High Pressure Piston Gas Compressor Technology
Reavell Piston Compressor Working Principle
A reciprocating compressor works by moving a piston in a cylinder via a connecting rod and crankshaft. If only one side of the piston is used for compression, it is described as single-acting. If both sides of the piston, top and underside are employed during the up and down stroke, it is defined as double-acting.
Reavell compressors are designed to efficiently compress gases to high pressures which are typically in the range of 40 to 400 bar.
Reavell Piston Compressor Operation
Reavell high pressure compressors compress the gas in stages, increasing the pressure incrementally with each stage until the gas is compressed to the desired higher pressure. This multi-stage operation with inter-stage cooling/separators improves efficiency, component loading, and operating temperatures.
For an equivalent output pressure, loading on a single-stage unit can be about 100 times greater than loading on the 1st stage of a 4-stage compressor. There can also be an ~1100°C difference in temperature rise with a single-stage unit – over 40 times higher than the temperature rise across a 4-stage unit. It should also be noted the efficient inter-stage and final cooling system of our piston compressors improve ring and valve performance and operating life.
With a water-based multi-stage cooling system that cools between compression stages and utilizes moisture separators to remove water or oil held as an aerosol at each stage, our high pressure piston compressors offer improved component life.
These benefits can also be found on air cooled models, which cool the gas in a similar manner, albeit with a mechanism that relies on use of a fan/flywheel assembly which is used to force cooling air over coil shaped inter stage pipe coolers.
7 Key Features of Reavell Piston Compressors
- An integrated unloading and condensate drain block ensures safe and reliable draining of the compressor, protects from condensate build up, uneven unloading and staggered re-loading which can lead to high pressure stage failure.
- A drain block safety valve protects the drain block in the event of a downstream blockage.
- A separator assembly and a final stage cyclone separator are included to ensure condensate build up is efficiently removed before reaching downstream equipment.
- A non-return valve ensures downstream (system) pressure is not lost during compressor drain cycles.
- A pressure maintaining valve ensures the compressor is operating in its intended pressure range for optimum efficiency, protecting it from high oil carry-over and premature valve failure.
- A final delivery safety valve ensures the compressor is running within its design limits, and protects it from over pressurization.