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FEWER FLARES IN BAKKEN REMOTE MONITORING ROI ROBERTO CHELLINI

PIPELINES ARE CATCHING UP PROGNOST AIDS CONSIDERATIONS IN MEMORIAM

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016
COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016

WWW.COMPRESSORTECH2.COM/SUBSCRIBE/
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August-September 2016

COMPRESSORtech2 is the premier resource for gas compression news and information.

Featured Articles
14 Burckhardt, Arkos Partner For Long-Haul Investment
16 Turning It Up During The Downturn
20 Caspian Sea To Southern Europe Pipeline Underway
26 The Next 20 Years: O&G Infrastructure Forecast
36 Big Gains Come In Small Packages
38 Remote Notes
48 Sullair Rotary Screw Compressors For Oil And Gas Applications
Cover Designed By 58 ROI Calculations For Online Condition Monitoring Systems
Alyssa Loope 68 ACI, Optimum Thinking Outside The Bottle
72 2016 Turbine Specs-At-A-Glance
COMPRESSORtech2 (ISSN 1085-2468)
Volume 21, No. 7 Published 10 issues/year 74 Heavy Lifting With Air Hoists
(January-February, March, April, May, June,
76 Bakken Flaring Falls Despite Output Gains
July, August-September, October, November,
December) by Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications, 80 Integrating Gear Technology
20855 Watertown Road, Waukesha, WI 53186-
1873, USA Subscription rates are $85.00 per 84 Zahroof Improves Valve Flow
year/$10.00 per copy worldwide. Periodicals
postage paid at Waukesha, WI 53186 and at addi-
tional mailing offices. Copyright 2016 Diesel & TECHcorner
Gas Turbine Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Materials protected by U.S. and international 62 Surge Detection And Surge Control Systems For Centrifugal
copyright laws and treaties. Unauthorized dupli- Compressors (Part 2)
cation and publication is expressly prohibited.
88 Real Gas Vs. Ideal Gas
Printed in the USA.
96 Variance Of Vibration And Pulsation In Identical Compressors
Canadian Publication Mail Agreement # 40035419.
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to:
P.O. Box 456, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6V2, Canada.
Email: ssmith@dieselpub.com. POSTMASTER:
Departments
Send address changes to: Circulation Man ager, 4 Page 4 May You Live In Interesting Times
COMPRESSORtech2, 20855 Watertown Road, Suite
220, Waukesha, WI 53186-1873 USA.
6 Roberto Chellini
www.compressortech2.com 8 About The Business Weighing the Environmental Effects of Wind and Solar
10 Monitoring Government Compressor Station Noise Lawsuit Perseveres
Follow @COMPRESSORtech2 on:
12 Events & Meetings
54 Prime Movers
78 Featured Products
94 Literature
106 Scheduled Downtime
MEMBER OF
108 Advertisers Index
109 Marketplace
112 Cornerstones Of Compression The Miller Improved Gas Engine
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Page
COMPRESSOR
A Member of the Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications Group

PUBLICATION STAFF
Associate Publisher .................... Mark Thayer
Senior Editor .................................... DJ Slater
Senior Editor .................. Michael J. Brezonick
Associate Editor ............................ Klinton Silvey May You Live In
4
Interesting Times
Associate Editor ................................ Jack Burke
Associate Editor .............................Chad Elmore
Associate Editor ....................................Art Aiello
Copy Editor ................................ Jerry Karpowicz

Digital Content Manager................Catrina Carne

Advertising Manager ................... Katie Bivens

I
Circulation Manager .................. Sue Bollwahn
ts the ancient Chinese curse that export terminals are opening path-
Graphic Artist ............................Brenda Burbach
Graphic Artist ..................................Carla Lemke sounds well-meaning, but actually is ways to markets in Europe and Asia
Graphic Artist ................................ Alyssa Loope intended to wish difficult, challeng- that will likely change geopolitical re-
PUBLICATION HEADQUARTERS ing circumstances upon the recipient. lations for decades to come.
20855 Watertown Road, Suite 220 It turns out, the saying is neither an- Of course, many of these changes
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186-1873 cient nor Chinese thanks Wikipedia, have a direct impact on the lives of in-
Telephone: (262) 754-4100 Fax: (262) 754-4175
for spoiling all our fun but the mean- dividuals as they change jobs, change
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ing is clear. companies, move from one city to an-
Norm Shade Cambridge, Ohio
Mauro Belo Schneider Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil
One has to wonder if the oil and other and learn new skills.
Patrick Crow Austin, Texas gas industry has been under this very Difficult, challenging circumstanc-
HOUSTON, USA
curse. The last few years have cer- es, indeed.
Mark Thayer, Associate Publisher tainly been interesting. Consider some
12777 Jones Road, Suite 225 of the dramatic changes weve seen. The only constant is change
Houston, Texas 77070
Unconventional gas now accounts We have had a few changes here at
Telephone: (281) 890-5310
for more than half of the dry gas pro- COMPRESSORtech2 as well.
GERMANY
duction in the U.S. (When more than We are saddened at the passing of
Lisa Hochkofler, Advertising Manager
Gabriele Dinsel, Advertising Manager half of production comes from uncon- Roberto Chellini, long-time friend of
Niemllerstr. 9 ventional sources, is it still fair to call the industry and associate publisher of
73760 Ostfildern, Germany it unconventional?) COMPRESSORtech2. Roberto con-
Telephone: +49 711 3416 74 0 Fax: +49 711 3416 74 74
Oil and gas prices have remained tributed to the magazine since its inau-
UNITED KINGDOM detrimentally low, driving many busi- gural issue in 1996. He will be sorely
Ian Cameron, Regional Manager/Editor
Linda Cameron, Advertising Manager
ness failures and consolidations in missed. Read more about Roberto on
40 Premier Avenue the U.S., and forcing financial stress page 6.
Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on OPEC nations. The Saudis bor- In this issue, we welcome the re-
DE6 1LH, United Kingdom rowed US$10 billion to help cover turn of Patrick Crow and his column,
Telephone: +44 20 31 79 29 79 Fax: +44 20 31 79 29 70
the shortfall. Monitoring Government. He is one of
ITALY
Natural gas overtook King Coal as our former editors and will help cover
Roberta Prandi, Regional Manager/Editor
Via Cerere 18
the dominant source of fuel for power industry news.
38062 Arco, Italy generation in the U.S. And CO2 emis- We also welcome Klinton Silvey as
Telephone: +39 0464 014421 sions from coal dropped below emis- a full-time associate editor. He has a
SWEDEN sions from natural gas. masters degree from the University of
Bo Svensson, Field Editor/Business Manager The means to this incredible boun- Missouri School of Journalism.
Dunderbacksvagen 20
ty of natural gas, fracking has Lastly, you may notice that we have
612-46 Finspong, Sweden
Telephone: +46 70 2405369 Fax: +46 122 14787 been embraced by some states and given a gentle facelift to the pages of
JAPAN
jurisdictions, while completely banned the magazine. We thought a few little
Akiyoshi Ojima, Branch Manager in others. changes would be good, and well
51-16-301 Honmoku Sannotani, Naka-ku Pipelines are reversing or becoming have more in upcoming issues.
Yokohama, 231-0824 Japan bi-directional to better reach markets Let me know what you think
Telephone: +81 45 624 3502 Fax: +81 45 624 3503
from new sources. about changes to the magazine, about
KOREA
We see gas companies asking reg- changes in the industry, or about
D. S. Chai, Sales Manager
Dongmyung Communications Inc.
ulators for price hikes in some mar- changes youve seen personally. CT2
82 Pyeongchangmunhwa-ro, Jongno-gu kets, while seeking price decreases
Seoul, 03011 Korea in others. Mark Thayer, associate publisher
Telephone: +82 2 391 4254 Fax: +82 2 391 4255
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) mthayer@dieselpub.com
DIESEL & GAS TURBINE PUBLICATIONS
President & CEO ..................... Michael J. Osenga
Executive Vice President.....Michael J. Brezonick
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Roberto Chellini
1934-2016

I
t is with great sadness that we report the passing of quickly became an expert on compression and the drivers
Roberto Chellini recently in Florence, Italy. He was 82 of compressors.
years old. His versatility in all types of engines and the coverage
Chellini worked for Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications of those engines, was never more apparent than when we
until the time of his death, most recently as associate pub- founded Diesel Progress International in 1982. While his ex-
lisher of COMPRESSORtech2 magazine. In his 33 years pertise was in large horsepower, he quickly became the face
with Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications, he worked for all of Diesel Progress International in Europe and was widely
our publications: Diesel Progress International, Diesel sought after as a speaker and reference on the advances
& Gas Turbine Worldwide, COMPRESSORtech2, Diesel and developments of smaller output reciprocating engines.
Progress North American, as well as the Diesel & Gas But to talk about Roberto Chellini in terms of just his career
Turbine Sourcing Guide and the Compression Technology is missing the point. He was skiing regularly in his beloved
Sourcing Supplement. Dolomites into his 80s. He was a man of great style, class,
He officially joined Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications in and if anyone knew more about food, wine, music or the his-
1983 after more than 20 years with gas turbine manufac- tory of Italy than Roberto Chellini, I have not met him.
turer Nuovo Pignone (now part of GE). His contributions to His olive orchard, the 100+ trees he pruned himself until
our Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide magazine go back to recent years, produced a fabulous olive oil, a bottle of which
the 1960s, thus Chellini was part of Diesel & Gas Turbine was a truly treasured gift. And when you least expected it,
Publications for six decades, writing and selling for all our hed sneak up on you and have you laughing uncontrollably.
publications and traveling to all corners of the world on His efforts at making sure the cheese and wine after dinner
our behalf. both ran out at exactly the same time is the stuff of legends
For our current generation of Diesel Pubs Europe, and among Diesel staffers worldwide.
for many of us in the U.S. as well, he was a mentor, guid- He was a true gentleman. He will be missed. Very much.
ance counselor, friend and role model. By many people.
To many in the industry he was Mr. Gas Turbine, and A lifelong resident of Florence, and the son of an old-
was widely sought after as a resource and subject matter line Florentian family which is honored with a step in the
expert on all types of engine and turbine power and its Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the famous Il Duomo
associated technology. He very quickly learned the medi- di Firenze, Chellini is survived by his wife Maria Antonietta,
um- and slow-speed reciprocating engine markets when son Massimo Pietro, daughter Flaminia, her husband Carmine
he began working on Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide and grandsons Lorenzo and Andrea.
magazine. In fact, in many ways, he shaped our interna- May his family find peace in his passing and may God
tional coverage of those power plants and those markets rest his soul. CT2
over 30+ years.
With the founding of COMPRESSORtech2 in 1996, he Mike Osenga, President
transitioned into the magazines publishing group and Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications

6 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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About The Business

Weighing The Environmental


Effects Of Wind And Solar
Environmentalists calls for leaving natural gas
in the ground are unrealistic

BY NORM SHADE

A
nti-fossil fuel advocates calling for bans on fossil consumers, workers and the economy will benefit. U.S.
fuels and fracking are gaining ground with politi- manufacturing will gain competitive advantage in the global
cians. A July report [1] by Oil Change International marketplace, and GHG emissions will continue to decline.
a coalition of national and regional organizations opposed But the essential link is natural gas pipeline transmission
to fossil fuel production and consumption makes a case capacity. The U.S. is blessed with huge reserves of eco-
against all pipeline capacity expansions, especially any car- nomically available and clean-burning natural gas.
rying natural gas to market from the Appalachian Basin. It Renewable energy is characterized as more environ-
calls for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) mentally friendly than fossil fuels, but renewables do have
and other government agencies to be required to apply a environmental impacts, as emphasized in a July article
climate test in their consideration of new gas transmission [3] in Power magazine. Arguably, solar energy is the most
and processing capacity, reminiscent of the Obama admin- environmentally benign source of electricity, once a solar
istrations rationale for rejecting the Keystone pipeline. plant is in place. But getting there has more environmen-
Following such recommendations would destroy jobs tal impact than most people think. The process of making
and manufacturing competitiveness, dramatically increase solar photovoltaic (PV) cells uses huge amounts of elec-
energy costs and seriously harm the entire U.S. economy. tricity. Much of the worlds PV cell manufacturing occurs in
Even though renewable energy accounts for only about China, where electricity is generated with coal. And turning
6% of the U.S. electric grid today, the report asserts that raw silicon into polycrystalline silicon for PV cells involves a
it can replace gas-fired power generation. It claims that if number of toxic and corrosive materials.
natural gas production is artificially constrained by denying For example, with each ton of polycrystalline silicon, sev-
new pipeline infrastructure, investment will somehow flow eral tons of corrosive and toxic silicon tetrachloride is pro-
to produce enough wind and solar power to make up the duced. Although this can be recycled to produce silicon and
difference. Wind and solar, although intermittent generation hydrochloric acid, the process is expensive, so not all man-
sources, are important. With government subsidies, over ufacturers recycle it. The PV manufacturing process also
the past decade their share of U.S. electric generation has involves other toxic substances such as hydrofluoric acid,
increased only about 0.5% per year. Yet, these extremists and it produces substantial wastewater and solid waste
illogically conclude that fossil fuels are no longer needed, streams. Treating and recycling that waste costs money,
arguing that once capital is sunk into the natural gas infra- and some PV manufacturers, including a well-documented
structure, it can produce power at minimal marginal cost, case in China, have cut corners by dumping untreated
which unfairly disadvantages renewables development. waste into waterways [3].
This ignores the obvious that the same is true for wind and Wind farms, too, have environmental impact. Wind tur-
solar capital investment. bines use permanent magnets that require rare earth el-
Gas-fired power generation produces only half of the ements such as neodymium, the extraction of which can
emissions of other fossil fuel sources, and its growth in have serious environmental consequences because of the
the U.S. has been responsible for the greatest reduction acids used in refining and the frequent occurrence of ura-
in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions anywhere on the nium and thorium in the ores.
planet. [2]. When sources of power compete on their merits, ExxonMobil dismissed calls for the banning or limiting of fos-
sil fuels as unrealistic [4], and President Obamas chief science
Norm Shade is senior consultant and president emeritus of ACI and technology advisor stated [5] that natural gas is imperative
Services Inc. of Cambridge, Ohio. A 47-year veteran of the gas to a clean-energy future and grid stability. The notion that were
compression industry, he has written numerous papers and is ac- going to keep it all in the ground is unrealistic. CT2
tive in the major industry associations. See references at: http://ct2.co/references

8 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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Monitoring Government

Compressor Station Noise


Lawsuit Perseveres
Texas courts mull relationship between
negligence and nuisance

BY PATRICK CROW

T
he Texas Supreme Court recently wrestled with a When the lawsuit went to trial in January 2012, the
legal question that is becoming more common na- Gardiners and several of their neighbors testified about the
tionwide: When does the decibel level of a compres- continuing clamor from the station. The plaintiffs claimed
sor station become a nuisance? the noise had diminished their enjoyment of their property
The court reviewed an eight-year-old lawsuit that land- and its economic value.
owners Andrew and Shannon Gardiner brought against The Gardiners acknowledged that Crosstex had attempt-
Crosstex North Texas Pipeline (now EnLink). The plaintiffs ed mitigation and had not spurned their complaints. But
alleged that noise from the Pilot Point Compressor Station they said those efforts all had been ineffective.
was an unmitigated nuisance. A Denton County District The trial jury agreed. It decided Crosstex had not been in-
Court jury awarded them a US$2 million judgment. tentionally negligent but had negligently created a permanent
Crosstex built a 24 in. (609 mm), 130 mi. (209 km) pipe- nuisance that had reduced the value of the Gardiners land.
line in North Texas in 2005-06 to move Barnett Shale gas. Crosstex then took the case to the Second District Court
It later constructed the compressor station on 20 acres (8 ha) of Appeals, which ordered a new trial because the evidence
across a highway from the Gardiners 95 acre (38 ha) pas- was insufficient to support the finding of a negligently cre-
ture in rural Denton County. ated nuisance. The justices also said the jury should have
Before the station began operating in May 2007, Crosstex been allowed to consider whether the compressor station
installed hospital-grade mufflers on the four large natural was abnormally dangerous.
gas engines driving the compressors. But the Gardiners The appeal continued to the Texas Supreme Court,
and other landowners soon complained about a constant which disagreed with the abnormally dangerous finding,
roar. Crosstex met the locals, contracted for sound-control opined about the morass of Texas negligence law and
studies and began mitigation. also remanded the case for retrial.
Over the next four years, it erected a partially enclosed In its June 24 opinion, the high court observed that the
building around the engines, installed sound blankets, built overwhelming weight of the evidence was that Crosstex
tall walls on three sides of the building and planted vegeta- had relied on expert advice, responded to all complaints
tion to further deafen the decibels. and acted to mitigate noise from the stations engines.
The Gardiners still complained. They said because there The Dallas law firm of Thompson & Knight said, This
was no wall facing their property, the other three walls just case has tremendous impact for the Texas oil and gas indus-
channeled the noise toward them. They filed a lawsuit in try at all stages upstream, midstream, and downstream.
May 2008 alleging nuisance and negligence. Crosstex defines the scope of private actions by the public
Crosstex contracted for an acoustical study that con- against oil and gas companies, which, given the large scale
cluded noise levels on the Gardiners property (which of their operations, sometimes interferes with others enjoy-
has no dwellings) were acceptable and reasonable for ment of their property. Crosstex provides a manual for how
agricultural/grazing lands and mostly compatible for resi- nuisance claims may be prosecuted going forward.
dences. Nevertheless, in the fall of 2011 the pipeline in- Although the Crosstex rulings have no standing outside of
stalled air-intake silencers and built a 15 ft. (4.5 m) wall on Texas and the case is due to be tried again, there are some
the Gardiners side of the station. takeaways for similar disputes nationwide. Landowners will
need strong evidence to show negligence in these cases.
Patrick Crow is an Austin, Texas, writer and a former COMPRES- And mitigation may not rescue pipeline operators from the
SORtech2 editor. He has reported for oil and gas publications slippery slope of nuisance litigation.
since 1967 and has written extensively about energy issues before The Texas Supreme Court cautioned, As a legal concept,
Congress, federal agencies and the courts. the word nuisance has meant all things to all people. CT2

10 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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Events & Meetings
Altronic_HHsprd_AS15_CT2.indd 1-2

Boldface indicates shows and c


onferences in which COMPRESSORtech2 is participating

OCTOBER Dammam, Saudi Arabia Nov. 14-16


Oct. 2-5 +39 06 3088 3030 International Petroleum Technology
Gas Machinery Conference www.saoge.org Conference
Denver, Colorado Bangkok, Thailand
+1 (972) 620-4026 Oct. 20-21 +971 4 457 5800
www.gmrc.org Black Sea Oil and Gas Forum www.iptcnet.org
Sofia, Bulgaria
Oct. 4-6 +44 845 868 8234 Nov. 15-17
Gas Capital Rectifier School www.globuc.com/blackseaoilgas
Liberal, Kansas SIPPE
+1 (620) 417-1170 Shanghai, China
Oct. 24-27 +86-21-65929965
www.sccc.edu Rio Oil & Gas
www.sippe.org.cn/en
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Oct. 10-13
+55 21 2112 9079
International Seminar Rotor Dynamics DECEMBER
www.ibp.org.br
& Bearings Dec. 13-15
Cologne, Germany Power-Gen International
+ 49 2267 6585 0 NOVEMBER
Nov. 2-4 Orlando, Florida
www.arla-online.com +1 (918) 831-9160
EP Shanghai 2016
Shanghai, China www.power-gen.com
Oct. 11-13
HHP Summit 2016 + 852 2811 8897
Chicago, Illinois www.epchinashow.com FEBRUARY
+1 (888) 993-0302 Feb. 6-8
www.hhpsummit.com Nov. 7-10 Basra Oil & Gas Conference
ADIPEC and Exhibition
Oct. 17-19 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Basra, Iraq
Saudi Arabia International Oil & Gas +971 2 6970 518 + 90 21 23 56 0056
Exhibition (SAOGE) www.adipec.com www.basraoilgas.com/conference

12 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


The future of control is in your hands!
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and production with Enbase Technologys advanced telematics and tion offers the same access and control of the DE-3000 system from
software engineering has produced a breakthrough automation plat- virtually anywhere in the world. This includes full system configura-
form that integrates local and remote engine and compressor control, tion, setpoint adjustment, and remote monitoring via
mobile field operations, and control room analytics. sophisticated telematics and predictive analytics.
Together, Altronics DE-3000/3000+ System plus the add-on/plug-in The value of this new approach to gas compressor
TE-1000 Telematics Module comprise an innovative gas compres- monitoring and controlone that combines a stable
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simultaneous long-distance monitoring and control communication systemis limitless.
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8/20/15 1:43 PM

For a complete listing of upcoming events, please visit our website at www.compressortech2.com/events/

Feb. 22-24 March 20-22 MAY


Australasian Oil and Gas Conference China International Offshore May 1-4
Perth, Australia Oil & Gas Exhibit Offshore Technology Conference
+61 3 9261 4500 Beijing, China (OTC)
www.aogexpo.com.au +86-10-5823 6555 Houston, Texas
www.ciooe.com.cn/2017/en/ +1 (972) 952-9494
Feb. 26-March 1 http://2017.otcnet.org
Laurance Reid Gas March 29-31
Conditioning Conference OMC 2017 May 17-19
Ravenna, Italy OGU 2017
Norman, Oklahoma
+39 0544 219418 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
+1 (405) 325-3891
www.omc.it +998 71 205 1818
www.ou.edu/outreach/engr/lrgcc_home.html
www.oguzbekistan.com
APRIL
Feb. 27-March 2
April 4-7 May 23-25
Nigeria Oil & Gas Conference
Gastech Eastern Gas Compression
Abuja, Nigeria, Africa Tokyo, Japan Roundtable
+234 706 911 7347 +44 203 772 6091 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
www.cwcnog.com www.gastechevent.com +1 (412) 372-4301
www.egcr.org
MARCH April 9-12
March 15-16 Gas Processor Association May 30-June 1
Global Oil & Gas Turkey Conference Sensor+Test 2017
Istanbul, Turkey San Antonio, Texas Nuremberg, Germany
+44 207 596 5193 +1 (918) 493-3872 +49 5033 9639-0
www.global-oilgas.com/turkey https://gpaconvention.org www.sensor-test.de

COMPRESSORtech2 2016 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 13


Burckhardt, Arkos Partner
For Long-Haul Investment
Burckhardt making inroads to US market with new compressor
assembly and service facility

n Burckhardt and Arkos will assemble and service API 618 compressors from their new shared facility in Waller, Texas.

BY KLINTON SILVEY

M
arcel Pawlicek, chief executive officer (CEO) of assembly facility in Waller, Texas, about 30 mi. (48 km)
Burckhardt Compression AG, said he has want- northwest of Houston.
ed to sell API 618 reciprocating compressors in In December 2015, Burckhardt, which has 2500 employees
the United States for 37 years. worldwide, acquired a 40% position in Arkos Field Services.
In the 1980s and 90s, he had a hand in selling some of Burckhardt is a quality manufacturer with a good reputa-
the 300-or-so Burckhardt Labyrinth compressors currently tion worldwide, said Daniel Cannon, president and CEO of
used in various downstream roles across Louisiana and Arkos. Opening the Waller facility is quite a large milestone
Texas. But Pawlicek couldnt import Burckhardts Swiss- and inroad for sales as well as life cycle maintenance.
produced process gas compressors. The 57,000 sq.ft. (5300 m2) building is split between two
It was always a dream to build API 618 machines in major duties.
America, Pawlicek said. You can import a labyrinth piston On one side, a 50 ton (45 tonne) overhead crane as well
compressor because that is something special. You can im- as a 25 ton (23 tonne) crane will assist in the assembly of
port a hypercompressor because it is something even more Burckhardt API 618 reciprocating compressors used in the
special. But if you want to be successful selling API 618 refining and chemical processing industry. The assembly
machines, you have to build them locally. facility already has a backlog of five compressors, which
Pawliceks dream is now a reality. In August, Burck- will all be packaged for end users.
hardt, partnering with Arkos Field Services, opened a new The other side hosts a fully fledged Arkos Field Services

14 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


in November of 2014. According to Pawlicek, it has been a
bit of a bumpy road.
The weather god was not really on our side, and we got a
little bit of rain and flooding, Pawlicek said. Regardless, the
challenges were overcome and a dream has come true.
The partnership between Burckhardt and Arkos goes be-
Credit: twitter.com/gregabbott

yond the sharing of a single building.


Taking advantage of Arkos 17 facilities and 225-plus field
service technicians nation-wide, Burckhardt will now have a
much larger presence in the service sector, which has been
a weak area for the company.
On top of Burckhardts OEM support and manufacturing
capabilities, Arkos, which has been a primarily upstream-,
midstream- and intrastate pipeline-focused company, will
share a single customer resource database with Burckhardt
n Texas Governor Greg Abbott visited the Waller facility in March. Compression US. Ideally, this should create inroads for
He is pictured here with Burckhardt CEO Marcel Pawlicek. servicing the downstream sector at a faster rate than a
purely organic approach.
service and repair center. The machine shop is already do- Between the capabilities of the two companies, Pawlicek
ing valve and component repairs on compressor products hopes to position Burckhardt US as a one-stop shop for
from all OEMs and aftermarket companies. By the end of any and all compression-related needs a client may have.
the year, a full range of hypercompressor services are to be Considering the current downturn in upstream and mid-
available. According Cannon, currently, about 30 personnel stream markets, the Burckhardt and Arkos investment has
work onsite, with another 50-plus Arkos field service techni- been made with long-term goals in mind and the expecta-
cians reporting to Waller. tion of market fluctuations along the way.
The Waller construction facility is the culmination of a This is a multiyear project, Cannon said. The market
multiyear project that was approved by Burckhardts board isnt going to dictate the starting or stopping of it. CT2

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Turning It Up During The Downturn
How turbomachinery OEMs can compete in tough times

Change In Upstream Capital Budgets


(Percentage Change In 2016 From 2015)

-19%
-18%

-43% Average

NOCs Such As Saudi Aramco,


Petrobras, Kuwait Oil, PEMEX,
Petronas, Gazprom And Range
CNOOC

Majors Including ExxonMobil,


BP, Shell, Total, ConocoPhillips,
Statoil And Chevron
Independents, e.g., Marathon,
Continental, Anadarko, Hess,
Devon And Chesapeake

n Figure 1. Capital spending reductions at national oil companies (NOCs), majors, and independent exploration and production companies.

BY BRANDON JOHNSON AND UDAY TURAGA

S
ince late 2014, oil prices have fallen dramatically and oil prices, there are several approaches an OEM can take
capital budgets across the oil and gas value chain to stay competitive. Based ADIs work advising a number of
are being slashed. Large oil and gas majors have cut turbomachinery OEMs serving the oil and gas industry as
capital costs by 19%, national oil companies by 18% and well as conversations with oil and gas asset operators, EPC
U.S.-focused E&P independents, who have been the hard- firms, and end users, we see successful OEMs competing
est hit, have reduced capital expenditures (capex) by as and differentiating themselves by (1) innovating through the
much as 43% (Figure 1). cycle, (2) engaging across the product lifecycle, (3) focus-
Given the environment, the oil and gas equipment market ing on solutions and (4) optimizing costs.
is becoming increasingly difficult with limited opportunities
from new capital projects. In addition, oil and gas operators Innovating through the cycle
are asking product and service vendors for discounts and OEMs have consistently innovated to differentiate them-
simultaneously evincing greater interest in new innovations selves but should now look for ways to intensify their in-
that can further cut costs. Collectively, these trends are novation process and pipelines, and also better coordinate
placing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) serving and integrate those efforts with product management and
the oil and gas industry under terrific pressure. marketing teams. Innovations can include a wide range of
As the industry embraces a lower for longer outlook for initiatives, e.g., improving pump and compressor efficien-
cies, enhancing or adding ancillary equipment like seals
Brandon Johnson is an analyst at ADI Analytics. Contact him and bearings, offering customers new purchase options/
at: johnson@adi-analytics.com. Uday Turaga is the founder and models, and accelerating delivery schedules.
chief executive officer of ADI Analytics. Contact him at: turaga@ Innovation that will likely have the greatest impact in the
adi-analytics.com. near and medium term is expected to come from digital in-
continued on page 18

16 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Gross Margin Split Compressors similar trends in the growth of aftermarket services across
(Percentage) other equipment categories (e.g., compressors, valves,
turbines) and industry verticals including chemicals, power
and mining (Figure 2). It is increasingly clear that in order to
75% thrive in the oil and gas industry today, OEMs must be able
to provide aftermarket services.
Operators also value OEMs who provide aftermarket ser-
60% vices and increasingly prefer outsourcing maintenance to
OEMs as in-house mechanics are increasingly scarce or
often do not have the skills necessary to properly service
the entire range of turbomachinery equipment. OEMs are
40% thought to do a better job as they are able to see problems
across a wide range of operators, applications and industry
65% verticals. OEMs are also pushing aftermarket services as
they offer higher margins and recurring revenue.
Flowserve and Sulzer, the top oil and gas pump OEMs,
40% have targeted aftermarket services successfully, which has
also helped them maintain market share over the past five
15% years. However, significant aftermarket service offerings
cannot be developed easily, and OEMs have to invest in
and build service centers in multiple regions. For example,
Original Services Parts
Flowserve has approximately 200 service centers, plans to
Equipment
build more in Asia and routinely offers to build new ones to
High Case Base Case win large greenfield contracts.

n Figure 2. Compressor gross margin split for original equipment,


services and parts. One leading turbomachinery
player has now decided to offer
terfaces, integrated analytics, and the Internet of Things.
These efforts will allow operators and OEMs to move from a half size, half price version of
preventive to predictive maintenance, enable new technol- their product in order to
ogies such as 3-D printing, and accelerate and improve the enter new markets.
way new products are designed, manufactured and used.
More importantly, the Industrial Internet will generate
exponentially more data and also enable better access to Focusing on solutions
data. OEMs are increasingly recognizing that access and Operators increasingly want OEMs to provide the entire
control to asset and equipment data will allow players to solution rather than discrete equipment and want to be en-
have a critical advantage in the aftermarket services busi- gaged and supported across the entire value chain. Pack-
ness. In spite of these opportunities, innovating through the aging compressors or pumps with other needed equipment
cycle will continue to pose a variety of risks given the uncer- such as motors, bearings, seals and couplings allows oper-
tainty associated with innovation as well as the potential to ators to access an entire solution while providing the OEM
have limited impact in the near term. OEMs should actively with an opportunity to deepen the relationship with opera-
address this risk by pursing innovations and R&D projects tors and also increase sales. Larger oil and gas operators
that vary widely in terms of impact, timeline and budget. are increasingly interested in vendors that provide solutions
and high levels of integration. Given the current market
Engaging across the product lifecycle conditions, OEMs have been consolidating and acquiring
Leading OEMs are increasingly selling equipment for industrial automation manufacturers in order to increase
greenfield projects at lower than break-even prices in or- their product portfolio, and compete across the value chain.
der to secure service contracts. The share of aftermar- Larger oil and gas operators are relying on strategic
ket services in the overall market for multiple equipment sourcing and long-term contracts and have a strong prefer-
categories is rising, as capital spent on new projects has ence to work with large OEMs that can offer a wide range
decreased. Traditionally, in the oil and gas pump industry, of equipment categories. Leasing is another way to offer
large OEMs aftermarket services accounted for 40 to 45% solutions, as operators increasingly prefer leasing a com-
of sales. Now, aftermarket services account for nearly 55% pressor package rather than purchasing and maintaining it.
of sales because original equipment sales have dropped A few players in upstream oil and gas have adopted leasing
due to a steep decline in new projects. ADI analysts see models that could also be successful in other segments.

18 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Recently, GE and Diamond Offshore size, half-price version of their prod- duction of a significant amount of oil
announced their performance-based uct in order to enter new markets in and gas resources will likely be chal-
subsea blowout-preventer (BOP) ser- Asia and broaden their product offer- lenged and OEMs must implement
vice agreement. In this first-of-a-kind ing. Turbomachinery equipment OEMs new strategies to adapt to market
leasing model, capex is shifted to ven- should consider designing to value, conditions. OEMs should focus on in-
dors, compensation is based on BOP as many operators are content with novation, aftermarket services, offer-
availability and data will be captured fit-for-purpose products and are re- ing complete solutions, and lowering
via GEs monitoring and analytics luctant to purchase equipment at cost. OEMs that are able to success-
solutions, enabling condition-based higher prices if it does more than fully implement these strategies will
monitoring and maintenance. This 10- what is needed. differentiate themselves and gain a
year deal for pressure control by-the- At current commodity prices, pro- competitive advantage. CT2
hour has performance incentives for
lower downtime and higher reliability.
There will be more deals of this kind
in the future as OEMs pursue ways
s
to make their products attractive to a rd
clients in the downturn. Some of the
0 towde-in
changes in procurement are related to
,00 Tra
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y

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is planning to close up to 27 plants
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COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 19


Caspian Sea To Southern
Europe Pipeline Underway
Siemens turbocompressor trains will power compressor stations on route

n The Siemens SGT-400 industrial gas turbine is manufactured in Lincoln, U.K. and packaged in Hengelo, Netherlands. Siemens compres-
sors are manufactured and packaged in Duisburg, Germany.

BY ROBERTA PRANDI

T
he Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will transport Caspian Recently, Siemens was awarded an order from the TAP
natural gas to Europe. Connecting with the Trans consortium for six 20,115 hp (15 MW) SGT-400-driven tur-
Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish bocompressor trains. Each of the six gas turbine-driven
border, the TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and compressor trains comprises an SGT-400 industrial gas tur-
the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to bine and a Siemens barrel-type STC-SV 08-4-A compressor.
connect to the Italian natural gas network. Siemens will deliver three compressor trains to the com-

20 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Source: www.siemens.com/press

n The TAP will have nearly 8,300 ft. (2530 m) of total vertical elevation change along its route.

pressor station in Kipoi, Greece, that marks the beginning and make its way along the 65 mi. (105 km) seabed pipe-
of the TAP at the border to Turkey. The TAPs landfall in line from Albania to Italy.
Albania will be 10.5 mi. (17 km) northwest of Fier, up to The SGT-400 is a twin-shaft gas turbine available in
1300 ft. (400 m) inland from the shoreline. Another three two different power ratings 18,000 hp (13.4 MW) and
units will be installed in this compressor station. Here, the 20,000 hp (14.9 MW) for mechanical drive applications.
natural gas will be compressed to up to 1885 psi (130 bar) The twin-shaft arrangement allows for commonality of parts
continued on page 22

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 21


n A standard Siemens mechanical-drive package driven by the n Each of the six gas turbine-driven compressor trains comprises
SGT-400 industrial gas turbine. an SGT-400 industrial gas turbine and one of these barrel-type
STC-SV compressors.

in mixed-duty installations. According to Siemens, the gas the casing shell without the need to remove process gas
turbine offers the highest efficiency in its power class, incor- piping. They also adopt adjustable inlet guide vanes (IGV)
porating the latest aerodynamic and combustion technolo- in front of the first impeller for better turndown and part-load
gies, and it is suitable for all climates, both for onshore and efficiencies in certain applications.
offshore installations. As far as the TAP project is concerned, Siemens said the
According to Siemens, this industrial gas turbine main- project requirements for design pressure and head exceed-
tains robustness, flexibility and long-life advantages of ed typical pipeline compressor design criteria. Siemens used
the traditional industrial gas turbine, translating into low its standardized vertical split compressor casing design to
performance degradation over time and extended main- meet the project design criteria, with utilization of pipeline
tenance intervals. high-efficiency design features. As a result, the tailor-made
For the TAP project, Siemens fitted the gas turbines with compressor has very high efficiency.
an enhanced filtration system, using HEPA filters. Siemens According to Siemens, the STC-SV 08-4-A has an ef-
claims these filters will reduce performance degradation ficiency among the best that can be obtained for this type
due to gas turbine compressor fouling and will extend gas of service. Also, for given operating conditions, the driver
turbine compressor washing interval (for example, the typi- is able to satisfy the compression duties across the life of
cal cold wash downtime can be reduced from 136 to 16 the project, taking into account the degradation for nor-
hours per year). mal usage and wear.
The Siemens Turbocompressor series, which have a Siemens project team for the TAP order said that project
single shaft and vertically split casing (STC-SV), realize a requirements, as well as capital and operational costs and
discharge pressure up to 14,500 psi (1000 bar) and are de- availability, have been taken into account in selecting the
signed to compress gases of any molecular weight, but are compressor and driver. Siemens has been able to identify
optimized for those with low molecular weight, Siemens said. a solution where compressor and gas turbine designs for
These barrell-type compressors feature internals as- both Greek and Albanian stations are the same. This has
sembled into a bundle to allow easy axial removing from a big cost and risk reduction potential for the customer, as
continued on page 24

22 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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n For the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the Siemens SGT-400 gas turbines, manufactured in Lincoln, U.K., and
the STC-SV 08-4-A compressors, manufactured in Duisburg, Germany, will be erected in complete trains and
commissioned on site at the compression stations.

spare parts are interchangeable for all units on both sites, impact. At 546 mi. (878 km) long, the TAPs highest eleva-
Siemens said. tion will be 5905 ft. (1800 m) in the mountains of Albania,
The compressor train is controlled by the unit control while its lowest depth offshore will be 2690 ft. (820 m) be-
panel (UCP), which already includes features for the re- neath the Adriatic Sea.
quired remote diagnostic so no additional hardware provi- Anticipating future needs, TAPs developers integrated
sion shall be considered. This system will also be able to flexibility into the pipeline design to accommodate fu-
support troubleshooting and trending. ture gas volumes. The TAPs initial capacity of 353 Bcf
The TAP will open up the so-called Southern Gas Corri- (9.9 x 109 m3) of gas per year is equivalent to the energy
dor for Europe that will transport natural gas from the Shah consumption of approximately 7 million households in Eu-
Deniz II field in Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea to Europe. rope. In the future, the addition of two extra compres-
Connecting with the TANAP at the Greek-Turkish border sor stations could double throughput to more than 706 Bcf
at Kipoi, then crossing Greece, Albania and the Adriatic (19.9 x 109 m3) as additional energy supplies come on-
Sea, the TAP will come ashore in southern Italy. The land- stream in the wider Caspian region.
fall in Italy provides multiple opportunities to transport the The pipeline will also have a physical reverse flow fea-
natural gas to large European markets such as Germany, ture, allowing gas from Italy to be diverted to Southeastern
France and the U.K., the TAP consortium said. Europe if energy supplies are disrupted or more pipeline
The TAP project is in its construction phase, which start- capacity is required to bring additional gas into the region,
ed earlier in 2016; the pipeline is expected to begin operat- the TAP consortium said.
ing in late 2019. Along its route, the TAP can facilitate connections to
The TAP consortiums shareholders are major energy a number of existing and proposed pipelines, ensuring
companies SOCAR, Snam, BP, Fluxys, Enags and Axpo. that the southern gas corridor opens up to many different
The shareholders said the TAP pipelines route was chosen energy markets. This will enable the delivery of Caspian
with great care to ensure the best commercial and technical gas to destinations throughout Southeastern, Central and
possibilities and cause minimum environmental and social Western Europe. CT2

24 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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The Next 20 Years:
O&G Infrastructure Forecast
Up to 15.9 million hp of new compression required through 2035

Capital Expenditures For New Infrastructure (Billions Of 2015$)

n Figure 1. About 60%


of the new infrastruc-
ture capital expenditures
in the U.S. and Canada
from 2015 through 2035
are predicted to be for
natural gas.

BY NORM SHADE

I
n April, the INGAA Foundation released a report that structure Through 2035: Leaning into the Headwinds, spe-
summarizes a new study that projects as much as cifically analyzes the potential impact of reduced oil and gas
US$597 billion of new infrastructure investment is fore- prices and factors in the uncertainty of the economic outlook.
cast for the 2015 through 2035 period, with about 60% going As with previous studies, the impact of midstream infrastruc-
into natural gas infrastructure. A 2014 INGAA Foundation ture investments on jobs and the economy is also evaluated.
study projected significant infrastructure development, driv- In the context of this analysis, midstream infrastructure in-
en by robust market growth and continued development of cludes: (1) natural gas gathering and lease equipment, pro-
North American unconventional natural gas and crude oil cessing, pipeline transportation and storage, and LNG ex-
supplies. However, market conditions changed dramatically port facilities; (2) NGL pipeline transportation, fractionation
over the past two years, warranting an updated analysis of and export facilities; and (3) crude oil gathering and lease
infrastructure development. equipment, pipeline transportation and storage facilities.
The 2016 study, conducted by ICF International, was
undertaken with recent market changes in mind. Like past Natural Gas Market Scenarios
studies, it focuses on estimating future natural gas, natural Significant factors that affect midstream infrastructure de-
gas liquids (NGL) and oil midstream requirements, and the velopment remain in question as a result of sustained low
potential capital expenditures associated with that develop- oil and natural gas prices, an uncertain global and domestic
ment. The resulting report, North American Midstream Infra- economic outlook and the pace at which public policy will
continued on page 28

26 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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Natural Gas Demand Assumptions

INGAA High Case (Optimistic) INGAA Low Case


(Less Optimistic)

Electric Sales Growth 2016-20 change: 0.9% per year.


2016 onwards: 0.3% per year.
(Net Of Energy Efficiency) 2021-35 change: 1.0% per year.

Bitumen production increases to over Bitumen production increases to


Gas Demand For Bitumen 3.5 MMbbl/d by 2030. 2.75 MMbbl/d by 2030.
Production From Gas use for oil sands development Gas use for oil sands
Alberta Oil Sands increases to development increases to
2.4 Bcfd (6.8 x 107m3/d) by 2030. 1.75 Bcfd (4.9 x 107 m3/d) by 2030.
U.S. Gulf Coast: peak at U.S. Gulf Coast: peak at
8.8 Bcfd (2.5 x 108 m3/d) by 2025. 6.0 Bcfd (1.7 x 108 m3/d) by 2029.
U.S. Gulf Coast: peak at U.S. Gulf Coast: peak at
1.0 Bcfd (2.8 x 107 m3/d) by 2024. 0.7 Bcfd (2.0 x 107 m3/d) by 2028.
LNG Exports
U.S. West Coast: No exports. U.S. West Coast: No exports.
Alaska: No incremental exports. Alaska: No incremental exports.
British Columbia: British Columbia: 0.9 Bcfd
1.4 Bcfd (4.0 x 107 m3/d) by 2028. (2.5 x 107 m3/d) by 2032.

Increases to 6.0 Bcfd (1.7 x 108 m3/d) by


Exports To Mexico Lower than High Case by 5%.
2025 to 6.8 Bcfd (1.9 x 108 m3/d) by 2035.

n Figure 2. High and Low Case natural gas demand assumptions underlying the INGAA Foundation North American midstream
infrastructure study.

affect energy markets. Therefore, the study considers two Key oil and gas production assumptions are summarized
distinct scenarios a High Case and a Low Case (Figure 1) in Figure 4. In both cases, natural gas production is forecast
each reflecting very different pathways for supply growth to grow continually through the next two decades (Figure 5).
and market development. Shale production will drive new growth, while, in aggregate,
The High Case is characterized as a plausibly optimistic conventional sources will decline.
case for midstream infrastructure development. It assumes Rounding out the supply-demand picture, NGL produc-
a rebound in global economic activity that spurs increased tion is forecast to generally track natural gas production be-
use of natural gas and oil over time and fosters a more cause a substantial portion of new natural gas production
robust pricing environment for oil and gas supply develop- has a relatively high liquids content. Growth of oil production,
ment. The Low Case is a less sanguine projection in which however, will be much less pronounced due to low oil prices.
a slower global economic recovery reduces the need for In the Low Case, crude oil and condensate production is
oil and gas development. The Low Case also assumes projected to decline from 13.4 MMbbl/d in 2015 to 10.7
more robust penetration of energy efficiency and nongas MMbbl/d in 2035 due to lower oil prices (Figure 6). In the
resources to support future power generation. Key assump- High Case, oil and condensate production is expected to
tions driving natural gas demand for the two cases are sum- be relatively flat over the forecast period.
marized in Figure 2.
The report shows a vibrant natural gas market in the future, Continued Natural Gas Infrastructure
and therefore the need for additional midstream infrastructure Development Needed
to deliver affordable natural gas to consumers. The market The study clearly demonstrates that a significant level of
growth projected for each case differs greatly as shown in new infrastructure is needed despite the market changes
Figure 3. The Low Case projects that natural gas use rises that have occurred during the past few years. Even the Low
from just over 90 Bcfd (2.5 x 109 m3/d) in 2015 to only 110 Case, which shows statistics between 20 and 30% lower
Bcfd (3.1 x 109 m3/d) by 2035, while the High Case projects than those in the High Case, requires significant infrastruc-
growth to over 130 Bcfd (3.7 x 109 m3/d) by 2035. The most ture development, particularly to accommodate continued
noticeable difference in the trends is in the power sector, production growth and to facilitate the development of LNG
where the Low Case assumes lower electricity demand and Mexican exports. Nevertheless, each of the studys
growth, greater energy efficiency and more significant pen- cases shows less natural gas infrastructure development
etration of nongas generating resources. when compared with the 2014 study.

28 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Projected US And Canadian Natural Gas Use (Average Annual Bcfd)

n Figure 3. The study projects that U.S. and Canadian annual average natural gas demand in the Low Case will increase from just over
90 Bcfd (2.5 x 109 m3/d) in 2015 to 110 Bcfd (3.1 x 109 m3/d) by 2035. The High Case projects growth to over 130 Bcfd (3.7 x 109 m3/d).

On the supply side, the study assumes that shale gas though fewer miles of pipe are required in the future, invest-
production growth remains robust, motivating development ment in new gas pipelines remains significant because of
of natural gas infrastructure in spite of the fact that both continued production growth from low-cost production areas
of the new studys scenarios project lower well completions like the Marcellus and Utica Shales. On balance, the new
than the 2014 study. While new midstream infrastructure is study concludes that incremental production from low-cost
needed, it is less than was anticipated by the 2014 study, as areas tends to offset declines in activity elsewhere.
both the number and scale of projects declines from the level Over the next two decades, the U.S. and Canadian natu-
of activity that has occurred during the past five years. Even ral gas transportation capacity addition is projected at 44
continued on page 30

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Production Assumptions
Oil and Gas Production
INGAA High Case (Optimistic) INGAA Low Case (Less Optimistic)
Assumption
Totals 000 Tcf, (1.1 x 1017 m3), of which
60% is shale gas resource; on
U.S. And Canadian Developable Resource development less robust due
average, 1000 Tcf (2.8 x 1016 m3)
Resource Base to relatively low capital investment.
of gas resources is developable
below $4 per MMBtu.

Relative to 2014 study,


Relative to High Case, drilling and
Exploration And Production Costs costs are lower by 20% in 2015,
completion costs lower by 5%.
and 25% from 2016 onwards.

LNG Imports
LNG imports continue at existing terminals, but at minimal levels.

NGLs production is expected Less robust NGLs production


Natural Gas Plant Liquids to increase by 2.3 million BOE/d especially from tight oil plays
between 2015 and 2035. due to lower oil prices.

Production is flat between 2016


Further restrictions on oil development
Crude Oil And Lease Condensate and 2025 and declines thereafter
due to lower oil prices.
due to reserve depletion.

n Figure 4. High and Low Case natural gas and liquids production assumptions underlying the INGAA Foundation North American
midstream infrastructure study.

Projected U.S. and Canadian Natural Gas Production (Average Annual Bcfd)

n Figure 5. The study projects that shale will continue to dominate natural gas (average annual Bcfd) production for the next two decades,
as other sources continue to decline.

to 58 Bcfd (1.2 to 1.6 x 109 m3/d) for the two cases, with a sion from 2015 through 2035. Figure 7 summarizes the
midpoint value of 51 Bcfd (1.4 x 109 m3/d). NGL capacity ad- metrics for natural gas infrastructure development for both
dition is projected to be 1.1 to 2.3 MMbbl/d, with a midpoint cases. More than 800,000 well completions are needed be-
of 1.7 MMbbl/d. Oil pipeline capacity addition is projected at tween 2015 and 2035 in the High Case, and nearly 700,000
4.5 to 6.9 MMbbl/d, with a midpoint value of 5.7 MMbbl/d. completions in the Low Case. About 70% of these are ex-
The study reports key metrics for infrastructure expan- pected to be oil wells, with the rest being gas wells.

30 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


US And Canadian Liquids Production (MMbbl/d)

n Figure 6. Total U.S. and Canadian liquids (MMbbl/d) production are projected to essentially level off in 2016 in the Low Case or in 2026
in the High Case. Natural gas liquid production will increase in both cases.

Between 30,000 and 48,000 mi. (48,281 to 77,249 km) 18,000 and 29,000 mi. (28,969 to 46,672 km) of this amount.
of new pipeline will be needed for gas, oil, and NGL trans- The compression equipment for the new gas transmission
port. New natural gas transmission lines account for between lines will range from 4.3 to 6.2 million hp (3.2 to 4.6 million kW).
continued on page 32
Natural Gas Infrastructure Metrics
High High Low Low Average Average
Case, Case Case, Case Annual Annual
2015- Average 2015- Average Change Change
2035 Annual 2035 Annual (Low vs. (%, Low
High) vs. High)

Gas Well Completions (1000s) 258 12 227 11 -1 -12%

Oil Well Completions (1000s) 565 27 455 22 -5 -19%

Total Well Completions (1000s) 823 39 682 32 -7 -17%

Miles Of Transmission Mainline (1000s) 15.6 0.7 9.2 0.4 -0.3 -41%

Miles Of Laterals To/From Power Plants,


13.7 0.7 8.4 0.4 -0.3 -39%
Storage Fields And Processing Plants (1000s)

Miles Of Gas Gathering Line (1000s) 179.3 8.5 149.8 7.1 -1.4 -16%

Inch-Miles Of Transmission Mainline (1000s) 510 24 304 14 -10 -40%


Inch-Miles Of Laterals To/From Power Plants,
292 14 178 8 -5 -39%
Storage Fields And Processing Plants (1000s)

Inch-Miles Of Gathering Lines (1000s) 707 34 598 28 -5 -16%

Compression For Pipelines (1000 hp) 6205 295 4252 202 -93 -31%

Compression For Gathering Line (1000 hp) 9726 463 7628 363 -100 -22%

Number Of New Gas Power Plants 749 36 437 21 -15 -42%

Gas Storage (Bcf Working Gas) 288 14 123 6 -8 -57%

Processing Capacity (Bcfd) 41.9 2.0 34.0 1.6 -0.4 -19%

LNG Export Facilities (Bcfd) 12.0 0.6 10.6 0.5 -0.1 -12%

n Figure 7. The INGAA Foundation 2015 to 2035 infrastructure expansion study forecasts a number of industry metrics. Included is a
forecast of 4.3 to 6.2 million hp (3.2 to 4.6 million kW) of compression equipment required for new gas transmission lines and an additional
7.6 to 9.7 million hp (5.7 to 7.2 million kW) required for new gas gathering.

Between 234,000 and 281,000 mi. (376,591 and from US$183 billion to US$282 billion. Most of this activity is
452,231 km) of new gas and oil gathering line are project- associated with natural gas development, with much less in-
ed to collect incremental production from between 682,000 vestment for oil and NGL-related assets. Development in the
and 823,000 new oil and gas wells. The compression equip- Low Case averages about US$5 to US$10 billion per year
ment needed for new gas gathering will range from 7.6 to less than development in the High Case. The study included
9.7 million hp (5.7 to 7.2 million kW). an estimated incremental expenditure of US$24 billion over
the 20-year period for integrity management and NOx control
Expansion Rate Projected To Slow as part of the total expenditure on pipelines.
After Period Of Exceptional Growth About 30% of the future investment occurs in transmission
The studys cases show that capital expenditure (CAPEX) pipeline development, with the majority being spent for gas
for new midstream infrastructure will range from US$471 bil- pipelines. Nearly 90% of transmission pipeline expenditure is
lion to US$621 billion over the next 20 years, or an annual for the pipeline itself, with the remainder being spent on com-
average expenditure of US$22.5 to US$30.0 billion per year. pression and pumping. Investment for gathering systems is
Investment in pipelines, including transmission and gathering also very significant, at about 20% of total investment.
lines and compression and pumping, is projected to range As shown in Figure 8, even though continued infrastructure

32 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Annual Capital Expenditures For New Infrastructure,
Three-Year Spread, Billions Of 2015 Dollars

n Figure 8. Annual capital expenditures (three-year spread, US billion $) for new infrastructure in High and Low Cases are projected to
peak in 2016 and then settle at much lower annual levels after 2019.
continued on page 34

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development is significant, future mid- The top 10 states in the U.S. for by Marcellus/Utica development and
stream development will be less than it employment gains resulting from mid- Louisianas growth related to LNG ex-
has been recently. This is because the stream investment are projected to be port facility development.
market has undergone a very robust Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Ohio, About 40 to 50% of the natural gas
period of development (i.e., US$40 to California, New York, Oklahoma, Illi- capacity addition originates in the U.S.
US$50 billion of annual investment) nois, Kansas and West Virginia. Texas Northeast, driven by Marcellus and
between 2010 and 2015, with aggres- will have the most significant job cre- Utica Shale development. Significant
sive development of unconventional ation as a result of LNG export activ- capacity is also expected in the U.S.
resources. Continued buildout of gas, ity and shale gas and tight oil devel- Southwest, mostly associated with
oil, and NGL infrastructure is projected opment. Pennsylvania and Louisiana LNG and Mexican export activity. A
through 2016 with many pipelines al- will have similar levels of employment, significant amount of natural gas pipe-
ready under construction. with Pennsylvanias job creation driven line development is projected to oc-
cur during the next five years, with a
noticeable drop after 2020, especially
in the Low Case where continued
market growth is projected to be quite
modest. From 2017 through 2020,
DESIGNED Marcellus and Utica transport capac-
LUBRICANTS. ity is projected to increase by roughly

DESIGNED TO
12 Bcfd (0.34 x 109 m3/d) in the High
Case, with substantial increases in ca-
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After that, from 2020 through 2035,
roughly 15 Bcfd (0.42 x 109 m3/d) of
incremental capacity will be built
Tulcos Lubsoil Synthetic LPG-WS and LPG-WI across North America about 1 Bcfd
Lubricants provide optimal performance and better (0.03 x 109 m3/d) per year in the High
equipment protection compared to any other lubricant Case, mostly to satisfy growth in gas-
on the market. Our field tested and formulated fired power generation. With gas-fired
products are proven to save downtime and money, all generation growth being much more
while increasing your compressors productivity. Tulcos modest in the Low Case, only about
synthetic lubricants offer: half of the natural gas capacity added
after 2020 in the High Case is included
Reduced gas solubility leading to extended lubricant life in the Low Case.
Improved compressor efficiency and wear protection A large portion of oil-related pipe-
line capacity (3.3 MMbbl/d was con-
Superior performance in vapor recovery compressors
structed and was placed into service
Excellent performance in H2S and CO2 rich or heavy
by late 2015. Most, if not all of the oil
gas compression
projects to be commissioned in 2016
are likely to be completed, as they
Tulco Oils has been a top-rated global marketer for are already under construction. How-
decades, and manufactures petroleum, semi-synthetic ever, due to delays, some projects
and full synthetic Lubsoil brand lubricants. We may not come online until 2017. In
offer quality products with high-tech support each case, only very modest (or no)
and comprehensive service. No oil pipeline development is expected
matter the challenge you have to occur after 2017.
with your compressor, the Tulco Formed in 1990 by the Interstate Nat-
team will have a solution. ural Gas Association of America, the
INGAA Foundation works to advance
the use of natural gas for the benefit
of the environment and the consum-
WWW.TULCO.COM ing public. The Foundation completes
a number of reports and studies each
(800) 375-2347 year and establishes safety guidelines
for pipeline construction, operation and
employee safety. CT2

34 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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up. Additionally, the patented Expanded Power Range feature provides increased flexibility, constant power at higher speed margins, and broader
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Specifications subject to change without notice. 2016 Solar Turbines Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Big Gains Come In Small Packages
The VoreconNX Is Designed For Efficiency in Low-Power Applications

1 2 3 4

n The VoreconNX is designed for efficiency in low power applications and complete customizability.

BY KLINTON SILVEY 1. Adjustable Pump Vanes

V
oith Turbo Inc. has added to its Vorecon line of 2. Torque Converter
variable-speed planetary gears with a new offering 3. Planetary Gear
tailored for applications up to 13,400 hp (10 MW).
4. Parallel Shaft Gear
According to Ron Wilson, president, Americas, Power,
Oil and Gas, Voith Turbo Inc., Voith began selling Vorecon
machines in the United States in 1999. Since then, com-
pressor power has generally increased, as has the size of portfolio across the complete power range for compressors
Vorecon machines to keep pace with those needs. How- and pipeline applications.
ever, the very recent past has presented new application While current Vorecons can be tailored for and are in use
needs and challenges for Voith customers. in low-power applications, Voith claims the NX is not just
If you go back two or three years ago, our customers a scaled-down model of their existing drives as it boasts
were telling us that they needed something that would up to 8% higher efficiency at part load over previous mod-
better fit into this 3 to 10 MW (4000 to 13,400 hp) pow- els. Christoph Meyenberg, product manager, Geared Hy-
er class, Wilson said. He attributed these needs to in- drodynamic Variable Speed Drives, said this gain is ac-
creased shale gas production and its associated gather- complished primarily by the innovation of adjustable pump
ing and boosting requirements. blades and guide vanes on a new actually based on a
Some of our major pipeline customers were still looking principle from the 1960s counter-rotational torque con-
for 15,000, 20,000, 30,000 hp (11.2, 14.9, 22.4 MW) Vore- verter design.
cons, but they were also looking for a 5000, 7000, 12,000 The NX is located in the driveline, between the drive motor
hp (3.7, 5.2, 9 MW) Vorecon, Wilson said. That was the and the driven machine. According to Voith, the input shaft
thinking behind the VoreconNX to broaden our product is connected to the planet carrier of the planetary gear. This

36 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


n Voith said the VoreconNX operates at up to 8% higher
Customers were efficiency at part load over previous models.

telling us that adjusting the gear ratio of the parallel shaft gear. Adjustable
they needed guide vanes at the pump wheel control the liquid flow in the
torque converter and determine the speed of the turbine
something that wheel, allowing the speed of the driven machine to be com-
pletely customizable.

would better fit Customers will be able to choose any condition monitor-
ing systems they would like Voith to install. Depending on

into this 3 to 10 needs, other instrumentation and cooling systems can be


installed as well.

MW power class. In addition to running efficiency and customizability, the


NX has been designed with ease of use in mind. The cases
are split horizontally for easy access to the machines in-
Ron Wilson, president, Americas,
Power, Oil and Gas, Voith Turbo Inc. ternals, even though service intervals are expected to be
eight years. The NX also has a smaller footprint than other
Vorecons. It will be offered in three frame sizes, the middle
6200 to 9700 hp (4.6 to 7.2 MW) version available first. The
casing has a length (shaft-end to shaft-end) of 133 in. (3400
means that a large proportion of the input power is there- mm), width of 71 in. (1800 mm), height of 50 in. (1270 mm),
fore transmitted to the planetary gear directly, mechanically and a weight of 15 tons.
and almost loss-free. The NX utilizes the same materials and manufacturing
The pump wheel of the torque converter is coupled to the processes of existing Vorecons, which have a mean time
input shaft and diverts a small portion of the input power. A between failures of 48 years. An 8000 hp (6 MW) test unit
liquid flow transmits this power from the pump wheel to the is currently working at Voith Turbos production facility in
turbine wheel of the torque converter. The diverted power is Crailsheim, Germany.
transmitted to the sun gear of the planetary gear. The power In the NX, a helical gear on the output side adapts the
from the planet carrier and from the sun gear is combined output speed to the compressor. This allows modular de-
in the planetary gear, where ring gear transmits the accu- sign with a standardized speed control system. As a re-
mulated power to the output gear stage. The integrated oil sult, Voith can provide components faster and reduce de-
system supplies operating oil for the torque converter while livery time. The first NX units could be delivered as early
simultaneously providing the drive motor and the driven as September 2017. Vorecon says customers placing or-
machine with lubricating oil. ders after February of 2017 should expect a delivery time
The customers specified output speed is achieved by of six months. CT2

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 37


Remote Notes
IMBU products extract equipment data out of isolated areas

n An IMBU accelerometer is fastened to an Ariel JGJ:2 compressor as part of an operation in Kazakhstan. IMBUs accelerometer features
IP68 ingress protection and can operate in temperatures ranging from -58 to 250F (-50 to 121C).

BY DJ SLATER

G
ert Dam will never forget a particular phone call he Six years later, Dam does not worry about those phone
received in 2010. When a customer called to in- calls. Now, he can reach out to customers well before a
quire about a problem with a compressor set, Dam problem arises, thanks to IMBU condition monitoring tech-
didnt have an answer. nology designed to bring connectivity to equipment in harsh
Dam, co-founder of MSI Kazakhstan, a local GE Waukesha and remote locations.
and Ariel distributor, was responsible for managing several op- Even if these assets are in tough places, we are still fully
eration and maintenance contracts speckled across Central up to speed on their operating conditions, he said. My
Asia, all in remote areas. On that day, he was thousands of team is able to peek into the operating conditions of a
kilometers away without the means to assess the situation. customers equipment. They can do that anywhere, such as
You should be able to tell the customer whats up, Dam at an airport on an iPad.
said. We had to have a detailed monitoring system avail- IMBU BV, a Netherlands-based company, is the creator
able, which worked reliably under extreme conditions. of the condition monitoring technology, which includes the
continued on page 40

38 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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IMBU field transmitter and the IMVIB vibration analyzer, as The field transmitter, housed in stainless steel, captures
well as accelerometers, angle-encoders and installation data through Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, J1939, HART or
adaptors. These devices can be used for vibration moni- through digital or analog signals. Once collected, a user
toring of rotating and reciprocating equipment, wellhead can view the data on an iPad through IMBUs app, which
monitoring, generator sets (power factor, reactive power, also allows offline data access, Dam said. The transmitter
frequency, voltage and current per phase), and engines weights 37.4 lb. (17 kg) and can operate in a temperature
(load, exhaust and bearing temperatures, detonation, spark range from -22 to 176F (-30 to 80C).
plug condition). Other features include automated alerts through email
We wanted to have an affordable system in order to get notifications, daily reports on operational performance, and
operational data out of these areas, said Dam, who co- expandability with converters to support any industrial com-
founded and serves as the sales director for IMBU BV. munication protocol, according to IMBU BV.
Back in 2010, Dam and his associates searched the The IMVIB vibration analyzer is designed for crank-
condition monitoring market for the proper technology to angle referenced spectral analysis of up to 12 acceler-
help data flow from extremely remote locations. When they ometers, providing real-time calculations of RMS and
couldnt find it, they established IMBU BV in order to de- peak-to-peak vibration in multiple frequency bands. The
velop what they couldnt find. device, which has two independent RS485 ports for Mod-
What they developed is a complete condition monitoring bus RTU communication, makes vibration spectra and
system for compressors in remote areas, Dam said. The time wave forms retrievable through Modbus RTU. It also
IMBU field transmitter allows all users to track the perfor- features two digital outputs to communicate warning and
mance and health of their companys equipment, regard- alarm levels to PLC and it is expandable with angle en-
less of location. coders to handle crankshaft-reference analysis. Similar
to the field transmitter, the analyzer is housed in stain-
less steel and can operate across the same temperature
range. It weighs 6.6 lb. (3 kg).
The companys accelerometers feature 100 g peak dy-
namic range, a 1 to 8000 Hz frequency response and a
1.3 in. (32 mm) high profile. Made from 316L stainless steel,
the accelerometers also feature IP68 ingress protection, in-
put power between 18 and 28 Vdc and an operating tem-
perature beyond the analyzer and the transmitter at -58 to
250F (-50 to 121C).
The H20 angle-encoder, which provides 720 cycles per
turn, features a shock-resistant disc, heavy-duty bearings
and EMI shielding. With IP66 ingress protection and an
continued on page 42

n The H20 angle-encoder provides n The IMBU iPad app allows users to access data on compressor sets. It also
720 cycles per turn. provides offline access to stored data.

40 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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10
YEAR
n The IMBU field transmitter captures compressor and n The IMVIB vibration analyzer provides spectral analysis of up to 12 accel-
other equipment data through Modbus TCP, Modbus erometers, offering calculations of RMS and peak-to-peak vibration in multiple
RTU, J1939, HART or through digital or analog signals. frequency bands.

operating temperature range of -40 to 185F


(-40 to 85C), the H20 conforms to NEMA 4 and
13 requirements.
While this technology works with all compres-
sors and related equipment, IMBU has tailored
these products to work seamlessly with Ariel
compressors. The company has a plug-and-
play installation kit, providing standardized and
quick installation, Dam said.
We felt very strongly about the ability of hav-
ing a plug-and-play installation for Ariel com-
pressors, Dam said. In order to make it easy
to install, you have to work towards a kit, which
we assembled based on Ariel frame serial num-
bers. A customer can install (the technology)
themselves. Thats one of the things we set out
to do (when designing this technology).
Once the equipment captures the data, the main
benefits of the system start to show, Dam said. The
collected data can be accessed through IMBUs
iPad app or through the companys Web Suite web
browser portal. Using the Google Chrome web
browser, a client can customize their dashboard to
review the appropriate data streams.
What sets Web Suite apart is that its environ-
ment can be tailored to each end user, Dam
said. Whatever you want to investigate, what-
ever you want to see the flexibility of the Web
Suite allows you to build your own environment.
Web Suite also offers crank-angle referenced
3-D waterfall diagrams, time-wave diagrams,
spectrographs and FFT-based frequency analy-
sis all served through a standard Google Chrome n IMBU has a presence in Kazakhstan, evident by having its technology (a
web browser. These diagrams allow a user to field transmitter) integrated into a project in the country.
continued on page 44

42 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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2016 SNC-Lavalin.
n A waterfall diagram allows
users to view multiple streams of
data at once, as well as focus on
particular excerpts to identify and
resolve equipment problems.

isolate a portion of the data stream and identify causes and streams from several sources at their disposal. That
problems, Dam said. type of cross referencing, one type of data set to another
We embed data in a contextual environment, he said. type of data set, is a very powerful tool to understand root
It allows the user to quickly navigate and understand causes, he said.
where hes at. He added that the user has multiple data IMBUs products are not untested. One of the companys

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XX AUGUST-SEPTEMBER www.motortech.de | www.motortechamericas.com COMPRESSORtech2
COMPRESSORtech 2
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 XX
earliest customers, Zhaikmunai LP (ZKM), a northwestern
Kazakhstan-based oil and gas exploration and production
Recognized
company, turned to IMBUs offerings when it ran into com-
pressor reliability problems. ZKM was operating 10 Ariel
compressors, seven of which were driven by Caterpillar
Leader
gas engines.
After installing the condition monitoring technology on all
of its Ariel compressors, ZKM discovered that its Ariel six-
throw compressor driven by a Cat G3616 engine suf-
fered from severe resonance under certain speed and load
conditions. These conditions lead to premature wear on the
second stage cylinders, while also causing crank-end head
bolts to shear off on both cylinders, Dam said.
Once discovered by IMBUs products, the compressors
operating envelope was modified to avoid running under
these conditions, which helped reduce vibrations. Simulta-
neously, the orifice plates were redesigned to change the
natural frequencies of the process gas inlet for the second
stage, Dam said.
IMBU serves as an important tool for our day-to-day
maintenance, said Mansur Bekkaliyev, the operations
manager of ZKMs LPG gas plant in Kazakhstan. While
the IMBU Web Suite offers a deep insight into crank-angle
referenced vibrations through waterfall diagrams, the iPad
app allows our mechanics to quickly find issues with spark
plugs, ignition coils or gas valves (among others).
The technologys versatility makes it an invaluable asset,
Dam said, adding that a client can see if everything is run-
ning smoothly in one glance. Innovator in State-of-the-Art
If not, clients can drill down one click at a time from area Pipe Supports & Clamps
to field to compressor station to compressor and identify a Inventor of Flywheel Lock
problem or vulnerability, he said. They can also check previ- Leaders in Field Machine Work
ous performance and compare it to current performance.
Pioneers in Casting Rapair
The companys customer base has expanded since its
inception six years ago. Along with Kazakhstan, IMBU has
projects in Nigeria, China and the United States, with new PRODUCTS: SERVICES:
projects taking root in Oman and Russia, Dam said. n Pipe Supports & Clamps n Field Machining

With all that has changed in six years, Dam has his own n Epoxy Grout n Casting Repair

vision for how the gas compression market will look over the n Anchor Bolts n Crankshaft Machining

next decade, especially as access to data improves and more n Flywheel Locks n Machine Shop

advanced condition monitoring products become available. n Temperature & Vibration n Broken Bolt Removal

Five to 10 years from now, companies will have data Sensors n Frame Reinforcement

streams from thousands of assets in the field, which will n Spark Plugs n Alignment Services

create additional and ever-growing large data streams,


he said. Companies will have such a good, detailed grasp
of how their machines are doing in the field. Theyll have
access to constant, consistent research and development
data all based on real-life conditions, not just those in a lab.
Machines, as a result, will become significantly better.
In the short term, however, IMBU has something already
on its docket. The company will release a new product that
offers continuous analysis of operating conditions against
theoretical engineering conditions, allowing for quick recog- 918-252-7545
nition of deviations in valves and seals, Dam said. The new www.r-f.com
product is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of info@r-f.com
this year. CT2 Tulsa, OK

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 45


ReynoldsFrench.indd 1 7/8/13 2:07 PM
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AFTERMARKET OR OEM?

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By Kevin Cain
Considerations:
Aftermarket or OEM? Aftermarket (AFM) parts are a great 1. When buying aftermarket you will be faced with a greater
alternative to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. selection of manufacturers. Some manufacturers specialize in
Over the years there has been a misconception that the OEM is specific parts, and others make almost any component you can
superior to the aftermarket. It used to be a fundamental truth; think of. A higher quality engineered part will usually be the end
the facts no longer support the marketplaces misconception and result from a more specialized fabricator. A greater selection of
have significantly changed in the last few years. Recent tests manufacturers ushers in a high level of competition resulting in
performed in the marketplace have shown aftermarket products aggressive pricing.
perform no differently than the original and in some cases
outperform the OEM. 2. Speed of Delivery is very important to the consumer. OEM
parts usually are not as readily available; this may result in your
So what is an aftermarket part? It is any manufactured component equipment remaining offline for a longer time than necessary
that is not sourced from the original manufacturer. There are a and time is money. Because AFM suppliers are usually highly
number of companies fabricating aftermarket components that specialized they may either have your component in stock or
are designed to function exactly the same as the OEM. Some they can usually have it manufactured within a very short period
AFM manufacturers actually take the original (OEM) part and of time. AFM products usually have shorter lead times than the
reverse engineer it. During this process the AFM manufacturer OEM.
might find and remove defects which may possibly result in an
improved version. For this reason many AFM fabricators have 3. An aftermarket manufacturer that produces high quality
become world class brands, they simply perform as well as or components will usually back their product with a guarantee
better than the OEM. or warranty. In the past it seemed that most AFM fabricators
didnt care about customer satisfaction. With the evolution of the
So now that you know what aftermarket is, what is the buyers marketplace many AFM manufacturers realized the only way to
misconception about AFM products? The markets misconception please the customer was to not only give them quality but also
begins with the age old adage, You get what you pay for. So to stand behind their product. This resulted in the branding of
this begs the question, is there anything wrong with the AFM many AFM fabricators. If an aftermarket manufacturer is willing
and does the less expensive AFM part mean poorer quality? to back their components naturally their product is going to be
A group of business professors who have studied the question of a higher quality than the fabricator that does not insure their
have concluded that you cant determine quality by price merchandise.
alone. When choosing a replacement part an informed decision
can eliminate any risk and help your bottom line. In this way, a 4. Here is the best quality about AFM, generally AFM parts
balance can be struck between price and quality. are considerably less expensive than the OEM, and how much

ADVERTISEMENT
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you save varies by brand. We have seen OEM prices upwards KB Delta has dedicated years to the developmental and
of 60% more and in some cases more than double that of the engineering processes which allow them to manufacture
identical AFM product. On average you can save 25%-50% by a superior product that is backed by a Parts Performance
buying aftermarket. Im confident this would be very welcoming Guarantee. When Boris was asked if committing a great amount
to any companys bottom line. of time to these proprietary processes has been worth it? Boris
responded When you build a quality product the aftermarket
At this point Im sure aftermarket is not looking too inadequate. consumers acknowledge the quality and the OEM recognizes as
Here is a little secret fact that most consumers do not know. well. When KB Delta started they were primarily an aftermarket
In many cases the aftermarket is the original manufacturers supplier additionally for the last 10 years they have been
suppliers behind the scenes! Many OEMs have realized the servicing the OEM.
AFM makes quality products and it is more beneficial for them to
outsource an AFM fabricator than produce the part themselves. KB Delta specializes in reciprocating compressor valve
The aftermarket manufacture which is outsourced by the OEM components and is known for competitive prices, quality and
indirectly becomes the OEM! fast delivery. KB Delta has thousands of compressor parts in
stock ready for delivery. Aftermarket is a great alternative to the
One of the reciprocating compressor part manufacturers that original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Over the years tests
stand above the rest is KB Delta. When KB Delta was founded have been performed by the critics of aftermarket products and
in 1982 by Boris Giourof had a vision to deliver quality parts they have shown these parts perform no differently than the
to the consumer at reasonable prices and in a timely fashion. OEM parts. Dont fall for the naive theory that price is directly
These foundational principles are what made KB Delta what they related to quality, KB Delta is proof positive.
are today, a brand you can trust.
(Consumer Affairs http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/paying-more-
doesnt-always-get-you-higher-quality-102214.html )

How the Aftermarket Stands up to OEM


Aftermarket OEM
(KB Delta)

Greater Selection P
Quality P P
Product Guarantee P P
Same Day Delivery P
Price P
Customer Service P
Response Time P
NOTE: Only KB Delta Aftermarket products were used in this comparison

KB Delta
COMPRESSOR VALVE PARTS
Manufacturing www.kbdelta.com
800-632-3994
Metallic Plates|Thermoplastics|Springs|Buttons|Poppets|Kits|Center Bolts|Pins|Lift Washers|O-Rings Torrance, California USA

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Sullair Rotary Screw Compressors
For Oil And Gas Applications
Once best known for air compressors, now one of the most
extensive gas compressor lines in the industry

n This Bidell Equipment package employs a Sullair model PDR25X rotary screw compressor driven by a 400 hp (298 kW) gas engine in
a housed compressor package ready for a cold weather gas booster package application.

BY NORM SHADE

S
ince its founding in 1965, Michigan City, Ind.-based for vapor recovery, gas gathering, landfill gas recovery, coal
Sullair established its reputation as a prominent manu- bed methane, wellhead compression, sweet and sour pro-
facturer of portable and stationary air compressors cess gas, fuel gas boosting, mineral exploration, water well
used on job sites and in industrial facilities around the drilling, geothermal energy access and blast hole drilling.
world. Lesser-known is the companys efforts in applying its With its Michigan City roots, Sullair today boasts a global
technology to other markets. presence as a leading supplier of dependable rotary screw
Sullair entered the refrigeration market with its C series of compressors to OEMs (original equpiment manufacturers)
compressors in the early 1970s. Around the same time, it for gas compressor packages, drilling equipment and cus-
became also one of the first if not the first manufactur- tomized air compressor packages throughout the world,
ers to explore the adaptation of rotary screw compressors said Brian Tylisz, vice president, Oil-Free and OEM, at Sul-
for natural gas compression. lair. Sullair has a strong, dedicated oil and gas team, and
Over the ensuing decades, Sullair has expanded its focus weve invested in growing our presence in these markets.
on gas compression, to the point to where it now offers what Sullair OEM gas compressor models, commonly called
is possibly the most extensive product line of any gas com- gas ends, are the PDH, PDR, PDX and C series. Togeth-
pressor manufacturer. Sullair has a broad range of products er, they comprise the widest range of natural gas screw
continued on page 50

48 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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compressor types and options offered in the market,
with thousands of units in operation and with some in-
dividual units running for well over 20 years.
High-pressure gas ends include the PDH12 and PCC
series. The PDH12 series includes two internally geared
models and one direct drive model that deliver flows
from 108 to 385 cfm (3.1 to 10.9 m3/min) with pressure
ratings of 400 to 500 psig (27.6 to 34.5 bar). The direct
drive PCC series includes six 400 psig (27.6 bar) mod-
els from the PCC16L to the PCC25L covering a flow
range of 223 to 857 cfm (6.3 to 24.3 m3/min). The line
is rounded out by the large 300 psig (20.7 bar) PCC40L
model with rated flow up to 3527 cfm (99.9 m3/min).
All models in the PCC series are equipped with
slide valves for capacity and volume index (VI) con-
trol. All C series have an economizer port designed
n This JJ Crewe skidded compressor package includes a Sullair model for energy savings and to help prevent flash gas in
PC25L rotary screw compressor driven by a 3600 rpm electric motor the evaporator.
for fuel gas boosting. Low-pressure gas ends include the PDX and PDR
series. The 200 psig (13.8 bar) PDX series includes
seven internally geared drive models that deliver flows
from 72 to 2329 cfm (2.0 to 66.0 m3/min). Models in
the PDR series have a spiral valve for capacity control
and include five internally geared and four direct-drive
models that cover a flow range of 423 to 3292 cfm (12.0
to 93.2 m3/min). The PDR series is rated at 200 psig
(13.8 bar), except for the largest PDR32 models, which
are rated at 100 psig (6.9 bar).
Sullair also offers air and drill compressors for the
oil and gas industry. Low pressure, single-stage drill
compressor kits cover a flow range of 110 to 3600 cfm
(3.1 to 101.9 m3/min) with pressure ratings of 100 to
200 psig (6.9 to 13.8 bar). High-pressure, two-stage
drill compressors cover a flow range of 600 to 1800 cfm
(17.0 to 51.0 m3/min) with pressure ratings of 350 to
n Engineered for a digester gas application, this JJ Crewe package 500 psig (24.1 to 34.5 bar). The company also offers
employs a Sullair model PDR32 rotary screw compressor driven by an a line of 400 psig (27.6 bar) T-tank receiver tanks and
1800 rpm electric motor in a housed compressor package. 400 to 600 psig (27.6 to 17.0 bar) vertical tanks.
Sullair PDH12-DD, PDH12-G1 and PDH12-G2
high-pressure models and PDX10-GD, PDX12,
PDX16, PDX20L, PDR20X and PDR25L-DD low-
pressure gas ends are commonly used for vapor re-
covery applications, said Hal Burke, director of sales,
OEM Solutions, adding that Sullair will soon extend
its vapor recovery compressor line-up with a smaller
PDX8 model once development testing concludes.
Screw compressor casings are heavy-duty, double-
wall, cast-iron construction designed to provide struc-
tural rigidity, pressure integrity and low noise. Several
built-in volume ratios are available to offer a range of
pressure ratios to meet specific application require-
ments. Capacity controls are an option offered via slide
valves on the PCC series and spiral valves on the other
n This Euro Gas Systems package includes a Sullair model PC40L series. These controls allow gases that have been only
rotary screw compressor driven by a Caterpillar engine for wellhead slightly compressed to bypass back into the compressor
compression applications. inlet or suction. With the spiral valve, capacity can be
continued on page 52

50 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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manually or automatically controlled down to as low as
50% of full-load working capacity. With the slide valve,
capacity can be controlled down to 10% of full capacity.
Compressor rotors have precision-ground asymmet-
ric profiles that are designed to deliver an optimal com-
bination of capacity and power. Male rotor tip speeds
range from 49 to 164 fps (15 to 50 m/s). Anti-friction
roller bearings, which absorb both thrust and radial
loads, are manufactured from all-steel (i.e., no plastic
or yellow metal) construction. Mechanical shaft seals
are constructed from high-temperature metallized car-
bon with tungsten facing and Viton elastomers to meet
n The internally geared Sullair model PDX16 is one of twelve 200 psig the critical standards for process gas applications.
(13.8 bar) and four 100 psig (6.9 bar) gas ends that cover a flow range These seals are flange mounted for easy maintenance
of 72 to 3292 cfm (2.0 to 93.2 m3/min). All models include a spiral valve and oil-cooled for long life.
that permits up to 50% turndown in capacity. American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA)
Class 11 gears allow for a variety of internal gear ratios
on many of the models that can be selected for appli-
cation optimization and operation economy. The input
shaft can be easily adapted and coupled to natural gas
or diesel engines, 1800 or 3600 rpm electric motors or
variable speed drives with either keyed, mechanical
locking or shrink-fitted coupling hubs. Available flywheel
or base-mounted adapters offer a convenient means to
match up the compressor with the driver.
Casings for all process gas and refrigeration com-
pressors are hydrostatically tested at 1.5 times the
maximum allowable working pressure. Complete com-
pressors are performance tested on open-loop air be-
fore shipment.
The SullPerCal application program allows packag-
ers to select the appropriate Sullair compressor and
generate a tabulation of its performance at the specified
n The Sullair PDH12 series includes two geared and one direct drive operating condition. Authorized packagers for Sullair
gas ends that deliver flows from 108 to 385 cfm (3.1 to 10.9 m3/min) screw compressors in oil and gas applications include
with pressure ratings of 400 to 500 psi (27.6 to 34.5 bar). Bidell Equipment LP, JJ Crewe & Son Inc., Enerflex
Ltd., Exterran Corp., Foremost/Brahma Compression,
JW Power Co., ProPak Corp., and Sage Energy Corp.
In addition to manufacturing and service, Sullair is
involved in educating future engineers.
We are involved in the Gas Compressor Associa-
tion and the Compressed Air and Gas Institute, and
we have participated in a number of trade shows
this year, said Steven Mueller, sales engineer, OEM
products. We are also helping our industry build for
the future by supporting college compression train-
ing programs. Earlier this year, Sullair donated screw
compressor cutaways to the compression training
programs at Oklahoma State Universitys Institute of
Technology and at Zane State College in Ohio.
Since 2012, Sullair has been an operating division
n The Sullair model PCC25L is one of six 400 psig (27.6 bar) direct drive of Accudyne Industries, Inc. In 2015, Sullair celebrated
gas ends covering a flow range of 223 to 857 cfm (6.3 to 24.3 m3/min). The its 50th anniversary, manufacturing well over 300,000
line is rounded out with the large 300 psig (20.7 bar) PCC40L model with rotary screw compressors since its founding. A global
a rated flow up to 3527 cfm (99.9 m3/min). All models in the PCC series distribution network backs Sullair compressors with lo-
are equipped with slide valves for capacity and volume index (VI) control. cations on six continents and in 75 countries. CT2

52 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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Prime Movers
Hoerbiger Corp. of America on BIW products, processes and materials through vid-
Hubert Wagner (1937-2016), founder of Hoerbiger Corp. eos, modules and articles. The online portal is accessible
of America and later CEO of the Compression Technology through a BIW-assigned user name and consists of self-
Strategic Business Unit, passed away peacefully in August paced quizzes and supervisor assessments that measure
after a long-term illness. He was 79. a users technical skills, resulting in certification for spe-
Born and raised in Austria, Hubert Wagner started his cific product installations.
career in 1961 at Hoerbiger Ventilwerke GmbH & Co. KG
in Vienna, Austria. Despite being 24 years old and only Steel Nation
being in the company for one year, he succeeded in con- Steel Nation Holdings named Mark Dooley as its execu-
vincing the company owner Martina tive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). Dooley
Hrbiger to expand the business to the is responsible for leading the finance team and contributing
United States. to the companys growth strategy.
In 1963, Hoerbiger Corp. of America, Dooleys background is in operations, general manage-
Inc. was incorporated in Roslyn, New ment, sales and finance. He has served in several roles,
York. Valve production in the U.S. started working with corporations such as Conseco, General
in 1967. In 1973, Hoerbiger acquired Electric and UnitedHealth Group/Optum.
Hubco Corporation in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida. In 1979, Hubert Wagner moved Zahroof Valves
the company to Fort Lauderdale. For the H. Wagner Zahroof Valves secured Series C funding from Saudi
next three decades, the company grew both the OEM busi- Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV), the corporate venturing
ness and the service business under his leadership. Hubert arm of Saudi Aramco. NGP Energy Technology Partners, an
Wagner developed long and enduring relationships with its existing investor, also assisted with the financing, which will
customers, the company said. help Zahroof Valves plan for growth and global expansion.
The company is known for its ZVI Straightflo valve, which
ITT is designed for most compression applications, including
ITTs BIW Connec- natural gas gathering, production, transmission and storage;
tor Systems brand has compressed natural gas; floating production storage and
released a training offloading (FPSO); and carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery.
framework for custom- The valves are sold directly to OEMs and end users in
ers in the upstream oil North America and through distributors in global markets.
and gas market. The In addition to its 10-year warranty, the ZVI Straightflo valve
BIW Learning Center serves as a training hub for technician has been shown to improve valve efficiency by up to 40%,
customers, providing detailed instruction on specialized the company said.
BIW products. The center also offers hands-on training
resources and an online learning portal. MB Aerospace
The center is free for customers and includes instructions MB Aerospace has completed its acquisition of Vac

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54 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 Fax 0039 080 5833059 smooth control tasks COMPRESSORtech2
Prime Movers
Aero (Poland) from its Canadian parent company Vac Harscos units, which will be manufactured at the com-
Aero International. panys 550,000 sq.ft. (51,097 m2) production plant in Tulsa,
Vac Aero (Poland) specializes in providing protective coat- Oklahoma, are designed to cool natural gas. Each unit mea-
ings for aero-engine and industrial gas turbine components. sures 16 ft. wide and 55 ft. long, with 15 ft. diameter fans (4.9
The coatings provide wear, corrosion and heat resistance m wide, 16.8 m long, 4.6 m diameter). They are expected for
properties across compressor, combustor and turbine com- delivery at the end of the year.
ponents. The company has more than 100 employees at its The order is Harscos fifth-largest for a midstream
two locations in Kalisz and Rzeszow. compression project within the last two years, the com-
The business will remain at those two sites and will pany said.
be rebranded as MB Aerospace Technologies (Poland). continued on page 86
To support the existing customer base
and growing aerospace market in
Eastern Europe, MB Aerospace said
it plans to invest in the business with
particular focus on its surface coat-
ing services, including thermal and Gas
plasma coatings and a range of paint
capabilities, as well as heat treatment Compressor
and brazing processes.
MB Aerospace has 1550 employees Synthetic
Lubricants
across five main manufacturing hubs in
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COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 55


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ROI Calculations For Online
Condition Monitoring Systems
What to consider when determining how much protection is worthwhile

BY JOST A. ANDERHUB

C
ontinuous condition monitoring (CM) is vital for support based on the customers system data and cuts
assets that run continuously, perform critical func- travel expenses to the plant location, which is particularly
tions, have grave failure consequences, are expen- important for offshore applications such as floating produc-
sive to maintain, and pose a safety risk to both personnel tion storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and liquefied
and the environment should a failure occur. natural gas (LNG) carriers.

Perspective 1: Operational Benefits Perspective 2: Maintenance Benefits


In operational terms, CM systems positively affect equip- A CM system reduces maintenance campaign costs with
ment uptime, mean time between maintenance (MTBM), more targeted activities and fewer work orders. It can re-
component lifetime, production rates, and optimized overall place the need for preventive, offline measurements, which
operational effectiveness (OOE) of the process and plant. are often executed by costly external service companies,
In particular, a CM system maximizes machine operation and reduce labor time, associated costs and mean time
until scheduled shutdowns, although some of the analyzed to repair (MTTR). Moreover, the knowledge of a failed
values (for example, vibrations) are less than perfect. Per- or failing component allows targeted repairs instead of
formance diagnostics enable process managers to save on trial-and-error campaigns, with less capital commitment for
energy costs and increase asset efficiency. Early detection spare-part inventory.
of leaking valves, seals or piping reduces the incidence of
environmental pollution and associated fines. Perspective 3: Risk Avoidance
Remote access from the system vendor allows expert Risk is the product of two factors: consequence and
probability (frequency). In the following analysis, the fac-
Jost A. Anderhub is director of marketing at Prognost Systems tor consequence is presented in monetary terms. Lets
GmbH. Contact him at: jost.anderhub@prognost.com. say, for example, that a compressor fails catastrophically,

58 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


with a potential consequence of US$200,000 in production loss, labor costs and
spare parts. If this event occurs at a frequency of once every ten years, this rep-
resents an annual risk of US$20,000 per year, but if it occurs every two years, the
annual risk is US$100,000.

A Worthwhile Investment?
Condition monitoring can substantially reduce the cost of consequence by avoid-
ing catastrophic failures and reducing the frequency of incidents by providing real-
time and continuous diagnoses of bad actors and all relevant components.
The risk of machine failures has several severity steps that need to be considered
when starting the ROI calculations: normal loss (cost for production loss and main-
tenance campaigns during scheduled shutdowns), probable maximum loss (cost
for massive maintenance or new machine with associated production losses) and
maximum possible loss (massive machine damage, loss of product, health, safety
and environment (HSE) issues, environmental pollution, fire, business interruption).
When it comes to the financial justification of investments in CM, many
studies assume the system is perfect and will always inform the user ahead of
any impending failure. However, this is not always the case, and false alarms
and missed failures will produce costs. These imperfections and their effects
on operation and maintenance must be part of the equations as the payback
periods increase.
When investing in a predictive maintenance system, two methods of assessing
the economic incentives can be used. The first is the payback period, which gives
information as to whether the system pays for itself within a defined period of time.
The result is expressed in time (years, months).

Second, the Return On Investment measures the amount of return on an in-


vestment in a specified time period relative to money spent. To calculate the
ROI, the return of an investment within a time frame is divided by the cost of the
investment, and the result is expressed as a percentage or ratio.

In both cases, operators have to precisely sum all costs and efforts associated
with each detected failure to perform the equations. Adding up the investment is
easy. More challenging, but equally important, is the realistic calculation of the
benefits earned from the CM system.
Four categories of benefits should be considered:
One is lost production, which is perhaps the most difficult cost to determine.
However, on average, reduced downtime is responsible for 60 to 70% of a com-
panys savings in this regard. These savings will depend on the type of machine
in question. Consider, for example, a machine that produces US$10,000 worth
of product per hour. By preventing a bearing failure on this machine, you could
eliminate 5 hours of downtime and a US$50,000 loss in production.
Second is labor. These savings are easily calculated by checking the par-
ticular machines repair records in the previous year. The number of hours
continued on page 60
spent on planned and unscheduled repairs gives a realistic indication of how
much time a company can save after implementing the CM system.
Another factor is spare parts. The machines maintenance records are a good
way to determine the cost of replacement parts such as valves, bearings, and gears.

...R...O...MA...NCE
Last is drive power consumption. This factor is a little harder to evaluate be-
cause it is not typically included in maintenance records. But improving machine
efficiency can substantially reduce drive energy cost.
The rate at which companies recover an investment in CM depends on fac-

romance.hoerbiger.com
tors such as the type of products manufactured, the amount of experienced
downtime, and how well they implement and use the system. In some cases, a
company can recover its investment in monitoring equipment and training within
months after initial start-up. Within a year, they can obtain as much as a four to
five times ROI. Some full-scale CM systems can pay for themselves if they can
help prevent only one high-damage failure on a reciprocating machine.
Experience shows that a CM ROI is reached especially quickly if the sys-
tem is implemented during the initial start-up of new machinery or after major
overhauls or process changes.
In other cases, there may be little or no return during the first few months; in
fact, maintenance costs may increase during these early months because many
new, unknown issues are identified, diagnosed and corrected in a short time
period. Once these initial problems are corrected, however, maintenance costs
drop dramatically and remain low.
If the system is not providing a return after several months, a re-evaluation of
its implementation might be necessary, and some adjustments may be needed.
Areas which might need refining include:
The training of system users.
The proper adjustment of all warning thresholds.
The full utilization of all system features and capabilities.
Determining whether diagnostic outputs are delivered to the correct destina-
tions so they are not ignored.
Finally, operators must build confidence in the notifications and diagnostic re-
sults issued by the system. When the system detects an uncritical-yet-unusual,
wear development, operators should not immediately stop production and open
the machine. Instead, they should have an eye on the trend data and keep the
machine running as long as possible, that is, until the next scheduled shutdown.
However, it has been shown that brand new parts and components fail in the
first hours of operation. In this case, an immediate stop might be necessary to
avoid consequential damages. This is what condition-based maintenance is all
about: taking action only when required.

Calculating Total Cost Of Ownership


Continuous monitoring requires a larger investment for online data acquisi-
tion and analysis equipment plus installation. To precisely assess the total cost
of ownership, operators must consider the following investments: system en-
gineering and installation, field instrumentation (sensors, cabling), monitoring
and diagnostic system (hardware and software, installation, software licenses),
user training and customer support (if required); system maintenance (sensor
replacement, software updates), necessary external expertise and support.

Condition Monitoring System Scope


Calculations aside, the most important question to answer is What system
best fits our needs?
Condition monitoring systems range from handheld devices to online diag-
nostic systems with neural network features. The ongoing development of new
technical features, system capabilities and reliability of diagnostic results has
made costs for a system increase. However, the number of different production
Consequences
Trivial Minor Moderate Major Extreme

Rare Low Low Low Low Low


n As the probability
and the severity of con-
Unlikely Low Low Medium Medium Medium sequences of an incident
Probability

increase, risk and the


need for condition moni-
Moderate Low Medium Medium Medium High
toring increase.

Likely Medium Medium Medium High High

Very Likely Medium Medium High High High

Machine Monitoring Financial


assets that benefit from continuous online monitoring has Criticality Technology Benefits Per
increased as well. Detect
Debottlenecking campaigns and high product-output plans High Diagnostics
require more machines to be efficient; formerly redundant
Medium Online Monitoring
machines are now onstream and an essential part of the pro-
duction process. With less backup machinery available, plant Low Offline
operators are more dependent than ever on reliable machin-
ery to meet production goals. In short, condition monitoring in terms of criticality we also have to consider aspects such
systems and programs are mandatory in modern industries. as process layout (single line or multiline); list profits (per
hour) in case of production loss; availability of product re-
Machine Criticality serves to keep processes running downstream of failed ma-
Machine criticality is one point to start with to identify chine; time and cost for shutdown and start-up caused by
the proper monitoring technology and scope. One factor machine failure; equipment redundancy (backup machin-
of the criticality definition is the well-known risk matrix. ery); average MTTR of the evaluated assets; failure history
Again, we see the previously mentioned factors, conse- of machinery; and availability of maintenance experts and
quence and probability. tools. The more critical the asset, the more advanced the
Risk assessment is a challenging and complex task; still, CM technology should be. CT2

Sumy.indd 1 8/22/16 4:55 PM


tech
Surge Detection And Surge

corner
Control Systems For Centrifugal
Compressors (Part 2)
Anti-surge valve requirements, recycle piping considerations
essential to ensure proper surge control

Editors Note: Part 1 of this article was published in the


July 2016 issue of COMPRESSORtech2, p. 64.

BY NEETIN GHAISAS AND TODD REITSMA


Recycle Piping Considerations

P
iping systems around the compressor must be de-
signed to minimize the volume in the compressor
discharge between the compressor discharge
flange, the inlet of the anti-surge valve and the non-return
(check) valve as much as possible. Large gas volumes
act as energy storage, slowing recycle response times and
increasing the risk of damage to the compressor.
Often the degree of damage to the compressor during
surge depends on the volume of gas in the compressor dis- n Figure 6. Discharge volume.
charge. The relationship is pretty straightforward: the higher
the volume, the longer it will take to pass back through the Recycle coolers installed downstream of the anti-surge
compressor, and consequently, the greater the risk of dam- valve are preferred to minimize the discharge volume. A
age to the compressor internals. The most effective way cooler in the recycle loop allows continuous recycle opera-
to prevent or stop a surge cycle is a fast reduction in dis- tion when needed. Compressor discharge coolers are used
charge pressure. With that in mind, below are some design at some installations to save the cost of a dedicated recycle
practices for a recycle piping system. cooler. This, however, adds significant discharge volume to
Minimize the volume in the compressor discharge by the system, which compromises surge protection.
locating the recycle takeoff as close to the discharge Before deciding to install a cooler upstream of the anti-
flange as possible, installing a check valve directly after surge valve, hydrocarbon and water dew points should be
the recycle take off and locating the recycle valve close to checked to ensure there is no potential for two-phase flow
the recycle takeoff. If possible, the recycle valve should through the valve that can cause erosion of the valve seat.
be located within five pipe diameters from recycle take- Liquid condensate must be removed before it enters the
off. Figure 6 highlights the discharge volume that needs compressor suction by installing a suction knockout drum
to be minimized. downstream of the recycle cooler and upstream of the
Noise and turbulence of the gas flow at the recycle valve compressor suction. The knockout drum should be sized to
should be assessed before finalizing its location in the re- handle process flow and both cold and hot recycle flows if a
cycle loop. hot gas bypass valve (HGBV) is installed.
Check valves should be of damped opening type. If As shown in Figure 7, an interstage cooler is sometimes
check valve is installed upstream of recycle valve take-off, used as a recycle cooler for multisection compressors to
it should be nonslam type. save capital and installation costs. This configuration, how-
ever, severely compromises surge protection for the low-
Neetin Ghaisas is a senior fellow rotating equipment, with Fluor. pressure case, particularly when the high-pressure case
Contact him at: neetin.ghaisas@flour.com. Todd Reitsma is a senior goes into recycle mode and rapidly increases the discharge
account manager with Compressor Control Corp. Contact him at: pressure on the low-pressure case. This arrangement can
treitsma@cccglobal.com. lead to adverse control interactions.
continued on page 64

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n Figure 7. Recycle cooling using common interstage cooler. n Figure 8. Improved piping design.

Independent recycle loops should be used for multi- Restrictions in the recycle path, such as those shown in
section compressors and multicasing compressor trains. Figure 9, can compromise the anti-surge control.
Figure 8 shows an improved piping design.
Recycle flow should enter downstream of the suction Anti-Surge Valve Requirements
throttle valve, inside suction block valve, upstream of the To ensure compressor and process safety, the anti-
inlet flow element and upstream of the suction knockout surge valve must be large enough to prevent the com-
drum. Recycle flow can be allowed to enter upstream of the pressor from surging even if all other flow paths are
suction throttle valve for electric motor-driven compressors blocked. However, the valve must also provide respon-
to help limit load at start up. sive control under less severe conditions. An oversized
If the throttle valve is located within the recycle loop, a valve may lead to process instabilities due to the relative-
minimum stop should be provided on the suction throttle ly large effect on compressor flow with a relatively small
valve to ensure that adequate recycle flow can pass through control input. Oversizing the valve should be avoided. An
the compressor during the recycle operation. effective anti-surge control system will generally be able

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to operate with a surge margin of mechanical stops at the end of downstream diffusion and start-up
10% of the surge line flow. The sys- the stroke, which could potentially trash trim should be considered [1].
tem will also provide smooth control damage the actuator or the valve. In addition to having proper sizing,
at the surge control line, while also 
Anti-surge valve noise should be the valve actuation system must be able
having the additional capacity to step limited to 85 dB(A) at 3 ft. (1 m). to make the valve respond quickly and
the valve open to prevent compres- Noise abatement trim may be re- accurately to achieve these objectives.
sor surge due to rapid drops in flow quired for some valves to achieve Experience suggests a properly
caused by upsets in the process. noise reduction. Whisper trim sized anti-surge valve should be able
In summary, the anti-surge valve requires clean gas to avoid plug- to provide 100% of the compressors
must be sized to achieve the follow- ging. If process gas is not clean, minimum flow requirement at roughly
ing objectives: continued on page 66
 Provide protection from surge
during the worst possible operat-
ing scenarios.
Provide flow that is greater than
steady-state operation on the surge COMPRESSOR LUBRICATION SYSTEMS
control line.
Prevent operation of the compres-
sor in the stonewall (choke) region.
Avoid introducing process stabil-
ity issues.
 Linear characteristics are pre-
ferred for anti-surge valve trim.
Larger anti-surge valves may pro-
vide a better response to equalize WHEN
MACHINES
pressure faster, but can have poor
controllability for throttling purposes
during process control operation.
If the recycle valve must operate
in throttling mode, then it may be
STOP,
SEE US AT
necessary to install a small paral-
lel valve to improve the control at PROBLEMS
low recycle-throttling rates. In par-
allel valve applications, the anti-
surge controller can be set up for
START. BOOTH #200
split-range output.
Valve overshoot should not ex-
Let our certified lubrication technicians visit
ceed roughly 10% of the step
change in controller output in both your location and conduct a survey of all your
opening and closing directions. lubrication systems. Its a simple, time-saving
Anti-surge valve opening time from evaluation that will give you peace-of-mind,
fully closed to at least 95% open
and a well-running compressor.
should be two seconds or less.
Valve closing time should not be
more than two to three times the
opening time. Overshoot should
not be greater than 10% in either Sloans Service is the key to
direction and hysteresis should be flawless compressor operation.
less than 0.2 seconds on change
of direction.
A cushioning feature should be
implemented in the actuation sys- 1.800.722.0250
tem (typically in the last 5% of Sales@SloanLubrication.com
the full stroke) to prevent the ac- SloanLubrication.com
tuator from slamming against the

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 65


compressor with a back-to-back impeller ar-
rangement to prevent thrust overload in ESD/re-
start. In this configuration, the compressor casing
depressurization rate becomes critical in the first
place to preclude excessive thrust loads during
ESD from full load or part load and during surge.
HGBVs are also commonly used as part of
the overall anti-surge control strategy and a
secondary objective: to prevent formation of
liquids on the compressor suction side due to
regular or continuous use of cold recycle. In
cases where the HGBV and the cold-recycle
valve operate together to prevent surge, the
combined Cvmax of the valves needs to be
n Figure 9. Recycle path restrictions. considered in the individual valve sizing. If
the combined valves are oversized, there is
a greater risk of operating the compressor
50% open. At maximum opening, it should be able to pro- in choke flow conditions. The HGBV line should return to
vide twice the steady-state minimum flow requirement. By enter downstream of the suction throttle valve, inside the
applying a 10% tolerance, the result is a valve sizing of suction block valve, upstream inlet flow element, and up-
Cvmax = 1.8 to 2.2 times Cv at Surge Flow. stream of the suction knockout vessel (drum).
The anti-surge control valve actuation system typically For initial sizing of the HGBV loop, 100% of recycle flow
includes such components as: should be used. Final line size and the HGBV valve sizes
A digital positioner that provides for both slow and fast are usually not available until after completing a dynamic
command signals of the anti-surge controller. simulation study. To minimize reconstruction of the com-
Devices like volume boosters that amplify the action of pressor-piping layout, the HGBV line should be sized in the
the motive fluid of the actuator in both the opening and early stage of engineering and incorporated in the piping
closing directions. model. Line and valve sizes must be verified after comple-
A quick-dump device (e.g., solenoid valve) that permits tion of the dynamic simulation study.
the quick opening of the anti-surge valve in response HGBVs used for an overall anti-surge control strategy are
to an emergency shutdown (ESD) signal that may be of modulating type, while HGBVs for an ESD application
generated outside of the anti-surge controller. are only of the quick-acting type (either open or closed).
Valve position feedback is a very important feature to in- Figure 10 shows the general arrangement of a cold-
clude in the system. Alarms can be generated when there recycle loop together with a HGBV loop for a centrifugal
is significant error between the valve position and the con- compressor application. CT2
troller command. Valve position data, with respect to the
controller output, can also be very useful information during
critical event troubleshooting.

Hot Gas Bypass Valve (HGBV)


An HGBV should be considered for systems where the
volume between the compressor discharge flange and the
discharge check valve and the recycle valve is such that the
system reaction time is less than necessary for keeping the
compressor out of surge during an ESD situation. System
dynamic simulation studies or operating experience can
show that rapid changes in operating conditions, such as
a sudden drop in speed (i.e., ESD, or sudden changes in
pressure ratio or differential pressure across the compres-
sor) may be too rapid for the response of the normal re-
cycle system. For an ESD application, the stroke time of
HGBV should be half a second or less with linear opening n Figure 10. Cold recycle loop and HGBV loop for centrifugal
response characteristics. Valve sizing needs to be deter- compressor.
mined by process simulation. See reference at:
An HGBV is often required in the case of a two-section http://ct2.co/references

66 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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ACI, Optimum Thinking Outside The Bottle
PAN technology designed to reduce pulsations, maximize flow

n Optimum Pumping Technology and


ACI Services installed a PAN manifold
system to a Superior MH64 compressor
for the pairs first proof-of-concept field
test at a gas storage site in Pennsylvania.

BY DJ SLATER

A
CI Services Inc. and Optimum Pumping Technology The manifolds, however, go further by interleaving cylin-
hope their collaborative efforts on new gas com- der pulsations and timing the reflection of pressure waves
pression technology will pull pulsation control bot- back to the compressor cylinders suction and discharge
tles out of the industry and place them into the compression valves when they are open. When fully optimized, the tech-
history books. nology controls line-side pulsations while also reducing
The companies have developed pulsation attenuation adiabatic work and power. During that process, it can also
network (PAN) Filters, a technology that uses piping and increase the cylinders mass flow rate or capacity as much
junction loops to thwart pressure loss and pulsations. The as 20%, Chatfield said.
filters are designed for use in nearly any application that These are new paradigms for pulsation attenuation,
requires a pulsation control bottle, such as a pumping or Chatfield said. They (both PAN technologies) are revolu-
metering station, said Glen Chatfield, Optimum Pumping tionary and they can accomplish pulsation control without
Technologys president. pressure loss.
PAN Filters consist of one or more loops created with The origins of this technology date back to 2006, when
standard pipes and special junctions called Tuning Section Optimum Pumping Technology collaborated with former El
Transitions (TST) collectors, TST collectors or PAN junc- Paso Corps. Randy Raymer on improving engine emis-
tions. The loop lengths and diameters, together with the TST sions. Raymer wondered if engine technology, specifically
collectors, are engineered to reduce pulsations and maxi- tuned intake and exhaust manifold systems, could cross-
mize flow in a pipe network without causing pressure drop. over to make reciprocating compressors more efficient.
The filters follow an earlier variation of the technology, Optimum and Raymer brought Norm Shade, then the
known as performance augmentation networks (or PAN Hi- president of ACI Services, into the mix, using his compres-
Performance Compressor Manifolds), which is a compressor sor knowledge to further their research. Simulations and
manifold system designed to improve reciprocating compres- calculations followed before the group turned to laboratory
sor efficiency (see June 2014 COMPRESSORtech2, p. 72). tests in 2008.
The PAN manifolds are similar to the filters in providing A year later, those efforts propelled the group to its next
pulsation cancellation. step a proof-of-concept field test on a compressor. The
continued on page 70

68 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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n Pictured is a PAN manifold system
on a compressor at a northeastern
Pennsylvania compressor station.

test, which took place at a gas storage site in Pennsylvania, bined, the PAN manifold system yielded an average pres-
involved retrofitting a PAN manifold system to the discharge sure drop of 0.3 psi (0.02 bar), which fell within the 2 psig
of one side of a Superior MH64 four-throw, single-stage (0.13 barg) design goal. Additional measurements re-
compressor with 9.5 in. (241.3 mm) cylinders. The 6 in. vealed a capacity increase of 15.4 to 19.6% for the PAN
(152.4 mm) stroke compressor operated from 860 to manifold system versus the bottle-equipped unit. Part of
1000 rpm during the testing phase. this gain occurred because the PAN system enabled the
By itself, the PAN manifold system of the compressor re- use of larger compressor cylinders without overloading
duced pulsations by 47 to 79% over that speed range. The the engine driver. In terms of longevity, the PAN manifold
addition of a PAN Filter further dropped pulsations to 88 to system operated nonstop (aside from scheduled mainte-
93% over the same speed range. Those results revealed nance) for 1240 operating hours without incident in the
that the PAN technology could effectively control pulsations first 10 weeks after installation.
over a wide speed range, especially considering that the The real goal of the tests was to prove that we could
discharge pulsation levels were controlled to 0.4 to 0.6% of achieve pulsation control and recover energy without bot-
line pressure during testing. tles, Chatfield said. We were able to verify that there was
Youre taking two flow streams, splitting them and then no pressure loss from beginning to end.
bringing them back together, said John Bazaar, manager With two types of PAN technology available, the manifold
of mechanical technology with ACI Services. You are then version is designed for a compressor package, requiring a
able to interleave the pulsations and cancel out the signal. custom design and custom junctions and supports for the
Instead of large pulsations, you end up with a ripple. piping around a compressor, Chatfield said.
Additional tests followed in 2014 and 2015 when En- The PAN filters, however, can be designed to work in nearly
erflex configured two compressor packages with PAN
manifold systems. The packages were installed at two
central gas gathering booster stations owned by Williams
in northeast Pennsylvania.
Both units consisted of an Ariel JGT/4 four-throw, single-
stage compressor. A Caterpillar G3516 gas engine rated
1380 hp (1029 kW) at 1400 rpm drove the compressors,
which had 6.75 in. (171.4 mm) cylinders. With significant
support and participation from the Gas Machinery Research
Council (GMRC) and several member companies, ACI Ser-
vices and Optimum conducted extensive tests in the 1300
to 1400 rpm speed range on the first of the two units. ACI
and Optimum conducted further tests on the second unit.
During these tests, performance results were gathered
from a similar compressor package outfitted with a tradi-
tional bottle pulsation control system at the station.
The PAN technology netted favorable results from both
compressor packages. With suction and discharge com- n This metering station is equipped with a four-loop PAN Filter.

70 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


any piping system. Applications include metering stations. The pair installed the PAN Filter system installed, it
reciprocating compressor suction and the filter in November 2015, and handled 315 MMcfd (8.9 x 106 m3/d)
discharge headers; flow metering sta- followed up with performance mea- with insignificant pressure loss. They
tions; and upstream and downstream surements a month later. will present comprehensive field-test
pipes to centrifugal compressors. The bottle-based technology un- results from this system this year at
If you have a pipe with a pulsation derperformed against the PAN sys- the Gas Machinery Conference in
problem, you can use a PAN Filter tem in terms of flow and pressure Denver, Colorado.
to attenuate the pulsation, Chatfield loss. During the tests, with the pul- Weve been searching for this
said. If you have a compressor that sation bottle in place, the system type of solution forever, Chatfield
needs to operate more efficiently, you could not flow more than 230 MMcfd said. Pulsation attenuation without
can use PAN manifolds to attenuate (6.5 x 106 m3/d). Comparatively, with pressure loss is the Holy Grail. CT2
its pulsations and increase its flow
and efficiency.
In a PAN Filter, the pulsation energy
and the flow stream are divided into
two paths. Half of the pulsating flow
travels through a loop that is longer
than the short flow path through the
TST collector. When the difference
in path lengths is equal to one half
of a wave length, the pulsation at
that wave length is 180 degrees out
of phase where the two flow paths
are rejoined. As a result, one wave
cancels the other, which eliminates
the pulsation at that frequency in the
downstream flow. All odd harmonics
of that frequency are also cancelled.
In some applications, such as those
with varying pulsation frequencies and
flow streams with complex pulsation
signatures, two or more PAN Filter
loops may be needed. For example,
two loops in a series can cancel at
least 75% of all frequencies between
2 to 4.75 Hz.
All pulsation technology in todays
market has a negative effect on pres-
sure, which has a negative impact on
the flow, said Roy Houston, the vice
president of sales and marketing at
Optimum. Our systems have zero re-
strictions. We are able to maintain that
pressure, which has a positive impact
on your flow.
Our approach is the opposite (of
conventional systems.) We real-
ize that pulsation is valuable energy
which we can recover and still have a
very smooth flow.
With a decade of research and
testing behind them, ACI Services
and Optimum are looking to the next
step. Their first customer distinction
belongs to Williams, who is using
PAN Filter technology at one of its

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 71


2016 TURBINE

1000

1250

1500

1750

2000

2250

2500

2750

3000
100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

750
50
ANSALDO 0
75 to 310 MW
ENERGIA 40 to 1000 MW

AVIC HARBIN 1 to 3 MW
DONGAN ENGINE
CAPSTONE 0.03 to 30 MW
TURBINE

DONGFANG 212 to 400 MW


TURBINE 0.5 to 1035 MW

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DRESSER-RAND 0 to 75 MW
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ELLIOT
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FINCANTIERI
0.5 to 50 MW

4.5 to 52 MW
GE MARINE
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GE OIL & GAS
5 to 100 MW
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0 to 132 MW

GE POWER 16 to 510 MW
50 to 1600 MW

HARBIN 300 to 2600 MW


TURBINE 25 to 1000 MW 25 to 1000 MW

0 to 30 MW
KAWASAKI
1.5 to 30 MW

72 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


SPECS-AT-A-GLANCE
Gas Turbine Mechanical Drive
Gas Turbine Electric Generator Drive
Steam Turbine Mechanical Drive
Steam Turbine Electric Generator Drive

1000

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6 to 13 MW

MAN DIESEL 6 to 13 MW
& TURBO 1 to 160 MW
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54 to 115 MW
MITSUBISHI
HITACHI POWER 28 to 470 MW
SYSTEMS 1 to 1400 MW

NANJING TURBINE 40 to 125 MW


& ELECTRIC
6 to 330 MW
MACHINERY
0.3 to 7.8 MW
NIIGATA 0.2 to 14.6 MW

4 to 16 MW
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OPRA 1 to 2 MW

65 to 160 MW
POWER MACHINES 0 to 1000 MW

SHENYANG LIMING 7.2 to 114.5 MW


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COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 73


Heavy Lifting With Air Hoists
J.D. Neuhaus helps place turbine on offshore platform

BY ROBERTA PRANDI

I
n the Southern North Sea, Gerritsen On-
& Offshore Services BV recently handled
a routine turbine maintenance procedure
on an offshore location. The project involved
four of their personnel using an air-operated
hoist unit from J.D. Neuhaus (JDN) to handle
a turbine lift load of 26,455 lb. (12,000 kg).
The turbine powers a gas-compressor and
supplies power, steam and other general
services to the platform.
The JDN hoist was a model Profi TI.
This unit was combined with an overhead
rail-mounted trolley also air-powered
to provide horizontal movements. For
maximum safety of operation in offshore
conditions, a rack-and-pinion drive was
incorporated into the trolley mechanism,
and the whole lifting package incorporated
a spark-resistant finish for operation within
potentially explosive atmospheres. Control
operations for the hoist mechanism were in-
corporated into a JDN E-type pendant con-
troller providing single-speed control of the
raise/lower/traverse load movements.
The current range of Profi TI air-operated
hoists manufactured by JDN comprises
13 models covering individual lift capacities
from 551 lb. (250 kg) up to 100 tonnes, the
company said. All these models are suit-
able for use in explosion-hazardous areas,
as typically found in offshore environments,
where they are preferred over conventional
electrically driven handling products.
The company added that these hoists
are designed for easy, quiet operation with
100% duty ratings and unlimited duty cy-
cling. The models include low-headroom
and lightweight characteristics, with all
hoists also featuring lube-free operation. n An air-operated hoist by J D Neuhaus handles a 26,455 lb. (12,000 kg) gas tur-
They are also insensitive to dust, humidity bine for maintenance on an offshore location in the Southern North Sea.
and operating temperatures ranging from
-4 to 158F (-20 to 70C). The hoists Their Ex classification according to EC Directive on Hazardous Loca-
also combine strong, fast, silent operation tion 94/9/EEC is as standard: EX II 2 GD IIA T4 / II 3 GD IIB T4 and with
with safety, as well as oil-free and low- increased spark protection EX II 2 GD IIC T4. Hoists featuring hydraulic
maintenance performance. drive mechanisms are also available. CT2

74 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


TEMPORARY RELIEF
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FOR THE CURE
Call KOBELCO first
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Bakken Flaring Falls Despite Output Gains
EIA explains North Dakota pipelines are catching up with production

Source: EIA

T
he construction of pipelines and compressor sta- than-air hydrocarbons that pose an ignition risk. Also,
tions in North Dakota since 2014 has slashed the methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent
volumes of flared gas production in terms of both greenhouse gas.
absolute quantities and percentage of production when Most of the flaring is from new wells. The state re-
compared to 2014, according to a U.S. Energy Information quires that taxes and royalties be paid for all gas flared
Administration (EIA) report. after a wells first year of production. The North Dakota
The EIA said that last March, only 10% of the states gas Department of Mineral Resources can withhold data for
output was flared, compared with 36% in January 2014, al- wells during the first six months of production. These
though production surged to a monthly record of 1.71 Bcfd confidential wells have nearly double the flaring rates
(4.8 x 107 m3/d). of nonconfidential wells, 29% vs. 15%, for April 2015
The Williston Basins Bakken formation, which has been through March 2016.
unlocked by hydraulic fracturing, supplies most of North When the first year of production ends, operators must
Dakotas oil and gas. As more pipelines and compression cap the well, connect it to a gas gathering line, install an
have been installed, more gas has flowed to market in the electrical generator that uses at least 75% of the gas, or
past few years. apply another approved method to reduce flaring.
The EIA said that since early 2014, additional gas pro- In April 2014, the North Dakota Industrial Commission
cessing plants have kept pace with production growth. It (NDIC) set limits on gas flaring. It had to adjust them a year
estimated that processing capacity in North Dakota grew to ago because pipeline construction delays had made it im-
1.6 Bcfd (4.5 x 107 m3/d) at the beginning of 2016, although possible to meet the original goals.
it has been a major problem to reduce high ethane levels to The new targets allow a maximum of 23% of produc-
the standard of pipeline-quality gas. tion volumes to be flared through the first quarter of 2016,
The agency noted that since 2012, North Dakota has had 20% for April through October 2016, 15% for November
the highest volumes of flared natural gas in the nation. In 2016 through October 2018, and 12% for November 2018
2014, flared volumes were 350 MMcfd (9.9 x 106 m3/d), al- through October 2020. Ultimately, the target falls to 9% of
most half of all the gas flared or vented in the entire nation. production beginning Nov. 1, 2020.
Gas is burned at the wellhead rather than vented into NDIC set the targets in percentages, rather than absolute
the atmosphere for safety and environmental reasons. Raw volumes, because the states rapid gas production growth
vented gas contains propane, butane, and other heavier- made production volumes difficult to predict. CT2

76 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


COMPRESSOR
Dedicated To Gas Compression Products & Applications

COMPRESSORtech2 is the premier resource for


gas compression news and information.

COMPRESSORtech2 keeps you informed with in-depth


coverage of compression machinery and technologies.
From wellhead to city gate, were the publication
of choice in the gas compression machinery world.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY
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Free For Qualified Readers | Available In Print Or Digital Versions
2016 EDITION XX WWW.CTSSNET.NET CTSS
Featured Products
Regulators With Caterpillars new displays, which use a Modbus
The Veriflo division of Parker Hannifin Corp. has introduced interface to connect to Caterpillar and customer control
new ultrahigh-purity (UHP) regulators for semiconduc- systems or SCADA systems, operators can install and
tor fabrication gas handling. The regulators the Parker troubleshoot engine-related issues from the display with-
FR 1000 and FR 1400 are out any additional hardware. Operators can also perform
designed for valve manifold Cat electronic technician
boxes, point-of-use tool hookup functions on a common
and gas cabinet applications. engine interface through
They provide control of process the gas compression plat-
gases in downstream point- form, the company said.
of-use applications, reducing The first display, a 15
short- and long-term costs for in. (381 mm) monitor,
semiconductor OEMs, integra- will be available this year
tors and fabrication facilities, for G3600 A4 engines.
the company said. Additional displays will become available in 2017.
The FR 1000 series fea- www.cat.com/oilandgas
tures low-flow capacity with 0.09 Cv and 0.15 Cv versions
with single-melt 316L stainless-steel or double-melt 316L Emissions Analyzer
stainless-steel bodies. The FR 1400 has a tied diaphragm E-Instruments has released its latest handheld industrial
design with 0.5 Cv high-flow capacity with either single- or combustion flue gas and emis-
double-melt stainless-steel bodies. sions analyzer the E6000.
Both series include a Hastelloy C-22 diaphragm to provide The E6000, which can have up
increased cycle life and corrosion resistance. They also have to six gas sensors, measures
metal-to-metal seals to provide improved leak integrity. stack gases from combustion
solutions.parker.com/semicon processes, such as gas and die-
sel engines, turbines, boilers,
Video Borescope burners, furnaces, kilns, heaters
GEs Inspection Technologies and laboratory analysis.
has made updates to its XL series Additional features of the
of industrial video borescopes. E6000 include low NOx capability
The updates include improved with 0.1 ppm resolution; a dilution
light output for better image qual- pump for CO auto-range measurements up to 50,000 ppm;
ity, stereo measurement, 4 GB efficiency, excess air and CO2 calculations; metal house con-
of internal memory, video output nections; and a full color graphic display screen.
and multiple USB ports. www.e-inst.com
The XL series consists of the XL
Vu and XL Lv videoprobes, which Pneumatic Trip System With
weigh 3.9 lb. (1.77 kg) and offer Partial Stroke Actuation
several probe lengths and diameters with interchangeable tip Elliott has released a patent-pending pneumatic trip sys-
optics. The videoprobes also feature menu-directed inspection tem with partial-stroke actuation, which is changing the way
and the ability to operate in temperatures up to 212F (100C). turbine trip systems are tested, the company said.
The videoprobes are suited for nondestructive inspection in Available for new equipment or retrofit, this new partial-
the oil and gas and industrial industries, allowing operators to stroke trip system provides a safe and effective way to
inspect engine, turbines, pipelines, pumps, motors and tubing. exercise the trip valve
www.geinspectiontechnologies.com regularly, without inter-
fering with the turbines
Engine Displays operation or its ability to
Caterpillar Oil & Gas has introduced its latest operator trip, Elliott said. Within
interface displays for Cat gas compression engines. seconds, the system
The new displays, which monitor engine parameters and completes a partial stroke
conditions through a color touchscreen, allow operators to set of the trip valve, enabling
up and tune engines without the need for computer-based operators to determine if the system is working properly or
service tools. In most situations, fleets that move from one requires attention, the company said.
site to another need their equipment reconfigured, a task that The company said this small movement can mean the
requires a laptop or other hardware to set up the engines. difference between the turbine tripping when necessary

78 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Featured Products
and catastrophic failure. Before the introduction of the par- operate in temperatures from -40 to 185F (-40 to 85C).
tial stroke pneumatic trip system, convenient online testing The controller keeps the compressor in a ready-to-start
required an oil-operated trip and throttle valve a more condition until tank pres-
expensive and complicated system. sure reaches a preset
The pneumatic trip system with partial-stroke actuation level. At that point, it starts
allows turbine operators to quickly and easily test the trip the compressor to recover
system while the turbine is in operation, Elliott said. Turbine the vapors and draw pres-
operators can initiate the partial stroke locally or remotely sure back down to the set
via a DCS. The system is supplied with standard hardware point, when it then turns
that is suitable for either application, providing flexibility to off the compressor.
adapt the partial-stroke system to any equipment configura- The system also has
tion, the company said. the ability to facilitate a variety of advanced control capa-
www.elliott-turbo.com bilities, including automatic speed, recycle and capacity
control through three-way PID monitoring of suction/dis-
VRU Pro Vapor Recovery Applications Controller charge pressures and engine loading.
Murphy by Enovation Controls has introduced its VRU Pro, The software inside the VRU Pro offers great flexibility
a new controller designed specifically for vapor recovery appli- and ease of use. Operators simply select from preconfig-
cations. This flexible, out-of-the-box solution pairs with smaller ured options using a tactile keypad and 3.8 in. (97 mm)
horsepower compressors in vapor recovery operations and monochrome LCD display. The controller features CAN
is certified for Class I, Division 2 hazardous area operations. J1939 engine communications with a closed-loop propor-
The VRU Pro can be used with an electric motor or natural tional integral derivative (PID) algorithm for monitoring and
gas engine. It is designed to utilize either ac or dc power. The control. The VRU Pro requires no custom programming yet
controller is equipped with 18 fit-for-purpose fixed digital, ana- enables advanced features such as automatic starting and
log, thermocouple and frequency inputs and nine field-effect speed/recycle/capacity control, the company said.
transistor (FET) and analog outputs. The VRU Pro is rated to www.fwmurphy.com

Spreader Beams

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COMPRESSORtech
Modulift_JanFeb16_CT.indd
2
1 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016
1/13/16 79
5:23 PM
Integrating Gear Technology
GEs Don Smith discusses companys gearing technology,
market developments, the future

n GE Oil & Gas offers trains for gas compression and power generation applications, complete with gas and steam turbines, reciprocating
compressors, and gearboxes. GEs offer for gearing technology includes gearboxes from Lufkin, a 100-year-old company acquired by GE in 2013.

BY ROBERTA PRANDI

G
E Oil & Gas offers finely tuned trains for gas com- The gearing technology acquired from Lufkin has a long
pression and power generation applications gas developmental history in the oil & gas industry, having start-
and steam turbines, reciprocating compressors, ed with oilfield pumping units. Today, the company manu-
and gearboxes which are essential to optimized opera- factures low-speed parallel shaft gearboxes mainly used for
tions. GE claims it is the only supplier who offers complete heavy industry applications and high-speed gearboxes for
trains, thereby optimizing efficiency. oil and gas, power generation and marine applications.
GEs current offerings include gearing technology from GEs parallel shaft gearboxes are used in lower-ratio
Lufkin, a 100-year-old company acquired by GE three applications and can reach up to 100 MW power, which
years ago, and Allen Gears, another business acquired makes them useful in high-torque and high-power appli-
by GE in 2013, which produces epicyclic or planetary gear cations. Epicyclic gears are better suited for higher ratios.
transmissions. Their design features coaxial shafts in more compact de-
The current technology focus on gearing technology sign. However, their power limitation is 32 MW. GE also of-
within GE Oil & Gas and the additional efforts are expected fers combination gearboxes in which both parallel-shaft and
to bring numerous benefits, said Don Smith, general man- epicyclic technology are used within the same unit, allowing
ager of gearing technology at GE. Many of our gearing greater flexibility in design and performance.
products fit very well in applications for gas compression Among the applications for GE high-speed gearboxes
and power generation. With our engineering teams work- are marine propulsion gear systems used in applications
ing closely together, we have better opportunities to under- such as push boats, articulating tug barges, ferries and mili-
stand the whole system dynamics for example, how the tary marine vessels.
gears will react to changes in the turbine or compressor. Our technology is critical to the reliability requirements
This will, of course, increase the reliability of our complete that marine operators have, Smith said. No one wants a
train systems. boat that cant operate its propulsion system when out in
continued on page 82

80 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Mitigating Your Risk
Through Reliable Services

Sulzer improves the operational per- operational efficiency and to reduce Sulzer Turbo Services Houston Inc.
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equipment more reliable to improve your
n The next generation of GEs gearboxes will include developments in terms of power losses, said Don Smith, general manager of
gearing technology at GE. A lot of focus is being put on increasing power density and efficiencies of the mesh of the gearing itself. CNC
machines, as well as developments in 3-D printing will be key to new manufacturing processes, Smith said.

deep waters. We have market opportunities for marine ap- sis of system dynamics an ability that was not available
plications in Asia, USA and Europe. in the past.
Digital capabilities will now be at the center of the gear- The ultimate goal of these analysis capabilities is making
ing technology, contributing GEs large data collection and the whole train more efficient, of course, Smith said. We
analysis capabilities, which are foundational to any digital have more than 10 initiatives ongoing for the development
solution development. and qualification of new products. All our products are en-
Being part of GE allows us to leverage the GE store and gineered solutions to solve a particular power transmission
digital capabilities across the company, which will open up need. So each time a customer requires a gearbox, we have
a whole world of new possibilities, Smith said. I see im- to design a gearbox that is optimized for that specific ap-
portant reliability benefits and the possibility of reaching plication. Qualifications are indeed a fundamental process.
higher efficiencies. Gearing technology is split between original equipment
Until recently, gearboxes were monitored independently. manufacturers projects and maintenance and service. Ac-
The data collected about vibration, temperature and speed cording to Smith, many of GEs customers are focusing
only applied to single components. What we could not as- more on maintaining existing products, rather than replac-
certain was the feedback on how the entire system train ing them with new units due to current market conditions.
reacted to changes in those data. The next generation of GEs gearboxes will include de-
For example, if we were called by a customer because velopments in terms of power losses. Increasing power
of a high vibration in the gearbox, we could analyze the density and efficiencies of the mesh of the gearing itself is
data on the component and suggest a solution for the im- a primary focus. Smith explained that much of the model-
mediate problem. What we could not analyze properly was ing is devoted to optimizing the casing and oil flows, reach-
what caused the problem in the first place. ing higher temperature tolerances for the oil, and improving
With the synergies afforded by GEs digital capabilities, bearing technology.
the gearing technology team will now be able to analyze I think, for our next-generation gearboxes, a key aspect to
the whole trend of any train in question. This team will consider will be the capability to manufacture the optimized
profit from a large amount of data collected from numer- profile for our gear teeth, Smith said. CNC machines, in-
ous sources over a long period of time. Trending analysis, cluding five axis, are the current technology for manufacturing,
which can be continually refined by data coming from other but 3-D printing becomes more interesting as the capability
systems with a similar setup, will allow an in-depth analy- to print larger parts becomes available. CT2

82 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


THINK GERMAN,
ACT LOCAL.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR RECIP BLUESTROKE
COMPRESSOR
RELIABILITY STRATEGY? SERVICE

NEAC PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE


ENGINEERING & RELIABILITY PLANS.
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assessment studies, and maintenance plans for recip
compressors and packages. Our experts search for poten-
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including: performance & vibration analysis, pulsation,
and component wear rates. We deliver complete
solutions with confident results.

NEAC Compressor Service USA, Inc.


Located in Katy, Texas
www.neacusa.com
Contact me for North and Central America:
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brian.bertelsen@neacusa.com
Direct line: +1 713-554-9475

NEA GROUP Headquarters in Germany


Visit us at the next tradeshow:
Turbomachinery Symposium, booth 3011
Gas Machinery Conference, booth 717
Zahroof Improves Valve Flow
New hybrid axial-radial valve increases flow,
reduces energy consumption

n ZVIs hybrid valve design utilizes


more of the open vertical space in the
valve cylinder. The caged units are designed
to be drop-in replacements.

BY KLINTON SILVEY

Z
ahroof Valves Inc. (ZVI) has introduced a new valve valve modules found in ZVIs standard Straightflo valves,
design that improves compressor efficiency by in- only the new design allows for significantly more modules
creasing the effective gas flow area of the valve by to be used in any given diameter. This increase in efficien-
nearly 200% compared to plate valves. cy is made possible by utilizing more of the open vertical
Traditional compressor plate valves only allow gases an space in the valve cylinder.
effective flow area of about 13%, said Zahroof Mohamed, In standard Straightflo valves, as many reed-valve mod-
president and chief technology officer (CTO) of ZVI. The ules as possible are placed across the surface area of the
ZVI Straightflo valve (originally, the Zahroof Performance valve seat and carrier. In the new hybrid valves, modules
Valve or ZPV), which was commercialized in 2014, provides are placed around the outer circumference of the bottom
an effective flow area of 20 to 25% depending on valve di- of the valve (axially) with an open hole in the middle of
ameter. Mohamed said the new hybrid axial-radial valve the valve. Some of the gas immediately passes through
design increases that flow area to 35%. the vertically oriented outer modules, just like in standard
The big step here is going (from the standard Straightflo straight flow valves. The bulk of the gas flows freely upward
valve) to this radial valve, which is giving you more perfor- where it then exits laterally through double-stacked, hori-
mance, while at the same time keeping the same parts, zontally (radially) oriented outward-facing modules, which
Mohamed said. are spaced equally around the center hole. The end result
The hybrid axial-radial flow valve utilizes the same reed- is a significant reduction in flow restriction.

84 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


furbished by simply swapping modules no large inven-
n The top view (left) of the hybrid tory, shipping out for repairs or machining required. All ZVI
valve shows the placement of the ver- valves come with a 10-year warranty on all metal parts.
tically positioned modules around the The first commissioned hybrid valve has shipped to Co-
circumference of the valve. The cross- lumbia Gas to be used in a 5500 psi (38,000 kPa) com-
section view (bottom) shows the open pressor for gas injection in an oil field application. Another
center chamber and the placement of is scheduled for a compressor in Texas this year. New
the double-stacked, horizontally ori- customers can expect a delivery time within eight weeks
ented modules. of order, Mohamed said. CT2

For example, a 5 in. (127 mm) diam-


eter standard Straightflo valve can fit
14 reed-valve modules. A hybrid axial-
radial valve of the same diameter fits
28 of the same modules, doubling the
effective flow area.
The biggest advantage ZVI valves
provide are in energy savings. The re-
duction in valve flow losses means less
power needed to drive the compressor,
resulting in lower electricity or emis-
sions costs.
Mohamed said the new valve design
also retains ZVIs ease of maintenance
as it is a drop-in part and can be re-

n This high-pressure reed valve module


has been designed to withstand differential
pressure up to 5000 psi (34,474 kPa).

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 85


Prime Movers
Caterpillar officer. Murrhee has more than 20 years
Caterpillar Oil & Gas announced it has completed the of financial and management experi-
acquisition of M2M Data Corp., Denver, Colorado. Cat said ence in the manufacturing and service
M2M offers turnkey hosted solutions enabling customers industries for both private and pub-
to monitor their assets, perform remote diagnostics and lic companies. He has held controller
streamline maintenance and dispatch to achieve opera- positions for growth-oriented compa-
tional excellence. In addition to serving gas compression, nies including Benchmark Electronics,
M2M has expanded into adjacent oil and gas markets over Southwest Oilfield Products, Acceler-
its 17-year history. ated Production and Dover. Murrhee
This acquisition will expand our existing suite of Cat holds an MBA from the University of B. Murrhee
Connect offerings across the Cat Connect Digital Services Houston and is a Texas CPA.
Technology Platform, said Craig Lange, director of strat-
egy and growth businesses for Caterpillar Oil & Gas. The EPIC Industrial Solutions, LLC
platform M2M has developed allows for quick integration of EPIC Industrial Solutions LLC acquired Air Relief as a
new customers. wholly owned subsidiary on July 18. Air Relief is a lead-
M2M offers a full suite of hardware, firmware, software ing supplier of oil-free centrifugal air compressor parts and
and services to provide a high level of customization offers repair and field services.
needed to address our customers business challenges, Air Relief has long supported the Ingersoll Rand Centac
said Trevor Harper, VP, chief technology & operating offi- brand of compressors and brings EPIC increased capa-
cer at M2M. bilities for servicing and supporting the Ingersoll Rand
Turbo-Air and MSG lines.
J-W Energy In addition to parts, service and repairs, EPIC offers com-
J-W Energy Co. has sold all of its oil and gas and midstream pressed-air rental services. Their fleet consists of a variety
assets to affiliates of Aethon United LP, signaling an end to the of trailer/skid-mounted, oil-free centrifugal air compressors
companys run in the upstream and midstream markets. ranging from 150 to 3050 hp (112 to 260 kW) that are capa-
The companys oil and gas assets (owned by J-W ble of producing 150 psig (1034 kPa) at 1000 to 1600 cfm
Operating Co.) and its midstream assets (owned by J-W (28 to 45 m3/min).
Midstream Co.) include 95,000 net acres (38,445 ha) and
380 mi. (612 km) of associated infrastructure in northern Scott Tackett, EPICs vice presi-
Texas and northern Louisiana. dent, International, is an oil and gas
The exit will allow J-W Energy Co., to focus on the larg- professional with more than 20 years
est privately held compression fleet in the United States, of operational and leadership experi-
the company said. Over the past 10 years, J-W Energy has ence comprised of military, domestic
left its drilling, valve manufacturing, gas measurement and and overseas responsibilities. Tackett
wireline businesses, all as part of a planned reallocation of specializes in business development,
company resources. strategic marketing, process improve-
ments and leading multifunctional
Zahroof Valves teams. He has had various market- S. Tackett
Zahroof Valves Inc. has appointed ing, sales and international roles with the United States
Dan Rogers as vice president, sales Army, General Electric, Cameron International, Rolls-
and marketing. Rogers, who has 15 Royce and Southwest Oilfield Products.
years of compression industry experi-
ence, spent the last five years with GE Siemens
Oil & Gas in the roles of senior man- Siemens has acquired 85% of Materials Solutions Ltd.,
ager, regional sales for gas processing a specialist in additive manu-
and LNG; and senior sales leader, North facturing (AM) processing and
America for Gemini Compressors. D. Rogers production, located in Man-
Prior to GE, Rogers worked for 10 years at Hoerbiger chester, U.K. The founder of
Corp., where he held roles in engineering, sales, product the company, Carl Brancher,
management and strategic accounts management. He will hold the remaining 15%.
began his oil and gas career with Schlumberger, where he Materials Solutions said it is a
spent four years as a field services engineer in Texas and specialist in the use of selective
offshore Gulf of Mexico. laser melting (SLM) technol-
ogy for manufacturing metal
Blake Murrhee is the companys new chief financial parts. The company creates
continued on page 107

86 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


COMPRESSOR

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tech
Real Gas Vs. Ideal Gas

corner
Predicting discharge temperature of a Centrifugal centrifugal
Compressor compressor in a realistic way based on ASME PTC 10

BY IR. TAN CHUN WEI


Abstract

T
hermodynamic equations are greatly simplified if de-
rived based on perfect gas or ideal gas assumptions.
Notwithstanding, these equations are the most com-
mon basis on which the real gas equations are formulated.
For gas compression, it is always easier and quicker to use
ideal gas equations for quick estimation of thermodynamic
properties. However, these rudimentary estimations may
be inaccurate and sometimes lead to unexpected deviation
from actual values.
In this article, the concept of predicting discharge tem-
perature for a centrifugal compressor by using Schultzs ap-
proach will be discussed. This approach has been adopted
by ASME PTC 10 since 1965 [1]. This real gas method of n Figure 1. H-S diagram showing polytropic compression.
predicting discharge temperature is very useful during con-
ceptual study or the FEED stage of a project which requires Since polytropic compression consists of infinite isen-
a centrifugal compressor, as it assists to identify with higher tropic compressions, its exponent, n, for an ideal gas, is
confidence the sizing and additional requirements (e.g., in- related to the isentropic exponent, ns, by Equation 2. Its
tercooler or aftercooler) at an early stage. Also, this method derivation can be found in Reference 2 [2].
can be used to gauge an existing compressors perfor-
mance via measurement of the gas thermo properties. Equation 2

Introduction
The work input of a centrifugal compressor is always
benchmarked against ideal compression work, which is Isentropic compression is further explored since this is the
commonly either of isentropic or polytropic. Efficiency is skeleton of polytropic compression. Isentropic compression
the typical indicator for comparison purpose with other is reversible and adiabatic, and thus initial entropy, s, is main-
compressors for same duty, or as an indicator for com- tained throughout the compression path. For ideal gas, its
pressor design improvement. Polytropic compression will compression path is generally obtained by Equation 3. Its
be ideal compression used in this article. As a concise in- isentropic exponent, ns, is exactly the ratio of specific heat
troduction, this compression is actually a summation of in- at constant pressure (Cp) to specific heat at constant volume
finitesimal isentropic compressions, yi separated by their (Cv). Strictly, specific heats of ideal gas varies according to
constant proportion of irreversibly generated heat (friction, temperature, and thus ns is actually changing slightly along
etc.), hf, along the real compression path (Figure 1). the compression path since temperature changes. Hence,
That constant proportion is represented by polytropic effi- Equation 3 is mathematically correct for perfect gas since
ciency, p. Therefore, polytropic compression is effectively its specific heats are constant, whereas for ideal gas, this
defined by compression with constant efficiency, rather equation is just a close approximation. In the ideal gas meth-
than by the Equation 1, as the polytropic exponent is not od section later, temperature effect on specific heats will be
always a constant. taken into account.
Equation 1
Equation 3

Ir. Tan Chun Wei is a mechanical engineer (rotating equipment) of


Technip Malaysia. Contact him at: chwtan@technip.com. By definition, ideal gas is a hypothetical gas of which

88 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


of which subscript solving equation of states, which can
0 and 3 denote be of Benedict-Webb-Rubin-Starling
initial and final (BWRS), Redlich-Kwong-Soave
measured states (RKS), Lee-Kesler-Plocker (LKP),
(Figure 2). From etc., depending on the gas composi-
Equation 4, Po, P3 tion and pressure range used [3].
and vo are known
values since they Equation 4
are specified,
whereas v3 has
to be derived from
actual discharge
temperature via Equation 5
equation of state.
n Figure 2. Isentropic and polytropic compression paths. Also, isentropic
exponent is re-
the gas molecules occupy negligible quired since it is
space and have no interaction forces part of the correction factor, f, and it is Moving on to the correction factor,
between each other. This ideal gas derived as per Equation 5. It can be f, as proposed by Schultz for mak-
model can only be approximated if seen clearly that ns is already a known ing correction onto polytropic head
the compressed gas is at much lower value even before the performance due to variation of n along the real
pressure and/or higher temperature test is conducted, as v4 at P3 is simply compression. From Equation 6, it is
relative to their critical point. When the specific volume at the same entro- apparent that this correction is as-
the compressed gas path is ap- py of initial state. v4 can be obtained by sumed to resemble the correction
proaching its critical point, its thermo- continued on page 90
dynamic behavior deviates more and
more from that of ideal gas. Hence,
Equations 1 to 3 no longer provide
convincing results. In such circum-
stances, thermodynamic equations
that are derived based on real gas
approach will produce reliable re-
sults. This approach basically means
compressibility factor, Z, is treated
as variable strictly from the begin-
ning of any thermodynamic equation
derivation till the resultant equations.
Schultzs method, which is used by
ASME PTC 10 for real gas calcula-
tion, fulfils this requirement, though
correction factor, f, is proposed to ac-
count for the variation effect of poly-
tropic exponent.
Two examples in the following sec-
tion are presented to demonstrate
this deviation of using ideal gas
model. Before that, the discharge
temperature-estimating method as
earlier-mentioned is elaborated as
follows:

Real gas method


Based on ASME PTC 10, after a
performance test, polytropic expo-
nent is derived by using Equation 4,

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 89
Equation 6 The Equation 7 is expanded to Equation 8 by substituting
Equations 4 and 6. With a known p, it can be deducted
that v3 is the only unknown as h3 is implicitly linked to v3.
Since P3 is a known value, by obtaining a second thermo-
dynamic property (e.g., v3) the other properties can be ob-
Equation 7 tained (e.g., h3, T3, s3). The problem is therefore reduced
into solving an equation with only one unknown. This can
be done by rearranging the equations in a convenient way
to solve for v3 and h3 to obtain T3. A real gas equation which
links these properties is needed in the solving steps. Due
used for isentropic head (with final state at point 4, to the complexity of solving the roots of equation of states
Figure 1), since n s also varies. Likewise as with v 4, h 4 is directly, it is more convenient to obtain them via root-finding
already a known value and can be obtained from equa- algorithms (e.g., Newton-Raphson method two variables).
tion of state. Equation 7 shows how polytropic efficiency The initial value of T3 that is estimated was calculated via the
is calculated from ASME PTC 10, its numerator is poly- ideal gas equation[T_3=T_o (P_3/P_o. However, for simul-
tropic head and its denominator is actual head. taneous solving of multiple variables and equations, Newton-
This is how polytropic efficiency is obtained for compres- Raphson is a more appropriate method. While it may appear
sor tested based on ASME PTC 10 by using real gas to be an inconvenient approach to calculate T3, once this
method. Most of the compressors are tested using ASME algorithm is automated, it is just a matter of seconds to check
PTC 10. It then follows logically that the polytropic efficien- for every new case. The methods of resolving equation of
cy database from which compressor vendors use for new states are beyond the scope of this paper and therefore only
compressor performance prediction is obtained based on the basic concept is described. Now we can proceed for simi-
ASME PTC 10 method. As such, if we would like to es- lar approach for ideal gas method before the comparison.
timate or predict discharge temperature of a compressor
during design stage, based on estimated polytropic efficien- Equation 9
cy in that range of flow coefficient, the same approach as
per ASME PTC 10 should be utilized for consistency. This
approach is analogous to reverse engineering.

Equation 8

e p o w e r o f one teait m
Th high-efficiency
core un &
BORSIG ZM sign
ade, flexible de
GEA tailor-m
FUEL GAS BOOSTER SKIDS
BORSIG ZM and GEA together focus on maximizing uptime,
increasing efficiency, productivity and reliability in power
generation.
Discharge pressure: up to 80 bar g
Gas flow rate: up to 50,000 m/h
Driver size: up to 12 MW
Equation 10

Table Real gas method Ideal gas


C.6.2 (with LKP) method*

20% Methane
25% Ethane Discharge tempera-
Gas composition, in mol% 118.22 118.06 108.83
50% Propane ture, T3, deg C
5% N-butane
Suction pressure, Po, bara 13.79 Comparison to
0 -0.04 -2.40
Table C.6.2, % **
Suction temperature, To 46.11

Discharge pressure, P3, bara 44.82 *Refer to Table A in Appendix 1 for the ideal gas specific heats used
Polytropic efficiency, % 78.1 for calculation, extracted from Reference 4.
**Comparison based on absolute temperature scale.
n Table 1. Input data for real gas and ideal gas method calculation. n Table 2. Comparison of results.
Ideal gas method
Ideal gas model is much simpler as used, as well as LKP as the equation EPC project (not to be named). (See
per Equation 2, it can be re-arranged of state [5, 6]; the required input for T3 Tables 3 and 4.)
with substitution of n and ns to gen- estimation are listed in Table 1. Table 2 shows the comparison re-
erate Equation 9. Please note that Additionally, another comparison sults. It is evident that result from the real
cp0 avg is the average of cp0 at is done on a high discharge pres- gas model deviates negligibly by only
initial and final state. Now, for spe- sure (approximately 550 bara) and -0.04%, while that of the ideal gas model
cific heat at constant pressure of high CO2 (approx. 20%) case, of an deviates significantly more than 2%.
ideal gas, c p0, it only depends on continued on page 92
temperature and thus it can be fit-
ted by a polynomial series as per
Equation 10, of which the constant
ai is specific for each gas [4]. Also, Experience, Reliability, Integrity...
the effective representative c p0 of a
specified gas composition is just a
summation of product of each c p0i
and its mole fraction. We can now
substitute Equation 10 into Equation
9, the resultant equation is too ex-
tensive to be presented here. Again,
T3 is the only variable at RHS of
the resultant equation, and the so-
lution can be done by the Newton
Raphson method (with one vari-
able). The same initial T 3 as that
of above real gas method can be
used. It is noted that the method
presented here is an analytic solu-
tion, which in fact yields the same
result of the usual iterative method,
of which c p0 of final state and T 3
are iterated till they are matched.
The AXH manufacturing complex consists of
Comparison between real gas and six plants, totaling 559,100 SF on 67 acres.
ideal gas method for discharge
temperature
For a general and reliable reference,
example from Table C.5.1, Table C.6.1 (918) 283-9200 Fax (918) 283-9229 www.axh.com
and Table C.6.2 of ASME PTC 10 is

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 91


~20% CO2
~60%
Gas composition, in mol% Methane
The rest not
disclosed.

Suction pressure, Po, bara 212.8

Suction temperature, To 40

Discharge pressure, P3, bara 550

Polytropic efficiency, % 65.8

n Table 3. Input data for real gas and ideal gas method calculation (high discharge pressure case).
case, the example gas used would have exceeded the
Ideal
Vendor's Real gas method limits, and therefore the above deviation is expected. The
gas
data (with LKP) intention for this comparison is that the real gas method
method
shall be the prevailing method regardless of whether
Discharge tempera- the gas is close to ideal gas by always checking the lim-
107.1 110.0 131.7
ture, T3, deg C its in Table 3.3. The ideal gas region is a sub-set of the real
gas region, and hence, the result of the real gas method
Comparison to ven- is always with the least deviation. Although the real gas
0 0.77 6.47
dor's data, % ** method of ASME PTC 10 also has its favourable region
(reduced pressure much lower than 1 and reduced tem-
** Comparison based on absolute temperature scale. perature higher than 1.6) as reported in Reference [7], it is
n Table 4. Comparison of results. still the most realistic method to be used until superceded
by a new method that becomes the standard or is adopted
Table 4 shows the comparison results. It is evident that the by ASME PTC 10. The real gas method has been tested
result from the real gas model deviates by only -0.77%, while across multiple compressor vendors for projects executed
that of the ideal gas model deviates significantly more than 6%. under Technip, and the T3 difference averages 0.5%. In
other words, this method, which is strictly consistent with
Conclusion ASME PTC 10, provides reliable results. CT2
Table 3.3 of ASME PTC 10 states the limits beyond
which the ideal gas method is inadvisable to use; in this See references at: http://ct2.co/references

Appendix 1
n Table A. Ideal gas specific heat parameters for selected gases.
Cp0/R (ideal gas)

Gas Temperature
Mol. Wt. a0 a1 (x103) a2 (x105) a3 (x108) a4 (x1011)
name range, K

Methane 16.043 50-1000 4.568 -8.975 3.631 -3.407 1.091

Ethane 30.070 50-1000 4.178 -4.427 5.66 -6.651 2.487

Propane 44.097 50-1000 3.847 5.131 6.011 -7.893 3.079

Butane 58.123 200-1000 5.547 5.536 8.057 -10.571 4.134

92 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


October 11-13, 2016
Chicago, Illinois
McCormick Place

NORTH AMERICAN

PRODUCED
Literature
Laser-Shaft Alignment Gearboxes Packaged Chiller Pressure Products

A brochure on a cloud-enabled A brochure from Overton Berg Chilling Systems has Winters Instruments has
touchscreen laser-shaft align- Chicago Gear provides released a case study titled published a product over-
ment system is available information on its gearing Custom Air Cooled Pack- view brochure. Products
from Prftechnik. The sys- and gearbox products. The aged Chiller Solution. The include pressure gauges,
tem, known as Rotalign, is brochure includes a com- case study explores how pressure transmitters, pres-
built for rough industrial envi- pany overview, company Berg Chilling Systems and sure switches, diaphragm
ronments. It comes packaged capabilities and product GTUIT developed a prod- seals and thermometers.
with voice recognition, a rede- offerings. Those products uct to challenges in the The company has oper-
signed 3-D user interface and include Gleason bevels, wellhead gas landscape. ations in Canada, North
a fast processor, the company Klingelnberg spiral bevels That product is a trailer- America, South America,
said. It also has a range of and custom gearboxes. mounted portable wellhead the Middle East and China.
built-in connectivity features. www.oc-gear.com gas processing system. www.winters.com
www.pruftechnik.com www.berg-group.com

Compressor Services Facility Integrity Offshore Offshore Booster


And Solutions Management Program Compression Compressor

Ethos Energy has published G2 Partners released a Burckhardt Compression Compression Leasing Ser-
a flyer on its range of special- brochure on a program that has released a brochure vices has published a flyer
ized compressor services. helped a natural gas pipe- outlining its offerings for on its signature series off-
Ethos can inspect, repair, line operator develop a Fa- LNG/LPG/LEG, LNG FPSO, shore booster compressor.
reverse-engineer and re- cility Integrity Management FSRU and CNG compres- The compressor can run in
build centrifugal, axial, and program. The clients fixed sion applications. Burckhardt a single- or two-stage mode,
integrally geared compres- facilities include 30 gas offers both two- and four- depending on capacity and
sors from any OEM. Their processing plants, two stroke compressors as well pressure needs. CLS offer-
services include the sup- terminals and 100 com- as a reliquification option. ings are available for rental,
ply of stationariy elements, pressor stations. burckhardtcompression.com lease or sale.
impellers, rotors, bearings www.g2partnersllc.com compressionleasing.com
and other replacement parts.
www.ethosenergygroup.com

94 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Literature
Screw Compressors Bolting Systems Gas Coalescing Filters Moisture Skid

Mayekawa Canada Inc. has Hytorc has a brochure on JCI Filtration & Separation Go Technologies has pub-
published literature on its its bolting products and sys- Inc. has published a bro- lished a document on its
i-series screw compressors, tems. The brochure includes chure on its gas coalescing M160 moisture skid unit.
which are designed to handle information on the compa- filters. The filters are The device is designed to
vapor and solution gas. The nys product lines, which designed to remove liq- move excess gas instead
screw compressors feature include the ICE series of uid aerosols from natural of venting or flaring it. Gas
custom-designed rotors for square-drive torque/tension gas streams. They can can also be monitored and
a wider operating range and wrenches, the Avanti series be applied to compres- scented for distribution. A
better turn down ratio. The of hydraulic bolting systems, sors, gas turbines, heat list of benefits, regulations
compressors also feature a the Stealth series of torque exchangers, metering sta- and a patent summary are
built-in suction strainer and wrenches, and the Lith- tions and low NOx burners also included.
check valve. ium series of torque guns and gas-fired heaters. www.gotechnologies.ca
www.mayekawa.ca among others. www.jci-fs.com
www.hytorcwest.ca

Turbine Applications Induction Motors

Order James P.
Buchwalds Book
Letters to Alex

Literature from Vericor TMEIC has released a


Power Systems provides brochure on its TM21-G
information on how its gas series induction motors.
turbines have been used Standard features include
in several applications. a base frequency of 50 and
Those applications include 60Hz, a frame size range
compression, power gener- of 315 to 900, a copper bar
ation, hydraulic fracturing rotor and a stainless-steel
and pumps. The turbines accessory junction box.
run on either gas or liquid Optional features include
fuel and can switch from VFD application, shim Contact Paragraphs Book Store at
either fuel while operating plates, bearing RTDs and paragraphs@earthlink.net,
or by phone 740-392-9290
under full load. a water leak detector.
Credit Cards Only, $25.00 plus shipping
www.vericor.com www.tmeic.com
continued on page 105 Paragraphs Bookstore, 229 South Main Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
tech

corner
Variance Of Vibration And Pulsation
In Identical Compressors
Understanding twins with different personalities

n Figure 1. Suction bottle supports for Units A (strap) and B (U-bolt).

BY FRANCISCO FIERRO AND frequencies and avoids high-energy compressor running


CHESTER WHINERY orders, the difference in the excitation energy is likely not
Introduction noticeable. However, when coincident with a mechanical

H
igh vibration amplitudes are often a result of match- response, the resulting vibration is noticeably different as
ing a mechanical response frequency with an ex- the amplification factor of the response highlights the differ-
citation frequency. When installing identical com- ences in the units.
pressor packages, it is assumed the excitation amplitudes Similarly, the mechanical response frequencies in two
and frequencies will be very similar. However, variations in identical packages can vary due to installation differences
inlet conditions, compression ratio, running speed, or gas such as clamp tightness, clamp location, clamp type, etc.
composition can have a noticeable effect on the excitation Some of these variations may result in minor shifts in re-
frequency and amplitude. For instances where the excita- sponses, but other variations can lead to significant shifts,
tion frequency does not match any mechanical response which, if near excitation sources, can result in a coinci-
dence and high vibration.
Francisco Fierro is a research engineer at Southwest Research
Institute. Contact him at: francisco.fierro@swri.org. Chester Whinery Clamp type
is an engineering technologist at Southwest Research Institute. Pipe or bottle supports are often installed without a clear
Contact him at: chester.whinery@swri.org. definition of the support type. The design of the support

96 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


n Figure 2. Second stage suction bottle impact data.
is often vague or altogether undefined. One installation weight of the bottles, and the suction bottle supports. The
where high vibration was noted had three identical units. data revealed a noticeable difference (Figure 2).
The units were two-stage, two-cylinder reciprocating com- The bump data shows the primary MNF of the suction
pressors. Suction bottle supports were installed on all bottle on Unit A is at 33 Hz. Two smaller peaks (modes) are
three units. However, one unit had a strap-type clamp visible at 31 Hz and 36 Hz. The MNF from the bump data
tying the support to a frame while the other two units had on Unit B shows two peaks, one at 31 Hz and the second at
a U-bolt tying the bottle to a separate frame (Figure 1). 34 Hz. A major difference between strap-type clamps and
While both bottles were supported and tied to the same U-bolts is the amount of rotational stiffness provided by the
frame design, the vibration amplitude at the suction bottles clamp. U-bolts provide little rotational stiffness, which is re-
was noticeably different. flected with the excitation of both the cantilever mode and
An impact test was performed on both units. The im- the rotational mode of the suction bottle. It is also impor-
pact testing revealed the mechanical natural frequencies tant to note the strap used on Unit A is not a robust strap
(MNF) of the suction bottles. The MNF of the bottles are and does not provide much stiffness when compared to a
primarily dependent on the cylinder nozzles, the size and four-bolt, gusseted clamp. The vibration data reflects the
continued on page 98

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vibrations on the drive engines. The two Caterpillar 3612
engines running in parallel were experiencing high lateral
vibration. An on-site field survey and a finite element anal-
ysis were performed to quantify the severity of the vibra-
tion as well as identify the vibration frequency and any
modifications to remedy the vibration.
Vibration data was collected on the engine to collect a
profile of the vibration mode (Figure 4). The engine speed
was swept from its lowest normal operating speed to its
highest normal operating speed. This allows for any re-
sponses in the system to be excited by the engine/com-
pressor. Additionally, impact testing was performed to
identify the mechanical natural frequency of the engines.
The impact testing revealed the primary lateral mode
of the engine to be near 16.5 Hz. This corresponds to a
running speed of 990 rpm and will likely be excited at this
running speed. A second response was excited near 64
Hz. This corresponds to 4 times running speed at 960 rpm.
n Figure 3. Recommended suction bottle supports. Both engines show a similar envelope, verifying that the
mechanical responses of both engines are the same.
Vibration data was collected during a speed sweep
difference in clamp stiffness with the U-bolt supported bottle through the normal operating ranges to quantify the vi-
experiencing roughly twice the amplitude of vibration as the bration and determine if the mechanical responses dis-
strap-type clamp as shown in Figure 2. covered during the impact testing were being excited.
After a finite element analysis of the compressor was Vibration probes were placed at six locations on the en-
completed, a more robust suction bottle support was rec- gine to capture the vibration modes (Figures 5).
ommended which adequately supported the bottle and The data in Figure 6 shows a similar vibration envelope
reduced the vibration (Figure3). This recommended sup- for both engines. However, the magnitude of vibration is
port shifted the predicted mechanical natural frequency significantly different. The vibration amplitude for Unit 1 is
above 40 Hz, which provided a larger margin between roughly twice as high as the vibration amplitudes on Unit
the primary excitation frequency (30 Hz, 2x running 2. The difference in vibration is attributed to minor variation
speed) and the MNF of the bottles. between the two units and excitation loads. The balancing
of the units will be different on identical units and if excit-
Installation variables ing a mechanical response, the overall vibration amplitude
Two identical compressor skids were experiencing high will reflect these differences. The vibration data is similar

n Figure 4. Impact testing data showing similar mechanical responses on both engines.

98 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


n Figure 5. Vibration probe locations.
to the impact test data in frequency
content where a peak is found near

Keep Things Moving.


16 Hz as well as near 58 Hz.
Comparing the vibration profiles
between Units A and B shows the vi-
bration amplitude on Unit A is similar Plain Bearings from ZOLLERN.
to Unit B on the skid and increases
significantly on the engine. Figure
7 shows the vibration of the skid is
similar between both units, however,
between the top of the skid and the
first test point on the engine, the vi-
bration amplitudes (and difference
between both units) increases dra-
matically. For both units the engine
was mounted to the skids using ad-
justable chocks.
In this case these chocks resulted in
a flexible connection, which lowered
the mechanical natural frequency of
the engine. Because of the adjust- ZOLLERN stands for state of the art plain bea- ZOLLERN North America
rings. The product range embraces bearings T +1 713 673-7902
ability of the chocks, the lateral stiff-
for big diesel and gas engines in ships, loco-
ness is somewhat dependent on the ZOLLERN BHW Gleitlager
motives or stationary power plants, plain
GmbH & Co. KG
installation procedure. Using an FEA bearings for compressors, turbines, gear-
T +49 5522 3127-86
boxes, electrical machines and for speci-
model of the unit, the chocks were re- E info@zollern-bhw.de
al applications. With 3.300 employees
placed with steel blocks. This modifi- ZOLLERN is located in all the indust-
rial regions of the world. Houston,
cation shifted the primary mechanical Texas, is one of them.
response from 16 Hz to 20 Hz (above
1x running speed) (Figure 8). www.zollern.com
The shift in mechanical resonance
continued on page 100

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 99


n Figure 6. Vibration data indicates higher vibration amplitudes on Unit 1 (left).

reduced the vibration on Unit 1 from over 0.7 ips (inches per temperature and pressure. Gas composition and op-
second) zero-peak to less than 0.2 ips zero-peak (Figure 9). erating conditions yield a gas mixtures speed of sound
Because the vibration and unbalance on Unit 2 was lower, (SOS). The speed of sound of a mixture is used to deter-
the noted improvement will be lower but the resulting vibra- mine acoustic responses throughout the on-skid vessels
tion amplitude is expected to be less than 0.2 ips zero-peak and the off-skid piping for acoustic length resonances.
as well. Replacing the adjustable chocks with steel blocks The equation below is used to find the acoustic natural
removes both the flexibility of the supports and the variance frequency of a quarter wave in a piping span. Where fn
in lateral stiffness between the two units. represents the acoustic natural frequency (Hz), c repre-
sents the velocity of sound (fps), L represents the acoustic
Gas composition length of pipe span (ft.), and n represents the order of the
Identical units are regularly tied to the same header; acoustic wave mode shape.
ideally this practice allows the units to be analyzed with
the same gas composition and operating conditions, i.e.,

n Figure 7. Vibration profile.

100 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


n Figure 8. FEA predicted mode shapes.
For a particular gas transmission installation, there were
two units tied to one header. The two unit types had identi-
cal lateral lines and were identical on-skid. The units had
a history of vibration problems, small-bore piping cracking,
and instrumentation nipple failures. Vibration and pulsation
data was taken on each of the units. The two units pulsa-
tion frequency content in the pulsation bottles (suction and
discharge) did not correlate to the identical unit theory. STEEL-SPRING
For the suction pulsation bottles, the acoustic length FLEXIBLE
response of the bottle was found to be approximately
77 Hz on Unit A and 71.5 Hz on Unit B (Figure 10). The
COUPLINGS
difference in pulsation amplitude is approximately 1 psi
peak-peak, or approximately 170 ft.lb. in shaking force.
The corresponding vibration on the suction bottles did not The ideal partner for VFDs
change drastically in amplitude, but the shift in frequency Precise torsional control
content did produce a difference of approximately 0.1 ips No blocked speeds
zero-peak (Figure 11). Although this variation in vibration
amplitude was not significant in this case, the acoustic de-
Reduced motor &
crankshaft stress
sign of the vessel may have placed this response just high
enough in order to not coincide with a mechanical natural Proudly built in
frequency and thus a bigger problem might have occurred. North America
For the discharge pulsation bottles, the acoustic length re- Up to 15,000 HP
sponse of the bottle shifted from approximately 102 Hz on Ratings, sizes
Unit A to 93 Hz on Unit B (Figure 12). The difference in pulsa- on website
tion amplitude is approximately 0.2 psi peak-peak, or approxi-
mately 30 ft.lb. in shaking force. Again, the corresponding vi- Designed & Manufactured by:
LO-REZ VIBRATION CONTROL LTD.
bration on the discharge bottles did not change drastically in 186 West 8th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V5Y 1N2
amplitude, but the shift in frequency content did produce a dif- Tel: 604.879.2974 Fax: 604.879.6588
ference of approximately 0.1 ips zero-peak (Figure 13). This Web: www.lo-rez.com Email: lo-rez@lo-rez.com
shift in the acoustic response created a vibration component
continued on page 102

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 101


n Figure 9. Improvement of
vibration with steel chocks.

n Figure 10. Pulsation frequency spectrum comparing shift in bottle length response (suction).

n Figure11. Vibration spectrum comparing shift in vibration response (suction).

102 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


n Figure 12. Pulsation frequency spectrum comparing shift in bottle length response (discharge).

at approximately 1115 rpm that was not with higher excitation energy and cre- the excitation frequency or amplitude
seen on the other typical unit. ate amplified vibration problems. to create a coincidence and higher
While the shift in frequency was ap- vibration. The cases described in this
parent, the reason for the shift was Conclusion paper were situations where the vari-
still not explained; the units were on The presented case studies show ance was not originally identified and
the same header, pulling from the examples where slight variations the units in questions were consid-
same source. The units were showing shifted the mechanical response or ered identical. In reality, no two units
cylinder pressures and temperatures continued on page 104
to be about the same. The compres-
sor packagers drawings were identi-
cal when comparing the two units.
After further discussion with station
personnel, it was found that the main
suction header had another inlet from
a discharge header of another set of MAKE THE CONNECTION
units. The two headers tied into one
another with a valve in between near
Unit B. Figure 14 shows the gas com-
position difference between the main
suction header and the secondary
inlet. With the valve open during op-
eration, not only was the temperature
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was mixed and therefore the acoustic
responses were shifted. Many of the
shifted responses did not result in a
drastic vibration increase, but the ex-
citation source was shifted. When the
station manipulates the off-skid piping
to produce a higher throughput, the CENTAX-Series N/NL CENTAFLEX-Series A
previous design conditions are then For reciprocating compressors For compressors & pumps

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COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 103


n Figure 13. Vibration spectrum comparing shift in vibration response (discharge).
are exactly identical and small differences exist throughout speed of the compressor. This is not always realistic for
each system. Often times these differences do not create high-speed compressor packages and there are likely hun-
performance or vibration issues, however, when the margin dreds of situations where this is not met and the separation
between the excitation frequency and mechanical response margin is small. A finite element analysis provides a better
is small, these slight variations can potentially create high understanding of these margins but cannot account for in-
vibration problems. stallation variances or unknown dissimilarities as shown in
According to API 618, it is recommended that all me- the case studies in this paper. Because of these unknowns,
chanical responses be placed above 2.4 times the running it is important to maintain a sufficiently high margin between
the expected excitation frequencies and any mechanical
responses so that when an unexpected minor variance
occurs, no coincidences will develop and result in vibration
problems that can lead to potential fatigue failures. Ideally
having the ability to vary certain parameters such as clamp
stiffness, speed of sound of the gas, or clamp location to
determine if a problem can arise due to unexpected vari-
ances would be very beneficial. CT2

n Figure 14. Gas composition dif-


ference between Unit A and Unit B.

104 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


Literature
Propane Package Bolt Tensioning Box Lubricators Blower Compressor

Mycom (Mayekawa Canada Boltight has released litera- Graco has produced doc- Literature from Go Technol-
Inc.) has released litera- ture on its offerings. The umentation on its Manzel ogies provides information
ture on its reciprocating company supplies and refur- MB specialty box lubrica- on the companys high-
compressor package specif- bishes a range of standard tors, designed for bolt-on volume blower compres-
ically designed for propane and bespoke bolt tensioning gas compressor box lubrica- sor. A list of benefits and
as well as freon. Four tools and ancillary equip- tion solutions. The literature specifications is provided, as
models are available, some ment. Its products include provides box specifications, well as a labeled photo. Two
have the option of an oil hydraulic bolt tensioners, durability features and order- scenarios and two cases are
heater with thermo-switch. spring return bolt tensioners, ing information. Contact also part of the document.
www.mayekawa.ca hydraulic nuts, nut splitters, information is also provided. www.gotechnologies.ca
subsea flange pullers, MST www.graco.com
flange tensioners and thread
protection covers.
www.boltight.com

October 2-5, 2016


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Prime Movers
continued from page 86 relationship with CPI, will ensure a consistent experience
turbomachinery parts, particularly for high-temperature appli- regardless of whether a customer works with a premium
cations, such as for gas turbines. Founded in 2006, Materials distribution channel partner or directly with CPI.
Solutions has applications in demanding fields such as aero-
space, power generation and motorsports. IPDSteel
In August 2015, Siemens Venture Capital acquired a IPDSteel, an aftermarket pro-
minority stake (14%) in the company that currently employs vider of engine components for
more than 20 engineers. Financial details of the deal were heavy-duty diesel and natural gas
not disclosed. powered engines, has received a
Siemens uses AM technology for rapid prototyping and has patent for a newer design IPDSteel
introduced serial production solutions for rapid manufactur- friction welded piston. This new
ing of small fuel mixers and for rapid repair of burner tips for design is the third generation of
mid-size gas turbines. Siemens in Finspng, Sweden, started patented and patent-pending IPD-
using AM technology in 2009 and opened a production facility Steel pistons, providing customers
for metal 3-D printed components in February 2016. worldwide with a high quality and
This investment was the first step in the companys plans cost effective alternative to OE
for mass manufacture and repair of metal parts with AM, parts for such later model applica-
the company said. The first 3-D printed burner component tions as Caterpillar C-Series.
for a Siemens heavy-duty gas turbine is in operation in a With this new design, a preci-
power plant in Brno, Czech Republic, the company said. sion friction welding process unifies the piston crown and
skirt with integral pin bosses, creating a box structure with
Compressor Products International integrated oil cavity for improved piston crown cooling and
Compressor Products International (CPI) announced enhanced strength in the ring land area.
three new premium distribution channel partners devoted IPD now offers IPDSteel piston designs for selected Cater-
to sales and service on its compressor lubrication products. pillar C-Series engines (C7, C13, C15, C18, C27 & C32).
These partners were chosen for their strategic locations,
technically competent staff and because they already rep- New Way Air Bearings
resent other leading related products including compressor New Way Air Bearings has acquired the assets of Bently
instrumentation and controls. Each partner has service Pressurized Bearing Co., Minden, Nev. New Way Air Bear-
centers, which brings CPI products closer to end-users. ings, based in Aston, Pa., has 25 years of experience
The new partners not only stock the full assortment of crafting air bearings, which are used by the machine tool,
CPI compressor lubrication components and equipment, semiconductor and medical industries.
but have service departments for installation, preventive Drew Devitt, founder and chairman of New Way Air
maintenance, retrofits and emergency service for CPI Bearings, said he hopes to expand upon the work of the
compressor lubrication products, along with route sales, late Don Bently, former owner of Bently Nevada and Bently
including weekly delivery of parts. Pressurized Bearing Co. Bently is known for developing
The CPI premium distribution channel partners are: eddy current probes and rotor dynamic theory.
 RES, a division of IDG, headquartered in Houston, Bently sold Bently Nevada to GEs Power Systems
Texas, is CPIs new partner for Texas, Oklahoma and division in 2002, which enabled him to focus on bearing
Arkansas. technology, Devitt said. Bently died on Oct. 1, 2012.
Power Ignition and Controls Appalachia, headquartered
in Monessen, Pa., will be the partner for Ohio, Pennsyl- Innova
vania and West Virginia. Innova Global Ltd. has been selected as the new name for
RJ Mann and Associates will serve as a partner to the ATCO Emissions Management to better reflect the companys
Rocky Mountain region extending from Colorado to innovative approach to developing products and providing
North Dakota to Utah from its headquarters in Brighton, industry leading solutions and services to its clients.
Colorado. Innova is inspired by innovation the principle that has led
Premium distribution partners for other regions of the to the launch of eight new products since 2009, complement-
United States and Canada, including the Gulf Coast, will be ing our complete acoustic mitigation products, and to better
announced at a later date. service the needs of our global customers, said Harry Wong,
According to CPI Western Regional Sales Manager president and CEO. The name reflects our highly technical
Marty Cassem, technicians at each premium distribution products and services which help our customers manage
channel partner, including field service staff, have received their emissions, increase efficiency, shelter equipment, and
factory training from CPI technical, product management improve capacity utilization with modular process systems.
and engineering teams. This, and an ongoing collaborative Innova rolls together previous operating entities of
continued on page 109

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 107


Advertisers Index
*Further information on this companys products can be found in the 2016 Edition of the Diesel & Gas Turbine Sourcing Guide
(at www.Dieselandgasturbineguide.net) and/or 2016 Compression Technology Sourcing Supplement (at CTSSnet.net).

ACI Services Inc. ................................ 15 Girtz ..................................................... 33 Reynolds French ................................ 45


Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers ............. 91 GMRC - Gas Machinery
Sloan Lubrication Systems ............... 65
Altronic LLC .................................. 12, 13 Conference.................................. 105

*ARIEL Corporation ......................... 1, 95 HHP Summit 2016 .............................. 93 SNC-Lavalin ........................................ 43

ARMCO Compressor Products *HOERBIGER ....................................... 60


*Solar Turbines Incorporated .............. 35
Corp. ............................. Third Cover IPC Industrial Plants
Consultants .................................. 54 STASSKOL GmbH .............................. 25
Basic Systems Inc. ............................. 97
*Borsig ZM Compression GmbH ........ 90 *KB Delta Compressor Valve Sullair .................................................. 59
*Burckhardt Compression AG ............ 39 Parts, Mfg. .....................23, 46-47, 56-57
Sulzer Management Ltd,
Centa ................................................. 103 *Kobelco Compressors
America Inc. ................................. 75 Rotating Equipment Services ..... 81
Compressor Products
KTR Corporation ................................ 89
International .......................................... 5 Summit Industrial Products .............. 55
LO-REZ Vibration Control Ltd. ........ 101
Cook Compression ............................ 27 Sumy NPO PJSC ............................. 61
*MAN Diesel & Turbo ............................. 7
*Cozzani, Dott. Ing. Mario Cozzani
S.r.l. ............................................... 17 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries *Testo Inc. ............................................. 19
Compressor International
DCL International Inc. ........................ 29 Corporation .................................. 63 Tulco Oils ............................................ 34
*Dresser-Rand ...................................... 49 Modulift ............................................... 79
*Voith GmbH ......................................... 11
E Instruments International ............. 104 MOTORTECH GmbH ........................... 44
*Elliott Group ...................Second Cover Waukesha Bearings ........................... 31
Murphy by Enovation
Epic Industrial Solutions ................... 85 Controls ................53, Fourth Cover Windrock ............................................... 9
Exline Inc. ........................................... 71 Neuman & Esser Group ..................... 83
Zahroof Valves Inc. ............................. 41
Flender Graffenstaden S.A.S. ............ 64 Philadelphia Gear ............................... 67
GE Oil and Gas ............................... 3, 69 PROGNOST Systems GmbH ............. 51 Zollern BHW Gleitlager GmbH .......... 99

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Prime Movers
ATCO Emissions Management, ATCO Noise Manage- acceptance test, this main air compressor will be employed
CT_Storefront_1cx1in.indd 1 6/29/16 11:5
ment and Higgott-Kane. Their products and services at the South African site in Secunda, where Air Liquide is to
include gas turbine filterhouses, intake silencers, diverter commission what may be the most efficient air separation
dampers, bypass stacks with silencers, hot selective cat- plant in the world.
alytic reduction, hot exhaust stacks with silencing, heat The AIRMAX concept has been ordered for 19 trains,
recovery steam generators, waste heat recovery boilers, including a first running customer machine in Yulin (China).
turnkey acoustic or non-acoustic industrial buildings, This includes 11 trains for what will be the largest air sepa-
acoustic enclosures, acoustic barriers, and turnkey mod- ration plant in total, currently erected and commissioned at
ular compressor stations for unconventional gas. Innova Yichuan (China), the company said.
holds several patents and proprietary products, design MAN said the concept allows volume flows of up to 53
tools and data. million cfh (1.5 million m3/hr), enabling a production capac-
ity of up to 8000 tons of oxygen per day.
G2 Integrated Solutions
Andy Scott has joined G2 Inte- Exterran
grated Solutions (G2-IS) as its chief Exterran Corporation has appointed Girish Saligram as
technology officer. In this role he will president, Global Services.
lead the companys data and digital Saligram has been with GE Oil & Gas for the past 20 years,
innovation strategy, developing tech- and was most recently based in Houston as general manager,
nology-enabled services and software Downstream Products & Services. Prior to that, he led the GE
solutions that help clients manage risk, Oil & Gas Contractual Services business
keep systems compliant and optimize A. Scott in Florence, Italy.
asset and business performance. Saligram holds a masters degree in
Scott has 30 years of global business and technol- Computer Science from Virginia Tech
ogy leadership experience. Prior to joining G2-IS, Scott University and an MBA from Northwest-
served as vice president of Asset Integrity Services at ern University. He holds two patents and
Lloyds Register, where he led the turnaround of its U.S. is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt.
asset integrity acquisitions and the development of asset Steven Muck previously led the
performance/risk management software solution for cli- Global Services group. Muck has been
ents in the upstream, downstream, midstream and other appointed senior vice president of a G. Saligram
asset-intensive sectors. new organization created to combine the companys global
engineering and product line management.
MAN Diesel & Turbo
MAN Diesel & Turbo reported that it has produced the Correction
largest single turbomachinery unit in history. In the June edition, the turboexpander product range was
According to MAN, the AR-MAX1 140 is not only the incorrectly listed for MAN Diesel & Turbo in the
worlds largest industrial compressor, it is driven by a Compressor Specs-At-A-Glance. The correct range is up to
record-setting 64 MW electric motor. Following a successful 348 psi (24 bar). COMPRESSORtech2 regrets the error.

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 109


Cornerstones Of Compression story continued from page 112

n The engine belt drives a two-stage Ingersoll-Rand compressor (right) with a 10 ft. (3 m) diameter drive pulley.
A four-cylinder Miller, essentially two twins back-to-back followed by Watts death in 1939, and the big factory was in
sharing a common crankshaft, was introduced in 1906. other hands by WW II. However, a small shop making re-
Following Millers death in 1909, the company was taken placement parts operated in Springfield under the company
over by Elmer Austin Watts, a gifted machine designer name through the 1950s.
who had been with Miller for some years. Watts complete- A 300 hp (kW) Miller Model 3 enclosed gas engine is
ly redesigned the Miller engines, retaining the styling and in operable condition at the Coolspring Power Museum
essential features but changing the proportions and de- in Coolspring, Pennsylvania. From 1913 to 1976, it oper-
tails of construction. ated at a Northern Oil Co. compressor plant near Kane,
The Model 3, introduced in 1910, had cams and power- Pennsylvania. In a typical oil field application of the time,
operated intake valves, and there were no more air-servo gov- the engine was used to belt drive a huge Ingersoll-Rand air
ernors. Both single and twin-cylinder versions were offered. compressor that produced air to power old steam engines
The Model 3 captured much of the flour milling market in that pumped crude oil from the wells surrounding the plant.
the Midwest. Miller twins were well suited for all kinds of The engine has four cylinders in the quad-opposed or H
factories where power was taken to line shafting by a belt design and has a 17.5 in. bore x 22 in. stroke (445 x 559 mm),
running over the single central flywheel. In four-cylinder in- weighs 70,000 lb (31,746 kg). It is likely the only H design
stallations, the belt ran over the heads on one end and re- from any manufacturer still operable.
turned to the floor. For water pumping and electrical power A compressor failure ended the engines 63-year opera-
generation, however, the trend was increasingly toward di- tion at the Kane plant. After being moved to Coolspring and
rect-coupled installations; there was no good way to direct completely restored, it runs as smoothly today as it did on
couple to a crankshaft with an overhung throw on each end. the Miller test floor. The two-stage Ingersoll-Rand compres-
Needing to expand to another market, in 1913 Watts intro- sor has a 25 in. (635 mm) bore low-pressure cylinder and
duced a compressor cylinder of his own design that mounted a 15 in. (381 mm) bore high-pressure cylinder. The com-
in the same way as an engine cylinder. With two of these on pressor is driven by a 10 ft. (3 m) diameter drive pulley and
one end of a four-cylinder frame and power cylinders on the weighs 40,000 lb (18,141 kg).
other end, he had a self-contained unit that could be used Other Miller gas engines preserved at Coolspring include a
for compressing air or natural gas. Later, with a lengthened single-cylinder 80 hp (60 kW) model that originally powered a
frame, compressor cylinders were mounted between the natural gas compressor in West Virginia and a single-cylinder
power cylinders and the crossheads. Most of Millers sales 50 hp (37 kW) model from a milling company, which was in-
after 1920 were to the oil fields of Oklahoma and Wyoming. stalled in 1947, operated until 1956 and is believed to be the
An unsuccessful attempt to introduce a streamlined, last new engine Miller shipped. In addition, the museum is in-
integral-frame compressor engine in the mid-1930s was stalling a restored 150 hp (112 kW) Miller twin. CT2

COMPRESSORtech2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 111


Cornerstones Of Compression

n This restored 300 hp (224 kW) Miller Model 3 enclosed gas engine is operable at the Coolspring (Pennsylvania) Power Museum.

The Miller Improved Gas Engine


Builder pioneered the overhung crank throw
in twin-cylinder engines

BY NORM SHADE

W
hen Charles A. Miller founded the Miller Gas engines required three or more bearings, which could get
Engine Co. in Springfield, Ohio, in 1897, compa- out of alignment and cause catastrophic crankshaft failure.
nies such as Superior, Foos and Springfield had The Miller crankshaft needed only two bearings and could
already established the city as a center of natural gas en- be manufactured economically with very conservative di-
gine production. By 1901, Miller employed 50 workers and mensions and assembled with a few simple pieces. There
the company name was changed to the Miller Improved is no record of one of Millers crankshafts having fractured.
Gas Engine Co. Production facilities were moved in 1902 to His use of crossheads allowed pistons to operate with more
a new 73 x 330 ft. (22 x 101 m) building with a central assem- clearance in his cylinders, avoiding the need for water-
bly bay where the crane ran on 12 x 24 in. (305 x 610 mm) cooled pistons. Interestingly, the only patented feature of
wooden timbers. Additions to the building in 1915 and 1916 the Miller engines was an air-servo governor, perhaps its
more than doubled the original area. least successful detail.
The earliest Miller gas engines were single-cylinder mod- The Miller Model 2, in production by 1903, featured high-
els from 5 to 20 hp (4 to 15 kW), but the market increas- tension ignition spark plugs that could be charged while the
ingly demanded larger engines. For several years, Miller engine was running and introduced the pressure-balanced
offered only conservatively rated twin-cylinder models that exhaust valve, which was used on all subsequent Millers.
produced 50 to 150 hp (37 to 112 kW). Miller was an early The valve opened easily against pressure remaining in the
advocate of the overhung crank throw in twin-cylinder gas cylinder, easing the loading on the valve gear, and it did not
engines a design widely copied by his competition. tend to stick open during the intake stroke when exposed
At the time, it was thought that the large forces of a gas to manifold vacuum. Without using cams, a clever exhaust
engine required a center-throw crankshaft machined from a path arrangement actually applied vacuum to help hold the
single block of steel, which was always the most expensive valves shut, and any leakage past them was returned to the
piece in the engine. To complicate matters more, twin gas intake manifold.
continued on page 111

112 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016 COMPRESSORtech2


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