JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

COMPRESSORS
GENERAL COMPRESSOR LAYOUT

Centrifugal Compressor : Inlet Piping.

• With higher compressor velocities and rotating speeds, the plant layout
designer must give greater consideration to the compressor inlet line.
• The ASME power test code requires a minimum of three diameters of
straight run piping between the elbow and the inlet nozzle.
• Often however, such factors as gas velocities, molecular weight and
temperature must be considered for the optimum layout.
• An equipment engineer should be consulted at the outset to develop a
base-case layout requirement.
• The preferred design is one in which the horizontal run is parallel to
the compressor shaft as shown in arrangement A of 4-46.
• In this example it is assumed that the compressor inlet size is 12 in
and that the required L- dimensions for this particular gas compressor
is four diameters.

-1-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

• The compressor elevation can be affected by the various layouts.

• Another factor that could influence straight run requirements is the
need to inject wash water into the gas stream to clean compressor
blades as shown in fig: 4-47.

Suction Line Strainers

• Compressor suction lines must be free of any foreign particles that
could damage the internals of the machine.
• Strainers are installed in the inlet line between the block valve and the
compressor inlet nozzle.
• After the unit has been on stream for some time, the strainers are
normally removed.
• Should the strainer be the permanent type, a clean-out connection
must be added to remove any trapped foreign matter during shutdown
of the compressor.

-2-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

Break – Out flanges

• All lines to a compressor that must be removed for maintenance of the
compressor or strainer removal must have a set of flanges in the line
in addition to the set at the compressor nozzle.
• Fig 4-49 shows one line with a built-in extra set of flanges at the shut-
off valve and another line for which flanges must be added because
there are no other flanges after the compressor case.

Miscellaneous Piping Connections

• The plant layout designer must review both the engineering contractor
and the vendor PIDs to ensure that all connections have been piped up
by one or the other.

Primary operating valve accessibility.

• All operating valves must be accessible to the operator from grade or
the operating platform around the machine.
• Valves that are physically out of reach may be made accessible
through extension stems or chain operators.

High Pressure Steam inlet piping.

-3-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

• To streamline the high-pressure, high temperature steam inlet piping

to the turbine, the plant layout designer should review the compressor
outline drawing to locate the neutral axis.
• At this point, the turbine is anchored to the steel frame.
• As depicted in fig 4-51. locating the line anchor close to this point
enables the designer to generate a layout with a minimum amount of
leg, thereby satisfying the stress and flexibility requirements in this
particular system.

Straigntening Vanes
• When the straight run on the inlet piping is less than desired, a
straightening vane may be installed to smooth the flows and improve
the compressor performance.
• These vanes must be in accordance with ASME or American Gas
Association standards.
• If use of vanes can be tolerated, the length for any arrangement can
be divided for 4.

-4-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR PIPING.

• Poorly designed reciprocating compressor piping causes pulsation that

can reduce machine capacity and increase horsepower requirements.
• Line design should be simple and run as low to grade as possible to
facilitate support.
• Once the compressor piping has been designed, the proposed
configuration is subjected to an analog study that my be done by the
vendor or an independent testing laboratory.
• Simulated by electric circuits, this analog study identified potentially
damaging acoustic or pulsation problems during the design phase of
the project, eliminating higher repair and redesign costs at a later
date.

Line Branches
• All branches should be located close to a line support whenever
possible.
• Any such connections should be located on the top of the piping to
minimize any potential liquid carry-over.

-5-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

Compressor Pipe Supports.

• Minimize the transmission of damaging vibrations by isolating the line
supports from adjacent compressor or building foundations, operating
floor steel, or building framing.

Drain Piping
• Ample drain piping must be provided on suction and discharge piping
to avoid liquid carry-over into the cylinders.
• On multistage machines, care must be taken with the drain header
system to avoid piping up a low pressure drain into a high pressure
header.
• Doing so forces the higher pressure liquids into the lower pressure
cylinders.
• Compressors have small amounts of gas leakage at the stuffing box,
which is usually picked up in the distance piece between the cylinder
and the crankcase.

-6-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

• Gas tight distance pieces are used for such hazardous materials as
hydrogen.
• The PID should be carefully reviewed to ensure that all vents and
drains are properly designed.

-7-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

-8-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

-9-
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

- 10 -
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

- 11 -
JITENDRA SURVE PIPING GUIDE 04/04/03

- 12 -