G A S C O M P R E S S I O N:

A PRIMER ON GAS COMPRESSION EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

BY W. NORM SHADE, PE

TYPES OF
COMPRESSORS

C H A P T E R

A basic introduction to gas compression,

intended for operators, maintenance
technicians, supervisors, engineers, stu-
dents, and others who want to gain a fun-
damental understanding of gas compres-
sor rating, application, analysis, and control.
 GAS COMPRESSION:
A PRIMER
ON GAS COMPRESSION EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY
BY W. NORM SHADE, PE

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ĨƵŶĚĂŵĞŶƚĂůƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐŽĨŐĂƐĐŽŵƉƌĞƐƐŽƌƌĂƟŶŐ͕ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ͕ĂŶĂůLJƐŝƐ͕ĂŶĚĐŽŶƚƌŽů͘

FOREWORD
as compressors play a critical role in supporting the vital infrastructure and economic well-being of
G today’s society. Every air conditioner, refrigerator, and freezer has some type of compressor. From
automobile repair shops to industrial plants, air compressors are powering air tools, supporting production
lines, or operating complex processes. Natural gas is gathered and transported from the wellhead through
many miles of pipelines to the burner tip by multiple industrial compressors of various sizes and types.
Compressors are integral to the processing of hydrocarbons into gasoline and fertilizer and to transform-
ing chemicals into raw materials used to make all kinds of plastics, household cleaning products, pharmaceu-
ticals, industrial products, and much more. The list of compressor applications goes on and on.
1ER]MRHMZMHYEPWEVIMRZSPZIHMRXLIHIWMKRWIPIGXMSRWTIGM½GEXMSRSTIVEXMSRERHQEMRXIRERGISJZEVMSYW
types of compressors. Although not every one of them needs to be an expert in all aspects, a fundamental
understanding of compression equipment and technology is important, and often very necessary, for those
individuals’ success. There are few texts that focus on basic compression theory and equipment, but most
focus on niche compression applications such as air or chemical processes. In particular, the emergence of
compression training programs at various colleges around the US in the past decade has exposed the need
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decades of industrial experience to develop this primer on gas compression equipment and technology
with a special focus toward heavy industrial compressors applied in the oil and natural gas industry.
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applied and the fundamental technical principals that govern their application. Subsequent sections drill
further into the construction and the detailed technical principals for reciprocating, centrifugal, and rotary
screw compressors, which are the most prevalent types used for compression applications in the oil and
natural gas industry.
Each monthly issue of Gas Compression Magazine will include approximately one chapter of this text. In
this way, for individuals who want to learn more about gas compression, the series can serve as an extended
“short course.” At a later date, it is planned that all the individual chapters and sections will be combined
into a comprehensive text book that will include sample problems and even some homework assignments.

gascompressionmagazine.com | JULY 2016 19

 Part I:
Introduction to Compression: Compressor Types and Applications

1
CHAPTER

TYPES OF COMPRESSORS

he need to move gases has been a requirement of indus-

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systems that require the movement of gas, there must be a
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equipment or machine that raises the gas to a higher pressure,
by pressing or squeezing together the molecules of gas, is called
a compressor.
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dangerous and harder to handle gases became common, and of gas.
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ranging from simple, hand-operated, piston-type compressors 3G 3V ‡
for pumping atmospheric air into bicycle tires to very large in-
9G
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pressure by inducting and trapping a volume of gas in a cham-
ber, reducing the volume of the chamber and thereby increas-
ing the pressure of the gas by approximately the ratio of the
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In its simplest form, this fundamental relationship can be de-
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20 gascompressionmagazine.com | JULY 2016
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:s = (initial) chamber volume at suction
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pressure, phase changes, and system losses also factor into the
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conversion of kinetic energy into potential energy. Accelerating
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 into potential energy. The conversion of kinetic (velocity) en-
ergy to potential (pressure) energy can be explained by the
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gc = gravitational constant
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respectively
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velocity and then converting the resulting kinetic energy into
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lubricated or non-lubed).
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KEWGSQTVIWWMSRQEKE^MRIGSQ | JULY  21

 FIGURE 1.3
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half of the 20th century. By the 1950s, they were increas-
ingly a preferred alternative to reciprocating compressors
for many applications.
Today, all the basic types of compressors are commonly
found in industrial applications. Figure 1.3 is a generalized
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and discharge pressure capability of the various compressor
 )WWIV 5YMRG] 7EJI 7EYIV 7IV XGS
types.4 These range from axial compressors, which can pro-
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and discharge pressure capability, to diaphragm compressors,
[LMGLTVSHYGIZIV]PMQMXIH¾S[VEXIW[MXLX]TMGEPP]ZIV]LMKL
discharge pressures. Reciprocating, single-stage and multi-
stage centrifugal, rotary screw, rotary straight lobed, rotary
sliding vane, and liquid ring compressors cover parts of the
TVIWWYVI¾S[ WTIGXVYQ [MXL SZIVPETTMRK VERKIW %W E GPEWW
 4S[IV 'SQSXM +EVHRIV
reciprocating compressors generally cover the broadest area
ing from small sizes that require a few horsepower to large
sizes requiring thousands of horsepower.5 Currently manu-
JEGXYVIH VIGMTVSGEXMRK GSQTVIWWSV FVERHW MRGPYHI %&'
%NE\%VMIP%VVS[%XPEW'STGS&PEGOQIV&SVWMK&YVOLEVHX
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+) ,76 +) 2YSZS4MKRSRI +)7YTIVMSV ,EYK ,SJIV
Howden, Ingersoll-Rand, Knox-Western, Kobelco, LeROI,
01* 1ILVIV 2IYQER
7-%(ERH7YTIVMSV0IKEG]FVERHWXLEXEVIRSPSRKIVQERY-
factured, but many units can be found still operating, include
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'VIYWSX0SMVI(IQEK)RXIVTVMWI+EVHRIV(IRZIV+IQMRM
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and Wor thington.
Currently manufactured rotary compressor brands include
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(IRZIV ,S[HIR ,]GSQT -RKIVWSPP6ERH /SFIPGS 0I63-
of the spectrum.
 5YMRG] 6S*PS 6S-
Each of these types will be covered in more detail in Chap-
ters 2 through 5. In addition, multi-chapter sections will drill
deeply into the important mechanical and performance as-
pects of reciprocating, centrifugal, and rotary screw compres-
sors, which are the most prevalent types of compressors
found in the oil and natural gas industry.
'3146)7736&6%2(7
There are many brands of each type of compressor, rang-
22 gascompressionmagazine.com | JULY 2016
1%28YVFS 1MXWYM 1E]IOE[E 1]GSQ
torcomp, Sullair, TM.P., Vilter, and VPT.
Currently manufactured centrifugal compressor brands in-
GPYHI %XPEW 'STGS &SVWMK 'SQSXM 'V]SWXEV (VIWWIV6ERH
)PPMSXX *-1% *7)PPMSXX +EVS +) 2YSZS4MKRSRI ,ER[LE
8IGL[MR ,MXEGLM ,S[HIR -RKIVWSPP6ERH /SFIPGS 1%2
Turbo, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Solar Turbines, Sundyne, Rolls-Royce,
7MIQIRWERH=SVO
'YVVIRXP]QERYJEGXYVIHE\MEPGSQTVIWWSVFVERHWMRGPYHI(VIWW-
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 A BOUT THE AUTHOR
W. Norm Shade is Sr. Consultant and President-Emeritus of ACI Services
Inc., a leading manufacturer of custom-engineered reciprocating gas com-
pressor products. Shade received BME and MSME degrees from The Ohio
State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude
in 1970. He is a registered professional engineer
in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. He has more than
40 years of gas compression experience. Prior to
joining ACI, Shade spent 32 years with Cooper
Energy Services and Cooper Cameron Corpora-
tion in design and development positions involv-
ing reciprocating and centrifugal gas compressors,
reciprocating engines, and gas turbines, as well as
management positions that included Director of
Engineering, General Manager, and Vice President.
In 2003, he started WiNS Consulting Services
Inc., a consulting company that continues to provide market research and
technical services for the oil and gas industry. He has written more than
300 published technical papers and articles related to the gas compres-
sion industry and has taught numerous short courses on gas compression.

REFERENCES
1
Nisenfeld, A.Eli, Centrifugal Compressors, Principals of Operation and Control (Research Triangle Park,
NC: Instrument Society of America, 1982).
2
Frick Company, Celebrating a Century of Engineering Service: The Story of Frick Refrigerating, Air Condi-
tioning, Farm and Sawmill Machinery (Kyle Printing, 1952).
3
Maples, D.A., The Natural Gas Industry in Appalachia (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2005).
4
GPS Engineering Data Book, vol. 1, 11th ed. (Tulsa, OK: Gas Processors Suppliers Association, 1998).
5
CTSSnet.net, Compression Technology Sourcing Supplement, 2016.

gascompressionmagazine.com | JULY 2016 23