Link to proiflo PF1 Article - CC Technology Lubrication Division
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■ Installation of a <strong>CC</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
proflo divider block moni<strong>to</strong>r on a<br />
compressor in Hanover Company’s<br />
Midland, Texas, revamp shop.<br />
New Lube System Moni<strong>to</strong>ring Device Provides<br />
Maximum Protection For Compressor Systems<br />
<strong>CC</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>’s proflo Device Provides Shutdown Protection, Moni<strong>to</strong>rs Entire<br />
Divider Block System Operation, has Trending and Remote Moni<strong>to</strong>ring Capabilities<br />
By Ellen Hopkins<br />
There are nagging questions<br />
in the minds of compressor<br />
manufacturers and opera<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
about the performance of divider<br />
block lube systems on all their<br />
compressors. Which ones are<br />
over-lubricating and wasting oil,<br />
which ones are under-lubricating<br />
and creating wear in the cylinders<br />
and packing, and — without<br />
spending un<strong>to</strong>ld man-hours —<br />
can it be determined if all the<br />
cycle times are set according <strong>to</strong><br />
manufacturer’s recommendations<br />
A new product on the market<br />
answers all these questions<br />
and more. Its inven<strong>to</strong>r, Curtis<br />
Roys of <strong>CC</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> (<strong>CC</strong>T)<br />
in Midland, Texas, U.S.A., said<br />
the proflo divider block moni<strong>to</strong>r<br />
puts a compressor opera<strong>to</strong>r’s<br />
mind at ease. The new device<br />
has drawn the attention of such<br />
companies as Compressor Systems<br />
Inc., Hanover Compression,<br />
Production Opera<strong>to</strong>rs Inc., Altronic<br />
Inc., and American Millennium<br />
Corporation Inc., all of<br />
which have been pro<strong>to</strong>type<br />
testing the device.<br />
“The proflo device gives<br />
opera<strong>to</strong>rs shutdown protection<br />
and moni<strong>to</strong>rs the entire operation<br />
of the divider block system,<br />
with trending capabilities<br />
never before possible,” said<br />
Roys. “Trending of oil consumption<br />
and divider block operation<br />
is extremely important because<br />
if a cylinder or packing shows<br />
signs of wear, and the lube system<br />
is operating according <strong>to</strong><br />
manufacturer’s specifications,<br />
the important question <strong>to</strong> ask is,<br />
‘what was the lubrication system<br />
doing 30, 60 or 90 days ago’”<br />
He said there are products in<br />
the industry that can indicate<br />
current operations, but if a compressor<br />
has worn cylinders there<br />
is no early detection product for<br />
this problem. The opera<strong>to</strong>r might<br />
suspect there is some type of<br />
problem, but <strong>to</strong>day’s equipment<br />
can’t pinpoint precisely what<br />
caused the worn pis<strong>to</strong>n rings,<br />
cylinders or packing, and when<br />
the problem occurred.<br />
Roys said moni<strong>to</strong>ring these<br />
potential problems has plagued<br />
the industry for years. Lubrica<strong>to</strong>r<br />
pumps can be continually adjusted,<br />
but if a pump is adjusted<br />
incorrectly and not rechecked<br />
for 60 days, the damage <strong>to</strong> the<br />
components would have been<br />
done. With the proflo device, the<br />
number of cycles and amount<br />
of oil used is logged continuously<br />
allowing opera<strong>to</strong>rs <strong>to</strong><br />
quickly notice variances. A year’s<br />
worth of data are kept in memory.<br />
Exact oil consumption —<br />
down <strong>to</strong> 100th of a pint — is<br />
s<strong>to</strong>red in memory every 30 minutes<br />
and can be instantly accessed<br />
at the compressor site <strong>to</strong><br />
show an opera<strong>to</strong>r where and<br />
when changes are occurring.<br />
JULY-AUGUST 2001<br />
COMPRESSORTech Two
■ Joseph Ashmore with<br />
Hanover Company in Midland,<br />
Texas, indicates where a proflo<br />
unit has been mounted in a control<br />
panel.<br />
The cycle time of a divider<br />
block is also tracked and trended<br />
so the average cycle time each<br />
30 minutes of operation can be<br />
compared <strong>to</strong> the manufacturer’s<br />
recommendation. Roys explained<br />
that every divider block<br />
system has a recommended cycle<br />
time for determining correct<br />
oil consumption — found on a<br />
metal tag on <strong>to</strong>p of the lube<br />
box or furnished by the design<br />
engineer — and every compressor<br />
application is different.<br />
Roys said manually changing<br />
the cycle time correctly could<br />
seemingly take forever.<br />
“Opera<strong>to</strong>rs who rely on current<br />
no-flow devices must use a<br />
s<strong>to</strong>pwatch <strong>to</strong> time movement of<br />
a visual indica<strong>to</strong>r on the divider<br />
block or a blinking light indicating<br />
the cycle time of the divider<br />
block system,” said Roys.<br />
“With the proflo, the s<strong>to</strong>pwatch<br />
is built-in and visible via the LCD<br />
readout. The opera<strong>to</strong>r can read<br />
the cycle time on the display<br />
screen, adjust the pump if necessary<br />
until it reads the correct<br />
cycle time, and then leave. It’s<br />
that simple.”<br />
If the proflo readout states the<br />
cycle time is 15 seconds, Roys<br />
said, and the opera<strong>to</strong>r knows<br />
from the lube box that it should<br />
be 20 seconds, the pump can<br />
immediately be changed <strong>to</strong> affect<br />
the compressor’s performance.<br />
When a pump is manually<br />
changed, the cycle time and oil<br />
consumption his<strong>to</strong>ry indicate<br />
the time and date the change<br />
occurred. Through tracking<br />
these averages, opera<strong>to</strong>rs can<br />
determine problem causes and<br />
prevent component failure.<br />
Along with instant and average<br />
divider block cycle time,<br />
the same screen displays other<br />
pertinent data such as compressor<br />
run time, <strong>to</strong>tal divider block<br />
cycles, low battery warning and<br />
alarm time. Roys said the proflo<br />
system could be installed on all<br />
manufacturers’ divider block<br />
systems. Retrofit <strong>to</strong> any divider<br />
block takes about five minutes,<br />
and Roys said it would work<br />
with any opera<strong>to</strong>r’s analog control<br />
system, PLC or digital control<br />
panel. It can be mounted<br />
anywhere on the divider block,<br />
compressor frame, or in the<br />
control panel.<br />
Jim Billings, with Production<br />
Opera<strong>to</strong>rs Inc. (POI), recently<br />
acquired by Universal Compressor,<br />
said the initial testing of the<br />
unit has been just what he<br />
wanted.<br />
“The proflo moni<strong>to</strong>r has been<br />
great for us and will probably<br />
become a company standard,”<br />
Billings said. “We will be using<br />
proflo devices on PLC and non-<br />
PLC units in the Farming<strong>to</strong>n,<br />
New Mexico, area. Every day<br />
the opera<strong>to</strong>rs can download<br />
each unit’s data in<strong>to</strong> our Palm<br />
handheld devices and then<br />
e-mail that data <strong>to</strong> the office<br />
each night. This will save a<br />
tremendous amount of paperwork<br />
and time. The proflo system<br />
is so reliable and accurate<br />
that we are looking at adding<br />
these <strong>to</strong> some of our units in<br />
South America. Our business at<br />
POI is <strong>to</strong> lease, operate and<br />
maintain units for cus<strong>to</strong>mers, so<br />
this type of maintenance information<br />
is very important <strong>to</strong> us.”<br />
Total run time of the divider<br />
block system is extremely important<br />
as an indica<strong>to</strong>r of anticipated<br />
maintenance and is another<br />
LCD displayed item. The<br />
cycle time translates <strong>to</strong> exactly<br />
how many times the pis<strong>to</strong>n has<br />
gone back and forth. Roys said<br />
if an opera<strong>to</strong>r knows a divider<br />
block has close <strong>to</strong> two million<br />
cycles — and the precise number<br />
of divider block cycles is<br />
another display item — it’s time<br />
<strong>to</strong> schedule maintenance on the<br />
lube system.<br />
Among the proflo system’s<br />
other features are field replaceable<br />
AA batteries, which means<br />
the proflo unit doesn’t have <strong>to</strong><br />
be replaced when the batteries<br />
wear out. Many of the current<br />
no-flow devices cost hundreds<br />
of dollars and are unusable<br />
when the batteries deplete.<br />
These devices also have preset<br />
alarm times. The proflo system<br />
provides additional protection<br />
with varying alarm times that<br />
can be set from 30 seconds up<br />
<strong>to</strong> four minutes. This means the<br />
compressor will be shut down<br />
on slow-flow if the lube pump<br />
begins <strong>to</strong> fail and lube rates begin<br />
<strong>to</strong> decline.<br />
“Compare current no-flow<br />
devices <strong>to</strong> a watch,” explained<br />
Roys. “When your watch battery<br />
runs down, you don’t throw<br />
the whole watch away, you just<br />
replace the battery. And that’s<br />
exactly how the proflo works.<br />
Batteries last approximately two<br />
years. There is a low battery indica<strong>to</strong>r<br />
message on the LCD<br />
display screen that flashes so<br />
the opera<strong>to</strong>r knows when batteries<br />
are at 20%. If the ‘LOW<br />
BATT’ message is ignored and<br />
the batteries reach 10%, the<br />
proflo alarm will activate and<br />
shut down the compressor as<br />
a safeguard.”<br />
Through its pro<strong>to</strong>type testing<br />
of the proflo system, The Hanover<br />
Company has found that its<br />
data downloading features will<br />
provide indisputable proof regarding<br />
a compressor’s operation.<br />
“Hanover received a pro<strong>to</strong>type<br />
of the proflo device — the first<br />
one in the Midland area — and<br />
after six months of use, we consider<br />
it <strong>to</strong> have some of the<br />
greatest features available,” said<br />
Jeff Hill, Hanover field foreman.<br />
“We put the pro<strong>to</strong>type on an<br />
Ariel JGK4 that is driven by a<br />
Waukesha 7042 GSI. The proflo<br />
unit moni<strong>to</strong>rs the two cylinders<br />
on the right bank and a DNFT<br />
moni<strong>to</strong>rs the two cylinders on<br />
the left bank. The proflo unit<br />
was providing lots of data that<br />
we needed, such as the amount<br />
of oil used. All the data were<br />
downloaded using a Palm device<br />
and then uploaded <strong>to</strong> an<br />
Excel spreadsheet that I e-mailed<br />
<strong>to</strong> others in the company who<br />
needed <strong>to</strong> see it.<br />
“We had compressor problems<br />
at one point and the unit<br />
JULY-AUGUST 2001<br />
COMPRESSORTech Two
■ Divider block lubrication data from<br />
a compressor have been downloaded<br />
<strong>to</strong> a Handspring Visor handheld device.The<br />
Visor’s screen illustrates two<br />
of the many data displays available<br />
using Roys’ FFT (Fluid Flow Trending)<br />
software. Left the screen displays the<br />
half-hour oil consumption and cycle<br />
time. Right by inputting cost per gallon<br />
and tapping enter shows <strong>to</strong>tal lost<br />
dollars from over lubrication.<br />
shut down. It <strong>to</strong>ok quite a<br />
while <strong>to</strong> determine what was<br />
causing the problems because<br />
the problems were on the left<br />
bank. We knew they were on<br />
the left bank because we had<br />
all the proflo daily his<strong>to</strong>ry, such<br />
as the oil volume and operating<br />
data, <strong>to</strong> prove that there was<br />
no problem on the right bank.<br />
It turned out that the DNFT on<br />
the left bank had failed because<br />
the battery wore down.<br />
And that’s what shut the compressor<br />
down.”<br />
In addition <strong>to</strong> moni<strong>to</strong>ring the<br />
entire divider block system, the<br />
proflo unit can be mounted <strong>to</strong> a<br />
small mechanical dispensing<br />
valve that provides opera<strong>to</strong>rs a<br />
means <strong>to</strong> moni<strong>to</strong>r oil quantity<br />
at a single injection point. He<br />
said if a compressor cylinder or<br />
packing is always having wear<br />
problems, an opera<strong>to</strong>r could remove<br />
the oil supply <strong>to</strong> the single<br />
injection point, redirect the<br />
oil flow through the dispensing<br />
valve and then <strong>to</strong> the injection<br />
point. The results will indicate<br />
whether the cylinder wear is attributable<br />
<strong>to</strong> a failing lube pump<br />
or the divider block. In other<br />
words, Roys said, the resulting<br />
his<strong>to</strong>rical data will help an opera<strong>to</strong>r<br />
determine if the amount of<br />
oil injected in<strong>to</strong> the lube point<br />
is <strong>to</strong>o little or <strong>to</strong>o much.<br />
Opera<strong>to</strong>rs can set minimum<br />
and maximum acceptable rates<br />
for lubrication and the proflo system’s<br />
FFT (Fluid Flow Trending)<br />
software — developed by<br />
Roys — indicates when these<br />
levels have been reached. For<br />
example, an opera<strong>to</strong>r might set<br />
an over-lubrication rate of 25%<br />
and set an under-lubrication<br />
rate of 10%. Through his<strong>to</strong>rical<br />
trending, proflo software will<br />
research the past year’s database<br />
for each compressor and<br />
reveal which days have gone<br />
beyond those parameters. Specifically,<br />
the report will indicate<br />
what the oil consumption was<br />
on each of those dates and what<br />
it should have been. Opera<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
can easily see variances from<br />
recommended oil consumption<br />
and from suggested cycle times.<br />
“Oil consumption for rental<br />
companies and compression<br />
opera<strong>to</strong>rs can <strong>to</strong>tal as much as<br />
35% of bot<strong>to</strong>m-line operating<br />
costs,” said Roys. “The proflo<br />
trending reports let opera<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
know the dollar amount of<br />
wasted oil consumption or<br />
why the compressor rings,<br />
pis<strong>to</strong>ns, cylinders and packing<br />
are worn and why parts have<br />
been replaced.”<br />
All proflo his<strong>to</strong>rical trending<br />
data begins with day one. Roys<br />
described a compressor that<br />
started April 26, 2001, at 10 a.m.<br />
“By tapping in<strong>to</strong> this compressor’s<br />
his<strong>to</strong>ry, a user can see<br />
how many hours it ran that first<br />
day — 14 hours — and every<br />
day since. The proflo his<strong>to</strong>ry reveals<br />
that this particular compressor<br />
averaged 14.2 pints of<br />
oil for that day, the <strong>to</strong>tal divider<br />
block cycles were 3414, and<br />
the average cycle time was 18<br />
seconds. An opera<strong>to</strong>r can view<br />
all these data in 30-minute increments<br />
for a full year, and then<br />
download them <strong>to</strong> a spreadsheet<br />
program that provides<br />
data trending. The software<br />
also tells the opera<strong>to</strong>r when the<br />
compressor was shutdown and<br />
restarted.”<br />
Actual data can be downloaded<br />
from the proflo system<br />
in<strong>to</strong> any handheld device with<br />
the Palm operating system, including<br />
Handspring Visor and<br />
Palm Pilot brands. FFT software<br />
is s<strong>to</strong>red in the handheld device<br />
<strong>to</strong> provide compilation and<br />
organization of the proflo data.<br />
When an opera<strong>to</strong>r wants <strong>to</strong><br />
know how a particular lube system<br />
has been operating, the<br />
compressor ID and location<br />
can be entered in<strong>to</strong> the Palm<br />
device — which holds 50 compressors<br />
in memory — and that<br />
compressor’s most recent data<br />
can be downloaded <strong>to</strong> the<br />
Palm device by Irda (infrared)<br />
wireless transfer.<br />
“It’s as simple as holding the<br />
Palm device in front of the<br />
proflo unit and pushing a but<strong>to</strong>n<br />
<strong>to</strong> download s<strong>to</strong>red information,”<br />
Roys said. “The data<br />
are s<strong>to</strong>red in EEPROM (Electrical<br />
Erasable Programmable<br />
Read Only Memory), and never<br />
lost because of battery failure<br />
or unit malfunction.”<br />
He added that the memory<br />
cannot be accidentally erased.<br />
Only when a compressor is<br />
completely overhauled would<br />
the memory be purposefully reset<br />
<strong>to</strong> zero. When the data are<br />
uploaded <strong>to</strong> a PC, a conversion<br />
program enables the Palm files<br />
<strong>to</strong> be converted <strong>to</strong> Excel format<br />
for trending and graphing. Roys<br />
said his Excel conversion software<br />
has been repeatedly<br />
tested during 2001.<br />
“I have units running over the<br />
last six months and there have<br />
been no failures,” Roys said.<br />
“The world’s largest compressor<br />
manufacturer has been testing<br />
proflo divider block moni<strong>to</strong>rs on<br />
some of its units, and Altronic,<br />
Inc. has been working with us<br />
<strong>to</strong> verify the proflo will communicate<br />
with its products.”<br />
Lanny Slater of Altronic, said,<br />
“The efforts of Altronic will ensure<br />
that the proflo system will<br />
work with all Altronic annuncia<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
and “DE” Series products,<br />
and that the integrated products<br />
will communicate all gathered<br />
information through the Altronic<br />
Compressorwatch wireless<br />
communication system.”<br />
Wireless communications<br />
will be enhanced during the<br />
fourth quarter of this year when<br />
Roys will introduce, and have<br />
available for opera<strong>to</strong>rs, the<br />
JULY-AUGUST 2001<br />
COMPRESSORTech Two
“proflo 2 — Rs 485” model.<br />
This wireless link communicates<br />
with all digital control panels <strong>to</strong><br />
immediately notify an opera<strong>to</strong>r<br />
about under- or over-lubrication,<br />
as well as provide all the proflo<br />
data readings. The proflo 2 system<br />
will use full wireless communications<br />
<strong>to</strong> enable an opera<strong>to</strong>r<br />
<strong>to</strong> check a compressor’s<br />
divider block system via website<br />
from anywhere in the world.<br />
It will be especially applicable<br />
for remote compressors. If overor<br />
under-lubrication parameters<br />
are exceeded, a warning will<br />
be issued and the opera<strong>to</strong>r notified<br />
by pager, cell phone and<br />
e-mail.<br />
American Millennium<br />
Corporation’s (AMCi) Sentry TM , a<br />
stand-alone satellite callout system,<br />
interfaces with the proflo 1<br />
and 2 systems <strong>to</strong> send alarm<br />
and notification messages. The<br />
messages are sent in real time <strong>to</strong><br />
the satellite, and then <strong>to</strong> a cus<strong>to</strong>m-designed<br />
web site for<br />
each cus<strong>to</strong>mer.<br />
Stephen Watwood, AMCi<br />
■ Jim Billings with<br />
Production Opera<strong>to</strong>rs<br />
Inc., tests a proflo system,<br />
an Allen Bradley<br />
PLC and an Altronic annuncia<strong>to</strong>r.<br />
chairman and vice president of<br />
business development said,<br />
“AMCi immediately saw the significant<br />
impact of the proflo on<br />
the oil and gas industry.<br />
Combining the Sentry with the<br />
proflo system creates a simple<br />
and inexpensive solution for<br />
protecting the compressor and<br />
communicating the operation of<br />
the divider block system <strong>to</strong> the<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mer. The combination not<br />
only alarms when the lubrication<br />
system fails, but with its ability<br />
<strong>to</strong> sense the running condition<br />
of the compressor at the same<br />
time, the system will send out a<br />
critical alarm <strong>to</strong> the cus<strong>to</strong>mers<br />
telling them that their compressor<br />
is running with no lubrication.<br />
This type of protection is<br />
not available in the industry <strong>to</strong>day.”<br />
Also new <strong>to</strong> the industry and<br />
currently being tested, is Roys’<br />
chemical version of the proflo<br />
system. By moni<strong>to</strong>ring the<br />
chemical flow on the discharge<br />
side of the pump, this version<br />
will assure well opera<strong>to</strong>rs and<br />
treatment companies how much<br />
of a chemical was actually used.<br />
Along with inventing new<br />
products specific <strong>to</strong> compressor<br />
divider block systems, Roys has<br />
been instrumental for years in<br />
training compressor personnel<br />
on how <strong>to</strong> avoid many of the<br />
pitfalls in the operation and<br />
maintenance of divider block<br />
systems. With instruction in<br />
mind, Roys said users of the<br />
proflo system will receive a full<br />
color brochure that explains<br />
step-by-step operation, wiring<br />
and installation. He said proflo<br />
production units will begin<br />
shipping by August 1 st , and he<br />
is actively searching for worldwide<br />
distribu<strong>to</strong>rs. ■<br />
JULY-AUGUST 2001<br />
COMPRESSORTech Two