EGCR News

Technical Tuesday: Engine/Compressor Weight

January 25, 2022

Well, that’s one way to spend the day screwing off. There are many things to consider while planning major engine/compressor work, but weights are pretty high on the list. Many of our heaviest components exceed the floor weight capacity on buildings with basements. Screw jacks or timbers can be used to shore the floor up prior to work beginning. Seriously… don’t get overloaded. For more tips and tricks, join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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Technical Tuesday: Web Deflections

January 18, 2022

Web deflections sounds like an online security firm, but they have been around longer than Al Gore’s claim of inventing the internet. This picture shows the proper setup using a string-line gauge. By capturing the changes in this distance as the crankshaft is rotated, we can evaluate how much the crankshaft is deflecting. The data can then be used to interpret how the engine frame is aligned and expose potential issues. Want to know more? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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Technical Tuesday: Freeze Plugs

January 11, 2022

For our next installment of “Name Shame,” we will cover freeze plugs. There is a general misconception that freeze plugs are made to pop out if the engine coolant freezes, keeping the block or head from cracking. While it seems logical, the real purpose of these casting holes is to remove the casting sand. There actually have been many a block cracked with the freeze plug still in place. These pictures are core plugs from a Cooper Bessemer engine—they are the equivalent of a freeze plug. Learn more at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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Technical Tuesday: Reciprocating Compressors

January 4, 2022

We always wondered where George Lucas got the inspiration for the IT-O Interrogator droid. If you know, you know. Reciprocating compressors can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. These 3 pictures are a small sample — the round compressor is from a small horsepower unit found in a machine shop. The rectangular body is common in high pressure applications like storage fields and process applications. And lastly, the old faithful is a sample of very large cylinder found in a “main-line” compressor station. Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Round compressor from a small horsepower unit

Large cylinder in mainline compressor station

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Technical Tuesday: Tail Shaft

December 21, 2021

Have you ever seen a unit wagging its tail? A tail shaft could be used to hook multiple compressors together, but why have one on a unit like this? Manufacturers use them to create rod reversal which lubricates the crosshead pin and bushing. Under certain speed and pressure conditions, a crosshead pin and bushing can fail to cycle and burn up. One of the main contributors to this is the difference in crank end versus head end pressure created by the smaller piston face surface area of the crank end due to the rod connection. An easy way to engineer that out? Put a tail rod in the head end side of the piston. That will even out the pressure and allow the pin and bushing to receive proper lubrication and live a long and happy life together. Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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CH4 Facts: Indoor Pollution from Open Fires

December 16, 2021

Why is it problematic when 33% of the earth’s population still use open fires for cooking? Unfortunately, these cooking methods are responsible for the premature death of almost 4 million people per year. Indoor pollution from cooking can cause pneumonia, stroke, heart disease, COPD, and lung cancer. Natural gas is a much safer and cleaner fuel source for these communities, and we should encourage developments in those areas. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Household air pollution and health (who.int)

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

Technical Tuesday: Hear-Here

December 14, 2021

This here is a Hear-Here. Back in the day before Scada and automation became king, station operators got a on conference call every hour to relay pressures to the gas controller who would then tell (not ask) them to make adjustments. You can still see the remnants of those practices in a few stations, the big clocks in the engine room, telephone booths, chart recorders, etc. Another fun fact, those operators gossiped like a sewing circle. So if you broke a taillight in Houma, LA, the crew in Newark, NJ, knew the whole story within the hour. Want to know more? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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CH4 Facts: Polluting Fires vs. Safe, Clean Natural Gas

December 9, 2021

To continue the discussion around food safety and natural gas, the World Health Organization (WHO) says “2.6 billion people cook using polluting open fires or simple stoves fueled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.” That’s 33% of the earth’s population. Providing these communities with safe, clean natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food, and power their lives is critical for developing areas. It makes you wonder why anyone would object. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Household air pollution and health (who.int)

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

Technical Tuesday: Discharge Bottle Flange

December 7, 2021

What the what?!? Occasionally, we see things that just don’t seem right. If you take look at the discharge bottle flange in this picture, you will see a marvelous piece of ingenuity. Someone took a pipe cap and cut it down to fit the hole. The cap was then welded in place. That labor probably cost more than the blind flange, bolts, and gasket would have. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Young technicians, don’t be afraid to ask when you see something that doesn’t look right. Want to know more? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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CH4 Facts: Creating Food Containers

December 2, 2021

That was a pretty picture of canned fruit in glass jars in our last CH4 Facts post, but did you know that natural gas is a key component to creating food containers? Not just glass, but also aluminum cans, plastic containers, Styrofoam, and more. Can you think of a container that isn’t made with natural gas? If you have a specific question, send us a message and plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.