Optimization of a network of compressors in parallel: Operational and maintenance planning – The air separation plant case

A general mathematical framework for the optimization of compressors operations in air separation plants that considers operating constraints for compressors, several types of maintenance policies and managerial aspects is presented. The proposed approach can be used in a rolling horizon scheme. The operating status, the power consumption, the startup and the shutdown costs for compressors, the compressor-to-header assignments as well as the outlet mass flow rates for compressed air and distillation products are optimized under full demand satisfaction. The power consumption in the compressors is expressed by regression functions that have been derived using technical and historical data. Several case studies of an industrial air separation plant are solved. The results demonstrate that the simultaneous optimization of maintenance and operational tasks of the compressors favor the generation of better solutions in terms of total costs

Supercritical fluid recycle for surge control of CO2 centrifugal compressors

AbstractThis paper presents computer-based design and analysis of control systems for centrifugal compressors when the operating fluid is supercritical CO2.It reports a non-linear dynamic model including a main forward compression line and two different configurations for the recycle antisurge line. Disturbance scenarios are proposed for testing the configurations and performance indicators are suggested to evaluate control performance and power consumption of the compression system.The paper demonstrates that compared to the hot recycle, the process configuration including a cold gas recycle has better overall stability, but higher power consumption and lower values for the control performance indicators. Based on the previous considerations, the paper gives suggestions regarding the choice of the recycle configuration. Moreover it compares subcritical and supercritical compression during surge prevention and highlights the importance of the selection of the gas recycle configuration when full recycle is needed

Modelling and performance analysis of a Low Temperature A-CAES system coupled with renewable energy power plants

The ever-increasing electricity production from non-programmable Renewable Energy Sources (RES) requires flexible and sustainable solutions for energy storage. In this paper, the design, and the performance of a Low Temperature Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (LTA-CAES) system are presented. The design of this system is optimised to better utilise the energy produced by either a photovoltaic (PV) power plant and an onshore wind farm in order to meet the energy demand of a small town of about 10,000 inhabitants, considered as the case study. To ensure efficient operation of the turbomachines, the mass flow rate during both the charge and discharge phases was fixed, allowing most of the compressors and turbines to operate at design conditions. Two packed-bed Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems are used to store the thermal energy produced during the compression phase: the first exchanges heat directly with the compressed air, while the second uses Therminol-66 as a heat transfer fluid. A mathematical model of the LTA-CAES system was developed using MATLAB/Simulink to simulate its performance, considering the off-design behaviour of the turbomachines and the TES systems over a year. The results demonstrate that the LTA-CAES system increases the share of the yearly energy demand covered by renewable energy, from 41.8% to 60.7% when coupled with the PV plant, and from 48.0% to 56.5% when coupled with the wind farm

Development of large-capacity refrigeration at 1.8 K for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN

CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, is working towards the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a high-energy, high-luminosity particle accelerator and collider [1] of 26.7 km circumference, due to start producing frontier physics, by bringing into collision intense proton and ion beams with centre-of-mass energies in the TeV-per-constituent range, at the beginning of the next century. The key technology for achieving this ambitious scientific goal at economically acceptable cost is the use of high-field superconducting magnets using Nb-Ti conductor operating in superfluid helium [2]. To maintain the some 25 km of bending and focusing magnets at their operating temperature of 1.9 K, the LHC cryogenic system will have to produce an unprecedented total refrigeration capacity of about 20 kW at 1.8 K, in eight cryogenic plants distributed around the machine circumference [3]. This has requested the undertaking of an industrial development programme, in the form of a collaboration between CERN and CEA, France, for investigating specific machinery, i.e. very-low pressure cryogenic heat exchangers, volumetric and hydrodynamic compressors, as well as practical and efficient thermodynamic cycles. We report on the aims lines of action and present progress of this ongoing programme

Development of a New Air Compressor System for Ship Operation

An optimal operation of compressors used onboard vessels for various purposes is very important. In this study, the drawbacks of conventional air compressors are addressed. Interruption of the operations by unpredictable electrical power blackout and corrosion are the key drawbacks. The corrosion occurs due to a manual drain, which depletes the life of the air tank, thereby causing damages to the compressors. To address this challenge, the need for modification of conventional air compressors is imperative. Hence, this study entails the design and fabrication of an air compressor system with rechargeable characteristics, well equipped with an automatic drain sensor and pressure switch, to obtain optimal system efficiency and reliability. From the obtained results of the test and performance of the compressor, it is obvious that it is efficient and reliable for onboard ship operations

Improving Compressed Air Energy Efficiency in Automotive Plants: Practical Examples and Implementation

The automotive industry is the largest industry in the United States in terms of the dollar value of production [1]. U.S. automakers face tremendous pressure from foreign competitors, which have an increasing manufacturing presence in this country. The Big Three North American Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)-General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler-are reacting to declining sales figures and economic strain by working more efficiently and seeking out opportunities to reduce production costs without negatively affecting the production volume or the quality of the product. Successful, cost-effective investment and implementation of the energy efficiency technologies and practices meet the challenge of maintaining the output of high quality product with reduced production costs. Automotive stamping and assembly plants are typically large users of compressed air with annual compressed air utility bills in the range of $2M per year per plant. This paper focuses on practical methods that the authors have researched, analyzed and implemented to improve compressed air system efficiency in automobile manufacturing facilities. It describes typical compressed air systems in automotive stamping and assembly plants, and compares these systems to best practices. The paper then presents a series of examples, organized using the method of inside-out approach, which strategically identifies the energy savings in the compressed air system by first minimizing end-use demand, then minimizing distribution losses, and finally making improvements to primary energy conversion equipment, the air compressor plant

ACAES systems to enhance the self-consumption rate of renewable electricity in sustainable energy communities

This paper aims to evaluate the optimal configuration of an Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (ACAES) system designed to achieve the best matching between power production from non-programmable Renewable Energy Sources (RES) power plants and power demand from final users. The electrical energy demand of a small town, with a maximum power load of about 10 MW, has been considered as case study. The electrical energy can be supplied by both a photovoltaic (PV) power plant and the grid. For the ACAES system, different sizes for compressor, turbine, thermal energy storage (TES) system and air storage reservoir have been evaluated by varying the air mass flow rate of turbomachines and the charging and discharging duration times, to enhance the share of the PV energy supplied to the end user. The best performance is achieved with a PV power plant rated at about 35 MW and an ACAES section characterized by a compressor/turbine rated power of about 25-35% of the maximum power load of the end user, with a charging time of about 10 hours and a discharging time of about 20 hours. The average round-trip efficiency of the ACAES system is around 70%. On the overall, the integrated PV-ACAES system allows to cover 66% of the yearly electrical energy demand

Small Engine Component Technology (SECT)

A study of small gas turbine engines was conducted to identify high payoff technologies for year-2000 engines and to define companion technology plans. The study addressed engines in the 186 to 746 KW (250 to 1000 shp) or equivalent thrust range for rotorcraft, commuter (turboprop), cruise missile (turbojet), and APU applications. The results show that aggressive advancement of high payoff technologies can produce significant benefits, including reduced SFC, weight, and cost for year-2000 engines. Mission studies for these engines show potential fuel burn reductions of 22 to 71 percent. These engine benefits translate into reductions in rotorcraft and commuter aircraft direct operating costs (DOC) of 7 to 11 percent, and in APU-related DOCs of 37 to 47 percent. The study further shows that cruise missile range can be increased by as much as 200 percent (320 percent with slurry fuels) for a year-2000 missile-turbojet system compared to a current rocket-powered system. The high payoff technologies were identified and the benefits quantified. Based on this, technology plans were defined for each of the four engine applications as recommended guidelines for further NASA research and technology efforts to establish technological readiness for the year 2000

Electric Boosting and Energy Recovery Systems for Engine Downsizing

Due to the increasing demand for better fuel economy and increasingly stringent emissions regulations, engine manufacturers have paid attention towards engine downsizing as the most suitable technology to meet these requirements. This study sheds light on the technology currently available or under development that enables engine downsizing in passenger cars. Pros and cons, and any recently published literature of these systems, will be considered. The study clearly shows that no certain boosting method is superior. Selection of the best boosting method depends largely on the application and complexity of the system

Assessing the Technical Specifications of Predictive Maintenance: A Case Study of Centrifugal Compressor

Dependability analyses in the design phase are common in IEC 60300 standards to assess the reliability, risk, maintainability, and maintenance supportability of specific physical assets. Reliability and risk assessment uses well-known methods such as failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA), fault tree analysis (FTA), and event tree analysis (ETA)to identify critical components and failure modes based on failure rate, severity, and detectability. Monitoring technology has evolved over time, and a new method of failure mode and symptom analysis (FMSA) was introduced in ISO 13379-1 to identify the critical symptoms and descriptors of failure mechanisms. FMSA is used to estimate monitoring priority, and this helps to determine the critical monitoring specifications. However, FMSA cannot determine the effectiveness of technical specifications that are essential for predictive maintenance, such as detection techniques (capability and coverage), diagnosis (fault type, location, and severity), or prognosis (precision and predictive horizon). The paper proposes a novel predictive maintenance (PdM) assessment matrix to overcome these problems, which is tested using a case study of a centrifugal compressor and validated using empirical data provided by the case study company. The paper also demonstrates the possible enhancements introduced by Industry 4.0 technologies.publishedVersio