Ariel Recip Compressors

[WolfgangHochfellner]

Gents,

we are planning to install a new recip gas compressor in one of our upstream fields.

One of the vendor options is Ariel - also due to its low costs.

Currently we have no experience with high speed rpm (~1200-1500) recip compressors.

What is your operational experience with high speed recips? Any specific experience with Ariel products?

All the best,
Wolfgang

 

[zdas04]

In much of the world, Ariel is the recip of choice. In the San Juan Basin of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado there are no less than 5,000 of them running in every size imaginable. These are very rugged and reliable machines that stand up to an amazing amount of abuse in remote wellsite-service. Within plant fences (where they are well taken care of) they give trouble-free service for decades.

I've never heard them called "low cost", but with competent packaging and maintenance they are very "high reliability". You need to pay really close attention to the packaging specifications (as you would with any compressor) and packager performance.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

http://www.muleshoe-eng.com

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

The harder I work, the luckier I seem

 

[1969grad]

To my knowledge, the old integral, slow speed type compressors are no longer in production in the USA. Of course you could buy a used machine.

I agree with David that the Ariel compressor is the vendor of choice for recips.

BTW, the Ariel compressor is manufactured in the same small Ohio town that used to manufacture the old Cooper Bessemer compressors. I think that you will find that a lot of the key Ariel employees are ex CB employees.

 

[zdas04]

1969Grad,
It is the lovely community of Mt. Vernnon, Ohio. Cooper still makes some compressors there (I think they make Ajax slow-speed integrals there, but I'm not sure). Ariel has been there long enough now that many employees of either company are alumni of the other one.

David

 

[1969grad]

Guess I did not want to name names.

The old CB facility in Mt. Vernon now packages gas turbine driven units using Rolls Royce units. No recips.

They are now called Rolls Royce.

The recip part of their business was sold and moved to Houston where they sell the high speed type units.

 

[zdas04]

Where do they make Ajax integrals?

David

 

[sms]

David I don't think they make them anymore. They do NOx upgrades, overhauls, repairs, but I don't think they make any new ones...

-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

 

[zdas04]

One of my clients just ordered (against my advice) 25 brand new Ajax 2801 machines for an application that I felt should have been flooded screws. I guess they could have found them at a surplus yard, but I don't think they payed surplus prices. When they decided to go with Ajax's they no longer felt that I had much to add to the project and I bowed out.

Cooper Cameron still has them on their web page

http://www.coopercameron.com/cgi-bi...?OID=14959082&pageid=ccsbrands&thismenu=menu1

and don't say anything about them being discontinued. I don't want any, I was just wondering.

David

 

[sms]

My apologies, I know they talked about discontinuing them at one time. I guess they didn't after all.

-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

 

[jcfoley]

Ditto on David's comments on finding the right packager. Just one major point, the cheapest packager will almost never give you the best value. Ariel is a great machine and we package them almost exclusively (we have about 1400 of these in our rental fleet).

No matter what course you take, force your packager's quotes to be as detailed as possible. Require a pulsation and a torsional analysis. To take a shortcut here can be catastrophic. Be especially aware of items from some packagers like to put off on your contractor (like shipped loose distance piece supports). The packager knows how to install these correctly but most contractors do not. The loopholes can only be solved by extensive documentation.
If the quotes do not provide the documentation, then your RFQ or follow up questions should.

This may not answer your specific question but this is what I do for a living.

Chris Foley
Chief Engineer
Compressor Systems, Inc.

PS Lead times are getting very bad due to high demand. Whatever you want to do, you might want to get with it. I have seen CAT engine deliveries in excess of 72 weeks!