One of the most precious, naturally occurring materials in the world today is crude oil. It has been possible to secure this crude oil by drilling deep into the earth. Once brought back up, the industry refines and distills this oil to create a wide range of useful products.
Industrial air compressors are found in a wide range of working environments and offer a wide range of uses. One such environment is the oil and gas industry. Industrial air compressors are vital equipment that supplies a steady flow of compressed air for long periods while working within the industry. They also feature durability and longevity, handling the high demands of the industry’s many challenging applications.
This post looks at four critical applications in the oil and gas industry requiring compressed air, the most common uses within the industry, and the future of compressors within the industry.
Four Critical Applications in the Oil and Gas Industry Requiring Compressed Air
Onshore and Offshore Drilling
Air compression is needed for both onshore and offshore drilling. The amount of air pressure required for these drilling situations will depend on the size, depth, and composition of the earth being drilled.
Onshore drilling is, of course, the act of drilling holes into the ground but under the earth’s surface. A small team can do this with a small rig and one compressor for a spread of about 24000 scfm or more.
In comparison, offshore drilling happens below the seabed. This drilling is done with a rig-safe compressor or containerized solution.
Gas Compression
If the company is dealing with a package system, gas ends are a vital component in the drilling and equipment packages. These gas ends manage large volumes of sweet or sour natural gases, helium, ammonia, biogas, and many others.
Applications include vapor recovery, landfill gas, fuel gas boosting, and wellhead boosting. To handle this, manufacturers of industrial air compressors offer a range of rotary screw gas ends to manage a range of capacities and horsepower ranges.
Pipeline and Process Services (PPS)
This is a very specialized market sector within the oil and gas industry. Using a reputable industrial air compressor is vital within this sector because compression is needed in very harsh, hot, and unforgiving environments. That means the PPS’complex components need to be extremely reliable.
Well Testing
An exhaustive and extremely demanding offshore application is well testing. This demands high-performance air to perform critical applications. And, of course, this is all required where deck and rig space are limited.
The Most Common Uses of Industrial Air Compressors within the Industry
Playing a big role in the oil and gas industry, some of the most common applications of industrial air compressors include:
- Petroleum Refining – 95% of petroleum gas is processed through compression before transporting it in a pipeline.
- Petrochemical Synthesis – Manufacturing ammonia, methanol, urea, ethylene, ethylene glycol, and other petrochemicals require particular air and gas pressurization.
- Gas Re-injection in Oil Fields – A series of compressors can be used for gas or re-injection for maintaining reservoir pressures and facilitating the recovery of crude oil
- Pipeline Transportation – Reservoir pressures gradually decrease over time, so compressors are needed to maintain or boost gas flow into the pipeline system.
The Future of Industrial Air Compressors in the Oil and Gas Industry
The industry can expect an increase in the demand for industrial air compressors over the next few years. And although there have been great strides in the development of alternative sources of energy, the majority of the population will still have to use petroleum as their primary source of energy.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States alone uses 20.5 million barrels of petroleum per day.
And with regards to access to compressors for the industry, fierce competition will lead to the development of more advanced machines to bring about easier access and larger yields to the industry.
How Can Fitz Equipment Help?
If you are looking for advice on new industrial equipment and industrial air compressors that are best for your business or the servicing of air compressors and torque converters, contact Fitz Equipment. With over 50 years of dependable, fast, and friendly service, Fitz Equipment manufactures parts for torque converters and specialty machine parts. Fitz Equipment may have expanded, but one thing hasn’t changed. It is still a family-owned business with a commitment to superior customer service.
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