Gas compressor

A gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas. Liquids are relatively incompressible, so the main action of a pump is to pressurize and transport liquids.

Often called a third utility (after electricity and natural gas) Almost every manufacturing plant has air compressors that operate. Compressed air used for controls, to move things around, to clean work areas, to lift things, and hold things in place Can be a significant part of electrical load

Pressure usually measured in pounds per square inch (psi)

Usually talk about gage pressure (psig), which is pressure measured above atmospheric pressure Absolute pressure (psia) used for calculations, pressure measured against vacuum = Gage Pressure + 14.7 psia

Absolute Pressure

Use pistons driven by a crankshaft. They can be either stationary or portable, can be single or multi-staged, and can be driven by electric motors or internal combustion engines. Small reciprocating compressors from 5 to 30 horsepower (hp) are commonly seen in automotive applications and are typically for intermittent duty. Larger reciprocating compressors well over 1,000 hp (750 kW) are commonly found in large industrial and petroleum applications.

Discharge pressures can range from low pressure to very high pressure (>18000 psi or 180 MPa). In certain applications, such as air compression, multi-stage double-acting compressors are said to be the most efficient compressors available, and are typically larger, and more costly than comparable rotary units. Another type of reciprocating compressor is the swash plate compressor, which uses pistons which are moved by a swash plate mounted on a shaft.

1) Cylinder: In small compressors the cylinder is made by directly boring into the main body of the compressor, which is usually made up of cast iron. In case of the large multi-cylinder compressors, the cylinder is made separately and it is fitted into the main body of the compressor. This type of cylinder is also called as the liner or sleeve. In such compressors if any of the cylinders gets worn out or damaged, it can be replaced easily by the new liner, without having to replace the whole compressor. 2) Piston: The piston performs upwards and downwards motion inside the cylinder, which is also called as the reciprocating motion. During its motion the piston enables suction and compression of the refrigerant. The piston is made of cast iron or aluminum. During its motion inside the cylinder the refrigerant should not leak through the gap between the cylinder walls and the piston to the crankcase, hence piston is covered with the piston rings. The piston rings are not required in the smaller compressors. The gap between the piston and the cylinder is also filled with the lubricating oil, which also prevents the leakage of the compressed refrigerant to the crankcase. 3) Piston rings: The piston rings are circled around the piston. When the piston performs reciprocating motion inside the cylinder, it is the piston rings that come in contact with the walls of the cylinder. There is lots of friction between the cylinder walls and the piston rings, thus they have to be replaced from time-totime for proper functioning of the compressor. This helps increasing the life of the piston and prevents replacement of the complete piston.

4) Crankshaft: The piston can perform reciprocating motion inside the cylinder because of the rotary motion of the crankshaft. The crankshaft is the main shaft of the compressor. On one side it is connected to the electric motor directly by the coupling or by the belt and pulley arrangement. The rotation of the motor shaft brings about the rotation of the crankshaft. On the other side the crankshaft is also connected to the connecting rod, which is then connected to the piston at it other end. The rotary motion of the crankshaft is converted into the reciprocating motion of the piston by connecting rod. In case of the multi-cylinder compressors, the number of connecting rods connected to the crankshaft is same as the number of cylinders. 5) Connecting Rod: The connecting rod is the connecting link between the piston and the crankshaft. On one side the connecting rod is connected to the piston by piston pin and on the other side it is connected to the crankshaft by connecting rod cap. Both these connections of the connecting rod enable converting the rotary motion of the crankshaft into the reciprocating motion of the piston inside the cylinder. The connecting rod is usually made up of carbon steel forging.

6) Suction Valve and Discharge Valve: Through the suction valve the low pressure refrigerant is sucked inside the cylinder and through the discharge valve the compressed high pressure refrigerant is discharged to the discharge line, from where the refrigerant goes to the condenser. The operation of the suction valve is such that is opens when the piston moves downwards and closes when the refrigerant is being discharged. The discharge valve opens only when piston reaches to certain level inside the cylinder and refrigerant has reached to the desired level of pressure. When the refrigerant is delivered from the cylinder, the discharge valve closes. 7) Suction and Discharge Pipelines: Through the suction piping the low pressure refrigerant is taken inside the cylinder via suction valve. The high pressure compressed refrigerant is delivered though the discharge line

Single-Acting Compressors: These are usually reciprocating compressors, which has piston working on air only in one direction. The other end of the piston is often free or open which does not perform any work. The air is compressed only on the top part of the piston. The bottom of the piston is open to crankcase and not utilized for the compression of air. Double-Acting Compressors: These compressors are having two sets of suction/intake and delivery valves on both sides of the piston. As the piston moves up and down, both sides of the piston is utilized in compressing the

Advantages Good for small application Uses no / little power when unloaded Cheap and simple to operate Operates over a wide range of pressures

Disadvantages Noisy Maintenance can be an issue Not good for larger applications Oil-free air units are expensive

The majority of applications for reciprocating compressors are in the oil and gas industries. Oil refineries use these compressors for processes that require high pressure delivery of essential gases. The natural gas industry also utilizes reciprocating compressors to transport gas via cross country pipelines. These compressors can also be found in chemical plants, refrigeration plants, air compressors for tooling, etc.

Very common in plants Good mid-range size (25 hp 300 hp) Models include oil flooded or oil free Oil flooded units offer best efficiency

Rotary screw compressors use two meshed rotating positive-displacement helical screws to force the gas into a smaller space. These are usually used for continuous operation in commercial and industrial applications and may be either stationary or portable. Their application can be from 3 horsepower (2.2 kW) to over 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) and from low pressure to moderately high pressure (>1200 psi or 8.3 MPa).

Oil-free In an oil-free compressor, the air is compressed entirely through the action of the screws, without the assistance of an oil seal. They usually have lower maximum discharge pressure capability as a result. However, multi-stage oil-free compressors, where the air is compressed by several sets of screws, can achieve pressures of over 150 psig, and output volume of over 2000 cubic feet per minute (measured at 60 C and atmospheric pressure). Oil-free compressors are used in applications where entrained oil carry-over is not acceptable, such as medicial research and semiconductor manufacturing. However, this does not preclude the need for filtration as hydrocarbons and other contaminants ingested from the ambient air must also be removed prior to the pointof-use. Subsequently, air treatment comparable to an Oil-flooded screw compressor is frequently still required to ensure a given quality of compressed air.

Oil-flooded In an oil-flooded rotary screw compressor, oil is injected into the compression cavities to aid sealing and provide cooling sink for the gas charge. The oil is separated from the discharge stream, then cooled, filtered and recycled. The oil captures non-polar particulates from the incoming air, effectively reducing the particle loading of compressed air particulate filtration. It is usual for some entrained compressor oil to carry over into the compressed gas stream downstream of the compressor.

Advantages Good efficiency for oil flooded models (continuous intercooling) Low maintenance costs Not usually noisy Can run fully loaded for extended periods of time Good for heat recovery for space heating

Disadvantages Can use 40%-90% of full load power when unloaded Not good for very small or very large loads

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Rotary screw compressors are used in a diverse range of applications. Typically, they are used to supply compressed air for general industrial applications. Trailer mounted diesel powered units are often seen at construction sites, and are used to power air operated construction machinery.

Axial-flow compressors are dynamic rotating compressors that use arrays of fan-like airfoils to progressively compress the working fluid. They are used where there is a requirement for a high flow rate or a compact design. The arrays of airfoils are set in rows, usually as pairs: one rotating and one stationary. The rotating airfoils, also known as blades or rotors, accelerate the fluid. The stationary airfoils, also known as stators or vanes, decelerate and redirect the flow direction of the fluid, preparing it for the rotor blades of the next stage

Axial compressors can have high efficiencies; around 90% polytropic at their design conditions. However, they are relatively expensive, requiring a large number of components, tight tolerances and high quality materials. Axialflow compressors can be found in medium to large gas turbine engines, in natural gas pumping stations, and within certain chemical plants.

Centrifugal compressors use a rotating disk or impeller in a shaped housing to force the gas to the rim of the impeller, increasing the velocity of the gas. A diffuser (divergent duct) section converts the velocity energy to pressure energy.Their application can be from 100 horsepower (75 kW) to thousands of horsepower. With multiple staging, they can achieve extremely high output pressures greater than 10,000 psi (69 MPa).

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In pipeline transport of natural gas to move the gas from the production site to the consumer. In oil refineries, natural gas processing plants, petrochemical and chemical plants. In air separation plants to manufacture purified end product gases. In refrigeration and air conditioner equipment refrigerant . In industry and manufacturing to supply compressed air for all types of pneumatic tools. In gas turbines and auxiliary power units. In automotive engine and diesel engine turbochargers and superchargers. In oil field re-injection of high pressure natural gas to improve oil recovery.

Advantages Can be staged for high pressure applications Typically used for loads greater than 200 hp Can be 1,500 hp or larger Low maintenance Part load performance is adequate (close off inlet)

Disadvantages Intercooling must be provided for higher pressures Not as efficient as screws

Excessively low discharge pressure Caused by: 1Low oil pressure or faults of suction and discharge valve; 2Faults of pressure control valve or oil compensating pump; 3Damaged diaphragm(s); 4Leaking of gas-piping system; 5Overmuch suction resistance ; 6Gas-demand exceeds gassupply.

Solutions 1Adjust the oil pressure and keep it in required range; 2Check and repair the suction or discharge valve; 3Check and repair the suction or discharge valve; 4Replace the damaged diaphragm(s); 5Check and repair the leaking point(s); 6Clean the gas inlet filter and adjust suction pressure; 7Adjust the gas-demand and gas supply to keep them in equilibrations. Excessively high discharge pressure

Excessively high discharge pressure Caused by: 1The gas release valve is closed or slightly open; 2Gas-supply exceeds gasdemand or the suction pressure is too high; Solutions 1Check and adjust the gas release valve; 2Adjust the suction pressure and gas-demand.

Excessively high discharge pressure Caused by: 1The gas release valve is closed or slightly open; 2Gas-supply exceeds gas-demand or the suction pressure is too high; Solutions 1Check and adjust the gas release valve; 2Adjust the suction pressure and gas-demand.

Isothermal Compression/Expansion Processes If a compression or expansion takes place under constant temperature conditions - the process is said to be isothermal. The isothermal process can with the Ideal Gas Law be expressed as p / = constant where p = absolute pressure = density The isothermal process can also be expressed as pV = constant or p1V1 = p2V2 where V = gas volume (m3, ft3...) suffix1 denotes initial conditions and suffix2 denotes final conditions

Isentropic (or adiabatic) Compression/Expansion Processes If a compression or expansion takes place under constant volume conditions - the process is said to be isentropic. The isentropic process can with the Ideal Gas Law be expressed as p / k = constant where k = cp / cv - the ratio of specific heats - the ratio of specific heat at constant pressure- cp - to the specific heat at constant volume - cv The isentropic or adiabatic process can also be expressed as pVk= constant or p1V1k = p2V2k

Polytropic Compression/Expansion Process An isothermal process must occur very slowly to keep the temperature in the gas constant. The adiabatic process must occur very rapidly without any flow of energy in or out of the system. In practice most expansion and compression processes are somewhere in between, or said to be polytropic. The polytropic process can be expressed as pVn= constant (3a) or p1V1n = p2V2n (3b) where n = polytropic index (ranging 1 to 1.4)

1.An air compressor takes air at 100 KPa and discharges to 600KPa. If the volume flow of discharge is 1.2m3/s, determine the capacity of the air compressor.

Given: air compressor P1 = 100 KPa P2 = 600 KPa V2 = 1.2 m3/s Required: V1, capacity of the air compressor Solution: n = 1.4 n = polytropic index P1V1n = P2V2n V1n = P2V2n/P1 = 600KPa (1.2m3/s)1.4/100 KPa V1 = 4.3152 m3/s, capacity of the air compressor

A 355 mm x 381 mm air compressor has a piston displacement of 0.1885 m3/s. Determine the operating speed of the compressor. Given: air compressor; D = 0.355m; L = 0.381m; VD = 0.1885 m3/s Required: N = ?, operating speed Solution: VD = D2 LN /4 -> 0.1885 m3 /s = (0.355m)2 /4 x 0.381m x N

N = 0.1885 m3/s / 0.381 0.098979803m2 N = 5 rev/s 60s /m = 300 rpm, operating speed of the compressor

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_compressor
Understanding Thermodynamics by H. C. Van Ness