New high-pressure, 5460 water-cooled compressor from Reavell offers efficient performance in a small footprint

Phil Black - PII Editor 19/04/2012

199 2 minutes read

Listen to this article

As part of its latest investment in new product development, Reavell has launched a new water-cooled compressor called the 5460, offering a constant, energy efficient source of high-pressure compressed air.

Developed in response to customer demand for a compact unit that is robust enough to meet the rigours of marine survey and other offshore applications, the new 5460 features a small footprint with maximum flexibility, meaning it can be easily installed, even in confined spaces where space is at a premium.

The 5460 compressor is specially designed for use with sea or fresh water, with no need for a desalination unit. Packages can be bespoke engineered, with comprehensive control and monitoring software to meet the exacting demands of many different applications and pressure requirements.

Commenting on the launch, Jason Currall, Marketing Manager at Reavell said, “The new compressor is the result of a large investment in product development and market research.

“By listening to our customers, particularly those in offshore applications such as marine surveying, we have been able to design a product that caters for their exacting needs.”

To minimise the risk of expensive breakdown and the logistics of scheduling repair, Reavell engineers carried out extensive testing to ensure the new unit could offer the durability and serviceability required.

Featuring easily accessible components and service points, the compressor ensures that routine maintenance can be carried out quickly and simply and that any downtime is kept to a minimum.

Capable of operating at up to 350bar (5000psi) and available with up to six stage compression, the unit offers a 5.3% saving on specific power when compared to an equivalent air-cooled machine.

Technological advancement
“In applications such as seismic survey, compressors can be in constant use, providing high-pressure air to recharge airguns rapidly and continuously; sometimes every ten seconds for up to 12-hour periods,” said Neil Clarke, Director of Engineering at Reavell.

“Operators therefore require a totally dependable and reliable source of air, that is economic to generate and quick to respond to changing demand patterns.

“As a result, efficiency has been considered at every stage of the compressor’s design to provide a machine that consumes less power without compromising performance.”

Available in models up to 250kW and featuring a self-contained freshwater cooling system and a seawater heat exchanger, the new 5460 compressor is fully PED compliant and is CE marked for all applicable directives. In addition, the unit can be adapted to comply with ATEX category 2 and temperature class T2 environments.

Packages can also be supplied with fewer compression stages when combined with a screw booster option, facilitating airflows of up to 1500m3.