Improving Machinery Reliability

433 Pages·1998·26.506 MB·English

by  Heinz P. Bloch (Eds.)

Reciprocating
Compressors
Gulf Professional Publishing
an imprint of Butterworth-Hememann
Reciprocating
Compressors
OPERATION
MAINTENNAANNCCEE
H E I NZ P. B L O CK
A ND
J O HN J. H O E F N ER
This book is dedicated to the mechanics,
technicians, engineers, and managers whose quest
for excellence leads them to be resourceful...
and who recognize that resourcefulness includes
reaching for the written word.
Copyright © 1996 by Butterworth-Heinemann. All rights reserved. Printed in
the United States of America. This book, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.
Originally published by Gulf Publishing Company,
Houston, TX.
For information, please contact:
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10 9 8 7 6 5 43
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bloch, Heinz P., 1933-
Reciprocating compressors : operation and
maintenance / Heinz P. Bloch, John J. Hoefner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88415-525-0 (alk. paper)
1. Compressors. 2. Compressors—Maintenance
and repair. I. Hoefner, John J. II. Title.
TJ990.B547 1996
621.5'1—dc20 96-3059
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
Printed on Acid-Free Paper (<*>)
IV
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, vii
PREFACE, ix
1 RECIPROCATING COMPRESSORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS 1
Introduction. What Is a Compressor? How Compressors Work.
Methods of Compression. Types of Compressors. Compressor
Definitions. Pressure. Pressure Definitions Associated with
Compressors. Theory of Reciprocating Compressors.
Characteristics of Reciprocating Compressors. Compressor Type
Selection, Reciprocating Compressor Cylinder Arrangements.
2 DESIGN AND MATERIALS FOR RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR
COMPONENTS 44
Materials of Construction. Non-Lubricated or Oil-Free Cylinder
Construction. Piston Rod Column or Frame Loading. Disturbing or
Shaking Forces. Foundations for Reciprocating Compressors.
Compressor Piping and Pulsation. Design Overview of Labyrinth
Piston Compressors.
3 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF RECIPROCATING
COMPRESSORS 107
Lubrication of Reciprocating Compressors. Operational Problems
and Maintenance of Compressor Valves. Compressor Piston Rod
Packing. Compressor Control Systems. Compressor Cylinder
Cooling. Non-Lubricated Compressor Maintenance. Labyrinth-
Piston Compressors.
4 OVERHAUL AND REPAIR OF RECIPROCATING COMPRESSORS 227
Rule of Thumb for General Running Clearances. Compressor
Alignment. Web Deflection Measurements. Compressor Cylinder
Alignment. Foundation Problems and Repairs. Compressor
Bearing Maintenance and Replacement. Cylinder Repair and
Maintenance. Compressor Piston Maintenance. Rebuilding
Compressor Pistons. Installing Pistons Bn Piston Rods. Setting
Piston End Clearances. Inspection and Reconditioning Piston
Rods. Manufacture of Compressor Piston Rods. Other Compressor
Component Repairs. Compressor Part Replication.
5 TROUBLESHOOTING COMPRESSOR PROBLEMS
Introduction. Compressor Problems. Typical Compressor
Problems. Troubleshooting Lubrication Systems. Significance of
Intercooler Pressures. Interstage Pressures. Belt Drives. Motor
Controls. Diagnostic Tests. Evaluating Reciprocating Compressor
Condition Using Ultrasound and Vibration Patterns. Compressor
Service Technician Reports. Basic Air Compressor System
Evaluation.
6 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE FOR RECIPROCATING
COMPRESSORS 340
:
Introduction. Compressor Maintenance. Emergency Repairs
Should Be Minimized. Effectiveness of Preventive Maintenance.
Compressor Preventive Maintenance Program. Spare Parts. Vendor
Selection. Personnel Training. Maintenance Contractors. Predictive
Maintenance. Integrated Condition Monitoring Systems.
7 SAFETY IN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 30
Basic Safety Rules. Lock-Out/Tag-Out Program. Safe Maintenance
Procedures Restated. Valve Installation. Fires and Explosions.
Summary. Air Piping.
APPENDIX: RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR CALCULATIONS, 389
INDEX, 408
VI
Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to a number of compressor manufacturers for
granting permission to use copyrighted material for this text. First among
these is Dresser-Rand's Olean, New York, facility—successor company
to John Hoefner's original employer, The Worthington Compressor Com-
pany of Buffalo, New York. We also acknowledge Ingersoll-Dresser
(Painted Post, New York), Sulzer-Burckhardt (Wmterthur, Switzerland)
for allowing us to use material on labyrinth piston machines, and Nuovo
Pignone (Florence, Italy) whose input on ethylene hyper-compressors
originated from one of their technical publications, Quaderni Pignone.
The reader should note that this text was originally compiled for a
three-day intense course presented by the authors for the Center for Pro-
fessional Advancement, East Brunswick, New Jersey. Please contact the
center for information on in-plant and public presentations.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this text has been compiled from various
sources. It is believed to be reliable and to represent the best current
opinion or practice relative to this topic. Neither the authors nor the
equipment manufacturers or the publisher offers any warranty, guarantee,
or representations as to its absolute correctness or sufficiency. The
authors, equipment manufacturers, and publisher assume no responsibili-
ty in connection therewith; nor should it be assumed that all acceptable
safety and regulatory measures are contained herein, or that other or
additional information may or may not be required under particular or
exceptional conditions or circumstances.
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Preface
One doesn't have to do too much research to establish how old recip-
rocating compressor technology really is. If steam turbines ushered in die
Industrial Revolution over 200 years ago, reciprocating compressors
couldn't have been far behind.
On a visit to an Iowa-based equipment manufacturer in 1989, I was
amazed to see how a 1908-vintage reciprocating compressor satisfied
their around-the-clock plant air requirements dependably and efficiently.
Eighty years with nothing but routine, albeit conscientious, "tender lov-
ing care" maintenance! What an endorsement of the skill of the original
designers, machine builders, and generations of maintenance craftsmen.
It's only fair to say that the old turn-of-the-century compressor was
designed with greater margins of safety, or strength, or capacity to sur-
vive abuse than today's higher rotating speed and higher linear piston
velocity reciprocating machines. Many of today's compressors are likely
to have been designed with the emphasis on reduced weight, less floor
space and, let's face it, least cost. The concepts of maintainability, sur-
veillability, and true life cycle cost are too new to be taught in modem
universities and engineering colleges. The reward system for project
managers, process design contractors, and project engineers is largely
based on capital cost savings and rapid schedules. Regrettably, even the
commitment to maintenance excellence of many of today's managers and
mechanic/technicians is not always as sound, or as rigorous and consis-
tent, as it perhaps was a few decades ago.
Today, everyone speaks of reliability, but many of these well-meaning
folks seem to be "forgetful hearers" instead of "doers." There are pre-
cious few instances where the maintenance or reliability technician is
given either the time or the training to determine the true root causes of
equipment failures. Scores of workers are instructed to find the defective
part, replace it with a new one, and get the machine back in service. But
IX