Second retrofit for 51 year-old multi-stage compressor

Customer
A major international oil company
Location Indonesia
Industry
Oil and gas
Key Services

COST SAVINGS, REPAIR VS PURCHASE


60 %

LEAD-TIME REDUCTION


36 %

AGE OF COMPRESSOR UNDERGOING RETROFIT


51 years

The Challenge

Back to the future for a multi-stage compressor

A major international oil company was looking for a way to reverse engineer a crucial component. Over the last few decades, the company had used two different kinds of compressor. From 1971 onwards, the company had relied on a two-stage compressor – but, in 1989, a change in gas conditions meant that the company needed to switch to a three-stage setup.

This three-stage compressor operated reliably for many years. But, in 2022, the company’s needs evolved again: The company’s engineers wanted to revert to the two-stage setup the team had used in 1971, so that the compressor could be run in a reformate-maximized mode. They could have replaced the unit entirely, but this would have been extremely expensive. Instead, they were looking for a way to retrofit their existing equipment, turning the three-stage compressor back into a two-stage setup.

However, there was a problem. In order to return to the old configuration, the engineering team would need access to a very specific component: a diaphragm that had been used in the 1971 design. However, the company could no longer buy the correct diaphragm for this model – and building a new one would be difficult, since they had little idea of what the original diaphragm had looked like.

They needed some expert assistance to help them reverse engineer the part and bring the diaphragm design up to 2022 standards. So they reached out to us for support.

The Solution

Methodological reverse and retrofit engineering

Sulzer’s engineers conducted an extensive research, spoke with members of the team to understand their process needs and studied the design of the current three-stage compressor and the historical designs of two-stage impellers.

This research allowed us to begin the reverse engineering process:

  • Step one: We took 3D scans and conventional measurements of the compressor’s existing diaphragm, including the seal and all related parts.
  • Step two: We conducted post-processing and generated an accurate 3D model of the diaphragm.
  • Step three: We created detailed manufacturing drawings which could be used to manufacture the diaphragm.

The newly manufactured diaphragm was made up of three separated segments: a diaphragm body, a ring, and a vane plate. While the diaphragm body was made using a casting method, the ring and vane plate were made from raw mild steel, joined together with an assembly bolt made of an AISI 4140 material.

In addition to these design alterations, we made another crucial change. After all the parts were assembled, we coated the compressor’s gas path with Sulzer HICoat® A24, an anti-fouling coating. This coating reduces the likelihood of sticky aerosol clinging to the impeller and other gas path components – which means the solution is likely to continue delivering better performance for much longer.


Explore our solutions

  • Retrofit
    Retrofitting your critical assets with the latest technology will maximize performance, minimize costs, and improve reliability.

  • Reverse engineering
    Re-engineering provides customers with an alternative for sourcing parts for their equipment. Whether looking to upgrade components, quicker deliveries, or replacing parts, re-engineering provides an opportunity to ensure your equipment keeps running at peak performance.

The Customer Benefit

Hefty CAPEX avoidance while maximizing economical and operational value with legacy compressor

The retrofitted compressor was installed and running successfully by the end of 2022. By replacing components instead of investing in an entirely new compressor, the company was able to reduce the lead time for the upgrade by 36%.

The decision to retrofit also had a second benefit: The upgrade cost an impressive estimated 60% less than investing in a new piece of equipment.

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