Reciprocating compressors are important pieces of machinery widely used in processing facilities. This article discuses key points and areas of concern when it comes to these compressors such as operation, reliability, capacity control, vibration and noise.
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A reciprocating compressor includes cylinders and pistons. A cylinder is closed at one end by the cylinder head and by a movable piston at the other. Cylinder valves sit at the base of the valve pockets. During the expansion phase, gas enters the cylinder through the suction valve when the piston moves and creates a vacuum. Then the piston reverses its direction of motion and starts to compress the gas. When the pressure in the cylinder exceeds the pressure in the discharge piping, the discharge valves open and the gas is pushed out of the cylinder. At the upper dead point, only a narrow gap between the piston and the cylinder head is left.
The operation of reciprocating compressors may seem simple. However, complex phenomena are associated with these machines. During compression, the pressure distribution in the cylinder is almost uniform, but when the pressure valve opens, a rarefaction wave is initiated, which travels back and forth in the compression chamber. Unwanted effects of these waves are oscillating moments on the piston, increased valve losses and decreased compressor efficiency.
Based on these unwanted effects, pulsation, valve operation and dynamic behaviors can pose major concerns for reciprocating compressors. Cylinder valves should be operated at each cycle. These values experience considerable dynamic loading and fatigue stress. The cyclic operation of a reciprocating compressor generates pulsation, which will be transferred to suction and discharge systems. Dynamic effects such as unbalance, movements caused by reciprocating action, waves (such as rarefaction waves), and many more effects should be considered for reciprocating compressors.
The capacity control is often determined by the compressor discharge pressure. Compressor capacity-control methods are utilized to maintain a required compressed gas delivery under variable process conditions. The main capacity control methods for reciprocating compressors are variable-speed drives, suction valve unloaders, step-less methods, clearance pockets and bypass recycling. The two main reasons why a reciprocating compressor capacity regulation is used are to adjust the suction mass-flow to match the process demand and to save energy.
Variable-speed reciprocating compressors are attractive, theoretically. However, they have many practical, technical and cost limitations. The minimum speed — because of some limitations in the compressor frame or variable speed drive (VSD) electric motor system — might not be sufficient for the necessary reduction in the volume flow.
The method based on suction valve unloader is a preferred capacity control method on multistage reciprocating compressors if the speed variation is not possible or sufficient to achieve the required part-load range.
Capacity control using suction valve unloading in its simplest form is carried out via an unloader system, which keeps the suction valve open and lets the gas return to the suction. In other words, suction valve unloaders are mechanisms that are held open or bypass suction valves of cylinders (mostly at each end of double-acting cylinders). This provides complete unloading of one or both ends of the cylinder. For a single-cylinder (double-acting) compressor stage, suction valve unloaders can achieve three-step loading that provides nominal cylinder capacities of 0, 50 and 100 percent. Thus, considering two (double-acting) cylinders per stage, the capacity can be controlled theoretically in five stages — 0 , 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent. In many compressors, 25 percent load is deleted because of reliability issues it might cause.
For a typical reciprocating compressor, three-suction valve unloader types are usually available: finger, plug and port. A finger unloader is not recommended when other types are viable. Plug unloaders should be installed on extra suction ports; they cannot be employed for small sizes — as a rough indication, valves below 80 millimeters (mm) in diameter. In general, minimize the number of suction valve unloader steps to maximize compressor reliability.
Unloaders are usually pneumatically operated by instrument air and equipped with positioner indication. The unloader actuator should be sized to operate on minimum air pressure. All lines to and from unloaders should be fabricated from a proper grade of stainless steel (usually stainless steel 316) to prevent issues that could potentially damage the entire compressor package.
Another option is a step-less capacity control using a sophisticated control system combined with suction valve unloaders. The suction valve unloader, which acts against the closing of the valve components, can be adjusted to control the volume of gas that will be compressed in each cycle. In each compression cycle, the suction valve closes at a specific point that the step-less system calculated; therefore, the intake of gas is reduced to a desired flow. This results in a step-less capacity control system. This is a controlled and precisely actuated suction valve unloader system. There is a set of complex arrangements of control and hydraulic systems to manage such a step-less operation. However, overall a step-less capacity control method can offer reasonable part-load efficiencies whereas it adjusts the flow in the range of about 15 to 100 percent of the nominal flow in a step-less fashion.
Such step-less capacity control systems have been hydraulically operated and electronically controlled. Hydraulic actuators are needed because pneumatic systems used in old-fashioned and traditional suction unloading systems cannot offer the required precision and rigidity. These modern systems are expensive and have been used in medium or large compressors where a step-less, fast-response capacity control is required. The suction valve unloader will be actuated by a hydraulic actuator, which in turn is controlled by a set of solenoid valves. The control signal is generated in an electronic unit that receives its information from different sensors. For instance, the system receives information about the actual position of the piston from a top dead-center sensor and of the mass flow requirement from the process control system. The advantages of this combined control system lie in the fast response and the freely programmable reaction of the movement of the suction valve unloaders. This system can coordinate the control of all regulated suction valves, and at part-load the inter-stage pressures can be kept at the desired levels. This control can also be used for unloaded startup to reduce the load on the electric motor driver.
Clearance volumes as a capacity control method were popular many years ago. Today, they are only used in special cases where other capacity control options are not suitable or possible. The variable volume clearance pockets in particular have resulted in many operational and reliability issues and should be avoided. In these systems, the adjustable volume flow was controlled by the movement of a hydraulically positioned piston, which altered the size of the clearance volume. Manual versions of this system were used in some old-fashioned, small reciprocating compressors in which some cases actuator failures were reported. In other cases, the variable volume clearance pockets failed to operate because of weak and problematic clearance pockets (whether automatic or manual versions) and intermittent operation that led to operational problems and damage.
Fixed volume clearance pockets might be used in compressors in which one cylinder per stage is used and there is no opportunity to use variable-speed or other superior capacity control methods to achieve the required part-load operation. Such a capacity control method works by connecting the working chamber with an additional clearance pocket and thereby reducing the volume flow by reducing the volumetric efficiency. This type of control reduces the volume flow while reducing the energy input within some acceptable limits. The additional clearance pocket is usually fitted on the head-end side of a double-acting cylinder. A traditional option not suitable for modern machines was an external pocket that was connected by an external piping to the crank-end side chamber. This system is no longer used because of inherent weaknesses and poor historic operational records.
Opening the clearance pocket reduces the cylinder’s inlet volumetric flow by trapping additional gas in the larger clearance volume at the end of the piston stroke. Clearance-pocket flow adjustment is frequently applied to the head-end only, leading to about 50 percent reduction in the head-end capacity and a 25 to 30 percent overall capacity reduction in a double-acting cylinder. Suction valve unloaders combined with a fixed clearance pocket can provide five-step unloading leading to nominal cylinder capacities of 0, approximately 25, 50, approximately 75 and 100 percent in a compressor stage with only one cylinder (double-acting). At compression ratios below about 1.7, the pocket volume becomes very large relative to cylinder size, thus, it should not be used in such ranges.
Bypass control (or recycle control) uses an external bypass around the compressor to recycle gas from the compressor discharge to the inlet. The takeoff point for the bypass should preferably be the downstream of the discharge cooler so that cooled gas will be spilled back to the suction. Alternatively, if there is no cooler in the discharge, the bypass should branch into the suction line upstream of a heat exchanger (or a cooler). Bypass control is inefficient. However, for transient, short-time or fine-adjustment, it is preferred over other control methods because of its smoothness and simplicity. This method is commonly accompanied by the use of suction valve unloaders or fixed clearance pockets, which reduce compressor capacity in discrete predetermined steps.
In a multistage reciprocating compressor, a reduction in the flow of the first stage can cause a drop of all inter-stage pressures (suction pressure to the next stage), and consequently lead to excessively high pressure ratios and discharge temperatures in subsequent stages. Moreover, this pressure shifting may cause an overload in the last stage. The minimum capacity that can be obtained depends on the number of compression stages. On the other hand, when more stages are used and each stage has relatively low pressure ratios, a better capacity control can be performed. The more stages used for a given overall compression ratio, the wider the achievable control range.
The vibration and generated noises at a reciprocating compressor result principally from the response of the mechanical system to the forces, movements, waves and pulsations that are occurring in the reciprocating compressor during operation at different operating conditions. Gas load forces are important loads on any reciprocating compressor. These forces act on the piston and stationary components usually at 1× (the compressor running speed) and at integer multiples of running speed (N×). They are generally significant up to about 10×. They mainly affect in the direction of the piston rod travel, where they should be often considered as 3D for accurate dynamic predictions. For large, slow-speed compressors (up to 500 rpm), gas forces are typically the largest contributor to piston rod and compressor frame load.
Inertial load forces are other sources of dynamic loads. These forces are caused by the acceleration of the reciprocating components (piston, piston rod and crosshead). These components represent a large amount of mass to be accelerated back and forth with each stroke. Inertial loads of 500 kilonewton (kN) (equivalent to 50 ton) or more are not uncommon with large compressors. Reciprocating and rotating mass unbalance forces are predominant at 1× and 2× compressor running speed, and are caused by asymmetrical crankshaft and imperfect manufacturing tolerances. They are usually smaller than inertial and gas load forces. Gas unbalance forces are other significant sources of problems and issues linked to pulsation levels. These are caused by pressure in the pulsation bottles and pulsation at the cylinder nozzle area and on piping connected to the compressor.
Allowable pulsation levels are major concerns. Although these pulsating forces are usually much smaller than the forces listed above, they can be destructive to piping and piping support systems if they happen to correspond to resonant frequencies for the structures. As a consequence of these factors, the extent of vibration is inherent with any reciprocating compressor and its response to all the applied forces and movements. This causes these machines, even when in good condition, to vibrate much more than a comparable rotating machine (such as a centrifugal compressor).
Frame vibration frequencies typically include components below 20 hertz (Hz). Even for modern high-speed reciprocating compressors, these vibration frequencies are usually lower than what is expected on turbocompressors. For this reason, velocity transducers, with extended low frequency response, are usually better-suited than accelerometers for detecting an increase of rotation-related forces due to gas load or inertial loads, imbalance, foundation looseness and excessive rod load. However, the best recommendation is to use both velocity transducers and accelerometers for the vibration measurement of any reciprocating compressors. The preferred locations for the frame vibration transducer are on the side of the frame oriented in the direction of piston rod travel, on the centerline of the crankshaft and at a main bearing where dynamic load is transmitted. Magnitude for a filtered frame velocity signal is usually low — less than 6 millimeter per second (mm/s); however, at low frequencies, even small amplitudes of measured velocity may correspond to large amounts of displacement. Because vibration measurements should be used for the alarm and trip, 2 out of 3 (2oo3) arrangement should be used; therefore, multiple vibration measurement sensors should be used on the reciprocating compressor frame. In addition to a frame vibration measurement, vibration measurements for the main crankshaft, distance pieces, etc., are required in a reciprocating compressor.
Reciprocating compressors are prone to high-cyclic loads. The performance and reliability of a reciprocating compressor rely on a robust and heavy-duty compressor train. The effects of the flywheel and driver (usually an electric motor) are significant in the control of fluctuations and torque oscillations. Great care should be taken for the driver selection (most often an induction electric motor) and flywheel sizing for optimizing the crankshaft torque fluctuation and the power consumption reduction.
The most common cause of crankshaft failure in reciprocating compressors is fatigue. Cyclic stresses, because of torque oscillations or torsional problems, usually result in fatigue failures. Gas forces and inertia forces have an alternating nature, resulting from compressing the gas in the cylinders and the time-varying acceleration of reciprocating masses, respectively. Each crank throw represents a rotating unbalance as rotation produces varying vertical and horizontal forces as a (nearly) sinusoidal function. Such forces will be transmitted to the crankshaft as strong time-varying torques. Therefore, reciprocating compressors produce significantly more torsional excitations than other rotating machinery.
Torsional studies and also torque oscillation analysis are required for proper sizing of flywheel, coupling selection and driver confirmation. Cyclic torques can impact torsional vibration and the fatigue life of crankshaft and other critical components such as the coupling. The higher the torque fluctuation, the higher the cyclic stresses, which can cause the failure of coupling or shaft. The higher the flywheel inertia, the lower the amplitude of torque fluctuations. On the other hand, higher inertia might require a larger driver (electric motor) due to a higher startup torque and power consumption requirements. A careful optimization should be done by varying flywheel inertia and nominal torque of motor in simulations to find the lowest torque fluctuation with the lowest power requirement. In other words, the compressor train inertia can be sized by finding a reasonable torque fluctuation with low power consumption.
Safety factors should be based on the calculation of crankshaft or coupling stresses, which can be a function of the applied system torque. These safety factors should be properly optimized because oversizing crankshaft or coupling could not usually be possible or economical. Maximum allowable system torque is therefore determined by the maximum allowable shaft (or coupling) stress levels. Usually it is necessary to optimize torque fluctuations and fatigue-criterion rather than oversizing the crankshaft or coupling. In some compressor trains, using a properly sized flywheel can reduce torque fluctuation to less than 40 percent of its original value, which could have significant effects on torsional vibrations and life expectation of many components in the compressor train.
Over the past 200 years, industrialists have found ways to turn raw materials into products. At refineries, employees use these processes to convert natural oils into products that fuel vehicles and add stability to medicines, lotions and foods.
The processes that turn oil from the ground into fuel for a vehicle consist of complex steps that require machinery with optimal air power. The same applies to the processes used to convert plant oils into the bottled goods on supermarket shelves. These processes require the use of air compressors throughout nearly every stage.
At petroleum oil refineries, air compressors power the complex machinery that turns crude oil into everything from gas and diesel oil to petroleum and kerosene. Some of the world’s largest petroleum oil refineries produce as much as 900,000 barrels of oil per day. Every time you fuel your vehicle, the gas that goes into your engine is the result of a high-pressure refining process.
At food oil refineries, air compressors take oils from fruits and vegetables and turn them into the bottled goods people use for cooking. Products such as corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil and coconut oil are among the results of these refining processes.
Refining also takes place at natural gas processing plants, where air compressors purify the contents of raw, natural gas and render it suitable as a power source in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The same plants also recover various liquids from natural gas, including butane, ethane and propane.
Air compressors also play a role at salt and metal refineries. At the latter, pressurized air processes are critical to the refinement of numerous metals, including copper, gold, silver and magnesium. Knowing how refineries use air compressors can help you better appreciate the role pressurized air plays in human mobility and consumption.
Air compressors have played a crucial role in the refinement of oil for almost as long as oil itself has been a commodity. People accidentally discovered oil mining as a byproduct of mining wells. Centuries ago, when drillers dug deep into the earth in search of clean drinking water, they sometimes found oil. In these pre-industrial times, mankind had little use for oil, since this was before the advent of modern medicine and the invention of automobiles. Encountering oil was a nuisance and often a water spoiler.
During the s, just as mechanical engineering spread, oil came to be recognized for its own range of uses. Before long, entrepreneurs figured out ways to sell oil to consumers and companies. By the turn of the century, people had found a use for oil in medicines and machine products. The game was now on to develop the most effective method for oil drilling.
Early drilling relied on spring poles, but the development of the oil industry made it necessary to drill deeper into the ground. The invention of rotary drilling rigs made this possible.
As the decades passed, rotary drilling techniques became more advanced, culminating with the introduction of compressed air and gas systems. In recent years, air compressors have become more commonplace at oil fields, where the flare of petroleum gas has been a byproduct of the oil-treating process. The introduction of compressors into the refining process has led to improved pipeline flow, among numerous other benefits.
Refineries use air compressors for a variety of gas-processing operations. With the help of high-pressure air compressors, refining technicians can enhance the quality of crude oil. With the use of mid-pressure compressors, refiners also purify oils and render them suitable for fuel products.
Refiners use air compressors to remove sulfur contents and enhance the quality of gas and oil. The refining accomplished with air compressors renders fuels more efficient in vehicles, ships, machines and aircraft. Some of the essential air-powered processes at refineries include the following:
Hydrocracking involves adding active substances to crude petroleum oils. It is a catalytic process that reduces the boiling of hydrocarbons and converts the raw oil into different types of fuel, such as gas, kerosene and diesel oil.
As a result of hydrocracking, vehicles can run and lights can shine. Every time you pull into a fuel station along a boulevard or highway exit, the gas you pump into your vehicle has usually gotten refined through the hydrocracking process. In effect, hydrocracking is one of the driving forces of the global economy.
Hydrocracking is also largely responsible for the production of kerosene, which fuels everything from jet engines to heaters and lamps. The jets that you see in the sky can soar thanks to the hydrocracking process. Many homes rely on kerosene for heat and light, and many of the city lights that outline a nighttime skyline come to life from the product.
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Hydrocracking is a high-pressure process that requires more than 1,500 psig. As such, the use of reciprocating compressors facilitates the process best.
Hydrotreating is a process that removes oxygen, chlorine and sulfur from hydrogen. Hydrotreating can also refer to the reaction organic compounds undergo when this process occurs.
There are various categories of hydrotreating processes. Removing contaminants requires use of a method called catalytic hydrotreating. For the removal of sulfur contents, hydrodesulfurization is vital. The goal of all such processes is to purify fuels. The high-quality fuels that power machinery will usually have undergone the hydrotreating process.
Catalytic hydrotreating removes up to 90 percent of contaminants from petroleum products. These contaminants may include metal, sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen. Hydrotreating enables fuel refiners to upgrade heavy crude oil into high-grade fuel products. The fuels used in large commercial vehicles and high-tech factory machinery have usually been put through this process.
Hydrotreating is a mid-pressure hydrogen process usually carried out with the help of oil-injected screw compressors. Refiners often prefer this type of compressor because of the low amount of maintenance required to keep such machines moving continuously through hours of nonstop hydrotreating cycles.
Desulfurization is a process that significantly lowers the sulfur oxides in hydrocarbons. Desulfurization helps prevent acid rain, which is one of the more dangerous effects of high amounts of sulfur in hydrocarbons. The process involves the use of hydrogen gas.
The desulfurization process makes fuels more eco-friendly by reducing the amount of sulfurs that a machine or vehicle might emit while in operation. At refineries that run various forms of high-powered equipment, the desulfurization process helps make such environments cleaner and safer for workers.
As with hydrotreating, desulfurization is a mid-pressure process that only requires up to 1,500 psig. As such, the best equipment to perform this process is oil-injected screw compressors, which adapt to various work environments and require minimal maintenance throughout lengthy work cycles.
Flue-gas desulfurization is a process in which power plants remove sulfur dioxide from exhaust gases. The method also takes place at trash incineration sites and for other operations that emit sulfur oxide. Flue-gas desulfurization is good for the environment because the process helps reduce emissions at factories and trash sites.
Without flue-gas desulfurization, heavy streams of noxious gases could billow out from incineration sites and power plants. Such gases could have a harmful effect on the environment by creating pollution clouds over urban and rural areas. In effect, flue-gas desulfurization helps conserve natural habitats and the world’s ecosystem.
Hydrodesulfurization is a process that extracts sulfur contents from gas and petroleum. Commercial fuels like kerosene, gasoline, petrol and diesel fuel undergo this process. It reduces the level of emissions from the vehicles, ships, trains and aircraft that use these fuel products.
The removal of sulfur also helps prevents the degeneration of metals that come into contact with fuels inside of engines. Hydrodesulfurization is a mid-pressure process often achieved with reciprocating compressors.
Catalytic reforming is a process that distills high-octane fluids from petroleum. The process involves the dehydrogenation of low-octane hydrocarbons. A side effect of this process is the production of hydrogen gas, which ultimately comes into play in other techniques at refineries, including hydrocracking.
The process of continuous catalytic reforming (CCR) is a mid-pressure operation usually conducted with oil-injected screw compressors. As with hydrotreating and desulfurization, catalytic reforming requires approximately 1,500 psig.
As the source of hydrogen gas, the process of catalytic reforming is essential for the production of agricultural products and plastics. In agriculture, the hydrogen gas generated through CCR is in fertilizers that help harvest crops across the world’s green lands. The side effects of catalytic reforming also benefit the manufacturing industry because hydrogen gas is essential in the production of plastics, which are in everything from toys and fixtures to medicine containers and electronics enclosures.
Fluid catalytic cracking is a process to convert the boiling hydrocarbons of crude oil into fuel products. The process has replaced thermal cracking, which served a similar function but was incapable of producing gas amounts of the same volume or octane level as fluid catalytic cracking.
As one of the driving forces behind modern-day transportation, the process of fluid catalytic cracking is vital to the world’s economy. The process yields most of the fuel products that power automobiles, trains, commercial vehicles and machinery. Across America’s highway grid, the movement you see today is the primary result of fluid catalytic cracking.
Fluid catalytic cracking is a high-pressure process that generally necessitates the use of reciprocating compressors. The process turns unrefined oils into fuels that allow vehicles to operate at higher speeds for longer periods. Overall, vehicles are more efficient on the fuels this process generates.
Delayed coking is a process that cracks the hydrocarbon molecules of oil into coker gas and petroleum. The process requires multiple passes at high temperatures.
Like most heavy gases, the production of coker gas requires the use of oil-free, positive-displacement compressors. The lack of lubrication in the chamber of these compressors eliminates the possibility of oil or gas contamination during the whole process. In addition to coker gas, screw compressors of the oil-free variety also produce flare gas and FCC wet gas.
Steam reforming is a process that synthesizes natural gas and other fuels to make chemicals like carbon monoxide and syngas. It relies on the use of heat and high pressure in a reformer device.
The process of steam reforming plays a critical role in agriculture because it produces syngas, which serves as an intermediate in the production of fertilizer. As the process occurs, water and methane interact and produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The process involved can convert any product that contains carbon into lengthier hydrocarbon chains.
In the refining processes that take place at industrial plants, oil-injected screw compressors reform steam methane. During this process, the oil functions as a sealant, which prevents the leaking of gas.
Pressure swing adsorption is a process that removes select gases from gas mixtures. The process works by identifying the molecular character of specific gases and using adsorbent materials, such as activated carbon and zeolites, to isolate the selected gases at high pressure.
At industrial facilities, oil-injected screw compressors generally conduct the process of pressure swing adsorption. As with steam reforming, swing adsorption requires the presence of lubricant to act as a sealant during the compression process. Without this seal, gas would escape, and the process would become less efficient, costlier and more time-consuming.
Flare gas recovery is a process that saves gases from waste for other uses. This process prevents these gases from flaring and spreading harmful emissions. The process involves the isolation of headers, the removal of liquids and the compression of gases.
The process of flare gas recovery plays a vital role in environmental cleanup, as it lowers the amount of greenhouse gases refinery plants ultimately release from machines and chemicals. Without this process, factories would be less eco-friendly.
The purpose of flare gas recovery is to render the gas as clean and pure as possible. Therefore, the process relies on oil-free screw compressors. With no lubricant involved in the process, there is no oil to disperse into the gas.
Hydrogen production is a blanket term for all the processes that produce hydrogen in industrial settings. Some of the most common methods of hydrogen production include electrolysis, thermolysis and steam reforming.
Compressed hydrogen fuels hydrogen vehicles. The process requires high-pressure equipment with optimal pound-force per square inch to send hydrogen gas into tanks through pipelines. Reciprocating compressors usually help carry out hydrogen production techniques.
At refineries, the processes involved require high-powered and medium-powered air compressors. Most of the processes are ongoing and therefore necessitate compressors that can deliver high horsepower and optimal psig for continuous cycles. The best air compressors for refineries are as follows:
Reciprocating compressors are among the most common air pressurization machines factories throughout the industrial sector, including the oil and gas industry. A reciprocating compressor draws ambient air into the machine with a crankshaft. The air then gets pressurized in a cylinder with a piston and released for its ultimate destination.
Reciprocating compressors come in single- and two-stage models. In a single-stage reciprocating compressor, each incoming air supply gets pressurized once and then sent for its end purpose in machines and pneumatic tools. In a two-stage reciprocating air compressor, each supply of pressurized air travels into a second cylinder where a smaller piston further reduces the air volume, this time at an even higher pressure.
Centrifugal compressors are common at oil and gas refineries, where the machines deliver constant pressure for continuous operations. Relying on an ongoing fluid flow, centrifugal compressors make it possible for oil to travel through pipelines. Compressors of this type deliver high horsepower, which makes them ideal for some of the most demanding, high-pressure operations. Centrifugal compressors deliver optimal psi and come in single- and two-stage models.
For various processes, refineries use a compressor type unique to the functions and needs of the oil and gas industry: the gas compressor. Whereas an air compressor pressurizes air by reducing its volume, gas compressors do the same with gases. Inside a gas compressor, incoming gas supplies get pressurized in a compression chamber and released for various uses. Gas compressors are common for hydrocracking, hydrotreating, diesel and gas desulfurization, catalytic reforming and other processes.
For processes like hydrotreating, catalytic and steam reforming, rotary screw compressors provide the necessary air power. In a rotary compressor, air gets pressurized along the threads of a screw within an airtight chamber. The air then goes on to power various industrial processes, which could include any number of medium-powered machines at an oil or gas refinery.
Knowing how air compressors are used in refineries, the technology is rapidly spreading throughout the developing world as industrialization progressively benefits emerging economies like India, China, Brazil and South Africa. In these and other markets, refiners and manufacturers are hoping to mimic and possibly exceed the efficiency and production volumes of G7 competitors.
For many of the world’s upcoming refiners and manufacturers, the model for success comes from the U.S., where compressed air has long been one of the driving forces behind the industrial sector. Whenever you drive a vehicle or use public transportation, your mobility is possible thanks to products refined at oil and gas factories. Each time you buy medicine, cleaning products and packaged foods, compressed-air-reliant manufacturers and the refined oil they produce make the stability or flavor possible.
For most of the past century, Quincy Compressor has been the leading developer of air compressors and pneumatic tools for industrial applications. At oil and gas refineries, our compressors are in use for a vast range of processes that turn raw oil into the fuels used in automobiles, ships and aircraft. Much of the movement you see along highways and tracks is thanks to Quincy-brand compressors.
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