The Labyrinth-Piston Compressor with its Unique Sealing System for Ultra Low Gas Temperatures.

摘要

The transportation of large quantities of Natural Gas from the producer to the customer can be achieved either by gas pipelines or in a liquefied state, by ship (LNG tankers). A big part of the LNG destined for the Far East -one of the most active consumer areas in the world - is produced in the Persian Gulf and in Indonesia and transported to terminals in Japan, Taiwan or Korea. Huge installations must be available for safe and economic handling of the LNG and the associated boil-off gases during storage, loading and unloading at such terminals. The technical features of these as well as those aboard the LNG tankers are fascinating in terms both of dimensions and of the art of engineering (Fig. 1). Safe and environment-conscious handling of the cargo, prevention of leaks, as well as exposure of materi-als to cryogenic temperatures or rapid temperatures changes, are of high concern to the designers. Among the. rotating equipment used in this field are reciprocating compressors. The paper hereafter presents the design features of Labyrinth-Piston Compressors specially designed for LNG boil-off gas in land terminals.