Case Study

Solid Ring Technology Doubles Packing Life in Application with Dirty Gas

With packing case sealing components wearing out in less than four months, a petrochemical plant owned by MTBE Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB), a subsidiary of Petronas, was struggling with excessive product leakage and unacceptable downtime in a polypropylene vent recovery compressor.

The plant produces methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE), which generates a dirty gas stream for the vent recovery compressor. The process gas contains constituents of the polypropylene powder mixture, with traces of aluminum oxide and triethylaluminum.

The compressor is a non-lubricated, three-stage, vertical JSW and was using a labyrinth-style packing case with carbon-filled material. In their search for a longer-lasting packing solution, plant maintenance personnel turned to Cook Compression.

Packing Case Upgrade: Design and Materials

Drawing on engineering support from Cook Compression facilities in the US and UK, Cook recommended packing case upgrades on all three stages. The upgraded cases were designed with P1UTM, CUUTM and AL rings, all made from TruTech® P3330 material, a proprietary Cook polymer alloy that delivers extended service life in non-lubricated gas compressors.

Each upgraded packing case contains two P1U pressure breaker rings, which are highly effective at preventing debris from entering the packing case.

The CUU solid ring technology improves sealing effectiveness, significantly decreases leakage rates and reduces frictional loading against the rod. This ultimately extends packing life by lowering the rod temperature.

Results: Longer MTBM, Less Leakage

The Cook Compression packing case upgrade more than doubled packing service life. Mean time between maintenance (MTBM) has been extended to nine months.

Increased sealing integrity has also significantly reduced leakage of valuable product, while the plant benefits from lower maintenance costs and improved compressor reliability.

Proprietary TruTech Polymers

Cook Compression applies the latest advances in polymer science to provide superior durability and optimum performance characteristics for compressor sealing components, including rod packing rings, piston rings and riders.

Special formulations provide lasting reliability and sealing effectiveness in even the most demanding non-lubricated, process gas and high-temperature applications.

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