• What are Compressors and Turbines?
  • ・Applications of Compressors and Turbines
  • ・Delivery Record
  • ・Production Facilities
  • ・Shop Test Facilities
• Compressors
  • ・Mechanism
    • └Single-shaft, multi-stage compressor
    • └Geared compressor (multi-shaft, multi-stage)
  • ・Petrochemical Field
    • └Ethylene Plants
    • └Fertilizer Plants
    • └Methanol
  • ・Energy Field
    • └Gas Injection
    • └Pipelines
    • └LNG
    • └Gas Processing
    • └Offshore Facilities
• Mechanical Drive Steam Turbines
  • ・Mechanism
  • ・Petrochemical Field
    • └Ethylene Plant Turbines
    • └Fertilizer and Methanol Plant Turbines
    • └GTL Turbines
    • └PTA Plant Turbines
    • └Steam Turbines for Power Generating Facilities
• Improvements & Revamps
• Training
  • ・Training Center
  • ・Maintenance Course
  • ・Operation Course
  • ・Details od Facilities
    • └Classroom
    • └Practical training area
    • └Operating Simulator
    • └1/5 Scaled Model
    • └Dry gas seal model
    • └Alignment model
    • └Vibration Analyzing System
• Services
  • ・Reliability-up (R-up)
    • └Compressors
    • └Mechanical Drive Steam Turbines
  • ・Technical Information

Shop Test Facilities

Compressors are the core component of energy, petrochemical, and other giant plants. Trouble which occurs after installation in the plant not only can cause tremendous damage, but also results in large problems for the production schedule. For this reason, nearly all compressors delivered by MCO are required to be subjected to shop test based on standards from the American Petroleum Institute (API) prior to shipping.
Some customers also require that the shop test be performed under the same conditions as for actual operation (full-load, full-pressure test).

Outdoor test stand for ultra-large compressors

With the increase in production capacity at petrochemical plants in recent years, compressors are rapidly growing to ultra-large sizes. In order to meet the need for these compressors, in 2006 we completed a testing facility that is among the largest in the world and is capable of shop test of the ultra-large compressors that are used at facilities such as high-capacity ethylene plants producing 2 million tons per year.

One of the key characteristics of the MCO facilities is that in addition to performing mechanical running test and performance test for individual compressors, they are also capable of connecting the compressor to a drive steam turbine and operating both at the same time to perform a test of the full system (a so-called “string test”).
In addition to steam turbines, tests can also be performed with electric motors or gas turbines used to drive the compressors.

Test stands : 19
(approximately 12,400 m² indoor space)
Special steam turbines for testing : 2

In order to evaluate the performance of an assembled compressor or steam turbine, shop test is performed by installing pipes which supply steam or a simulation gas and also instruments for measurement.

Ordinarily all tests are completed in a single day, however in some cases continuous operation tests for three days under a 24-hour day-and-night operation system are performed in order to verify particularly stable operation.

Compressor shop test on an indoor test stand

Surface area　Approximately 10,000 m²
Large gantry crane 1
Moving booth (roof) with double structure and maximum height of 28 m

This is the outdoor shop test facility, one of the largest in the world, that was created to meet the needs of large-size ethylene plants producing up to 2 million tons/year. It includes a range of performance testing devices, cooling towers, and a central control room. In addition to rotation and performance testing of individual compressors, it can also perform string tests in which the compressor and mechanical drive steam turbine are connected and operated at the same time.

This photo shows the pre-shipping test of a cracked gas compressor for use at an ethylene plant in Saudi Arabia producing 800,000 tons/year.

In order from the front, the turbine, low-pressure, mid-pressure, and high-pressure compressors are all joined for the string test. Large shop test on this scale are conducted at the outdoor test stand.

String test at the outdoor test stand

String test of an ethylene plant compressor

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