HOWDEN KNOW-HOW

ENHANCING PERFORMANCEAND REDUCING COSTS

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PISTON COMPRESSORS BURTON CORBLIN®

PLANNED MAINTENANCE IS THE ROUTE

TO RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY

Burton Corblin® custom-designed compressorsare designed for high-pressure duties, oftenhandling difficult gases and specialised processrequirements. They depend upon a complexinteraction of finely balanced components.If problems arise, they usually have complexcauses requiring specialist expertise to identifythe root and determine an appropriate courseof remedial action.

Above: Vibration investigation and controlon a compressor head

Right: Planned maintenance

PLANNED MAINTENANCE ANDAPPROPRIATE UPGRADES WILL KEEPCOMPRESSORS AT OR ABOVE THEIRORIGINAL SPECIFICATION. THEHOWDEN APPROACH TO SERVICINGFOCUSES CLEARLY ON FINDING THECAUSES OF PROBLEMS RATHER THANJUST DEALINGWITH THE SYMPTOMS.

Aftermarket support

• Where parts are subject to wear, theirlife can be extended by fine-tuning thecompressor’s operating parameters toprecisely reflect its workload.

• Substituting key components withlong-life equivalents leads to increasedavailability.

• Howden minimises downtime by offeringfast technical and logistical support andproviding OEM parts on demand fromour comprehensive stock.

• Installations can be given a second lifethrough analysis and redesign to meetnew operating conditions.

On-site support

• Howden specialists can assesscompressor performance and operatingparameters, and recommend a packageof improvements.

• Regular maintenance, planned andsupervised by Howden, will extendoperating life and prevent expensivebreakdowns.

• Howden engineers can optimise theintegration of the compressor into itsassociated plant.

• Planned maintenance can avoidunexpected and expensive emergencyoutages.

All Howden maintenance meetsISO 9001 and 14001 standards.Howden engineers are UICcertified and adhere strictly tohealth and safety best practicewhile on site.

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PISTON COMPRESSORS BURTON CORBLIN®

Contact your local Howden company formore information on optimising compressorperformance or visit www.howden.com

Aftermarket supportHowden has a comprehensive worldwideaftermarket support structure designed toprovide rapid responses and minimise downtime.It includes site service teams, customer liaisonspecialists, on-line support, repairs shops,production staff, design engineers and a fullstock of OEM parts.

Eliminating impuritiesEnsuring that the gas phase is stabilised andcontrolled during compression will prevent thecreation of condensates and polymerisationparticles that can impair performance and leadto premature wear of components. Howdenspecialists can investigate these phenomenaand if necessary carry out adjustments toeliminate them.

UpgradesUpgrade opportunities vary between installations,depending on factors such as operatingtemperatures and pressures, the type andpurity of the process gas and the frequencywith which the plant is stopped and started.

Replacing components with long-life alternativesdesigned to cope with the stresses of heavy-dutyoperations, and introducing components designedspecifically for the process gas involved, can bringmarked improvements in reliability and availability.

RetrofitsHowden compressors are carefully designedandmanufactured to meet the demands andconditions prevailing at the time of installation.Any alteration in these conditions will havean impact on compressor performance.

Changes in the gas phase, for example, cangenerate condensates and polymerisationparticles during compression. These problemscan be avoided by adjusting the systems thatregulate the compression process, replacingparticular components or integrating additionalequipment into the process.

Every Howden retrofit project is designed toaddress the causes of reduced performance,and not just deal with the effects. Both thecurrent conditions and the target performancewill be thoroughly analysed in planning thebest course of action.

On-site maintenanceHowdenmaintenance packages provide thebest route to maximum compressor availability.Our field technicians will not only carry out fullinspection procedures and planned maintenanceexpertly and efficiently, they can suggestappropriate actions to improve compressorperformance and advise on improvements whichmay have taken place in areas like filter designand mechanical assemblies.

Problem solvingIf compressor efficiency is decreasing, orif higher availability is required, Howden’sexperienced engineers can provide the bestroute to raising performance, based on theirunderstanding of both the Howden productsand customer needs.

Operating conditions vary enormously.Where there are large pressure variations atthe compressor outlet, or where the unit isswitched on and off frequently, an enormousstrain is placed on mechanical components.

In these circumstances, we can supply a bespokemaintenance schedule.We can also provideparts designed to reduce stresses in criticalareas. This will reduce both the frequencyof maintenance needed and the number ofspares required, and give higher efficiencyand availability.

WE CAN IDENTIFY AND CORRECT

EXISTING AND POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

TO BRING THE COMPRESSOR BACK TO

ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE LEVELS, OR

RETROFIT TO MEET NEW OPERATING

CONDITIONS.

A typical Burton Corblin compressor cylinder assemblyComplete piston compressor package