Burckhardt Compression : Optimized energy efficiency and fewer emissions after compressor revamp
November 24, 2022 at 03:24 am EST
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Optimized energy efficiency and fewer emissions after compressor revamp
November 24, 2022 | Success Story, Petrochemical/Chemical Industry, Middle East & Africa, Process Gas Compressor
Our customer, a global chemicals company, operates two vertical Process Gas Compressors in their petrochemical plant. High leakages, reduced gas flow, temperature issues and a very short lifetime of wear parts led to frequent compressor shutdowns and wasteful energy consumption. A detailed system integrity analysis by Burckhardt Compression identified inappropriate tribology material and design as the root cause of all problems.
What the customer says:
"We were struggling with the short lifetimes of the piston rod and packing rings. Burckhardt Compression's solution with the right selection of material helped us to increase compressor availability significantly. Thanks to their analysis, we now better understand the component failure modes. Our second compressor, which was plagued by the same issues, is now being revamped by Burckhardt Compression, too."
Customer Challenges:
The two compressors were operated in parallel, without any standby compressors as back-up
Unexpected compressor shutdowns and decreasing output
High maintenance costs, due to constant replacement of wear and capital parts
Challenging dry-running application
High leakages
Reduced gas flow and temperature issues
[Link]Proper surfaces roughness is critical. Thorough analyses showed that the surface of the cylinder liner was too smooth.
Dry-running ethylene application
Type
Process Gas Compressor
Gas
Ethylene
Power
700 kW / 940 hp
Suction pressure
Discharge pressure
10 bara / 145 psia
35 bara / 507 psia
Speed
424 rpm
Lubrication
Dry running
Burckhardt Compression Solution
Profound compressor system integrity analysis carried out by our experts onsite
Analysis showed that the cylinder liner was damaged due to inappropriate piston ring material
Recommendations made based on the analysis
Upgrade of piston/packing rings to Persisto® 850, a material that has been specially developed for sealing applications in dry-running reciprocating compressors
Repair of piston rod, applying proper coating material and roughness
Refurbishment of packing and all other components at our local Service Center
[Link]Piston and packing rings were upgraded to Persisto® 850, a material specially developed for dry-running applications.
Customer Benefits
No safety incidents
Elimination of bad actors
Energy savings by avoiding internal losses
Reduction of emissions
Internal leakage was eliminated and nominal gas flow restored
Substantially increased wear parts' lifetime and reduction of maintenance costs
Burckhardt Compression Holding AG published this content on 24 November 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 24 November 2022 08:23:07 UTC.
Burckhardt Compression Holding AG is a Switzerland-based manufacturer of reciprocating compressors. The Company's product portfolio comprises compressor valves, rings, capital parts, labyrinth piston compressor components, and hyper and secondary compressor components. Its customized compressor systems are used in the upstream and downstream oil and gas, gas transport and storage, refinery, chemical, petrochemical and industrial gas sectors. The Company also provides related services, such as repair and maintenance, installation, condition monitoring and diagnostics, and spare parts. It is present in more than 80 countries and operates production and assembly facilities in Switzerland, India, China, the United States and South Korea.