The driving forms of compressors in large-scale air separation equipment mainly include turbine drive and electric motor drive. The specific selection needs to be comprehensively considered based on factors such as equipment scale, energy cost, and operating conditions.
Steam turbine drive is widely used in large-scale air separation equipment, especially suitable for larger scale equipment (such as those exceeding 35000m ³/h level). Steam turbines have the characteristics of axisymmetric high-speed rotation, smooth operation, low wear, and long continuous operation time. In industries such as power, chemical, and metallurgical, its operational stability advantages are significant. However, the initial investment of steam turbines is large, with high requirements for heating pipelines and production systems, long equipment production cycles, complex installation and commissioning, and boiler emissions may cause environmental pollution.
For smaller air separation equipment, motor-driven systems may be more cost-effective and easy to install. Motor drive has the characteristics of smooth operation, simple start stop control, and short production cycle. Its installation is relatively independent, which helps to shorten the construction period. Meanwhile, when the power grid conditions permit, the motor drive can achieve energy-saving operation through technologies such as variable frequency speed regulation. Limitations: High power motors require high grid conditions when starting, which may have an impact on surrounding equipment. In the case of limited power grid capacity, special starting methods (such as LCI soft start) need to be adopted to mitigate the impact on the power grid.
