DESIGN OF A COMPRESSOR FOR THE CONVERSION OF PLASTIC WASTE TO FUEL

COMPONENTS
A Plant Design Project Report
Presented to the
Department of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering
College of Engineering
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi
by

SAM YUSIF RHULE

in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science (HONS)

Chemical Engineering

February, 2019
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.0 DESIGN OF CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR ............Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 Problem statement ............................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Introduction .....................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3 Equipment Selection .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.1 Positive displacement compressor ............................................................................ 3
1.3.1.1 Rotary compressor................................................................................................. 3
1.3.1.2 Reciprocating ........................................................................................................ 4
1.3.2 Dynamic compressors ............................................................................................... 5
1.4 Equipment Justification .................................................................................................... 7
References ....................................................................................................................................... 8

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.0 Problem statement

The compressor is to be designed to transport 8802 kg/day of non-condensable hydrocarbon gases

from a fractionation column operating at 1 atm to a storage tank at a. The hydrocarbon gases were

obtained from the Catalytic cracking and upgrading of pyrogas produced from suitable plastic

wastes (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene).

1.1 Main Objective

To reduce the volume of the hydrocarbon gases for storage.

1.2 Specific objectives

1. to transport the gases from the distillation column to its storage tank.

2. To review and identify the suitable equipment to be used.

3. To justify the choice of equipment selected to be designed.

4. To perform chemical and mechanical engineering design calculations on the selected equipment.

5. To develop a detailed engineering drawing of the selected equipment

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 CHAPTER 2

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

Compression is merely a function of increasing the pressure of gas stream by reducing its volume

in order to assist in its transportation from one unit to the other through a closed conduit.

A gas compressor is any mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas stream by reducing

its volume. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can

transport the fluid through a closed conduit. Gases are compressible and therefore a compressor

can used to reduce the volume of a gas. Liquids are relatively incompressible, while some can be

compressed, the main function of a pump is to pressurize and transport liquids. Compressors

increase the pressure of a compressible fluid by reducing the fluid specific volume during passage

of the fluid through the compressor (Mulyandasari, 2011).

There are two principal methods used to compress a gas. The first method traps a volume of gas

and displace it by the positive action of a piston or rotating member; these are compressors are

termed positive-displacement compressors. The second method uses dynamic compression; it is

accomplished by either the mechanical action of contoured blades, which impart velocity and the

pressure to the flowing gas, or by the entrainment of gases in a high velocity jet of the same or

another gas (example, steam).

There are two major groupings of compressors, positive displacement and Dynamic. These can be

further subdivided. Positive-displacement compressors are the ones in which successive volumes

of gas are confined within a closed space (volume) and elevated to a higher pressure (Halon, 2001).

Reciprocating compressors are positive-displacement compressors in which the compressing and

displacing element is a piston that moves back and forth within a cylinder. In Rotary positive-

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displacement compressors, compression and displacement is brought about by the close meshing

of rotating elements. Rotary compressors are used for high volume flow where the discharge

pressure is not too high, while the reciprocating compressors are required for high pressures

(Mulyandasari, 2011)

Dynamic compressor is a continuous-flow compressor which includes centrifugal compressor and

axial flow compressor. It is widely used in chemical and petroleum refinery industry. They are

also used in other industries such as the iron and steel industry, pipeline booster, and on offshore

platforms for reinjection compressors. The dynamic compressor is characterized by rotating

impeller that increases the velocity and pressure of fluid. Compare to positive displacement type

compressor, dynamic compressors are much smaller in size and produce less vibration. (Halon,

2001).

2.1 Positive displacement compressor

These are compressor that deliver a fixed volume of air at high pressures. It is divided into two

types namely rotary compressor and reciprocating compressor.

2.2 Rotary compressor

Rotary compressor is a group of positive displacement machines that has a central, spinning rotor

and a number of vanes. It obtains its pressurizing ability from a spinning component. There a

number of designs of rotary compressors that employ different mechanical principles and

configuration in their operation. Rotary compressors are usually employed in areas where

relatively low discharge pressures and low power levels are required (Bloch, 2006). Rotary

compressors are compact, relatively inexpensive, and require a minimum of operating attention

and maintenance. the pressure of a gas is increased in a rotary compressor by trapping it between

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vanes which reduce it in volume as the impeller rotates around an axis eccentric to the casing.

(Mulyandasari, 2011)

2.3 Reciprocating

The reciprocating, or piston compressor, is a positive displacement compressor that uses the

movement of a piston within a cylinder to move gas from one pressure level to another of higher

level. Undoubtedly, the reciprocating compressor is the well-known and the most widely used of

all compressors (Brown, 2005). They are usually used at a low flow. It comprises a mechanical set

up whereby a reciprocating motion is transferred to a piston that is free to move in a cylinder

(Brown,2005). Compression is attained by the forced reduction of a gas volume by the motion of

a piston in a cylinder (Bloch,2006). It comprises a mechanical plan in which reciprocating motion

is transferred to a piston that is free to move in a cylinder. The motion of the piston, together with

the inlet valve or valves, causes an amount of gas to enter the cylinder where it is in turn

compressed and discharged (Brown, 2005). Action of the discharge valve or valves averts the flow

of gas from the discharge line into the compressor during the next intake cycle. When only one

side of the piston is involved in the compression process, It is termed a single-acting compressor

whiles if the compression takes place on each side of the piston it is known as a double-acting

compressor. Configurations consist of a single cylinder or multiple cylinders on a frame. When a

single cylinder is utilized or multiple cylinders are connected in parallel the design is referred to

as a single-stage compressor. In a multi-stage compressor, multiple cylinders on a common frame

are arranged in series, usually through a cooler referred to as a multistage compressor

(Brown,2005). Generally, the maximum allowable discharge-gas temperature determines the

maximum compression ratio. Typical compression ratios are about 3 per stage to limit discharge

temperatures to perhaps 300oF to 350°F. Some reciprocating compressors have as many as six

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stages, to provide a total compression ratio over 300. Reciprocating compressors are simple in

design, lower initial cost, easy to install and large range of horsepower. its disadvantages are higher

maintenance cost, many moving parts, potential for vibration problems and foundation may be

required depending on size. (Mulyandasari, 2011)

2.4 Dynamic compressors

Dynamic compressor is a continuous-flow compressor. It includes centrifugal compressor and

axial flow compressor. The dynamic compressor is used to increases the velocity and pressure

fluid by a rotating impeller. Due to the dynamic nature of these compressors, the gas density and

molecular weight have an effect on the amount of pressure generated by the compressor.

2.5 Axial flow compressor

Axial flow compressors are used mainly as compressors for gas turbines. They are used in the steel

industry as blast furnace blowers and in the chemical industry for large nitric acid plants. Axial

flow compressors are mainly used for applications where the head required is low and with the

high intake volume of flow. The efficiency in an axial flow compressor is higher than the

centrifugal compressor. Its advantages are High peak efficiency, Small frontal area for given

airflow and Increased pressure rise due to increased number of stages with negligible losses. Its

advantages include Difficulty of manufacture and high cost, Relatively high weight and High

starting power requirements. (Mulyandasari, 2011)

2.6 Centrifugal compressor

The centrifugal compressor is a dynamic machine that achieves compression by applying inertial

forces to the gas (acceleration, deceleration, and turning) by means of rotating impellers. It is made

up of one or more stages; each stage consists of an impeller as the rotating element and the

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stationary element, that is the diffuser. In centrifugal compressor, the fluid flow enters the impeller

in an axial direction and discharged from an impeller radially at a right angle to the axis of rotation.

The gas fluid is forced through the impeller by rapidly rotating impeller blades. The gas next flows

through a circular chamber (diffuser), following a spiral path where it loses velocity and increases

pressure. The deceleration of flow or “diffuser action” causes pressure build-up in the centrifugal

compressor. Briefly, the impeller adds energy to the gas fluid, and then the diffuser converts it into

pressure energy. (Mulyandasari, 2011)

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 CHAPTER 3

3.0 Equipment Justification

To choose the most suitable compressor, the design must regard a wide range a wide variety of

types of compression equipment. Each type of compressor offers peculiar advantages for a

particular application. Among these factors include flow rate, head or pressure, temperature

limitation, method of sealing, method of lubrication, power consumption, serviceability and cost.

Reciprocating compressors are not affected by changes in gas densities and molecular

weight.hence periodic variations in these properties does not affect the power and

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 References

Hanlon, P. (2001) compressor handbook. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York.

Mulyandasari, V. (2011) compressor selection and sizing (engineering design guideline). KLM

Technology Group, p:4-29

Shaojun, L.I and Feng, L.I. (2012) Prediction of Cracking Gas Compressor Performance and Its

Application in Process Optimization Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 20(6) p:1089-

1093