The driving forms of compressors in large air separation equipment mainly include steam turbine drive and electric motor drive.
Driving characteristics of steam turbines: Steam turbines exhibit axisymmetric high-speed rotation, ensuring stable operation, minimal wear, and long continuous operation time. In industries such as electricity, chemical, and metallurgy, their operational stability offers significant advantages. Applicable scenarios: They are particularly suitable for large-scale air separation equipment, such as those with capacities exceeding 35,000 m³/h. Limitations: Initial investment is high, and there are stringent requirements for heating pipelines and production systems. The equipment production cycle is long, and installation and commissioning are complex. Boiler emissions may cause environmental pollution. The start-up and shutdown processes are cumbersome and take a long time.
Motor drive characteristics: stable operation, simple start-stop control, and short production cycle. The installation is relatively independent, which helps to shorten the construction period. When grid conditions permit, energy-saving operation can be achieved through technologies such as variable frequency speed regulation. Applicable scenarios: For smaller air separation equipment, motor drive may be more cost-effective and convenient to install. Currently, air separation equipment below the 35000m³/h level often adopts motor drive. Limitations: High-power motors require high grid conditions during startup and may affect surrounding equipment. In cases where grid capacity is limited, special startup methods (such as LCI soft start) need to be adopted to reduce the impact on the grid.
