Compression

• To boost gas pressure to suit process

• Applications
– Oil & Gas: Gas to Dehydration, Dew Point Control,
LPG Recovery, Pipeline Transport -
Compressors onshore/offshore. Vapour Recovery. Flare Gas
Recovery
“Knowledge as to how process equipment really functions is
disappearing from the process industries. This is not only my – Refinery: Make up and recycle Hydrogen, Wet Gas,
opinion, but the general view of senior technical managers, in
Jan 2018 many large corporations”, Norman Lieberman, ‘A Working Fuel Gas, FCC Air and Plant Air
Guide to Process Equipment’
– Petrochemical: C2/C3 Compression
– Fertilizer: Syngas
Recommended Reading
– Refrigeration
GPSA Engg Databook, Section 13, Compressors and Expanders

Classification & Selection Positive

Compression
Dynamic Fans & Blowers Excluded
Displacement

Centrifugal Axial Reciprocating Rotary • Isothermal

p2 Polytropic
– No change in temperature
Single/ Piston or Screw / Axial Isentropic
• Isentropic “adiabatic”

Pressure
Multistage Plunger Helical Lobe

Pressure
Centrifugal
– No heat added or removed Isothermal
Horiz/ Vertical Diaphragm Sliding Vane – pvk = constant
Split Barrel – k = MCp/MCv = MCp/(MCp-R) Recip
Liquid Ring – Ideal v1,p1
Inlet Volume Flow Volume
• Centrifugal - Constant head • Polytropic
– Large flow ~ low head – pvn = constant
– Widely used. Preferred – Real or irreversible process • Number of stages
Centrifugal
– Low Capex and Opex. Reliable with entropy change
Single Stage – By compression ratio 3~4
• PD - Constant Flow • Power Required
Rotary Screw – Discharge temperature <
Head 

Recip - Single Stage

Axial
– Low or moderate flow ~ high head – Simple calculations 150°C (300°F) to avoid
Rotary - Liquid Ring
– Flexibility in capacity and pressure range – p-h chart damaging lube oil. For H2
Rotary - Straight Lobe – Higher efficiency and lower power cost – Simulation software 120°C (250°F)
Rotary - Sliding Vane – Less sensitive to changes in gas – With efficiency get BHP – Interstage pressure drop 35-
composition and density 70 kPa (5-10 psi)
Flow 

Compressors 1
 Centrifugal Compressor Axial Compressor
Impeller Gas Seals

• Centrifugal • High flow - low head

Bearing
– Gas sucked and accelerated by
rotating impeller/ vane – Air compressor. Gas turbine air compressor
– Stationary Diffuser/blades convert
velocity head to static pressure Drive Shaft
Diffusers – Axial flow. Stationary vanes direct gas to next row
– Multi wheel for large inlet volume of rotating blades
• Inlet guide vanes distribute gas to first stage impeller
flow; otherwise single wheel • Impeller accelerates gas, imparting kinetic energy
• Characteristic: Constant head • Diffusers change kinetic energy to pressure – Low head/ stage
• Casing return bends direct gas to the next impeller
– High flow ~ low heads • Note: Impellers getting smaller as gas volume reduces – Twice no of stages than
– Flow reduces with higher • Dry Gas seals avoid process gas leak to atmosphere
backpressure in centrifugal
– Multistage for high discharge
pressure

Open, semi open or closed impeller

Centrifugal Compressor Centrifugal Compressor

• Design Info • Variable Speed Drive
– Flow and Suction/ Discharge Conditions. To API Std 617
– Molecular Weight changes. Sizing based on low mol weight. Hi volume
– Constant capacity at variable pressure or variable
• For the same head, higher Molecular Weight means higher pressure capacity at constant pressure or variable capacity and
• Capacity & Head variable pressure
Plant air compressors are Recip or Screw. Do you know why?
– Impeller diameter ~ speed
• Capacity usually low. Capacity  smaller impeller dia. To get
– Speed changed to suit process flow and pressure
• Affinity law 10 bar discharge pressure, impeller tip velocity or condition within driver + compressor limits
– Flow α speed N, dia d compressor speed has to be very high
With hi capacity + integral Air Separation units, centrifugal
– Flow decided by intersection of head and system
– Head α N² or d² •
compressors are used resistance curves
– Power α N³ or d³ 120 120
105% N

• Single Speed Drive. Constant head Drooping Unstable 100% N 100% N

Head %

Head %
– Head curve -Theoretically straight line 100 100
• Less due to internal losses 95% N
• Gradually reducing 80 80
• Flow decided by intersection of head
and system resistance curves 60 60
25 50 75 100 125 25 50 75 100 125
Capacity, % Capacity, %
System Resistance - Closed Loop ∆P=Flow² System Resistance - Closed Loop ∆P=Flow²

Compressors 2
 Centrifugal Compressor
• Surge
– At surge point, developed head
< system resistance
– Discharge gas flows back
– As flow drops, discharge
pressure drops and compressor
resumes forward flow
– Cycle is repeated. Large
Shaft Seals
• Interstage Cooling • Oil or gas seals. Eliminate process gas
– Head and Power αT1 leak along shaft to atmosphere
– Interstage cooling, allows • Injected at a pressure marginally
lower temperature to next higher than process between 2 sleeves.
wheel inside stage/ next stage Gap between sleeves 5 microns
– Internal cooling
• Water cooling through jackets
• Seal gas flows towards process and Red = Rotating
in diffuser diaphragms atmosphere presenting a barrier to Yellow = Stationary

pressure and flow fluctuation • Liquid injection in return direct passage of process gas
channels. In refrigeration units
– Machinery damage. Thrust • A separation or buffer gas (air or inert
bearing affected due to rotor – External cooling gas) used if seal gas is process gas
shifting back and forth
• Stonewall or choked flow
– At high flow - low head (low P2
Single Gas Seal Double Gas Seal Tandem Gas Seal
system resistance) gas may Energy saved Seal Separation Buffer Seal Separation Seal Separation
Gas Gas Gas Gas Gas Gas Py Seal Sy Seal Gas
reach sonic velocity with interstage

Pressure
cooling Leak Leak Leak Leak
– For a given gas, maximum flow
reached Process
P1 Inner Seal Separation Inner Inboard Outboard Separation Inner Primary Secondary Separation
Compressor Surging Video V2 V1
Seal Seal Seal Seal Seal Seal Laby Seal Seal Seal
Volume

Lube & Seal Oil System Positive Displacement - Reciprocating

• Lubrication oil for bearings
• Older compressors have seal oil
• Combined lube and seal oil
system
– With booster pumps for seal
• Separate lube and seal oil
• Degassing tank: in seal oil return • Piston or Plunger
line to remove oil-entrained gas
• Outer sleeve seal oil returned – Constant flow in each stroke
via atmospheric drain system – Single or multistage Integral Engine Compressor
• Inner sleeve seal oil returned or
discarded if contamination by • Diaphragm (Compressor Driven By Gas Engine)

system for contaminated gas process gas – Flexible diaphragm • Cooled and Lubricated Cylinder
• Overhead run down tank • Lubricated Packing Case
• Buffer gas injection to form a • Characteristic: Constant flow • Dry Liner on cylinder Inner Wall
barrier between process gas and provides 15 minutes of seal oil
for compressor coastdown after • Pistons may have Teflon Wear Rings
seal oil – Can compress against any head • Double acting pistons in LP Stage
a trip
– Lubricated/ non-lubricated • Single Acting in LP
• Non-lubricated in air and O2 service Suction
Buffer Seal Lube Caution Seal Gas: – Interstage coolers
Gas Oil Oil • Good filter as gap between sleeve faces 5 μ Clearance Pocket Packing case
• Seal gas superheating may be required
– Compressor and outlet piping will be
Process
• Saturated process gas is known to drop out
damaged with closed outlet. PSV
Carbon Shaft
heavy condensate while cooling after a required
Seal Oil Seal Lube Bearing
& Buffer Gas & Seal Oil
shutdown and damage the seals Double Acting Piston Video Discharge

Compressors 3
 Recip Compressors
• To API Std 618
• “Pulsating” on each suction
stroke - from no flow to
filling
• Pulsation dampeners on
suction and discharge
– For smooth flow and to avoid
vibration
– Limit peak to 2% of average
pressure
– Analog studies done
• Startup Unloading. Manual/
automatic
– Discharge venting
– Discharge to suction bypass
– Inlet valves kept open with
valve lifters
Liquid Ring Compressor
• Vacuum pump
• Eccentrically mounted rotor
• Vanes churn liquid, typically
water
• Liquid ring seals spaces
between vanes -
compression chambers of
reducing volume
– Make-up filtered liquid
– Liquid acts as a coolant
• Good for wet, saturated,
dirty, toxic, explosive and
corrosive gases
– H2S, Dry and Wet Chlorine,
H2, VCM
Compressors
Screw & Sliding Vane Compressor
• Capacity Control Screw/ Helical lobe Sliding Vane
Constant volume flow • Intermeshed rotors
– On-off, based on discharge – Progressively reducing • Eccentrically mounted
pressure
– Variable Displacement: Inlet
interlobe spacing rotor. Sliding Vanes
valve/ Clearance unloading
compresses gas
100, 75, 50, 25, 0% – Air and Refrigeration • Gas trapped and pushed
– Variable speed drive or
services by vanes
transmission – Capacity control by a slide
valve ~ 10-100% – Vapor Recovery &
• To API Std 619 Vacuum Service
Hyper Compressor
• Ideal for gases with liquids, • High-pressure recip
dust and dirt - flare gas
recovery compressor for LDPE
(Low Density
Polyethylene) plants
• Ethylene to 3,500 bar
(50,000 psia)
C2 =Storage
Booster Hyper
Reactor Separator Extruder PE Pellets
Compressor Compressor
From: https://www.burckhardtcompression.com/
4
 Compressor Performance Compressor Drives
• Isentropic Performance • Electrical Motors • Common driver for 2
– Head His = ZavRT1/(M(k-1)/k)*[(P2/P1)(k-1)/k-1] – Constant speed separate compressors
– k = Cp/Cv – Variable speed drive VSD
• N+1 compressors
– Power, Pgas = w.His/(ηis*CF) • Variable Speed
w = kg/s or lb/min CF = 1,000 SI or 33,000 FPS – Lead/ lag control
ηp = 0.7-0.85 based – Internal combustion
– T2 = T1 + {T1*[(P2/P1)(k-1)/k-1]}/ηis on flow/ BHP engines
– Base load/ swing load
• Polytropic Performance Head/ Enthalpy Change from p-h Dgm
– Gas turbines
– Replace k with n Entropy Lines • Power delivery based on
2 2’
– n/(n-1) = k/(k-1)*ηp P2 ambient temperature.

Pressure
Can load more during
– T2 = T1*(P2/P1)(n-1)/n nights and in winter
1
– BHP = Pgas + Mechanical Losses P1
– Steam turbines
towards bearing/ gear @ Pgas0.4 Temp Lines
Enthalpy  ∆his  – Turbo Expanders
Compressor Sizing Calc  ∆h 

Compressor Control Compressor Control

Compressor ASC
Anti Surge
• Controls – Suction pressure with an Surge Control
Valve
BDV
RO To Flare

– Affinity law: Q α N. H α override from discharge To Flare

FCV
N². HP α N³ pressure to control variable PSV
PAH PIC PIC PAH
speed drives PCV
SC
LO
– On reducing flow, speed FAH FIC PAL Compressor PAL
is reduced or suction is – Suction or discharge throttling FAL Speed Control

throttled to maintain inlet or inlet guide vanes in fixed PSV

flow away from surge. On speed drivers Hot gas Bypass
LO TAHH
further reduction ASV, – Anti-surge protection via PG PALL PG PAHH
Discharge
anti-surge valve opens to recycle back to suction TG TG PALL
Cooler
TAHH
recycle discharge flow to – Hot gas bypass to suction for PAHH
suction anti-surge protection during PALL Bearing - Vibration,
Shaft - Axial Movement
coastdown LAH
Temperature Trips
105% N LIC
PIC SC PIC 120 PIC
100% N Suction LAL
LAHH Scrubber Inlet flow measurement and operating speed decide approach
Head %

Speed 100 LALL LG

Control 95% N to surge and Anti Surge Valve is opened to increase inlet flow
80 For seal oil / fire case/ reduce start-up load BDV is opened
PCV LV
Instead of PC, GT 60 M Instead of speed,
25 50 75 100 125
FC can be used Capacity, % % throttling Compressor Surge Control Video

Compressors 5
 Compressor Protection Operational Issues
• Low suction pressure d/s of • Vibrations • Centrifugal • Safety Alert
suction filter. Very common for • High temperature of bearings
suction filter to get plugged – High discharge resistance – Poor min flow recycle
with debris and mill scale • High axial movement – Dirt or coke buildup on resulted in vacuum in
• High discharge • Lube oil/ Seal failure rotor or diffusers suction, pulling in air. On
pressure/temperature • Suction KOD – Changes to gas mol wt compression air:HC
• Anti-surge* – High level trip exploded
• Piping from KOD to compressor – Poor surge control – Vibration in compressor
heat traced /sloped to KOD response. Hot bypass outlet piping. 1/4" bolt on
* Dynamic Simulation Studies required
• Close inlet SDV • Suction side designed to settle out local TG support, cut thru
– ASV and suction PCV response. Suction pressure = (VsPs+VdPd)/(Vs+Vd) • PD Compressors pipe, releasing H2. During
PALL set point. SDV closure time • Discharge PSV plant walk about check
• Close outlet SDV
– Dirt or liquid
• API 14 C – Poor adjustments. and avoid sharp objects
– ASV response. Discharge PAHH set point.
SDV closure time – Compressor Unit Some systems may
Coolant and lube oil close to piping
have inlet coolers
• Fail open ASV
– Compressor controls response
– Leaking suction/
• Trip one or both compressors discharge valves
– Check ASV Cv
– Hot gas bypass requirement Compressor Settle Out Calc

Thank You

Compressors 6