Professional Documents
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Petroleum Gas
Compression
Part of the
Petroleum Processing Technology Series
OPITO
THE OIL & GAS ACADEMY
4
Petroleum Open Learning
Petroleum Gas Compression – Unit 4 - Other Types of Compressor
(Part of the Petroleum Processing Technology Series)
Contents Page
4.1
Petroleum Open Learning
Training Targets
When you have completed Unit 4 of the Petroleum Gas Compression series you will be able to :
• List the main types of compressor used in the petroleum industry other than centrifugal and
reciprocating compressors
• Describe the construction and operation of four types of rotary positive displacement compressors
• Describe the construction and operation of the axial and mixed flow of dynamic compressors
• Describe the construction and operation of the ejector type fluidic compressor
4.2
Petroleum Gas Compression – Unit 4 - Other Types of Compressor Petroleum Open Learning
Introduction
In Units 2 and 3 of this compressor programme we From the family tree you can see that we must
concentrated on two types of compressor : consider a few more machines to complete our study
of compressors.
• reciprocating
Test Yourself 4.1 In this Unit, therefore, we will tie up the loose ends in
• centrifugal the programme on compression by taking a brief look
at these other types.
These are the common types of compressor found in Test a typical compressor family tree, naming the
petroleum production operations. types of compressor in each main branch. I do not intend to go into nearly so much detail as I did
in Units 2 and 3. In fact, we will limit ourselves to just
However, they are by no means the only cornoressors two sections.
in use. You will remember from Unit 1 that we
classified compressors into a number of different In Section 1 we will look at the basic construction
categories and represented this as a family tree and operating principles of another type of positive
displacement compressor, namely the rotary
compressors. (In the family tree, we also included the
diaphragm type of reciprocating machine. However,
Check your recall of Unit 1 now by trying the following You will find the answer in Check Yourself 4.1 on I do not intend to say anything further about this
Test Yourself question. page 4,18 compressor.)
4.3
Petroleum Gas Compression – Unit 4 - Other Types of Compressor Petroleum Open Learning
• screw type
• lobe type
• vane type
4.4
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The compressor casing contains two precision The incoming gas is trapped between the compressor
machined, helical screw rotors. One of these rotors has casing and the tips of the lobes. As the lobes are fitted
splines, giving it a male profile. These splines mesh close together, no gas can escape backwards between
with grooves in the other, female, rotor. The rotors are the lobes themselves. The trapped mass of gas is
usually of small diameter. This small diameter allows then pushed forwards towards the delivery end of the
shaft speeds of up to 20 000 rpm. compressor, with no reduction in volume.
From the answer to this Test Yourself you can see that
the back pressure in the delivery pipework determines
the outlet pressure of this compressor.
The drum carries a number of vanes. These are free to slide back and forth within slots machined into the rotor.
As the drum rotates. the vanes are thrown out by centrifugal force so that they contact the casing. Sometimes
spring loading assists in this.
4.6
Petroleum Open Learning
They are occasionally found in Heating, Ventilation Figure 4, on the next page, shows diagramatically
and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems, In this the construction of a liquid ring compressor.
service are used both as air blowers and as
refrigerant compressors.
4.7
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4.8
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4.9
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3. These compressors are for low pressure applications and are sometimes called blowers
8. The small diameter of the rotors allows shaft speeds of up to 20 000 rpm.
You will find the answers in Check Yourself 4.3 on page 4.19
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Petroleum Gas Compression – Unit 4 - Other Types of Compressor Petroleum Open Learning
4.11
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4.12
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You will find the answers in Check Yourself 4.4 on page 4.19
4.13
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Fluidic Compressors
In Fluidic compressors, a carrier fluid is accelerated in
order to transfer its energy to another fluid.
Ejectors
Ejectors (or Eductors) are names used to describe
equipment which operates to the Bernoulli Principle.
Figure 7(b) illustrates this relationship in the form of a As the fluid enters the the pressure falls At the exit from the restriction, the reverse
graph. and the velocity increases. This occurs as occurs, as you can see.
pressure energy is converted kinetic energy.
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Figure 8 shows a restriction built a of equipment called an ejector A fluid, called the driving fluid, is pumped, at high
This restriction, similar to the one shown in Figure 7, is called a venturi tube. velocity, through the venturi tube of the ejector via
an inlet nozzle. The underside of the ejector is
connected to the gas inlet. As the driving fluid enters
the venturi tube, its velocity increases and its pressure
falls. This reduction in pressure pulls gas from the gas
inlet and entrains it in the driving fluid.
This can create a vacuum at the gas inlet and, in fact
this type of equipment can also be called a vacuum
pump.
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Petroleum Open Learning
Summary of Section 2
In this short section we have had a look at some of the other compressors which fall into the
continuous flow category. These were:
• ejectors
You saw that the first two were dynamic machines. They work in a similar manner to the centrifugal
compressor which we considered in Unit 2 of this Compression Series
The axial flow compressor uses rotor blades which act as impeller blades, and stator blades which act as
diffusers. The flow of gas through such a machine is parallel to the shaft, hence the name axial flow.
The ejector, however, works in a different way and has no moving parts. It relies on a driving fluid creating a
low pressure zone. This type of equipment is often used in water injection and produced water applications.
Further units in the Petroleum Processing Technology Series will explore these applications more fully.
Now, before leaving the Unit, try the final Test Yourself question.
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Petroleum Open Learning
Decide to which type of compressor and which branch of the family tree (positive displacement or continuous
flow) the following compressor components belong. I have done the first one as an example.
You will find the answers in Check Yourself 4.5 on page 4.20
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With the piston and screw types, the 1. screw type 1. Kinetic energy is imparted not potential
compressor traps a mass of gas and reduces energy
its volume, to achieve compression, The lobe 2. vane type
type compressor simply pushes a fixed volume 2. Rotor blades not stator blades are attached
of gas into a higher pressure discharge. 3. lobe type to the impeller
7. lobe type 5. Inlet guide vanes guide the gas into the
first centrifugal impeller not the axial flow
8. screw type impeller.
4.19
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4.20