Burckhardt Compression was able to design a dry running piston compressor with a highly variable turndown arrangement to exactly meet customer needs .
The investments paid dividends , as Michael confirms : “ We were able to grow our assembly capacity at Waller by 50 %, which allowed us to effectively meet the first phase of compressors and any afterwards . The assembly turnaround time for each compressor was reduced from six weeks down to four , and sometimes we delivered even faster than that ! We managed to complete the first phase three days ahead of schedule with zero safety incidents .”
Eleven new personnel joined the team too , including a consultant and a project lead with 20-years ’ experience in compressor projects . As a global company , the US team also received training from a Burckhardt Compression expert from Switzerland , who joined the company for six weeks to ensure transfer of know-how for the assembly work . Components for the compressors would be manufactured in Switzerland and delivered to the team in the US .
Specifically designed for hydrogen Burckhardt Compression was able to design a dry running piston compressor with a highly variable turndown arrangement to exactly meet customer needs . This will allow operators to match the compressor ’ s performance to the process requirements without any wasted energy .
Michael continues : “ This is a dry design to ensure that no lubrication oil can contaminate the hydrogen and reduce fuel quality . With large diameter pistons for the first stage , there is a lot of heat from frictional forces , so the rider band must be able to withstand this and provide a long service life . We use proprietary polymer materials we have developed in-house . This enables over a year of operation before maintenance is required , which is unsurpassed in terms of uptime .”
The minimal weight pistons were designed with energy saving in mind , while still ensuring enough strength to compress the hydrogen . Compressor chambers are fitted with a fixed pocket , which can expand to increase internal space . Specially developed pressure packing further contributes to an extended service life . Ultimately , the design philosophy is to find the sweet spot in terms of gas temperature and required production output for the customer .
A monitoring solution from Burckhardt Compression ’ s digital experts PROGNOST Systems is also included . A suite of sensors constantly delivers data regarding the performance of suction and discharge valves , bearing temperatures and rod drop . Consequently , operators can monitor equipment condition and predict any preventative maintenance measures steps needed , improving uptime .
Issue 72 PECM 91