Simple Mechanical Blowcase Cycle Counting

[agdurham]

Hi,

Do you have any suggestions for a simple method of counting blowcase cycles on a small booster compressor package.

I was thinking of using a pneumatic cycle counter on the instrument gas line that acutates the valves. The problem is that I can't find anything that can be used with natural gas.

We don't have any power on site so no fancy transducer devices.

Thanks,

 

[JAFCO]

If your metering your fluid volume off the blowcase its a simple as determining the volume per cycle and calculating out your daily cycles.

 

[quadtracker]

What about using a Barton chart recorder, measuring the pressure changes on the blowcase everytime it dumps.

 

[zdas04]

A blowcase is a really good positive-displacement meter--while it is in the dump cycle, inflow is stopped so you get an exact volume per dump. I've used that characteristic to feed a dump counter into the "turbine meter" input on an RTU (with the "k-factor" being volume per dump) and it has worked really well.

The simple turnstile counters are a bit too simple and tend to be very fragile.

I've had better luck with an Ashcroft pressure switch (I got it from PreMac

http://www.premacinc.com/index.php

but any Ashcroft dealer should be able to help).

Counting pulses on a Barton chart could work, but you would have to calculate your volume manually.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

http://www.muleshoe-eng.com

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