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GAS BOOSTERS

Haskel pneumatic and hydraulic driven gas boosters offer a flexible and efficient source for delivering high pressure gases.

Oxygen or High Purity Cleaning: Haskel boosters are noted for their cleanliness and can handle pure gases such as oxygen without risk of any contamination. (Special cleaning required – advise factory.) Haskel’s oxygen cleaned products are certified per Mil Spec 1330. Refer to the Knowledge Library Link on the Haskel website, www.haskel.com, for the Oxygen Usage – Best Practice Guide.

Multi-Staging Capability: For higher flow rates and pressures, beyond the capability of a single gas booster, one or more boosters of the same ratio may be plumbed in parallel and then in series with one or more boosters of the same ratio.

High Flow Rates at High Pressures: When high flow rates at high pressures are needed, the booster can charge a receiver to an even higher pressure level, thus storing a volume of gas available for rapid release at a constant pressure through a pressure reducing valve.

Haskel gas booster features

Cost Savings: Most industrial gases are commonly delivered at pressures of 2,000 – 2,600 psi in steel cylinders. If the gas is to be used well below the supply pressure, the pressurized supply is easily piped and controlled to the point of use with simple valving. However, if the end use requires the gas to be used at higher pressures than the supply it will have to be boosted. Gas Boosters can utilize all the gas from a supply source such as cylinders, and boost the gas to whatever pressures (and flows) are required by the application; thus utilizing all the gas volume from the supply source.

If the application requires a pressure greater than common supply cylinder pressures, a booster can often be justified not only because of utilization of the gas, but also because it will eliminate the need to purchase the gas in special higher pressure more costly supply cylinders such as 3,600 or 6,000 psi.

gas booster catalog
Haskel gas booster diagram

Haskel gas boosters are used for boosting most all commonly available industrial gases. However, the gas should be “Dry Gas”, (no moisture content.) Some gases cannot be pumped with standard boosters, e.g. pure Oxygen or Hydrogen. Depending on the gas and application, e.g. Dry Gas Seal applications, some boosters will require special seals, materials of construction, venting, special cleaning and other considerations. Knowing the specific gas is also necessary to determine gas compressibility at the desired pressure. Compressibility is a factor used in calculating flow rates at different pressures or filling times into a vessel.

Gas booster compressors are suitable for transfer and pressurization of:

1. Nitrogen (N2)
2. Helium (He)
3. Breathing Air (N202)
4. Nitrous Oxide (N20)
5. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
6. Neon (Ne)
7. Argon (Ar)
8. Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6)
9. Oxygen (O2)*
10. Carbon Monoxide (C)**
11. Hydrogen
(H2)**
12. Methane (CH4)**
13. Ethylene (C2H4)**
14. Deuterium (D2)**
15. Natural Gas (CH4)** (often contains high proportion of CO2 & N2)

Note: Liquefied gases (propane, CO2, nitrous oxide, halons, etc.) can be boosted as a liquid or gas in controlled applications.

* Oxygen (O2)- maximum safe working pressure 345 bar (5000 psi).

** For these gases (10-15), the gas booster must be operated in a safe and well ventilated area and vent(s) piped to controlled environment.

Theory of Operation

Haskel Gas Boosters consist of a large area reciprocating air drive piston directly coupled by a connecting rod to a small area gas piston. The gas piston operates in a high pressure gas barrel section. Each gas barrel end cap contains high pressure inlet and outlet check valves. Varying applications require many different booster and horse power (HP) combinations. Haskel can assist with HP and Cooling requirements and provide circuitry assistance on the following issues: PID Control – review and advisement, electrical control, and heat exchanger recommendations. General HPU recommendations and guidelines are available from Haskel drawing 87100-TAB. The air drive section includes a cycling spool and pilot valves that provide continuous reciprocating action when air is supplied to the air drive inlet. The ratio between the area of the air drive piston and the gas driven piston is indicated by the number in the model description and approximates the maximum pressure the gas booster is capable of generating.

Isolation of the gas compression chambers from the air drive section is provided by three sets of dynamic seals. The intervening two chambers are vented to atmosphere. This design prevents air drive contamination from entering the gas stream.

Cooling is provided by routing the cold exhausted drive air through an individual jacket surrounding the gas barrel.

Check valves also allow for the equalization of upstream and downstream pressure prior to boosting, therefore the gas booster only needs to “raise” the upstream pressure to the required pressure and does not have to raise it from atmospheric pressure.

Operating temperatures for Gas Booster

There are two distinct sections: the air drive section and the gas barrel section.

Air Drive Section: Standard Air Drive Seals should perform reliably within a temperature range of (25°F to 150°F) (-4°C to 65°C). Lower temperatures will cause air/gas leakage; higher temperatures reduce seal life. Haskel recommends a minimum Class 4 air quality per ISO 8573.1 standards. For operation at extremely low temperatures, consult factory.

Gas Barrel Section: Low temperatures normally have little effect on the operation of standard parts and seals. The heat from the compressing gas helps to balance out an acceptable temperature.

Maximum average acceptable temperature 115°C (240°F).

Selecting a Pneumatic Driven Gas Booster

Air driven gas boosters have seven significant operating parameters that determine their selection for any application.

These are as follows:

1. Maximum discharge pressure?

2. Flowrate

a. Is it constant?

i. What is flowrate required?

b. Is it filling a vessel?

i. What is vessel size (water volume)?

ii. What is fill time required?

3. Supply

a. Is it at constant pressure?

b. Is it decreasing?

i. What is initial pressure?

ii. What is the minimum pressure?

4. Air drive pressure available?

5. Air drive volume available?

6. What is the gas?

7. What is the application?

The selection of the proper booster for any application starts with determining which booster “series” will provide the amount of flow and pressure required. The ability of the booster to generate pressure is a function of the drive pressure, multiplied by the nominal booster ratio. The ability to generate flow is a function of the quantity of air available to drive it, the displacement per cycle of the booster, and volumetric efficiency.

Within each booster series, there are standard materials of construction available. For applications involving aggressive gases, such as Hydrogen, Helium and CO2, some material substitutions are required.

Single Acting Single Stage “AG” boosters provide economical means of boosting pressure for testing or small components and similar applications where volume is small and efficiency is not important. Control of maximum outlet pressure is accomplished with the use of an air drive pressure regulator. Maximum outlet pressure is drive area ratio multiplied by air pressure.

Double Acting Single Stage “AGD” boosters not only pump twice the volume of a Single Acting, Single Stage Booster per cycle, but also require less air drive since the inlet gas pressure is assisting the air drive in each direction, providing a substantial portion of the required driving force. These models provide efficient means of boosting large volumes of gas at low to medium compression ratios. Maximum outlet pressure is drive area ratio times air drive pressure PLUS gas supply pressure.

Two-Stage “AGT” boosters provide efficient means of boosting to a high gas compression ratio since the ratio per stage is low. Maximum outlet pressure with these models is drive area ratio multiplied by air drive pressure plus supply pressure multiplied by the area ratio of the two gas pistons.

Since these models have interconnected gas pistons, they multiply supply pressure during the “interstage” stroke by the area ratio of the two gas pistons. If supply pressure is too high, the booster may have “interstage stall” at an outlet pressure substantially less than that obtainable on the “output” stroke. This limitation does not apply if outlet pressure is less than the “maximum supply” times the area ratio of the two gas pistons. Remember, this condition only applies to two stage models.

Specific performance information for your application may be obtained by referring to the Sample Performance Chart or from Fluid Process Control’s Haskel Specialist.

Haskel gas booster models

For assistance with or additional information on any of these products, please contact sa***@fl*****************.com.