Third

Quarter

Surge
August 2007

SURGE PREVENTION IN CENTRIFUGAL
COMPRESSOR SYSTEMS
Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
Rainer Kurz and Robert C. White
Solar Turbines Incorporated
San Diego, California
Centrifugal compressor surge
and its prevention have drawn
significant attention in the
literature. An important aspect
of surge avoidance lies in
the design of the compressor
station and, in particular,
the piping upstream and
downstream of the compressor.
Most anti-surge systems are
perfectly capable of avoiding
surge during normal operating
conditions.
However, unplanned
emergency shutdowns present
a significant challenge, and
surge avoidance in these cases
depends to a large degree on
the station layout, in particular
the volume of the piping
system downstream of
the compressor. Furthermore,
the concepts used in the anti
surge system (valves, piping,
coolers) also impact the
start-up of the station, or of
individual nits of the station.
Start-up considerations for
stations with and without
cooled recycle loops are
discussed.
Recently, there have
been attempts to increase
the stability margin of a
compressor by active
(Epstein et. al. [1], Blanchini
et. al. [2]) or passive means
(Arnulfi et. al. [3]), or by
increasing the accuracy of
determining the surge margin
(McKee and Deffenbaugh [4]).
It is often overlooked that
meaningful gains can be made
by better understanding the
interaction between the
compressor, the anti-surge
devices (control system,
valves) and the station piping
layout (coolers, scrubbers, check
valves). This study focuses on
continued on p. 8
Semi-Active Compressor Valve
selected for R&D Magazine Award
One of the 100 most techno-
logically significant products
introduced over the past year.
A long-life, semi-active plate
valve for reciprocating compres-
sors developed at Southwest
Research Institute (SwRI) has re-
ceived a 2007 R&D 100 Award.
R&D Magazine selected SwRI’s
Semi-Active Compressor Valve
as one of the 100 most significant
technological achievements of
the past year.
The single largest maintenance
cost for a reciprocating com-
pressor is compressor valves.
Typically, reciprocating com-
pressors use passive compressor
valves. These valves experience
high plate impact velocities that
often result in fatigue failures
and a short operating life, leading
to frequent replacement. With
more than 12,000 reciprocating
compressors in use in the United
States alone, valve repair or
replacement and the downtime
associated with this maintenance
is a significant investment for the
natural gas industry.
can be achieved, thereby helping
the natural gas industry operate
its compressors more efficiently,
more reliably and more cost-ef-
“The SwRI-developed Semi-Ac- fectively.
tive Compressor Valve increases
plate life by drastically reducing The valve was one of several
plate impact velocities,” said technologies developed dur-
Dr. Klaus Brun, manager of the ing the Advanced Reciprocat-
Rotating Machinery and Mea- ing Compression Technology
surement Technology Section in program, conducted at SwRI
SwRI’s Mechanical and Materi- and jointly funded by the Gas
als Engineering Division, and Machinery Research Council, BP
principal developer of the valve. and the U.S. Department of En-
“Rather than springs, the design ergy Office of Fossil Energy–Na-
uses electromagnets to actively tional Energy Testing Laboratory
control impact velocities. The Delivery Reliability Program.
valve plate starting motion (both
Cook-Manley Co. will be manu-
opening and closing) is sensed facturing the valve for industrial
using an electric inductive mo- oil and gas applications.
tion sensor controlled by the
electromagnets, thus
eliminating the need
for pressure transduc-
ers or shaft encoders to
control plate motion.”
The Semi-Active Com-
pressor Valve decreases
valve replacement and
associated costs by
more than 90 percent
over conventional
valves. Because of the
higher efficiency of the
valve, additional fuel
and process savings

Gas Machinery Publications

Table of Contents - Q3 2007 c/o GMRC
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1300 PAID
Exline Withstands the Test of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Dallas, TX 75234 DALLAS, TX
PERMIT 553
E Source Web Site Ratings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

University Uses Landfill Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

People on the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Business Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
 (/%2")'%2%NGINEERING3ERVICES
#OMPLETEENGINEERINGPROCUREMENTANDCONSTRUCTIONSERVICES
SPECIALIZINGINLAND BASEDNATURALGASCOMPRESSION

 DESIGNENGINEERING
 EMISSIONRETROFITS
 AUTOMATIONANDCONTROL
 COMPRESSIONSYSTEMUPRATESANDRESIZING
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(%3BREATHESNEWLIFEINTOYOURVALUABLECOMPRESSION
ASSETSˆTOFINDOUTHOWCONTACTUSAT
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Gazette Ads.indd 1 2/14/2007 9:31:24 AM

 Journal

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Exline withstands the test of time
Michele Degani,
special to the GM Journal
A blacksmith starts a business
underneath a shade tree, a 17
year old patents a sharpening
tool, three brothers modernize
a business, a young man triples
the size of a company – it’s all
in a day’s work for the Exlines, a
family of entrepreneurs who are
determined to carry on a family
tradition.
Their company, Exline Inc., was
started in 1872 by Robert Warren
Exline and has grown into a
leader in service, manufacturing
and repair of large industrial
equipment in the natural gas
transmission industry — even
though the odds were against
them as a family-owned business.
Robert Warren Exline
“Statistics show that less
than 1/3 of family businesses
are successful at passing the
company to the next generation,”
says Ron Christy, consulting
director for sales and marketing
for Exline. “And only about three
percent of all family businesses
operate into the fourth generation
or beyond.”
Spanning three centuries
Exline is bucking the system
with 135 years under its belt and
the fifth generation at the helm.
Located in Salina, Kansas, the
company’s focus is in the natural
gas transmission industry, but
they also support a diverse group
of industries including printing,
p. 4 Third Quarter GM Journal
aircraft, plastics, agriculture,
engineering, automotive — plus
the mining of coal, salt, gold, and
many other industries. They’ve
developed a name for themselves,
and customers are responding
positively to them. Not to mention
that they are one of the 10 oldest
corporations in Kansas.
When asked to reveal their
success secret, President Rob
William Exline Jr. responds,
“There’s no magic ingredient. But
we’ve had a lot of luck and we’ve
been able to develop a wide range
of capabilities that no one else
in the US offers today. We bring
talent in many different
areas to the customer,
and we work hard to
be a full service, single
source company.”
Beyond luck, the
company has chosen
leaders wisely from
the beginning. Founder
Robert Warren Exline
turned the company
over to his sons,
William George and Fred. It
was a smart move considering
William invented and patented
a sharpening tool for disc plows
and perfected a system for boring
and sleeving worn cylinders for
steam engines, a concept that is
still used today for larger, more
intricate machines.
An actual Exline shop was
constructed in 1915. Field
mechanics were hired to perform
onsite services and repairs. In
the 1920s, Exline entered the
Oil & Gas Industry. In 1929, the
business was passed to William
George Exline Jr, who proved
his tenacity by rebuilding the
company not once but twice, first
after an explosion and then again
after a tornado.
First Exline shop in Salina
Journal
GM
By the late 1950s and early
1960s, the fourth generation of
Exlines, brothers Jerry, Robert
and Douglas Exline came aboard
adding to the legacy with a new
machine shop and chrome plating
plant. After the triple retirement
of the Exline brothers in 1994,
the company was passed onto a
fifth generation Exline, Robert
William Exline Jr., who has been
successfully running the company
for the past 13 years.
Although Robert Jr. had worked
at Exline summers during college,
his Father and two Uncles
wouldn’t allow him to return to
the company immediately after
graduation. They wanted him to
pursue his own interests first and
then return if he possessed the
skills it took to run the business
— preferably five years later, a
timeframe considered to be Best
Practice from the family business
perspective.
The fifth generation comes home
After completing two
degrees, one in Mechanical
Engineering and one in Business
Administration, Robert Jr. went
into the construction industry,
running a division for a Denver-
based company and also working
in Los Angeles. The skills he
learned in the construction
industry mirrored the skills
needed to run Exline. So a little
past the five year mark, Robert Jr.
returned to the company 11 years
later.
“I saw a lot of potential at Exline
and thought it was going to be
a great opportunity for me,”
say Robert Jr. “I’d always had
an interest in owning my own
business and I knew Exline had a
great reputation in the industries
that it served.”
Robert has worked to make the
company market driven. “We
look at and understand what the
markets need and determine how Robert Exline, Jr.
to fill that need. We restructured to a projected 27 million in 2007.
billable rates to become Exline has seen a lot of growth in
more competitive, we hired a very short time and according to
all inside reps, which has Robert, they aren’t done yet.
worked well to serve our
customers.” “This fifth generation has no
intention of being the demise of
Around the time Robert something that has been around
came back to Exline, the as long as Exline,” say Robert Jr.
industry was starting to “The motivation is to keep this
approach maintenance family tradition going. We have a
differently, doing less in- lot of instilled pride.”
house and contracting out
major projects. So Exline Exline is one of the larger
added a Mechanical Services employers in Salina’s 50,000
Division, and assembled a field population city. And while
mechanics crew in 1993. Since Robert Jr. hopes one or both of
that time, he has added an Ignition his children will someday want
and Automation division, and the to continue the family business
company has become an Altronic tradition as the sixth generation
distributor for a five state area. of Exlines running the company,
Most recently, the company’s for now, he’s making sure he
acquisition of Tejas Maintenance has strong management in place,
increased the number of Exline and he’s working to maintain a
employees to over 220. During family-oriented culture and serve
his tenure, sales have also their customers.
increased from about $5.5 million
Exline Today

E Source Ranks Electric and Gas Company Web Sites
E Source reported its latest
benchmark results for the perfor-
mance of North American elec-
tric and gas company web sites.
Based on the latest E Source
findings, many more utilities
now offer self-service functions
designed to support the needs of
customers who prefer to interact
with their utility online. For ex-
ample, over 70 percent of utility
web sites now allow customers
to check their account balance,
compared to less than 50 percent
in 2005.
The “E Source 2007 Review of
North American Electric and
Gas Company Web Sites” as-
sesses 111 U.S. and Canadian
utility web sites. This compre-
hensive report includes detailed
benchmarking information that
illuminates the state of utility
web sites. To gauge how success-
ful electric and gas company web
sites are in serving residential
customers, E Source research-
ers assessed the companies’ web
sites from the customer’s point
of view. Many of the utilities
First University in Nation to Use Landfill Gas as Primary Energy Source
University of New Hampshire
will power its campus with
renewable landfill gas from the
Turnkey Recycling and Environ-
mental Enterprise facility owned
by Waste Management
The University of New Hamp-
shire, in cooperation with Waste
Management of New Hampshire,
Inc., has launched EcoLine, a
landfill gas project that will pipe
enriched and purified gas from
Waste Management’s landfill
in Rochester to the Durham
campus, UNH President Mark
Huddleston announced today.
UNH is the first university in the
nation to undertake a project of
this magnitude.
The renewable, carbon-neutral
landfill gas, from Waste Man-
agement’s Turnkey Recycling
and Environmental Enterprise
(TREE) facility in Rochester,
N.H., will replace commercial
GM Journal Third Quarter p. 5
included in the study gave the E
Source research team temporary
account access to enable a full
assessment of their secure online
services.
Between December 2006 and
March 2007, several review-
ers-typical residential energy
customers-visited the selected
utility web sites. Each site was
visited by multiple reviewers,
a different methodology than
in earlier surveys E Source has
undertaken. While there, they
looked for and rated 27 tasks and
functions that had been identified
by E Source research as the op-
tions residential customers most
expect to find and use when they
interact with a utility’s web site.
This year, the top-rated electric
and gas web sites belong to
Pacific Gas and Electric, Florida
Power & Light, Wisconsin Public
Service, NW Natural, and Prog-
ress Energy (Carolinas). This
new study -- the fourth such web
site review E Source has com-
piled -- is the largest, most de-
tailed benchmark of electric and
natural gas as the primary fuel
in UNH’s cogeneration plant,
enabling UNH to receive 80-85
percent of its energy from a
renewable source.
“By reducing the university’s
dependence on fossil fuels and
reducing our greenhouse gas
emissions, EcoLine is an envi-
ronmentally and fiscally respon-
sible initiative,” said Huddleston.
“UNH is proud to lead the nation
and our peer institutions in this
landmark step toward sustain-
ability.”
Construction is set to begin
immediately on a landfill gas
processing plant in Rochester
which will purify the gas, and the
12.7 mile underground pipeline
which will transport the gas from
the plant to the university’s Dur-
ham campus. UNH is expected to
fuel its cogeneration plant with
landfill gas by the fall of 2008.
Journal
GM
gas web sites available. The first
study was completed in 2002; E
Source found that between that
study and this one, most of the
utility web sites reviewed have
changed significantly in their at-
tempt to keep up with increasing
customer expectations.
Ethan Brown, a research analyst
at E Source, said, “As online
customer care becomes more
mainstream and competitive,
utilities have to work harder than
ever to meet their online custom-
ers’ needs. Customers’ expecta-
tions are increasing alongside
their familiarity with the rising
standards of bank, e-commerce,
and transportation web sites,
so offering them the ability to
perform more transactions on a
responsive, highly usable web
site has become more impor-
tant.” E Source Senior Research
Associate Florence Connally
added, “During this review, we
clearly saw that companies with
web sites that were substantially
unchanged from our last review
received noticeably lower ratings
from our reviewers.”
Estimated cost of the project,
including the construction of a
second generator at UNH, is $45
million.
“Waste Management is very
pleased to work with UNH on
this significant and innovative
landfill gas-to-energy initiative,”
said Alan L. Davis, district man-
ager of TREE for Waste Man-
agement. “This project will add
to the growing roster of landfill
gas-to-energy projects operated
by Waste Management across the
country, and it will help us re-
sponsibly allocate the company’s
resources while providing renew-
able power to the communities
we serve.”
Waste Management recently an-
nounced a major landfill gas-to-
energy initiative that will result
in the creation of an additional
60 renewable energy facilities.
In total, Waste Management will
“Some utilities have made
multimillion-dollar investments
in their web sites and associ-
ated online self service options,”
added Andrew Heath, director of
the E Source E-Business Service.
“These companies are getting
benefits in terms of increased
customer satisfaction from cus-
tomers wanting to interact online.
Getting more traditional custom-
ers to use the web site instead of
the telephone is still a challenge,
but as more and more people
become comfortable using online
services, the utility web site is
fast becoming just one more
channel customers choose when
they need to contact their utility.”
Eastern Region (U.S.). Long Is-
land Power Authority, Pepco, and
KeySpan Energy have the best
three web sites in the Eastern
region.
Midwestern Region (U.S.). Wis-
consin Public Service, Vectren,
and Alliant Energy have the three
best web sites in the Midwest. In
addition, the web sites provided
by Duke Energy (Midwest), Kan-
generate more than 700 mega-
watts of clean renewable energy
-- enough to power 700,000
homes or replace over eight mil-
lion barrels of oil. Waste Man-
agement designed and operated
its first such facility in the U.S.
over 20 years ago. The company
currently has two landfill gas-to-
electric plants at TREE produc-
ing green power for over 9,000
homes which will continue to
operate, while excess gas will be
sent to UNH’s new and innova-
tive renewable energy project.
Once construction on EcoLine
is completed, the pipeline will
not be visible, running four feet
underground along Rochester
roads, the Spaulding Turnpike,
and the Pan Am Railway’s right-
of-way onto UNH property. At
UNH, landfill gas will replace
commercial natural gas in UNH’s
cogeneration (co- gen) plant,
the primary source of heat and
sas City Power & Light, Ohio
Edison, MidAmerican Energy,
and We Energies all performed
well.
Southern Region (U.S.). Florida
Power & Light, Progress Energy
(Carolinas), and Alabama Power
offer the three best web sites
in the Southern region. Austin
Energy, Dominion Power, Duke
Energy (South), Progress Energy
(Florida), CPS Energy, Georgia
Power, and Oklahoma Gas &
Electric also offer good web
sites.
Western Region (U.S.). In the
Western region, Pacific Gas and
Electric, NW Natural, and Ari-
zona Public Service provide the
three best web sites. San Diego
Gas & Electric, Southern Califor-
nia Gas, Sacramento Municipal
Utilities District, Idaho Power,
and Portland General Electric
also provide good web sites.
Canada. The three best Canadian
web sites are provided by BC
Hydro, Terasen Gas, and Hydro-
Quebec.
electricity for the five million
square-foot Durham campus.
The co-gen plant, which began
operations in 2006, captures
waste heat normally lost during
the production of electricity and
uses this energy to heat campus
buildings, making more efficient
use of energy resources.
More importantly, the landfill
gas will stabilize the university’s
fluctuating energy costs, which
have doubled in the last five
years and grown at an annual rate
of 18.9 percent.
EcoLine will also have a major
impact on UNH’s carbon dioxide
emissions. It will reduce the
university’s greenhouse gas
emissions an estimated 67 per-
cent below 2005 levels and 57
percent below 1990 levels.
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 Journal

GM
Cont’d from p.1
centrifugal compressors driven by
two-shaft gas turbines
(Figure 1).

The possible operating points of

a centrifugal gas compressor are
limited by maximum and
minimum operating speed,
maximum available power, choke
flow, and stability (surge) limit
(Figure 2). Surge, which is the
flow reversal within the
compressor, accompanied by high
fluctuating load on the
compressor bearings, has to be
avoided to protect the compressor.
The usual method for surge
avoidance (“anti-surge-control”)
consists of a recycle loop that
can be activated by a fast acting
valve (“anti-surge valve”) when
the control system detects that the
compressor approaches its surge
limit. Typical control systems use
suction and discharge pressures
and temperatures, together with
the flow through the compressor
to calculate the relative distance
(“surge margin”) of the present
operating point to the predicted or
measured surge line of the
compressor (Figure 2). The surge
margin is defined by:
If the surge margin reaches a
preset value (often 10%), the anti-
surge valve starts to open, thereby
reducing the pressure ratio of the
compressor and increasing the
flow through the compressor.
Figure 2. Typical compressor map
Figure 1. Compressor Station
The situation is complicated by
the fact that the surge valve also
has to be capable of precisely
controlling flow. Additionally,
some manufacturers place
limits on how far into choke
(or overload) they allow their
compressors to operate.
A very critical situation arises
upon emergency shutdown
(ESD). Here, the fuel supply to
the gas turbine driver is cut off
instantly, thus eliminating the
power to the driven compressor1.
The inertia of compressor,
coupling and power turbine
have to balance the compressor
absorbed power, causing a
rapid deceleration. Because the
head-making capability of the
compressor is reduced by the
square of its running speed, while
the pressure ratio across the
machine is imposed by the
upstream and downstream piping
system, the compressor will
surge if the surge valve cannot
provide fast relief of the pressure.
1 Some installations maintain fuel flow to the turbine for 1 to 2 seconds while the recycle valve opens. However, this can generate a safety hazard.
The deceleration of the
compressor as a result of
inertia and dissipation are
decisive factors. The speed
at which the pressure can
be relieved not only depends on
the reaction time of the valve,
but also on the time constants
imposed by the piping system.
The transient behavior of the
piping system depends largely on
the volumes of gas enclosed
by the various components of
the piping system, which may
include, besides the piping itself,
various scrubbers, knockout
drums, and coolers. The system
boundaries for this study are the
first downstream check valve,
while the upstream boundary
may be either a check valve or
an infinite plenum (at constant
pressure, Figure 3).
The requirements of the anti-
surge system for such situations
as ESD or other massive system
disturbances are distinctly
different from the usual process
control case.
The former is a massive, fast
change in conditions that first and
foremost requires fast system
reaction. This requires, among
others, extremely fast opening
valves with sufficiently large flow
areas. The latter requires the
capability to precisely control
slow changes in the process,
such that no oscillations occur,
which can be accomplished with
precisely positioned valves.
Surge control valves are primarily
sized to fit the compressor. During
steady-state recycling, the
required capacity of the recycle
Figure 3: Anti-surge and recycle system
valve can be directly derived from valves with an equal percentage
the compressor map. To handle characteristic are advantageous
transient conditions, the required (Figure 4). The equal percentage
capacity must be greater to characteristic spreads the first
allow for the volumes on either half of the valve’s fully open
side of the compressor. With capacity over the first 2/3 of the
the initiation of a shutdown, the valve’s travel for a globe valve,
compressor can be expected to and about one third of the valve’s
decelerate approximately 30% in fully open capacity over the first
the first second. With a 30% loss 2/3 of the valve’s travel for a
in speed, the head the compressor ball valve. This greatly improves
can develop at its surge limit controllability at partial recycle
will drop by approximately 50%. throttling. In order to avoid surge
The recycle control valve must, during a shutdown, the valve must
therefore, reduce the pressure open to the required capacity in
ratio across the compressor by significantly less than one second.
one-half in that first second to
avoid surge. Surge control systems must
be sized to meet two diverse
The following guidelines pertain See “Surge,” p. 10
to a typical one valve, one
compressor
arrangement.
More
complex systems
of cascaded
valves or valves
around multiple
compressors
require a more
detailed analysis.
To facilitate both
precise throttling
at partial
recycle and the
need to reduce
the pressure
difference across
the compressor
quickly during
a shutdown,
surge control
Figure 4. Typical valve characteristics for globe and ball valves

p. 8 Third Quarter GM Journal

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the focus is on the problem, not the symptoms,
saving time and increasing productivity.

It’s not a product. It’s a strategy.


SURGE PREVENTION IN CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR SYSTEMS
Cont’d from p.8
objectives: During steady-state
recycling, the required capacity of
the recycle valve can be directly
derived from the compressor
map: the smaller the valve, the
smoother the control. During
transient conditions, the required
capacity increases due to the
volumes on either side of the
compressor. Therefore, to avoid
surge during a shutdown, the
bigger the valve, the better. To
facilitate both smooth throttling
at partial recycle and the need to
reduce the pressure differential
(DP) across the compressor
quickly during a shutdown,
control valves with an equal
percentage characteristic are
recommended. With an equal
percentage characteristic, the
more the valve is opened, the
greater the increase in flow
for the same travel. We
recommend two types of valves
for surge control: globe valves
1-800-341-0030
p. 10 Third Quarter GM Journal
and noise-attenuating ball valves.
The globe valve’s capacity
(Cv) varies with the square
of the percentage travel. The
noiseattenuating ball valve’s
capacity (Cv) varies with the
cube of the percentage travel.
Both valves are sized to be
throttling at about two-thirds
open at surge conditions. As such,
the noiseattenuating ball valve
will have 50% more capacity
to depressurize the discharge
volume than the globe valve.
This additional capacity makes
the noise-attenuating ball valve
the better choice in installations
where there is a single surge
control valve (i.e. there is no hot
bypass) and the discharge
volumes are large (e.g., the
discharge system includes an
aftercooler). The valve is matched
to the compressor (Figure 5).
Journal
GM
Surge Phenomenon
Day [5] has provided very
detailed measurements
of compressor surge
cycles, pointing out the
dominating influence of
the discharge volume.
Figure 6 shows the head-
versus-flow characteristic
of a typical centrifugal
compressor at constant
speed, including the areas
of unstable operation.
At flows lower than the
stability limit (‘surge
line’), the compressor
Figure 5: Matching of Valve and Compressor. The valve characteristic for a number of opening
initially shows a reduced
positions (60%,70% and 100%) is superimposed to the compressor performance map.
capability to generate head
with reduced the suction to the discharge side. References
flow, until it experiences reverse Unless action is taken, the events [1] Epstein, A.H., Ffowcs Williams,
repeat again. Ongoing surge can J.E., and Greitzer, E.M., “Active
flow, that is, the gas now flows Suppression of Compressor
from the discharge to the suction damage thrust bearings (due to the Instabilities,” AIAA-86-1994, 1994.
side of the compressor. Once flow massive change of thrust loads), [2] Blanchini, F., Giannatasio, P.,
reversal occurs, the amount of seals, and eventually overheat the Micheli, D., and Pinamonti, P.,
flow depends on the pressure compressor. “Experimental Evaluation of a
High-Gain Control for Compressor
ratio across the Surge Suppression,” ASME 2001-
compressor, GT-0570, 2001.
since in this Coming in the next issue [3] Arnulfi, G.L., Giannatasio, P.,
situation the of the GM Journal: Micheli, D., and Pinamonti, P., “An
compressors Innovative Control of
Modeling the Piping Surge Surge in Industrial Compression
acts more or Systems,” ASME 2000-GT-352,
less like an Control Interaction & Application 2000.
orifice. The [4] McKee, R.J., and Deffenbaugh,
flow reversal D., “Factors that Affect Surge
means that Acknowledgements Precursors in Centrifugal
The authors would like to Compressors,” Proc. GMRC Gas
the pressure Machinery Conference, Salt Lake
downstream of acknowledge the contributions City, Utah, 2003.
the compressor of Daryl D. Legrand and Roland [5] Day, I.J., “Axial Compressor
is gradually Kaiser,both with Solar Turbines Performance During Surge”,
reduced. Incorporated. Proc.10th International Symposium
on Air Breathing Engines,
The speed
Nottingham, UK,1991, pp. 927-934.
of pressure
reduction
depends largely
on the size of
the volume
downstream
of the
compressor.
Once the
pressure
is reduced
sufficiently,
the compressor
will recover
and flow gas
again from
Figure 6: Simplified surge cycle

Industry Profile:
Enginuity Celebrates Rich Schoonover’s 10 Years
of Leadership and Service
Rich joined Enginuity
on May 1, 1997
after spending 2
years working at the
Technology Center
for Tenneco Gas / El
Paso Energy, prior to
which Rich earned
both his bachelors
and masters degrees
in Mechanical
Engineering from
Colorado State
University.
Rich is part of the
infamous three
graduate students
who built CSU’s
engine lab, which the
gas pipeline industry
enthusiastically
supported. It is
here that Rich made a name for
himself by knowing how to get
things done, regardless of whether
that required doing engineering
design work or putting on a
Arrow Industries, Inc
announces new team members
is pleased to announce the
following additions to our
team
Arrow Industries, Inc announces
new team members is pleased to
announce the following additions
to our team.
In the Mechanical Services
division, Gary Sanders has
joined the Company as a project
Manager. Gary has over 20
years of experience with integral
engine repair.
Nick Fury and David Guillot
have also joined Arrow and are
running the New Parts division.
David comes from an OEM
where he specialized in integral
engine parts. Nick Fury, who
began his career with Clark
Bros., has over 50 years in the
integral engine parts industry and
we are very pleased to have him.
Lastly, David Grant has joined
Arrow and will be responsible
p. 12 Third Quarter GM Journal
People on the Move
welder’s hood and welding piping
and physical structures.
Rich’s contributions to
Enginuity’s success are both
for surplus engine acquisitions,
removal and transportation.
Cameron’s Compression
Systems Division announces
organizational changes
The
Compression
Systems
division of
Cameron has
announced
the
appointment
of Lane
Walker to the position as General
Manager, Superior™ Products.
In this position Walker will
be responsible for leading
all aspects of the Superior
product line’s development,
design, application, sourcing,
manufacture, and support
on a global basis. Walker
assumes P&L and balance sheet
responsibility for the product
line. He reports to Richard
Stegall, V-P Reciprocating and is
based in Houston, Texas.
many in number and of great
strategic significance. Perhaps
the most notable is Rich’s
leadership of Enginuity’s highly
successful HPFi technology. He
led the development, design,
pilot testing and commercial
release of Enginuity’s market
offering, concurrently developing
Enginuity’s relationship with its
partner Woodward Governor.
Rich was challenged upon his
arrival at Enginuity to pick an
area of interest and make it
his own. He did just that with
HPFi and has continued to do
so in many areas throughout the
company.
Other significant contributions
Rich has made to Enginuity
include:
• “Impact” System – Rich led
the development of Enginuity’s
Impact pressure monitoring
system, including significant
work bringing pressure sensor
technology to a level of perfor-
mance and reliability required for
successful commercial application
in the natural gas industry.
Walker has been with Cameron
since 2006, working in the
Business Development
department of the corporate
office and led various
strategic activities. He has an
undergraduate degree from the
University of Texas and an MBA
from Harvard Business School.
Also announced is the
appointment of Mike Gerzina to
the position as General Manager,
Ajax™ Products.
In this position Gerzina will be
responsible leading all aspects of
the Ajax product line to include
design, development, application,
sourcing, manufacture and
support on a global basis.
Gerzina assumes P&L and
balance sheet responsibility. He
reports to Richard Stegall, V-P
Reciprocating and is based at the
Ajax headquarters in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma.
Gerzina has been with Cameron
for over 25 years in various
sales, marketing and operations
• Enginuity University – Rich
developed Enginuity University
(EU) from concept to rollout.
EU is Enginuity’s internal train-
ing and development program,
which has also served to rollout
programs to Enginuity’s
customers.
• Enginuity Infrastructure – Rich
has led the definition, develop-
ment and deployment of the
majority of Enginuity’s oper-
ations systems, processes and
toolsets. Further, Rich has led
the development of much of
Enginuity’s business infrastruc-
ture ranging from Enginuity’s
forecasting tool and Enginuity’s
current website.
• Knowledge Infrastructure
– Rich has led Enginuity’s efforts
to conceptualize, define and
engage the gas industry in this
evolving area. His whitepapers
and presentations regarding
workforce and knowledge
challenges continue to be a
highlight of many industry
conferences. They reach well
beyond the initial audience at the
roles. Most recently he has been
Director, Sales for Cameron’s
reciprocating new unit products.
The Compression Systems
division of Cameron is also
pleased to announce the
appointment of Richard Stegall
to the position of Vice-President,
Reciprocating.
In this role
Stegall will
be the senior
executive
responsible
for all
reciprocating
operations.
Reporting
to Stegall will be the newly-
appointed general managers of
the Superior (Lane Walker) and
Ajax (Mike Gerzina) product
lines. Additionally, he will
provide leadership to other
functional areas of Quality,
Distribution and Facilities.
Stegall reports to Bob Rajeski,
President of Compression
Systems and resides at
GMRC to include the INGAA
Foundation and several
committees of SGA.
Today, Rich serves as vice
president of Enginuity, having
responsibility for managing
Enginuity’s turnkey project
business in the areas of both
emissions retrofit and automation
solutions. Rich continues to
provide leadership within
Enginuity and to the industry;
teaching short courses and
presenting whitepapers in a
number of key areas with recent
focus on knowledge
infrastructure.
On the personal side, Rich is
a great craftsman and hobby
fanatic. His interests range from
snowboarding to paintballing;
from flying remote control
airplanes to turning beautiful and
ornate pieces of art from exotic
wood; the list is quite extensive.
Rich’s passion for Halloween
decorations, devices and
structures is out there for all to
see on his personal website www.
abbynormalslab.com.
the Compression Systems
headquarters in Houston, Texas.
Stegall has been employed by
Cameron for 25 years in various
capacities. Most recently he
has been V-P Operations for
the Compression Systems’
reciprocating and centrifugal
businesses.
Mike O’Neil
has joined
Cameron’s
Compression
Systems
division as
Vice President
of Engineering
and Product
Development. He replaces
John Bartos who has moved to
a corporate role. Mike will be
responsible for Compression
Systems’ Engineering, Six
Sigma, Information Technology,
Product Development and
technical training. Mike was
formerly with Dresser-Rand
and had roles in engineering,
Cont’d next page
 People on the Move
business management,
analytical sciences and product
development. He has relocated
to Houston and works in
the Compression Systems
headquarters. Mike reports
to Bob Rajeski, Compression
Systems president.
Altronic Announces
Factory and Field
Personnel Changes
as New Division is Launched
Richard P. (Dick) Schook has
retired after more than 27 years
at Altronic, Inc., most of them
as Vice President of Sales and
Service. Dick joined Altronic in
1979 as a Sales/Service Repre-
sentative, and quickly rose in the
organization, first as Sales Man-
ager and finally as Vice President
of Sales. He guided the sales,
service and marketing strategies
of the rapidly-growing supplier
of industrial ignition systems
and instruments to many sales
records, including the three most
recent years of his tenure.
Dick Shook
Mr. Schook has authored and
contributed to countless technical
papers and has been published
extensively in the industry over
the course of his long and distin-
guished career.
In conjunction with Mr. Schook’s
retirement, Altronic has an-
nounced several promotions
within the sales and service
departments.
David E. Bell has been named
Vice President, Aftermarket
Sales and Service. Dave started
his career at Altronic in the
engineering department in 1984,
working part-time while earning
GM Journal Third Quarter p. 13
Business Briefs
undergrad- Controls, which was established Conoco Phillips’ Subsidiary to arises from a lawsuit filed by
uate and in order to offer an expanded Pay United States $97.5 Million a private whistleblower under
graduate range of resources and solutions for Fraudulent Underpayment of the False Claims Act, which
degrees exclusively to authorized Altron- Natural Gas Royalties alleges that a number of com-
from ic Distributors associated with panies systematically underpaid
Youngs- the promotion, sale, installation, Burlington Resources Inc. has royalties due for their federal and
town State and service of advanced Altronic/ agreed to pay the United States Indian natural gas production.
University. Altronic Controls systems. $97.5 million to resolve claims The Justice Department partially
Bell that it underpaid royalties owed intervened against several defen-
Joining Barry on the ESS Divi- on natural gas produced from dants in the lawsuit, and previ-
Keith Brooks becomes Vice sional staff are: Paul McHenry federal and Indian leases, the ously settled with Shell Oil Co.
President, OEM Sales. He has a – Project Manager, Mark See Justice Department announced for $56 million and Dominion
Bachelor of Engineering Science – Field Service Manager and today. Last year, Burlington Exploration and Production Co.
degree in Sandy Winans –Logistics became a wholly owned sub- for $2 million. The Department
Mechani- Manager sidiary of Conoco Phillips, the is continuing to pursue claims
cal Engi- third largest integrated energy against Exxon-Mobil Corp.
neering Additionally, Mr. Powell has company in the United States. The investigation of and settle-
from the been named Altronic’s Interna- ment with Burlington were
Univer- tional Area Manager for Asia. The settlement resolves allega- jointly handled by the U.S. At-
sity of tions under the False Claims torney for the Eastern District of
Western Michael Porter has accepted the Act that Burlington systemati- Texas and the Civil Division of
Brooks Ontario position of cally under-reported the value of the Department of Justice, with
and an Altronic natural gas that it produced from the assistance of the Department
MBA from Youngstown State Regional onshore federal and Indian leases of the Interior’s Office of Inspec-
University. Manager from March 1, 1988, to March tor General; the Minerals Man-
for Sales 31, 2005, and consequently, paid agement Service; and the New
Thomas P. Smith has been and Ser- less royalties than it owed to the Mexico Taxation and Revenue
promoted vice for the United States and various Indian Department Oil and Gas Bureau.
to Director east-central tribes.
of Service Porter United Natural Gas Leads the Pack
Operations. States. The Minerals Management with the ‘Cleanest Engine’
Tom came Service (MMS) of the U.S. Garnering Both U.S. EPA and
to Altronic Timothy Ricker joins Altronic Department of the Interior is CARB Certification to 2010
as a Sales in the responsible for overseeing the Emission Standards
Represen- capacity of collection of royalties on federal
Smith tative in Technical and Indian leases. Each month, The California Natural Gas
1986. Represen- companies are required to report Vehicle Partnership(CNGVP)
tative in to MMS the value of the natural announced today that one of
Matthew A. Donham has the inside gas produced from their federal its most active industry mem-
accepted a position as OEM service and Indian leases and to pay a bers Cummins Westport Inc.
Sales group at percentage of the reported value received certification from both
Represen- Ricker headquar- as royalties. The United States the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tative. Matt ters in alleged that Burlington used tion Agency (U.S. EPA) and the
started in Girard, Ohio. transactions with affiliated enti- California Air Resources Board
the Altronic ties to claim excessive deduc- (CARB) for its ISL G heavy-duty
Qual- Jos Struker assumes the mantle tions for the cost of transport- natural gas engine. The certifica-
ity Control of Interna- ing and treating its gas, and to tion from these two agencies is
department tional Area otherwise understate the value noteworthy as it designates this
Donham in 1994 and Man- it reported each month for its engine as meeting 2010 stan-
in 1996 he ager for natural gas production. dards of 0.2g/bhp-hr oxides of
was promoted to Sales/Service Africa and nitrogen (NOx) and 0.01 g/bhp-
Technician. the Middle “The Department of Justice is hr particulate matter (PM). The
East. Joe is committed to ensuring that those emission standards set for 2010
Barry Powell has been named a veteran who remove valuable assets from are significantly more stringent
General Struker of Altron- public or Indian lands pay a fair than those set in years past
Manager of ic’s Dutch price for those assets,” said Peter due to the need to address the
the newly- Distributor, Hatraco, and also of D. Keisler, Assistant Attorney reduction of harmful emissions
formed Altronic Europe BV. General for the Civil Division. from heavy-duty vehicles which
Engineered “We will continue to pursue contribute to greenhouse gases
System claims against other companies and other pollutants.
Services that seek to evade their royalty
(ESS) payment obligations.”
Division
Powell Continued next page
of Altronic The settlement with Burlington

Cont’d from previous page
As the first heavy duty engine
for urban bus applications to be
certified to the 2010 U.S. EPA
and 2010 CARB standards,
Cummins Westport Inc. can now
claim the title “World’s Clean-
est Heavy Duty Engine,” a long
sought after and highly antici-
pated feat. Gordon Exel, Vice
President America Sales of Cum-
mins Westport, touts that “with
improved low end torque and
maintenance-free after-treatment,
the ISL G will deliver diesel-like
performance and reliability and
the opportunity for customers to
take advantage of the lower cost
of natural gas.” With California’s
existing infrastructure of natural
gas fuelling stations combined
with regulations for fleets to use
the cleanest vehicles available,
the switch from diesel to natural
gas heavy-duty vehicles is an
obvious choice.
In addition to the support
received from the CNGVP,
Cummins Westport received
assistance from the South Coast
Air Quality Management District
(AQMD), the agency respon-
sible for regulating emissions
from heavy-duty vehicles in one
of the most heavily trafficked
regions of California. “Alterna-
tive fuel engines lead the way in
clean engine technology and we
encourage engine manufacturers
to strive beyond required engine
standards when developing zero
emission technologies,” said
Chairman Dr. William Burke of
the AQMD. “This achievement
continues to support the South
Coast region’s commitment to
alternative fuels as one of the
cleanest technologies available.”
Precision Engine Controls’
New Gas Fuel Metering Valve
Offers 20% More Flow,
Improved Health Monitoring
for Large Turbines &
Reciprocating Engines
Patented electronic valve
provides complete closed-loop
fuel control; fast,
accurate and repeatable
operation over a broad range
of operating conditions
p. 14 Third Quarter GM Journal
Precision Engine Controls
introduces the eXVG, a next-
generation gas fuel metering
valve designed for use with
large (up to10MW) turbines
and reciprocating engines
(up to 13,000 HP). The valve
combines a patented fuel-flow
measurement technique with
fast, accurate and repeatable
operation, resulting in better
fuel/air ratio control for lowering
emissions and improving engine
performance, especially in Dry
Low Emission (DLE / low
NOX) applications. The eXVG’s
optional 4-20mA interface
allows complete closed-loop
fuel control, and the unit’s
onboard 24Vdc electronics
provide improved health and
data monitoring via an isolated
RS-232 serial interface for
downloading real-time data to the
user’s laptop. Representing the
latest advances in measurement,
contamination resistance and
precision control capability
over a wide flow range, the
eXVG’s two-inch diameter pipe
effectively delivers 20% more
fuel than the company’s highly
successful XVG fuel valve,
making the new valve ideal for
larger engines or those operating
with lower supply pressures or
low BTU fuels.
Design-wise, the eXVG provides
a single direct-acting solenoid
actuator with no mechanical
linkages and only one moving
part. The valve’s balanced
flow tube provides superior
flow performance and assures
smooth, fast operation over a
wide pressure range. Featuring
a contamination-resistant self-
cleaning flow-through design,
the eXVG also provides a fail-
safe closing spring, with easy-
to-clean soft seats, to ensure a
positive shut-off. The eXVG’s
standard 200:1 turn-down ratio
allows operation over a wide
flow range and low supply
pressure, providing a four-fold
improvement over the typical
50:1 turn down (max vs. min
flow) of many competitive
models.
“We’re confident that the
eXVG’s enhanced functionality
Business Briefs
PECC’S eXVG
will have a positive impact on
the market by, among other
things, reducing the need for
redundant flow and temperature
instrumentation,” said Joe Mares,
PECC’s engineering manager
for valves and actuators. “With
several operational modes to
choose from, the eXVG provides
an integrated, cost-effective
migration path from traditional,
fixed-orifice solutions to better,
lower-emission performance
across the spectrum of larger
turbine and reciprocating engine
applications.”
PECC’s unique measured-flow
output provides an elegant
way to measure flow without
a sharp-edged orifice, turbine
meter, coriolis meter or other
independent direct-flow
device. This patented approach
employs a highly characterized
orifice, sensors to determine
the pressure across the orifice,
a gas temperature sensor, and
a carefully calibrated set of
calculations that factors out
sensor error to accurately
determine real-time mass flow
over a wide range of pressure,
temperature and flow rates.
Precise digital flow-
characterization data is logged
at the PECC test facility and
downloaded to the valve itself,
providing the eXVG with the
equivalent of an extremely
tight-tolerance orifice without
the costs typically associated
with high-accuracy machining.
The eXVG’s onboard Digital
Signal Processor (DSP)
performs real-time mass flow
calculations and compares
the stored characterization
information to the continuous
measurement data supplied by
internal gas temperature and
pressure sensors, which in turn
provides the user with a live
analog feedback signal of mass
flow.
New Low Emission Packing
Reduces Gas Loss from
Compressors
In early tests, the system reduces
gas loss by about 83%
Compressor Engineering
Corporation is helping operators
address lost gas challenges with
a new low-emission packing.
Fugitive natural gas emissions
result in a significant loss of
revenue as well as contribute to
environmental concerns. Stricter
regulations and self-governing
are currently being implemented
to reduce methane release, a
greenhouse gas.
Studies conducted by the
Pipeline Research Committee at
numerous compressor
stations nationwide indicate an
average rod leakage rate of 0.9
to 1.86 cfm per compressor rod.
This figure is almost double that
of the findings of the EPA Gas
Research Institute. While this
was not considered an industry
problem several years ago,
with gas prices now well above
$5/Mcf, lost revenue as well as
greenhouse gas emissions now
compel companies to seek ways
to minimize leakage.
The technology to reduce
fugitive emissions has been
in place for many years in the
refining, petrochemical and air
separation industries. However,
the natural gas industry has
largely been ignored until now.
EPA Initiative
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is
working with CECO and other
alliance partners to identify,
monitor and reduce methane
emissions at compressor
stations.
Using proven designs, unique
materials and engineering
expertise, CECO offers
customers technical training in
the field, troubleshooting and
cost-effective solutions
based on corporate goals and
requirements. Several companies
are now working with CECO to
reduce and monitor emissions
from compressor packing
cases. CECO Low Emission
Packing (LEP) has proven to
help reduce lost gas
and save money.
Important Steps
CECO has identified a number
of important leak reduction
steps. Proper maintenance is
critical as there are a number of
impediments to effective sealing.
There are numerous leak paths
within a packing case, any of
which can cause an unacceptable
emissions release.
Early test results look extremely
promising. At one compressor
station, initial leakage of over
30 scfh was detected before
installing CECO LEP.
After continuous monitoring, the
leakage rate stabilized at 5 scfh,
a reduction of about 83% in the
amount of lost gas.
Free
Yourself
You Own
Your Ignition System.
But Do You Control It?
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You have a problem with not enough ignition options? Not anymore –
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918 317 4100 E-mail sales@fwmurphy.com
0610143-GMJ 7-07