SIGAS extends the life of key compressors
01 September 2002
Saudi Industrial Gas Company (Sigas) recently overhauled its two 19-year-old Atlas Copco compressors, adding at least a further five years to their lifetime.
Founded in 1955, Sigas is one of Saudi Arabia's leading suppliers of liquid nitrogen and oxygen. From its main production facility in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, the company supplies an array of industries including petrochemicals, steel and food processing.
The two compressors have been at the heart of the Sigas air separation plant in Dammam for the past 19 years.
Housed within a soundproofed plant room, the company has a GT050 four-stage compressor with a flow rate of 20,000N cu m/hr and a GT023 three-stage unit with a slightly lower flow rate of 15,000N cu m/hr.
According to Amarnath Pallath, customer services manager at Sigas, the two compressors have been loyal servants to the facility, rarely having to be stopped except for routine maintenance checks.
"We have received constant support and back-up from Atlas Copco and local distributor Energas," says Pallath.
"Due to this close relationship, the two compressors have received regular maintenance checks helping to maintain efficiency and operational standards."
Sigas decided on the overhaul after consulting with local Atlas Copco sales representative Ashraf Hommouri and service manager Andy Iori.
"We explained that the two compressors could be overhauled with the minimum disruption to production," says Hommouri. "After this they would run as new for many more years."
"The overhaul was completed within a couple of weeks and we have estimated that the two compressors lifetimes have been extended by as much as five years," adds Pallath. "Because of our long-term relationship with Atlas Copco we had no doubts the overhaul would be completed swiftly. The two compressors are now running as new."
On the GT050 compressor, all non-repaired parts were replaced such as the first to fourth stage shaft bearings, shaft seals, check valve and filter cartridge. Meanwhile, on the other unit, only the third stage bearing needed to be replaced as well as the carbon ring for the shaft seal.
As well as supplying local businesses with liquid nitrogen, oxygen and argon, Sigas also exports gases, most notably to Yemen.
Primarily based in the Second Industrial City of Dammam, the company also has plants in Riyadh and Jeddah.
As all of the gas produced by Sigas is in liquid form, the company's fleet of tanker trucks - said to be one of the largest such fleets in the Middle East - makes all the deliveries.
Sigas also has two Atlas Copco expanders. Both units were sent to the Energas workshop during the overhaul shutdown and had their seals and rings replaced.
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