Chapter 7

Compression of natural gas

Compressors can be classified into two categories:-
1) Positive displacement
2) Dynamic
The major difference is the volume displacement device which is a pressure device
dependent on the flow and outlet pressure demands.
Positive displacement compressors increase pressure by reducing volume while
dynamic compressors increase pressure by converting the gas velocity (kinetic
energy) into pressure.
Positive displacement performance is insensitive to the gas being compressed,
dynamic compressors are limited to gases with molecular weight about 10 or higher.
Some fundamentals:-
- Reversible isothermal work is the minimum work required for a compression
process.
wS = -RT ln(P2/P1)/MW
The negative sign indicates that this work is done on the system.
- Reversible adiabatic (isentropic) work is the maximum work required for a
compression process and it's calculated by:
ws = Rt1 /( Mwt (- 1))} [1 – (P2 / P1) ( - 1)/ ]
t1 : initial temperature (oR)
P2 , P1: Psia
R : 1.986
 : ratio of heat capacities (Cp/Cv)
Ws : Btu/Lb

T2 is the outlet temperature

Multi-staging of compressors is done because as the gas is cooled between stages,
its volume decreases and also the required work and also the outlet temperature
can't exceed 300 of to save materials of construction, seals and lubricants.
The compression ratio (3-5) R = (P2 / P1)1/n n: number of stages
The minimum amount of work is obtained when each stage does the same work so
most compressors use the same compression ratio for all stages. The total work of
compression will be the sum of the work in each stage.
Types of compressors used in gas industry:-
1) Jet compressor: it's used on completed gas wells where there's low and high
pressure gases and intermediate pipeline pressure.
2) Rotary compressor: it can be divided into two classes: the blower compressor and
centrifugal compressor.
Blower compressor is used when the pressure differential between suction and
discharge pressures is not over 15psi so they're used at refrigeration and
regeneration of adsorption beds. It consists of a casing with one or more
impellers rotating in opposite directions. Its advantages include low initial cost,
low maintenance cost, easy to handle and install and it can handle large
quantities of low pressure gas. Its disadvantages include that it can't handle high
pressures and it has noisy operation due to gear noise.
Centrifugal compressors compress gas or air by centrifugal force. Gas is compressed
with impeller then it is discharged in a high velocity through a diffuser so its
velocity decreases and its kinetic energy is converted into static pressure. It
consists of housing with gas passages, rotating shaft, impeller, bearing and seals
to prevent gas leaking along the shaft. Its advantages include lower lubricating oil
cost as it has few moving parts since only impeller and shaft rotate. Cooling water
required is not necessary because of lower compression ratio and lower friction
loss. Compression rates are low because of the absence of positive displacement.
3) Reciprocating compressor: it's the most commonly used compressor in the gas
industry. They are designed for all pressures and capacities. They have more
moving parts so they have lower mechanical efficiency than centrifugal
compressors. Each cylinder of reciprocating compressor consists of cylinder,
piston, cylinder heads, suction and discharge valves, parts required to convert the
rotary motion to reciprocating motion.
Comparison between centrifugal and reciprocating compressors:
Reciprocating compressors are more efficient than centrifugal on the compression
side but centrifugal compressors have other advantages because they have
1) Lower initial and maintenance costs
2) Reliability and longer intervals between downtimes
3) Less operation attention
4) Greater work per unit
5) Ability to perform at high speed, low maintenance drivers
The reciprocating process
Figure 7.2 illustrates an ideal compression cycle. The compressor cylinder fills with
gas at suction pressure, Pl.
Gas is compressed to discharge pressure, P2, along path C-D and then displaced from
the cylinder at constant discharge pressure.

It is impossible to dis-charge all compressed gas in actual operations. Thus, Fig. 7.3
is obtained. Figure 7.3 shows a typical ideal pressure-volume diagram for a
compressor cylinder with corresponding compressor piston locations during
reciprocation.
Position 1 is the start of the compression stroke. The cylinder has a full charge of gas
at suction pressure. As the piston moves toward position 2, the gas is compressed
along line 1-2.
At position 2, the pressure in the cylinder becomes greater than the pressure in the
discharge line. This causes the discharge valve to open and allows the original charge
of gas to enter the discharge line. This action occurs along line 2-3.
At position 3, the piston has completed its discharge stroke. As soon as it starts its
return stroke, the pressure in the cylinder drops, which closes the discharge valve.
The gas trapped in the cylinder clearance volume is never discharged but expands
along line 3-4. At position 4, the pressure in the cylinder drops below the suction
pressure, which causes the suction valve to open. This permits a new charge of gas
to enter the cylinder along line 4-1. Where upon the cycle is repeated.
In Fig. 7.3, V3 is called the "clearance volume" and V3/(V1 - V3) is called the
"clearance." This volume limits the gas throughout. As it gets larger, more engine
horsepower is used in simply recompressing and re-expanding this gas. Area 1234
indicates the compression work done.
 Figure 3

Adiabatic compression calculations give the maximum theoretical work and

horsepower required for gas compression between any two pressure limits,
while isothermal calculations give the minimum theoretical work and
horsepower required to compress a gas. Adiabatic and isothermal work of
compression give the lower and upper limits of required work and horsepower
to compress a gas. Intercoolers between stages of compression is to decrease
the require horse power so as the intercoolers increase, the horsepower
approaches the isothermal value.

Actual horsepower:
The theoretical horsepower is converted into brake horsepower (actual
horsepower) by knowing the efficiency which includes the compression efficiency
and the mechanical efficiency.
Bhp = ideal isentropic hp / E
The overall efficiency depends on the design details, compression ratio, loading,
compressor speed, suction pressure and general mechanical conditions.
Compression efficiency explains deviation from the ideal reversible adiabatic
process due to the pressure drop occurring when intake or discharge valves are
open. Mechanical efficiency explains the fractional losses of pistons, packing and
bearing. The overall efficiency of the modern compressors are ranging from 75 to
85%.
The brake horsepower required for compression may be expressed as
bhp = (V Pb T1 / 14.4) x (bhp/MMcfd)
bhp = (q Pb T1 / Tb 104) x (bhp/MMcfd)
Where
V = inlet capacity of compressor, MMcfd
q = inlet capacity of compressor, cfm
Pb = pressure base at which volume is measured, psia
Tb = temperature base at which volume is measured, °R
14.4 = pressure base of charts, psia
T1 = inlet temperature of compressor, °F
(bhp/MMcfd) = determined from chart by knowing (R,K)
R = compression ratio
K = ratio of specific heats
For two stages without cooling:
Determine (bhp/MMcfd) of the first stage by knowing (R,K) then calculate
(bhp/MMcfd) of the second stage through (bhp/MMcfd)2 = (bhp/MMcfd)1(r)(k - 1)/k
and the total (bhp/MMcfd) will be the sum of (bhp/MMcfd)1 + (bhp/MMcfd)2
then we calculate the brake horsepower from
bhp = (q Pb T1 / Tb 104) x (bhp/MMcfd)total
For two stages with cooling, we allow 1.0 psi per stage as a pressure drop between
stages, the correct compression ratio r will be
r = r (calculated in case without cooling= P2/P1) +(1 / P1)
then determine (bhp/MMcfd) by (r,k) and the total (bhp/MMcfd) will be
(bhp/MMcfd)from the chart * number of stages
Then calculate brake horsepower from bhp = (q Pb T1 / Tb 104) x (bhp/MMcfd)total

Solve examples 7-2 , 7-3 , 7-7 , 7-8