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Carbon Seals

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Novel Machinery
Natalie R. Smith, ... Timothy C. Allison, in Compression Machinery for Oil and Gas,
2019

Hermetically Sealed and Oil-Free Compression


Hermetically sealed compressors have emerged into more markets over the past
several years. Historically, hermetically sealed compression systems have been op-
erating in the so-called clean gas applications for over three decades. More recently,
further applications seek to take full advantage of the hermetically sealed design. In
the offshore oil and gas business sector, for example, the very compact footprint of
hermetically sealed compressor skids is advantageous given the space and weight
restrictions on production platforms. These electric motor-driven compressors are
packaged such that the entire rotating shaft from driver side to driven equipment,
including motor, coupling, all impellers, diaphragms, and bearings are enclosed in-
side a pressure containment vessel. By doing this, all rotor-to-ambient-air interfaces
are eliminated and the need for seals, for example, dry gas seals (DGSs), oils seals,
or carbon ring seals, between the process gas and the environment is removed.

Process gas leakage is completely eliminated which is attractive from a performance


and an environmental perspective. This arrangement typically utilizes a high-speed
motor driving the compressor directly without gearboxes. A lube oil supply system
is not needed because radial and axial thrust AMBs or process medium lubricated
gas bearings are employed to levitate the motor and the compressor shaft. Internal
casing thermal management and cooling of the motor utilizes the process gas.
The concept of this assembly and packaging is certainly advantageous over more
conventional arrangements with separate driver and compressor casings. Fig. 15.10
illustrates the reduced complexity and smaller footprint of the hermetically sealed
design compared to a conventional drivetrain. With all these characteristic design
features the hermetically sealed compressor becomes an all-electric system (drive,
bearings, instrumentation) providing all the necessary preconditions for remote
control and operational flexibility, reduced maintenance activities, and furthermore,
given the right instrumentation, remote monitoring, and diagnostics can be easily
realized.
Fig. 15.10. Size comparison of conventional EMD and hermetically sealed compres-
sor trains [1].

While there are clear advantages to the hermetically sealed design, several disadvan-
tages of these systems must be considered. The cooling systems for these machines
can have complex control systems as well as result in substantial efficiency penalty
due to large windage losses. Furthermore, if the process gas used for cooling is
not substantially dry and clean, the motor internals will foul and degrade rapidly.
Unit costs are high due to a combination of engineering design complexity and
high costs of components like high-speed motors and magnetic bearings. Although
lube oil systems and gearboxes do not need to be maintained, the enclosed and
highly compact design makes removing and replacing compressor internals more
difficult. Finally, hermetically sealed compressors still require a VFD, thus often
eliminating the advantages of a smaller compressor package.

The hermetically sealed compressor is an excellent technical option for subsea com-
pression applications. MAN Diesel Turbo introduced the first hermetically sealed
compressor, the MOPICO, in 1990 [1]. Their motivation was to reduce the number
of mechanical components which should increase the mechanical reliability and
reduce the cost of the compressor. However, the inherent design advantages to
hermetically sealed compressors, like lower weight, compact size, no DGSs, are less
relevant for the majority of onshore compression applications, especially when most
compression facilities have plenty of space available and are already equipped with
secondary systems to support conventional sealing designs. In addition, there are
questions regarding grid stability and reliability that need to be addressed when
considering onshore electric motor-driven compressors.

Hermetically sealed compression systems are readily available from several OEM’s
with minor design differences. Two main differences are explained in the following
paragraphs:

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