COMPRESSOR

Contruction of Compressor

Screw Compressor Centrifugal Compressor

Integrally Geared Compressors

 Compressor Screw VS Centrifugal

No
1 Performance Generally, the integration level of centrifugal air compressors
is much lower than that of screw air compressors, and the on-
site installation workload is large and the cost is high.
2 Operating System It is precisely because of the high speed of the centrifugal air
compressor that a more complicated design is required on the
bearing and lubrication system, which leads to the
characteristic that it is not suitable for frequent start and stop.
3 Lubrication The lubrication system of a centrifugal air compressor is much
system more complicated than that of a screw air compressor.
Relatively speaking, it is less reliable and requires more
maintenance.
 Compressor Screw VS Centrifugal

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4 Sealing system Universal centrifugal air compressors mainly use two types of
seals; labyrinth type and carbon ring type. The screw air
compressor also uses the same principle of labyrinth seal, but
the form is slightly different.
Since the seals of the same principle and the same nature are
adopted, the seal life, air sealing and oil sealing capabilities of
centrifugal and screw air compressors are similar.
5 Control System the centrifugal air compressor has some special requirements
for lubrication, transmission and adjustment systems, so
compared with the screw, its control system is slightly more
complicated and more control points. However, the control
systems supplied as standard for centrifugal air compressors
are generally simple, and many are optional.
 Compressor Screw VS Centrifugal

No
6 service 1) The efficiency of centrifugal air compressors is lower than
that of screw air compressors. Due to the fast gas flow rate
and large energy loss of centrifugal air compressors, the
working efficiency of currently produced centrifugal air
compressors is generally only 60%; while the working
efficiency of screw air compressors can reach 70% to 80%,
which can only save In terms of energy, screw air
compressors are more effective than centrifugal air
compressors.
2) The displacement of a single centrifugal air compressor is
much larger than that of a screw air compressor. According
to market research, the current displacement of a single
centrifugal air compressor with a small volume can reach
80-120m3/min; while the maximum displacement of a
single high-pressure screw air compressor is 60m3/min,
that is, a centrifugal air compressor The air output of the
machine is basically equal to or even greater than the air
output of two screw air compressors.
 Compressor Screw VS Centrifugal

No
6 service 3) The efficiency of centrifugal air compressors is lower than
that of screw air compressors. Due to the fast gas flow rate
and large energy loss of centrifugal air compressors, the
working efficiency of currently produced centrifugal air
compressors is generally only 60%; while the working
efficiency of screw air compressors can reach 70% to 80%,
which can only save In terms of energy, screw air
compressors are more effective than centrifugal air
compressors.
4) The exhaust pressure of a single-stage centrifugal air
compressor is much lower than that of a screw air
compressor. According to market research, the current
two-stage compression screw air compressor has an
exhaust pressure of more than 2.5 MPa, while the three-
stage compression centrifugal air compressor has an
exhaust pressure of only 1.6 Mpa.
 Compressor Screw VS Centrifugal

No
6 service 5) The oil content of the gas has a large gap. The centrifugal
air compressor belongs to screw lubrication. The oil
content in the produced gas is extremely low. The
membrane tube has low requirements for gas filtration; it
has a small impact on the service life of the membrane
tube; while the screw air compressor Because the
compressor generally adopts oil lubrication and cooling,
the oil content in the produced gas can reach 20×10-6.
Once the filter system has a problem, it will affect the
service life of the membrane tube.
6) Air volume adjustment. Since the centrifugal air
compressor will produce "surging" when the flow rate is
reduced to a certain extent, the exhaust volume of the
centrifugal air compressor can only be adjusted between
70% and 100%; while the screw air compressor is not
There is a phenomenon of "surge". When the volume
adjustment is adopted, the exhaust volume can be
adjusted arbitrarily between 0 and 100%.
 What Drives a Compressor?

selection of the driver for a compressor is finalized after thorough consideration given to
the below points :

1.Operating parameter of the compressor

2.Availability of power source. – if electricity is available an electric motor may be preferred and
in plants where steam or gas is readily available then a steam turbine or gas turbine can be
preferred.
3.Auxiliary systems required for each driver.
4.Results of mechanical analysis for the drive train.
5.Maintainability and capital cost-Relative historical service lives of the prime mover categories
before extensive and expensive unit overhauls are:
•>slow-speed gas engine (300–600 rpm): 75,000 operating hours,
•>high-speed gas engine (900–1800 rpm): 25,000–50,000 operating hours,
•>gas turbine: 30,000 operating hours,
•>electric motor: 100,000 hours,