Efficiency Evaluation and Experiment of Natural Gas Reciprocating Compressor.

This paper proposes a method of evaluating the performance of natural gas reciprocating compressor. The analytical formulas of various energy and efficiencies for integral engine compressor and separable compressor are presented on basis of their energy balance equations. The experiment setup and required parameters for calculating the energy efficiencies are stated. Experimental tests on integral engine compressor and separable compressor under various operating conditions were conducted to verify the correctness of the method. According to the 4D rule and the principal of average, the minimum allowable efficiencies of natural gas reciprocating compressor are recommended by testing thirty-one integral engine compressors and twenty separable compressors selected randomly. The results show that both the direct procedure and indirect procedure are applicable to obtaining the various efficiencies of integral engine compressor owing to their slight relative errors. Integral engine compressor efficiency is low due to large exhaust loss and heat rejection on gas engine, separable compressor efficiency is high owing to an efficient electric motor. The minimum allowable efficiency of gas engine is 25%, compressor unit 85%, electric motor 60%, integral engine compressor 16% and separable compressor 45% [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]