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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Fluid Flow, Pumps and Piping

Compressor

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/kəmˈprɛsər/nounCore term

In chemical engineering, compressor means: A machine that raises the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. The main types are centrifugal, reciprocating and screw compressors.

In Turkish: kompresör

How it is used

Used for process gas, refrigeration, hydrogen recycle and instrument air. Engineers talk about suction and discharge pressure, compression ratio, surge and anti-surge control. A compressor trip often shuts down a whole unit.

Example sentences

  1. The recycle gas compressor tripped on high vibration and the reactor had to be depressurized.

  2. Gas leaves the compressor much hotter, so there is a cooler after each stage.

Common collocations

  • centrifugal compressor
  • compressor surge
  • discharge pressure
  • anti-surge control
  • compressor trip
  • pumpA machine that moves a liquid through pipes by adding pressure to it. Most plant pumps are centrifugal; others are positive displacement types such as gear or diaphragm pumps.
  • tripAn automatic shutdown of a machine or unit by its protection system when a value goes past a safe limit, such as high pressure, low level or high vibration.
  • utilitiesThe supporting services a process plant needs to run, such as steam, cooling water, electricity, instrument air, nitrogen, fuel gas and demineralized water.
  • pressure dropThe loss of pressure as a fluid flows through a pipe, valve, filter, bed or piece of equipment, caused mainly by friction.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Fluid Flow, Pumps and Piping

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