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© 2016 Air Products, For Internal Use Only

Compressors Training

College: MAKE

Produced by: Learning Solutions Services

© 2016 Air Products, For Internal Use Only
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How This Training Works

Purpose: The purpose of this training is to allow the learner to get access
to all the training material about compressors that they may need but
not have all the compressor modules assigned to their profile. The
learner is empowered to get exactly the training they need, download
material for future reference, without being required to take unnecessary
training for their job roles.
Directions on completing this course:
1. Review the following slides to get an overview of Compressors and how we use them
in Air Products.
2. At the end of the slides, there will be links to take you to the other Compressor
courses. Choose the courses that you need to take based on what you have at your
site. You can also bookmark the site and/or download the training material so that you
can use it to reference in the future.
3. See last slide for more details

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Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of training, you will be able to:
 Define why compression is used in a plant
 Describe principles of gas compression
 Identify which compressors are used in which plants

Stay Tuned at the end of the slides gives more

information on how to complete this training!

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Gas Compression
Compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas from low
pressure to high pressure by using some external energy.
Compression is the act of reducing the volume or space that a given mass of gas
occupies. Gas temperature and pressure increase when a gas is compressed.

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Gas Compression
Compression is used in several places in APCI plants. Below are three main areas:
 Feed Compression: The purpose of feed compression is to elevate a source gas to
the pressure level required by the process and to overcome the system resistance
of the components. (System resistance is a friction loss caused by gas molecules
rubbing along the walls of the piping system.)
 Recycle Compression: A recycle compressor is used to re-elevate a gas in an open
or closed loop process system to the pressure level required for refrigeration or a
process reactor service.
 Product Compression: Product compressors are used to take product gas from the
plant pressure level to the pressure required by the customer and/or pipeline
system.

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Feed Compression
For example, in an Air Separation Unit (ASU), the process pressure level is defined as the
pressure when oxygen and nitrogen can be separated efficiently. This is generally in the
area of 7 bar absolute (bar a) [100 psia pounds per square inch absolute (psia)].

As another example, in a Hydrogen Carbon Monoxide (HYCO) plant, the reformer blends
methane gas and steam at a pressure level of approximately 27.6 to 41 bar a [400 to 600
psia].

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Recycle Compression
For example, in a home air conditioner, Freon gas is compressed to a higher pressure
level. At this point, the heat of compression is removed in a gas-to-air heat exchanger.
When the gas in the loop is now expanded, it cools. This gas is then exchanged with air
in your room, cooling the air to a temperature below the natural surroundings.

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Product Compression
For example, steel mills generally require oxygen at pressure levels between 17 and 31
bar a [250 and 450 psia]. Since the process box produces oxygen at pressure levels
between 1.2 and 2 bar a [16.5 and 28 psia], a product compressor is required to elevate
the pressure.

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Basic Compressor Types

There are the various types of compressors available. Each compressor was
developed for a specific flow and pressure duty combination.
There are two basic principles of compression:
 Positive Displacement: Operate by trapping a specific
volume of gas and forcing it into a smaller volume.
 Dynamic Compression: Operate by accelerating the gas and
converting it the energy to pressure.

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Positive Displacement Principle

In the positive displacement compressor, the pressure of a gas is increased by reducing
its volume -- by literally squeezing it together, to increase the pressure. The more the
volume is reduced, the more the pressure rises.
This is accomplished by drawing gas into a volume which is then closed off and reduced
until the required pressure is reached.
A basic example of the positive displacement principle is a bicycle pump. Successive
volumes of air are injected into the tire causing the tire to become more round and rigid
with each stroke of the pump. The difference between a flat tire and a properly inflated
tire is the volume of air contained between the tire and its rim.

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Positive Displacement Compressors

Once the pressure in the compression chamber has
attained the same level as the pressure in the
delivery pipe, a valve or port opens and the gas is
discharged from the compression chamber at a
constant pressure.
Some common examples of Positive Displacement
Compressors are:
 Reciprocation Compressors (piston)
 Screw Compressors
 Rotary Lobe Compressors

WARNING! It is very important not to operate positive displacement compressors with the discharge valve closed
or relief valve blocked because positive displacement compressors continue to compress until something breaks.
For example, if you continued to pump air into a bicycle tire either the tire will burst or a component of the pump
will break.

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Reciprocating Compressor
Reciprocating compressors increase pressure
through the action of a piston moving in a
cylinder.
The piston moves back to allow gas into the
cylinder. The intake valve closes and the piston
moves forward to compress the gas to the
desired pressure. Then the discharge valve opens
and the piston pushes the compressed gas out of
the cylinder.

Types of Reciprocating Compressors are:

Single Acting: gas is only compressed on one side of the piston
Double Acting: gas can be compressed on both sides of the piston
Diaphragm: compression of gas occurs by means of a flexible membrane instead of an
intake element

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Diaphragm Compressor
In a Diaphragm Compressor, as the oil above the piston is forced against the back of the
diaphragm, it will deform, compressing the gas between the diaphragm and the head.
When the gas volume decreases enough to raise the pressure above that of the discharge
valve, the discharge valve opens letting gas flow to its final use point.

NOTE: To see animation, view

in slide show view.

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Screw Compressor Principle

In a Screw Compressor, the volume of the air or gas is progressively reduced along the
length of the screw, causing the pressure to increase.

Rotary Screw Element Design: Note that the two screws in a Timing
Screw Compressor are located relative to each other through Gear
the timing gear assembly. The precision timing gear keeps the
clearance between screws the same at all times. Close
clearances reduce the amount of gas leakage back to the
compressor suction.

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Liquid Ring Compressor

The Liquid Ring compressor also uses the positive displacement principle. The volume
of air changes because the water wall moves in and out of the impellers from the inlet
sector to the discharge sector.

As you can see, the light colored area of the

compressor is filled with gas, which is
illustrated as small dots. Look at each
impeller in the compression sector to the
discharge. You will see that the area is
getting smaller as the rotor moves towards
the discharge sector. This means the gas is
getting compressed.

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Rotary Lobe Blower

A rotary lobe blower pushes a volume of gas from inlet (bottom) to discharge (top).
There is no internal compression of the gas within the rotary lobe blower. The
compression happens when the gas is forced into the discharge pipe.

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Basic Centrifugal Compressor Design

Dynamic (or centrifugal) units are those in which the velocity (or kinetic energy) is
converted into pressure.

Note that the faster the weight on the end of the string spins, the more pressure one
feels holding the string. This is the velocity effect.

Now let’s convert the velocity (or kinetic energy) into pressure.

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Converting Kinetic Energy into Pressure

Two examples of conversion of kinetic energy into
pressure are the waterfall and the rifle.
In a waterfall, when the water drops over the edge,
the falling speed of the water increases due to
gravity. Velocity energy is added to the falling
water by gravity. When the water hits the rocks at
the bottom at high speed, this kinetic energy is
transformed into pressure. If you stood beneath a
waterfall you would notice this pressure!

A rifle bullet contains energy in the form of gun powder. When the shell is fired, the
energy of the burning powder is transferred to the bullet in the form of velocity. When
the bullet hits an object, this velocity energy is transformed into pressure (or impact).

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Dynamic Working Principle

Applying the dynamic principle to
compression:
In the first step, energy is added to the
gas in the form of velocity (or kinetic
energy) by means of a rotating set of
angled blades in the impeller. Think back
to the ball on a string.
In the second step, this kinetic energy is
converted into pressure energy by
slowing the gas down in the stationary
diffuser. Think back to the waterfall and
the rifle.

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Centrifugal Compressor Fundamentals

Consider a centrifugal compressor. The
pressure rise is partly generated by the
centrifugal force in the wheel (or impeller)
and partly by velocity change into pressure,
which happens in the diffuser and the volute.
First, the gas is drawn into a rapidly rotating
wheel and accelerated to a high velocity. It is
then discharged through a diffuser, where its
kinetic energy is converted into pressure.
The gas enters the rotating impeller (like the
wheel) at the eye (or center). The gas is
accelerated as it whips through the impeller.

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Centrifugal Compressor Fundamentals

Immediately after being flung from the impeller, the velocity starts changing into
pressure, either in the diffuser or volute, which have a relatively large volume, so the
velocity is quickly lowered. As the velocity slows down, the final discharge pressure is
reached.
Examples of centrifugal compressors include:
● Single and multiple stage integrally geared compressors
● Inline compressors
● Axial compressors
● Centrifugal blowers
Let’s take a look at some examples of these now.

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Single and Multi Stage Centrifugal Compressors

Single Stage: This is a typical single stage centrifugal compressor
layout. You can see the eye of the impeller and the discharge
flange very clearly.

Multistage: Below is a schematic representation of a multistage

integrally geared compressor.
An integral gear compressor means that the drive gear
(commonly called bull gear) runs at the motor shaft speed. The
numbers shown are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd stages.

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Integrally Geared Centrifugal Compressor

This is how the gas is passed through each stage of compression to the next.
Stages are attached to rotors which run at very high speeds. Each stage of compression
is cooled in an intercooler before being recompressed.
Intercooling removes the heat of compression from the previous stage before the next
stage of compression, i.e., hot gas is cooled.

This type of compressor is found in all our Air Separation

Plants Worldwide.
It’s used for a number of functions including:
 Main Air Feed Compression
 Recycle Compression
 Product Compression

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Other Types of Centrifugal Compressors

Inline Centrifugal Compressors have all the impellers
mounted on a common shaft and running at the same speed.
This compressor can be found in many of our older tonnage
oxygen plants.

Centrifugal blowers are used mainly in oxygen vacuum swing

adsorption (VSA) plants for product compression to
approximately 1 bar gauge (bar g) [15 pounds per square inch
gauge (psig)].

Axial compressors operate at very high flow rates. Typical

uses are for blast furnace blowing and compression in a jet
engine on a plane.

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Typical Flow and Pressure Ranges

Flow and pressure requirements will dictate which Type Flow Range Pressure
type of compressor should be used. Reciprocating Low Low
Medium Medium
This table classifies which compressors can be used High

for a flow and pressure requirement. Centrifugal Medium Low

High Medium
High
For example, a Reciprocating Compressor and a
Axial Very High Flow Low
Screw Compressor can both be used for low to
Diaphragm Very Low Flow Medium
medium flow ranges and a medium pressure range. Very High
The selection of a Screw Compressor or Screw Low-Medium Medium
Reciprocating Compressor will be driven by other Rotary Lobe Low-Medum Low
factors such as capital cost and maintenance cost.

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Compressor Terminology
You may be wondering how fans and blowers differ from compressors. They’re actually
all compressors. Fans and blowers just operate at lower pressures.
For fans, the discharge pressure is typically measured in millimeters of water (or inches
of water). Examples include ceiling fans like you might have in your house and cooling
tower fans like you would find in a plant.
Blowers are either positive displacement or centrifugal and are limited to about 2 bar g
(30 psig). Examples include VSA (Vacuum Swing Adsorption) feed compressors and
oxygen product compressors.
The term ‘compressor’ is used to refer to all types of compression above 2 bar g (30
psig).

For more information take Compressors- Basic Terminology

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Typical Compressors Used in APCI Plants

Plant Type Compression Used
Air Separation (O, N, AR Gas) Centrifugal, Reciprocating, Liquid Ring
HyCO- Steam Methane Reformer Reciprocating, Centrifugal
Oxygen VSAs, CO VSAs Blowers (Centrifugal & Rotary Lobe)
Small Pressure Swing Adsorption Screws, Reciprocating
Large PSAs Centrifugal
HyCO PSAs Multi-service Reciprocating, Screws
Membrane Systems Screws
Cylinder Fill Diaphragms, Small Reciprocating
Helium Screws
Electronics, Ultra High Purity Nitrogen Centrifugal
Chemical Plants In-line Centrifugal Turbine Driven
Integral Gear for Plant Air

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More Compressor Training

1. Click on the button below to see a list of courses that relate to each
one.
2. Each course will show who should take the course and gives a
purpose of the course. Some modules are only needed if your plant
has that type of compressor.
3. Choose the courses that you need to take based on what you have at your site. You
can also bookmark the site and/or download the training material so that you can
use it to reference in the future.
Note: you will need to be in slideshow to be able to click on the links.
Reciprocating
Centrifugal Compressors Screw Compressors
Compressor

All Compressor Training

Diaphragm Compressors
Share Site

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Conclusion
In this course, you learned:
 Why compression is used a plant.
 Principles of gas compression
 Which compressors are used in which plants
 How to access other Compressor Modules that pertain to your site.

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