EGCR News

Technical Tuesday: Tight, but not too tight.

March 21, 2023

When the job calls for a torque wrench, but the 1” impact is handy… This photo shows failed threads on a bolt caused by over-tightening which can — and usually does — lead to a failure with varying degrees of damage based on what the fastener was fastening. Want to learn more about proper torquing techniques, bolt stretch, material capabilities, tooling, etc.? Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Electric Gremlins

March 7, 2023

Do you have an electric gremlin residing in one of your units? The problems are often traced back to grounding. These photos show arcing between the crankshaft and bearing. Want to know what to look for and where to find it? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh to learn more.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Reworked Parts

February 28, 2023

Reworked parts are a less expensive route to go when money is tight, but not addressing the root cause of the failure can prove even more costly. Torsional issues and improper repair practices can result in even more issues down the road. These photos show a failed crankshaft that became embrittled after a weld repair that failed again due to torsional issues. Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Taking a Slug

February 21, 2023

Taking a slug doesn’t mean what it once did… Trying to compress liquids in reciprocating compressors can cause catastrophic damage to the equipment. Want to learn more about how to prevent this from happening? Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Tips to reduce fluid-system safety incidents

August 23, 2022

Up to 42% of fluid-system safety incidents are due to preventable errors. We have some tips on how to lower risks for your workers, facilities, and valuable assets: 1. Never bleed system pressure by loosening a fitting nut or lug; 2. Never make up and/or tighten fittings when a system is pressurized; 3. Never mix tube fitting and tubing materials or leakage/galvanic corrosion could occur; 4. Never force tubing into a fitting. Learn more at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 2-4, 2023 in Pittsburgh.

Thank you to Rudy Frank from Swagelok Pittsburgh | Tri-State Area for this Technical Tuesday tip.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Monitoring Health Status of Gas Turbine Bearings

August 16, 2022

Oil Debris Monitors (ODM) enable gas turbine operators to maximize equipment availability by providing the earliest advance warning of potential damage. As shown in this image, the full flow, online ODM sensor was the only sensor to detect the issue and the early warning allowed the engine operator to schedule the engine shutdown while monitoring. The damage on the #1 bearing correlated with the ODM damage alarm indicator. Learn more at the EGCR, May 2-4, 2023 in Pittsburgh.

Thank you to Manuel Aboud from Gastops for this Technical Tuesday tip.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

CH4 Facts: Vehicle Efficiency Numbers

July 28, 2022

Our last post on vehicle emissions might have raised some eyebrows, but let’s look at the efficiency numbers of an internal combustion vehicle versus an electric vehicle. An internal combustion vehicle converts between 20-35% percent of the fuel energy potential to force at the wheels of your vehicle. While that might not sound like a stellar number, the lower end of that scale reflects heavy duty trucks and vans. Now, let’s compare it to an EV. Thermal efficiency at a power plant ranges from 45-50%. Losses on the transmission grid are 5%. Losses at your transformer (assuming you only go through 1 to get to your home) is 3%. Losses at the charger are 11-16%. Losses at the battery 18%, and finally losses at the drive motors are 10%. If you do the math, an EV is only able to use 24.1-28.7% of the fuel energy potential. So, is the EV much more efficient than an internal combustion engine? Every car on the road is powered by oil and gas. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Vehicle Emissions

July 7, 2022

Can we talk about vehicle emissions? We often hear about zero emissions vehicles, but is that a true statement? Actually, no. Much of the pollution from vehicle travel is particulate emissions from tires. But let’s say we are specifically comparing an internal combustion engine vs. the motor of an electric car (EV). The answer is still no… Electric cars are not emissions free; they just transfer where the emissions are being made. Instead of tailpipe emissions, the EV emissions are made at the power generation site. Every car on the road is powered by oil and gas (and for EV, sometimes coal, fuel oil, nuclear, etc.). If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Auto Glass

June 30, 2022

We have discussed glass several times, but car window glass is on a completely different level. Car glass must be extremely strong, tough, clear without visible distortions, extremely climate resistant, and designed to break in a controlled manner to prevent injury to occupants. To manufacturer a product that can successfully meet all those challenges requires heat — and lots of it. Those process are powered by natural gas. Every vehicle on the road today is powered by the oil and gas industry. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CompressorTech2: EGCR Completes 50 Years

June 24, 2022

By Keefe Borden, CompressorTech2 Magazine

A half century is a long time, but the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable has stayed relevant in the gas compression industry by consistently providing training programs that keep professionals up to speed with new developments in technology.

The organization’s 2022 conference was May 3-5, 2022 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

After 50 years, the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable (EGCR) has grown into an industry powerhouse forum for training. It is run by a non-profit organization that gives high quality cost-effective education programs that focus on engine and compressor maintenance.

“For an event to survive 50 years is quite an accomplishment,” said Joyce Perhac, the organization’s executive director. “I do not see this event going away at all. It offers a valuable experience to end users to get training.”

Around 1,000 participants typically attend the event, which includes an exhibition hall and sponsorship opportunities in addition to the training.

The event’s training classes have evolved with new technologies and its format has evolved as well. The conference has always included training classes, but many participants have said they like the roundtable format discussion, which often offers the opportunity to question a range of industry experts.

“They really like to pick the brain of the experts,” she said.

As a result, the format has evolved from single person presentations to include more roundtable discussions, which were common in the early years of the conference.

The last show was three years ago, before the outbreak of COVID-19. The show was scheduled for May 2020, but was postponed because the pandemic had just broken out.

“A lot of our attendees are younger station operators with families,” she said.

“We did not want them to be exposed and see them go home to their families.”

The event was postponed and then ultimately canceled for 2020.

The same happened the following year when some of the variants started to break out. By then, many companies were still on lockdown. “We didn’t feel that we could offer them a quality event that we are known for,” she said.

The format of the event stays relevant by surveying participants to see what they like and dislike about the event and adjustments to the program for the following year are considered to continue offering the best educational opportunities possible to professionals in the gas compression industry.

Most participants are from North America because of the classes it offers to end users. “We’ve found our niche. We stay in our lane and we do pretty well with it,” Perhac said.

The EGCR board of directors is a committed group of volunteers who guide the organization each year. They meet in person three times a year to plan for the upcoming training program and to keep costs reasonable for the participants, she said.

The EGCR dates back to the early 1970s, when members of the growing natural gas industry needed a forum for education and training that specialized in engine and compressor systems.

Representatives from several end users, product manufacturers and industry suppliers met at the Lakeview Country Club in Morgantown, West Virginia in April 1972. Participants had a strong interest in promoting safety, innovation and education.

The group agreed to form the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable as it would address the needs of local industry and provide a valuable resource for companies and their employees.

The organizers agreed the roundtable was a valuable forum to provide opportunities for people in the gas compression and related industries to extend their knowledge of the operation and maintenance of compression units and related equipment. The organizers have extended training to include professionals in engineering, gas control, automation and controls, management and environment, health and safety.

The first roundtable as it became known was held in May 1973 on the Evansdale Campus of West Virginia University in cooperation with the College of Mineral Energy Resources.