Centrifugal

Compressor System

Process Design
Prepared by: Ankur Srivastava
Chemical Engineer
[email protected]
Compressor
Types
Compressor Selection Chart
 • Characterized by the axial direction of
flow through Machine
Axial • Smaller & more efficient than centrifugal
Compressors – for an equivalent flow rating
A Dynamic • More expensive than Centrifugal
Type • Lower pressure rise per stage or lower
pressure ratio compared to centrifugal. It
takes approximately twice as many stages
to perform the same pressure ratio as
would be required by a centrifugal
 • API STD 617 - Axial and Centrifugal Compressors and Expander-
compressors

• Latest Edition is 8th Edition

• ISO 10439-1:2015 to ISO 10439-4:2015 (Four Parts) - Petroleum,

petrochemical and natural gas industries - Axial and centrifugal
compressors and expander-compressors

Standard for • API STD 617 scope: This std specifies min. requirements & gives

Axials & recommendations for axial compressors, single-shaft & integrally geared
process compressors, & expander-compressors for special purpose
applications that handle gas or process air in the petroleum, chemical and
Centrifugals gas industries

• API STD 617 does not cover:

 Fans or blowers that develop less than 34 kPa (5 psi) pressure rise
above atmospheric pressure

 It does not apply to packaged, integrally-geared centrifugal plant and

instrument air compressors which are covered by API 672
 Why Centrifugal?

• It is a mature technology
• Suitable for large capacities
• Power Range from 0.4 to 40 MW
• Small footprint
• High Availability (99%)
• Less Maintenance
 Dynamic Compressor

Achieves a pressure rise by adding Kinetic Energy /

Velocity to fluid

Centrifugal Narrow range of operations

Characteristics
Operates close to design point due to its
characteristics

Capacity control is simple using either Suction

Throttle or Speed Control

Can be used for pushing large volumes of gas (large

volumetric capacity)
Flow Rates

• A flow rate of approx. 180

m3/h is considered min. for
any impeller

With decrease of flow rate

towards this limit the
efficiency falls of steeply
 • With proper seals no limitation on lower
pressures
• Upper limit of operating pressure is limited by
Application the use of thicker components and the no. of
stages in a single casing (generally limited to 8)
Pressure • For horizontally split designs, discharge pressures
Range are generally up to 100 bar
• For radially split (barrel) designs, discharge
pressures can be up to 800 bar
• High suction pressures lead to difficulties in
sealing and majority applications have suction
pressures less than 200 bar
Horizontally
Split &
Radially Split
(Barrel) Type
 • Low Temperatures
Can be used for temperatures as low as
-75⁰C with due consideration of materials
Application which provide ductility & with sufficient
brittle strength. Sealing materials should
Temperature be compatible.
Range
• High Temperatures
Commonly encountered are 180-190⁰C.
For higher temperatures up to 230⁰C cool
buffer gas may be injected.
 • The compression ratio or head defines the
number of stages or impellers
• However, a general rule is to have only
Number of nine impellers per casing in a single
section centrifugal & eight impellers per
Stages casing for a two-section centrifugal
• In the special case of a compressor having
a side stream entry the maximum no of
impellers should be seven per casing
Rotative
Speed

• Higher rotative speeds give improved performance in terms of work per

stage
• A general rule of thumb is that impeller tip speed should normally range
between 650 and 900 ft/sec (198 and 274 m/s) for fully enclosed impeller
designs.
• For open impeller design the maximum tip speed limit is higher due to the
reduced centrifugal forces generated with the absence of the mass of the
cover.
 • Two types in industry practice:
 Isentropic Efficiency
 Polytropic Efficiency
Isentropic:
Efficiency -1 Basic compression process is an adiabatic
reversible process (isentropic)
ηis = isentropic compression work / actual
compression work
 • Polytropic

For centrifugal compressors, this efficiency is commonly

used in work or power calculations.

The polytropic process follows a path such that the

polytropic exponent is constant during the process,
PVn = constant
where:
n = polytropic exponent
Efficiency -2 The polytropic exponent n and the isentropic exponent k
(applied to ideal frictionless adiabatic process) are related
as follows:

where, ηpoly = polytropic efficiency

𝑛− 1 𝑘 −1
𝑛
=
𝑘
×
𝜂
1
 • Polytropic (continued)

The polytropic efficiency can also be calculated

based on the inlet volume flow since the polytropic
efficiency is nearly proportional to the logarithm of
the inlet gas volume flow rate

Efficiency -3 Refer the link below on the relationship between

in the polytropic efficiency and inlet gas volume
flow rate:
Polytropic Head
Calculation
Formula
Gas The gas horsepower is calculated as follows:
Horsepower
Calculation
Formula

where,
M = mass flow rate of gas, kg/h
Hpoly = Polytropic Head, N.m/kg
ηpoly = polytropic efficiency
Shaft Horsepower Calculation Formula
• The shaft horsepower is greater than the gas horsepower because
there are mechanical losses during transmission from the driver to
the driven (compressor)
• Mechanical losses can be approximated as a percentage of the gas
horsepower requirement
• Table 1 provides the mechanical losses
Gas Discharge Temperature Formula
• The gas discharge temperature is given by the following formula:

where,
T1 = suction absolute temperature, K
T2 = discharge absolute temperature, K
P1 = suction absolute pressure, bar (abs) or kPa(a)
P2 = discharge absolute pressure, bar (abs) or kPa(a)
 • In terms of work done per unit mass in SI
system of units it is N.m/kg

Since compression is change in enthalpy from h1

of gas at inlet conditions (1) to h2 at outlet
Various Units conditions (2), it can also be expressed in units
of enthalpy.
for Polytropic
Head 1 N.m/kg = 10-3 kJ/kg

Expressing the polytropic unit in terms of simply

length units (meters) is done as follows:

1 N.m/kg = 0.102 m
 • Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the API 617 (latest) datasheet which is also
available in MS-Excel format to fill up the process data

• What process data needs to be filled in?

 Define the suction and discharge conditions (P,T, Flowrate) and

gas composition

 Define all possible options of suction and discharge conditions,

Datasheet gas composition that are present and likely to be there in the
future
Preparation  In oil & gas applications it is often observed that during
summer and winter the suction/discharge conditions of
produced gas changes. Define all the cases based on ambient
conditions

VENDOR SELECTS MACHINE BASED ON THE COMPLETE OPERATING

ENVELOPE. AND THE CONSULTANT / CLIENT IS RESPONSIBLE TO
PROVIDE THAT.
 • Input from the compressor vendor
• Relationship of Flow vs. Head (polytropic,
isentropic)
Performance • Surge point and choking (stone wall)
• Variation with RPM
Curves • Input to HYSYS for generation of
performance at different conditions
Generic
Schematic of a
Performance
Map
where,
Hp = Polytropic Head
Qs = Inlet Volume
Flow
Generic
Schematic of a
Performance
Map
where,
Pd = discharge pressure
ṁ = mass flow
Performance Curve
expressed as % of inlet
volume flow vs % of Design
Head / Power- Low
Compression Ratio
Performance Curve
expressed as % of inlet
volume flow vs % of Design
Head / Power- Higher
Compression Ratio
Performance
Data
 • HYSYS simulation model
• Based on the Compressor performance
data
• Forms the basis for material and energy
Process balance.
Simulation • Defines the cooler heat duty.
• Generates property data for the
calculations.
• Typical example
Process
Simulation
 • Compressor and Motor
• Coupling (e.g. Voith)
• Lube oil System
System • Seal oil / Seal gas system
Components • Scrubbers
• Piping and Instrumentation
• Air Coolers
System
Components
 • No seal oil system required
• No need to dispose/clean up
contaminated oil
• Eliminates fouling problems due to oil
ingress in process streams
• Less gas loss
Dry Gas Seal • The dry gas seal advantages significantly
outweigh the seal oil benefits
Systems-1
Refer the link below for Dry Gas Seal
Systems:
Dry Gas Seal Systems-2:
P&ID
 • Settle out Calculations
• Blowdown calculation
Process • Pipe sizing calculations
Calculations • Hydrate calculations
• Gas Blowby Calculations
 • Equalised pressure during a compressor
shutdown.
• High pressure trip conditions taken as pressures
Settle out before settle out.
• Enthalpy balance of the system.
calculation • Can be done using spread sheet or HYSYS.
• Can define the design pressure for some of the
sections.
 • Intent: Reduce the pressure of the equipment to
50% of design pressure within 15 minutes during
a fire emergency.
Blowdown • Typically done using Dynamic depressurising
Utility in HYSYS
Calculation • Relief valves are not a depressurisation device.
• Ball valve + Orifice combination OR control valve
Blowdown • The blow down calculation takes the following into
account:
calculation Vaporization of liquid due to pressure reduction,
… Vaporization due to heat input from the external
fire,
Pressure after 15 minutes is reduced from operating
pressure to 50% of design pressure,
Start at settle out conditions.
Gas compressor system is blocked in and no
additional mass is fed into the system during blow
down.
Maximum allowable depressurization rate for the
compressor O-rings of 20 bar/min,
There is no other heat input into the system other
than fire.
The relief rate calculated is not limited by the flare.
Use to find the lowest temperature attained and
hydrate formation possibilities.
Blowdown
calculation
contd.

• Uncontrolled vs. Staged Blowdown

 • Importance of pressure drop and machine
performance.
• Tools used.
Pipe sizing
• Cooler header sizing.
calculations • Avoiding loops in suction.
• Provision of drain boots.
 • Hydrates are ice-like non-stoichiometric crystal
structures composed of water molecules
encaging natural gas molecules.
Hydrate • Solid formation, chokes piping.
calculations • Flow problems.
• Formation depends on P,T conditions and
composition.
• Predicted by HYSYS
 • Caused by loosing liquid level in the scrubbers.
• High pressure gas flows into the low-pressure
system potentially over pressurising it.
• Calculations are done to ensure that the
Gas Blowby downstream system is adequately protected.
calculations • The control valve is considered to be fully open
during this case.
• The highest operating pressure of the upstream
system is considered for sizing.
 • Vertical Knock out vessels.
• Limit liquid carry over to the compressors.
• Internals – SMS / SV / SVS
• Design based on Shell DEP for 2 phase
Scrubbers separation.
 DEP 31.22.05.11 Gas/liquid separators - Type
selection and design rules
 • Heat duty based on Process Simulation.
• Process parameters based on the simulation.
• Vendor does the sizing with HTRI or other
Air Coolers proprietary software.
• Pressure drop is critical.
 • The flare system needs to be designed for
Flare and  Blowdown depressurising load
Blowdown  Flaring due to compressor trip
 Fire case relief
system  Blocked discharge of the compressor
• The flare system may require a KOD based on the
quality of gas flared. (Liquid presence
 • Capacity control
Control • Anti-Surge control
philosophy • Scrubber level control
 • Process shutdown.
Safeguarding • Emergency shutdown.
philosophy • Other shutdowns.
Process Flow
Diagram