Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
(OP)
Maybe much too general but I'd like to ask anyway, thought it'd be interesting :
From your operational experience, what are some of the best (and maybe worst) centrifugal gas compressor designs in the industry you have worked with and why ? What made the difference at the plant?
From your operational experience, what are some of the best (and maybe worst) centrifugal gas compressor designs in the industry you have worked with and why ? What made the difference at the plant?
Ron
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www.georgeron.com
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
I guess I could plug the company I work for..
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
On choosing the best Centrifugal Compressor Design for a project, I would recommend referencing a White Paper put together by Dr. Rainer Kurz and Peter Rasmussen for the 2009 Turbomachinery Symposium as a good starting point for your research (see attached). On which OEM is the best, this is almost as big a question as 'who makes the best truck, Ford, Chevy?'. Me personally, I think Price, Reliability, and Aftermarket Support are the top three to look from any manufacture, but not necessarily in that order. I hope this helps a little.
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
In this environment, getting price right matters.
On technology, perhaps most manufacturers are on par save for who has what advanced technology including materials of construction which enables pushing the boundaries of operation and getting more done with smaller frame sizes?
RE: Best centrifugal compressors - operator experience
I think the advances for CC's / OFS's are going to take place in the manufacturing arena and the service arena. Faster manufacturing (3D perhaps) hopefully. Faster service (more / better remote tools every year).
Reliability is the most important to most customers since one time costs can be negated over a long enough time period. Service costs are your biggest cost. The OEM should really have a good historical basis for being able to select the best materials for your operation / process in order to make that happen.
As someone who works as an OEM, I think the biggest problem with the industry is a lack of willingness to innovate on both the supplier side and the buyer side.
OEM: "I think this coating / material / design would work better for your application but we have no historical context"
Customer: "In that case, let's do what we always did. It's a known outcome"
This conversation has taken place many times for me (service engineering). Hard to innovate in that type of environment unless the OEM is willing to test their own ideas before marketing. Most aren't going to be willing to spend money on testing for YOUR specific problem unless you help with the cost. Most customers aren't willing to help on cost because they know their competitors will be helped for free.
So if I had to select an OEM, I'd try to find out how innovative they are. If they continue to try / test new materials / coatings /designs etc in different process applications then they would have a large amt of data to sift thru for your specific application.