New application areas thanks to innovative compressor technology from Celeroton

Celeroton is conquering new application areas: Our highly efficient technology is now suitable for use in high-pressure applications.

Celeroton unlocks new application areas: Our high-efficiency compressor technology is now suitable for use in areas with pressures at the inlet of the compressor ranging from several tens to several hundred bar. Thanks to our customized solutions, new possibilities are opening up for processes with air, noble gases such as helium or argon, as well as demanding process gases such as ammonia and CO₂ in the high-pressure range.

Customer requirements, innovation, and design strategy

In processes with high pressures, pressure losses and leaks should be avoided due to overall energy efficiency. Previously, this was not the focus — pressure energy was often blown off into the environment and the process was then refilled. By recirculating the gas to maintain a stable pressure, Celeroton turbo compressors can offer an alternative to optimize the process. Our compressors ensure low-maintenance operation and are particularly suitable for demanding applications with high requirements on purity or for materials in contact with the process medium.

The specific requirements of our customers — typically an individual combination of “allowed materials in contact with the process medium”, “specific purity requirements” and “special process parameters” — pushed us to further develop our technology. The result is that we are now able to offer new solutions for the requirements of high-pressure applications.

Technical challenges and our solution approach

High pressure poses a number of new technical challenges for our existing technology. These include, for example, adapted design tools for the gas bearing — as the medium behaves differently at high pressures. Or dealing with the high forces on the rotor of the machine, but also on the components such as the housing, seals, etc. This makes innovative design solutions essential, especially in combination with specific customer requirements:

• Gas bearing technology: The calculation models of our proprietary gas bearing technology have been extended and can now also be used for applications with high pressures at the inlet. This enables us to calculate robust solutions, including both the functionality of the gas bearing and the resulting losses. These are very relevant for the efficiency of the machine and the thermal behavior.
• Encapsulation of sensitive components: For components such as the stator (electric motor), which must be protected under high-pressure conditions, we rely on proven encapsulation concepts. These have already proven for the operation of our compressors in aggressive gases and have now been further optimized for high pressures.
• Robust housing designs: The extended housing concepts are designed for high pressures and enable safe operation. They also offer a high level of tightness and can be adapted to individual requirements for inlet and outlet interfaces. The internal assembly and testing procedures allow us to subsequently test the helium tightness.

Extended test infrastructure for maximum safety and reliability

To ensure the functionality and performance of our compressors at high pressures, Celeroton has invested in a special test infrastructure. This allows for comprehensive tests up to a test pressure of 300 bar, including load tests of individual components and complete compressor tests. Testing also complies with the purity requirements for the product. Using our closed-loop test system, we ensure that our technology works optimal under varying pressure ratios and mass flows and meets our requirements for maximum efficiency, even at an inlet pressure of 200 bar.

Ready for the next pressure stage

With these developments, Celeroton sets a new standard in high-pressure applications for high-speed turbo compressors and is ready for the next challenge.

Learn more about how our technology can make your processes more efficient. Contact us (moc.notorelec@ofni)  and discover the possibilities of gas recirculation at pressures of up to 200 bar at the inlet of the compressor — customized to your requirements!