Centrifugal Compressors Fundamentals for Facilities Engineers - eLearning series

This short course is from the industry-standard Gas Conditioning and Process course (G-4), known globally as the Campbell Gas Course.

This course includes:

• 4 hours prerequisite eLearning modules (participants may test out)
• 4 hours required eLearning modules
• 1 hour optional eLearning modules
• 6 hours virtual, instructor-led sessions (pre-recorded)

This short course covers the fundamentals of centrifugal compressor selection and operations. It also reviews the other types of compressors and their applications. The course online modules cover the following topics:

• Compressor applications, types and selection criteria
• Compressor Head, Power Requirements, and Discharge Temperature
• Principles of Centrifugal Compressor Operations
• Principles of Reciprocating and Rotary Screw Compressor Operations
• Rotating Equipment drivers

The virtual, instructor-led lecture will prepare the participants to do detailed analysis on centrifugal compressors using the vendor's compressor curves. The methods applied will allow one to estimate the required compressor head for a given process operating conditions, estimate the number of impellers required for multistage applications, analyze the effect of changing inlet conditions to centrifugal compressor performance, interpret centrifugal compressor curves, and understand the basics of centrifugal compressor controls.

The problem assignment will review two different centrifugal compressor applications. The first problem assignment involves determining the new operating envelope for a fixed speed centrifugal compressor that was specified for a new field development where the initial production conditions were off from the design conditions of the machine. The second problem investigates a variable speed, multistage centrifugal compressor application and investigate the compressors performance over changing operating conditions, from the initial field start up conditions, through end of life of the plant.

The virtual, instructor-led debrief will provide practical insight in terms of options to mitigate operating limitations of centrifugal compressors, discuss common operating problems and potential solutions for both centrifugal and reciprocating compressors.

Prerequisites, which participants can test out of, include Basic Conversions, Gas and Liquid Physical Properties, Multicomponent Phase Behavior, Thermodynamic Principles and the First Law of Thermodynamics, Second Law of Thermodynamics and Energy Balance Equations, Enthalpy Correlations and Applications of Energy Balance Correlations, Using PH Diagrams to Perform Energy Balance Calculations.