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no draining of oil required. no oil contamination. no oil to dispose of. no cylinder lubrication system to maintain.
how it works
v ^ irtuaLLyinfriction-free support as it travels the cylinder, the FFP
is carried by a thin cushion of process gas. while the concept is simple, the implementation demands the highest standards of precision engineering.
a ^ ccurateLy directed gas fLow Pressure-sensitive valves have been
added to the face of the piston. during the compression stroke, these valves are pushed open to allow the interior of the piston to flood with process gas under high pressure. The gas is then forced out through flow nozzles integrated into the bottom of the rider rings to form a film of pressurised gas, around 1050 microns deep, that supports the weight of the piston.
faiL-safe operation ^ lower surface of the rider rings carry The
a machined profile that ensures the gas is distributed accurately to create a bearing layer, and the rider rings have been relocated to sit between the piston rings, which thus form a sealed enclosure. contact between the rider ring and the cylinder lining is effectively reduced to zero, and as long as there is pressure in the system the cushion layer is maintained, providing a fail-safe mechanism in the event of problems arising elsewhere.
Special designed non return valves flow nozzles
a radicaL response to the demands of modern industry as process requirements become ever more critical and environmental constraints more stringent, oil-free compressor cylinders are becoming increasingly prevalent. without lubrication, however, conditions within the cylinder can accelerate the wear so drastically that running time between maintenance stops may be reduced to a few hundred hours. at the same time, commercial pressures increasingly demand uninterrupted running of three years or more. Our engineers undertook a radical rethink of the fundamental principles of compressor design, investigating the principles and possibilities of each component. The outcome, the FFP is an elegant and ingenious method of virtually eliminating rider ring wear. it uses pressurised process gas to provide a cushion that lifts the piston clear of the cylinder lining, so that the rider ring is only in contact with the cylinder during the brief start up and shut down periods. The volume of gas required is extremely small less than one per cent of the cylinder capacity and compensated for in the cylinder design, so there is no loss of overall capacity.
The FFP brings all the advantages of oil-free operation without the usual drawbacks, while avoiding the expensive and time-consuming complications introduced by of lubrication systems. it already has more than ten years proven performance in some of the most demanding industrial situations. resuLts that quickLy repay investment after successfully completing a rigorous series of in-house static and dynamic prototype testing, we worked in partnership with a customer to pilot the system on-site in a heavy duty hydrogen compressor. This first installation has now been running without problems, with only minimal breaks for planned maintenance, since 1998. almost 250 FFP systems have been installed to date, and the data accumulated over ten years of industrial experience shows that rider ring wear is reduced to practically zero, repairs are minimal and reliability is excellent.
eLiminate rider ring wear probLems, and THe weakesT POinT becOmes One OF THe sTrOngesT.
www.howden.com
if you would like to know more about the Free Floating Piston, or investigate the cost benefits it might bring to your own installation, please contact:
howden thomassen compressors Havelandseweg 8-a PO bOx 99 6990 ab rheden The netherlands Tel: + 31 (0) 26 4975200 Fax: + 31 (0) 26 4975201 web: www.thomassen.com