Cylinder Lube Oil Supply
Cylinder and packing lube oil
is normally supplied from the frame lubrication system at the main oil
gallery directly to the suction side of the cylinder force
feed lubricator pump. The
oil is then pumped through a distribution
block system to individual supply points; cylinder lube injection,
packing lube, intermediate packing lube and cylinder flushing points.
A lubricator
no-flow switch is installed at each divider block to ensure appropriate
and monitored oil flow.
The cylinder and packing lube
can be supplied from a separate system. Generally,
separate lube oil for the cylinders and packings is required for applications
where the required cylinder and packing lubricant is not compatible with
the frame lubricant. These applications include high
discharge pressure applications , or when the process gas conditions
require a synthetic lubricant, such as when heavy hydrocarbons, wet gas or CO2 are present in the
gas stream and would dilute a conventional lubricant.
For applications requiring separate
frame and cylinder/packing lubricant, the packager is required to provide
a separate day tank for the cylinder and packing lubricant. A
line filter is recommended between the day tank and the compressor connection.
This day
tank will need to be elevated to provide the cylinder lube pump oil at
a slight positive pressure. Oil
filter and piping pressure drop as well as the increased oil viscosity
at cold temperatures should be considered when sizing the piping between
the day tank and the compressor.
See section 6 of the Packager's Standards for information on cylinder
and packing lubricants and rates:
Ariel
Corporation Application Manual
28-Aug-2001