Oil-flooded rotary screw compressors have been widely used on various air and refrigeration applications for more than 50 years. These machines did not make a significant presence in the natural gas industry until the early 1990s. Until then, reciprocating compressors had been used almost exclusively for natural gas compression. As gas fields have matured and field pressures have dropped, screw compressors have become a very attractive alternative and supplement to reciprocating machines. This article will focus on screw compressors that are the oil-flooded, heavy-duty process gas machines rather than the air derivative types. We will provide numerous illustrations to help better understand the screw machine.
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