Chinese, but rot for us." Ssringent sandards required this de- "NEA sees a huge potential for asa ‘roniding market riche sod plane anere cecetbzed severe ‘China is another developing coun- {in that region. teeny expanded ts try of grew interest for NEA. In 1085 new Reyone, Tull, fabscaton Work- ‘pene an office ia Belfng and in 2097 | shop by 13090 sit. C200 mi to bater Hr founded Neuman & Essec Belirg, {package big compressor modules. ‘which is nin by a Chinese managing {Since the early 1970s, NEA. has Siretor witha sta of 25 employees. | been exporting compressor to Rusk in the pas our years NEA has up- {Where it pow has a large population {the group's tumover plod 300 compressor in China, 1SDot | of machines requiring spare pars A. { “Having legina ciflerent marker soc ‘which were used in forthe production £ Pets said the Russan market has not tr, one tha b nex le 0 the OD an gas of polslccn, a lasic matetal i solar { grown as expected, He sikl NEA has { indus, isa sate way to look at Fare panels Because the process —whish } Investment plans for Russi but they | gronh and sabiliy,” A Pevers said @ JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 ‘COMPRESSORTech™=