The role of process compressors in the oil & gas industry

Process compressors are used around the world in countless applications. From refrigeration to powering medical tools, food packaging to refining gas, it’s likely you come into daily contact with a product made possible thanks to process compressors.

At Rochem, most of our customers are in the oil and gas industries. Process compressors are absolutely essential to their success, and today we’re taking a look at what makes them so important.

What are process compressors?

Process compressors compress gas or vapours for industrial use. There are different designs, but they all work by reducing the volume of gas to increase its pressure. If you’re interested, this article explains more about how process compressors work.

Why are they essential in the gas & oil industry?

Process compressors are used at different stages of gas and oil operations, e.g.:

Gas and oil gathering

Compressed gas is injected into wells to reduce the density and viscosity of oil. This makes it easier to push the fluid to the surface and thus more oil is gathered.

Where natural pressure has dropped, compressed gas can also maintain the pressure and flow within pipelines.

In some processes, e.g. when crude oil transitions from high to lower pressure, gases escape and could be lost. Process compressors are used to capture and compress these gases, making them a) usable and b) less polluting.

Transport and storage

Process compressors are used to boost and maintain the pressure within pipelines that transport gas over long distances.

They can also be used to standardise the pressure of gas collected from multiple sources.

Processing

When it comes to processing gas into useful products, process compressors play a crucial role. They can be used to inject gases e.g. methane and hydrogen into reactors at the optimum pressure for reforming, cracking or hydrogenation.

They also make it possible to recycle unreacted gases by recompressing them for use.

Once the product is finished, it is compressed for storage or transport.

Refrigeration, enabled by process compressors, is also a key process in the gas and oil industry e.g. to separate, liquify or stabilise hydrocarbons.

Different types of process compressors

While all process compressors have the same general purpose, there are many different types each specialised for its role. The three main types are:

Centrifugal compressors, which compress gas using high-speed rotating blades to accelerate the gas before slowing it and converting the gained kinetic energy to pressure energy.

Reciprocating compressors, which use pistons to compress gas within a cylinder thereby reducing its volume.

Rotary screw compressors, which use screws rotating in opposite directions to draw in and compress gas.

We went into greater depth on the different types of process compressors in a previous article. If you’d like to find out more, click here to go there now.

Key considerations in compressor selection

It’s important to choose the most appropriate process compressor for your application. Think about the capabilities of the compressor, what you need it to achieve and what will be involved in its upkeep. Keep in mind:

• Flow rate
• Pressure ratio
• Gas composition
• Efficiency
• Reliability
• Maintenance requirements
• Cost

Your OEM is likely to provide guidance or be able to help you choose the right type.

Efficiency and sustainability

As technology improves, process processors are becoming increasingly efficient and reliable. The costs of running them decrease while your profitable end product becomes easier to achieve. Emissions are also pushed down with efficient machinery, helping reach targets and protect the environment.

However, if you’re not yet ready to invest in the latest model and/or want to maintain your crucial equipment to keep it working for you, we’re here to help.

Get in touch

At Rochem, it’s our business to enable the cleaning of gas turbine compressors, helping achieve all those efficiency and emissions targets while delaying the need to replace expensive equipment. Fouling is extremely detrimental to process compressor function, but it can be remedied through cost-effective cleaning equipment and chemicals.

Having been in the industry for over 40 years, we appreciate all the different, essential roles process compressors play in the gas and oil business, which we’ve highlighted today. We support customers around the world and would love to hear from you if you have any questions about what we offer. Please get in touch to find out more.