PR-266-12213-R01 Minimizing Gas Compressor Lubricating Oil Consumption

One of the main sources of fouling in pipelines is related to the use of lubrication (and possibly over-lubrication) in reciprocating compressors. In addition to the obvious cost of lubricants, there are also many hidden costs associated with reciprocating compressor lubrication. Some of these hidden costs include disposal of collected oil, gas storage field contamination, scrubber cleaning, and loss of general pipeline efficiency. Minimizing reciprocating gas compressor lubrication oil consumption can address these costs while at the same time reducing the negative environmental impact associated with reciprocating compressor over-lubrication. One approach to minimize reciprocating compressor lubrication oil consumption is to use non-lubricated reciprocating compressor trim (e.g. filled PTFE composites). This report provides an in-depth evaluation of a wear test program performed on a variety of filled PTFE materials in air and a natural gas environment. This evaluation included comparison of this data to results provided in the open literature. One specific reference used as a comparison performed a comprehensive wear testing program on filled PTFE materials in a variety of gases (including methane) for a variety of dew points. Parameters evaluated in this study included the effect of dew point ranging from +0° C to -100° C, and the effect of various gas environment, including air, methane, propane, ethylene, and nitrogen.