Against the backdrop of national energy security and high-quality development of the oil and gas sector, oil and natural gas serve as major energy sources underpinning national economic growth. The entire industrial chain, including oil and gas field exploration & production, long-distance natural gas pipeline transmission, oil & gas refining and processing, gas storage peak regulation, and LNG liquefaction & storage/transportation, relies on stable, high-flow and high-reliability compressed air and process pressurization systems.
Featuring large flow capacity, high efficiency, low vibration, 24-hour continuous operation and easy maintenance, centrifugal air compressors have become core power equipment across the oil and gas industry. Their performance directly determines the production efficiency, transmission capacity, workplace safety and overall operating costs of oil and gas projects.
Jiangsu Minnuo Group has decades of experience in the R&D, manufacturing and industrial application of centrifugal air compressors. Leveraging a full-range product portfolio, cutting-edge core technologies and abundant project experience in the oil and gas sector, the Group delivers tailored solutions for complex working conditions. Keeping pace with the trends of large-scale development, intelligent transformation and domestic substitution in the oil and gas industry, Minnuo continuously upgrades its technologies to consolidate a solid equipment foundation for the sound development of the oil and gas sector.
I. Positioning of Centrifugal Air Compressors in the Oil & Gas Industrial Chain and Core Values
The oil and gas industrial chain is extensive with complex operating conditions, covering three major segments: upstream oil and gas production, midstream pipeline transmission & gas storage peak regulation, and downstream refining and deep processing. Compressed air and process gas pressurization are indispensable for all links, making centrifugal air compressors a key hub connecting the whole chain.
Oil and gas production sites are typically exposed to dust, moisture and corrosive impurities, and production facilities are required to operate non-stop around the clock. This sets stringent requirements for compressors in terms of operational stability, air purity, explosion-proof performance and energy efficiency.
The mainstream workflow of gas supply and pressurization in the oil and gas industry is summarized as follows:
Oil & gas production → Associated gas collection & pressurization / Gas injection for enhanced oil recovery → Natural gas purification → Pressurization for long-distance pipeline transmission → Gas storage injection & peak regulation → LNG liquefaction / Oil & gas refining and deep processing → End-user gas supply.
Centrifugal air compressors and derivative centrifugal compressor units deliver irreplaceable values as below:
Continuous high-flow air supply: Deliver stable large-flow compressed air to meet the demands of pneumatic instruments, pneumatic valves, pipeline purging, boiler soot blowing, desulfurization and denitrification, ensuring uninterrupted operation of production facilities for large-scale oil and gas bases.
Precise process pressurization: Perform multi-stage pressurization on natural gas, associated gas, carbon dioxide and other media to meet pressure requirements for long-distance pipeline transportation, gas injection for enhanced oil recovery, high-pressure gas injection for gas storage and LNG feed gas liquefaction, so as to improve oil and gas recovery rate and transmission efficiency.
Oil-free high-purity air supply: Realize oil-free compression to eliminate oil contamination, protect catalysts of refining units, precision instruments and liquefaction process systems, and avoid deterioration of oil products and equipment failures.
Adaptation to high-risk operating conditions: Integrate multiple designs including explosion protection, leakage prevention, anti-surge and anti-corrosion to adapt to flammable, explosive and corrosive characteristics of oil and gas media, and ensure operational safety for field oil and gas yards, enclosed refining workshops and high-pressure gas storage facilities.
Energy saving and cost reduction: Adopt high-efficiency impellers, multi-stage compression and variable frequency control technologies to cut energy consumption per unit air volume. With low component wear and long maintenance intervals, the equipment effectively reduces long-term operation and maintenance costs for oil and gas enterprises.
II. Main Types of Centrifugal Air Compressors and Application Scenarios in the Oil & Gas Industry
Given the wide flow range, diversified pressure grades and differentiated working conditions of the oil and gas industry, mainstream centrifugal air compressors are classified into four categories: single-stage low-pressure type, multi-stage medium & high-pressure type, barrel-type high-pressure centrifugal compressor unit and air-bearing centrifugal air compressor. Jiangsu Minnuo Group has completed the layout of all product types, covering full-range scenarios from small and medium-sized stations to million-ton refining bases and large-scale gas storage facilities.
2.1 Single-stage Low-pressure Centrifugal Air Compressor: Mainstream Equipment for Small & Medium-sized Oil and Gas Stations
Adopting a single-impeller structure, this type features compact layout, quick start and low noise. Its discharge pressure ranges from 0.1 MPa to 0.8 MPa, with unit flow capacity of 20–100 m³/min. Characterized by low pressure, large flow and low failure rate, it serves as standard equipment for gas gathering stations, small transmission stations and field exploration yards.
Equipped with horizontally split cylinder for easy disassembly and maintenance, the compressor withstands harsh field environments such as wind, sand and extreme temperature differences. It mainly provides compressed air for on-site pneumatic instruments, small pneumatic equipment and routine pipeline purging. With full oil-free operation and high gas purity, it will not contaminate primary gas purification systems. Supporting 24-hour unattended operation, it perfectly matches the lightweight operation and maintenance requirements of scattered small and medium-sized oil and gas stations.
2.2 Multi-stage Medium & High-pressure Centrifugal Air Compressor: Core Equipment for Refining Bases and Natural Gas Treatment Plants
Composed of series-connected multiple impellers and inter-stage cooling structures, this compressor realizes gradual pressure rise, with discharge pressure ranging from 0.8 MPa to 10 MPa and maximum unit flow up to hundreds of thousands of cubic meters per hour. Its isentropic efficiency exceeds 85%. It is the core equipment for large-scale refineries, natural gas treatment plants and LNG pre-treatment units.
In oil refining processes, it supplies process air and circulating gas for fluid catalytic cracking, hydrofining, continuous reforming and other core processes to guarantee stable operation of reaction units. In natural gas treatment plants, it pressurizes natural gas after desulfurization, dehydration and decarbonization to provide stable-pressure gas for subsequent external transmission or liquefaction.
Compared with traditional reciprocating compressors, multi-stage centrifugal compressors deliver pulse-free exhaust, ultra-low vibration and smaller footprint, presenting prominent advantages in million-ton refining integrated projects. They are also key units for pressurization stations of national long-distance pipelines such as the West-to-East Gas Transmission Project and Sichuan-to-East Gas Transmission Project. Currently, large-scale centrifugal units above 10 MW account for over 70% of domestic main pipelines.
2.3 Barrel-type High-pressure Centrifugal Compressor Unit: Specialized Equipment for Gas Storage and Gas Injection for Enhanced Oil Recovery
The vertically split barrel-type cylinder features high structural strength, excellent sealing performance and strong deformation resistance, specially designed for high-pressure, large-displacement and flammable/explosive media. Its discharge pressure reaches 40–70 MPa, maximum unit power up to 40 MW, and daily gas handling capacity up to millions of cubic meters. It is critical equipment for gas injection to enhance oil recovery and large-scale underground gas storage injection & withdrawal.
For gas storage facilities, the unit performs high-pressure gas injection during low-demand periods and rapid gas withdrawal during peak demand, addressing the large-scale gas injection and withdrawal demands of gas storage systems. Domestic localized 40 MPa high-pressure gas injection units applied in Yaha Gas Storage and Hutubi Gas Storage of Tarim Oilfield have greatly increased daily gas injection capacity and broken long-term foreign technological monopolies.
In oil and gas field development, high-pressure centrifugal units inject carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other gases into underground reservoirs to supplement formation energy, effectively improving recovery rate of mature oilfields and guaranteeing stable oil and gas production.
2.4 Air-bearing Centrifugal Air Compressor: Energy-saving Supplementary Equipment for Fine Chemicals and Enclosed Stations in the Oil & Gas Sector
Based on air bearing technology, this compressor operates without mechanical contact or lubricating oil, featuring outstanding energy efficiency, zero oil contamination, low noise and maintenance-free performance. It is mainly used in downstream fine chemical projects, supporting hydrogen refueling stations and enclosed gas gathering stations that impose high requirements on air quality, noise and energy consumption.
Its bearing system requires no regular replacement of wearing parts, greatly reducing maintenance workload. With a wide frequency conversion range, it achieves remarkable energy-saving effects in fine chemical units with fluctuating gas demand. Aligning with the low-carbon and refined development trend of the oil and gas industry, it has become a preferred energy-saving option for eco-friendly oil and gas stations.
III. Five Core Technical Requirements for Centrifugal Air Compressors in the Oil & Gas Industry
Oil and gas media are flammable, explosive and corrosive, and field yards, enclosed workshops and high-pressure gas storage areas are high-risk working environments. Combined with the requirements for non-stop production and carbon emission reduction, the industry puts forward five core technical requirements for centrifugal air compressors: oil-free high purity, stable pressure, explosion & corrosion resistance, anti-surge performance and intelligent operation & maintenance, which are the key directions for R&D and product upgrading of manufacturers.
3.1 Full-range Oil-free Performance to Eliminate Process Contamination
Oil mist and particulate contaminants will cause catalyst poisoning, heat exchanger blockage and degradation of LNG products in oil & gas refining, natural gas liquefaction and fine chemical processes. Therefore, centrifugal air compressors must meet full-range oil-free standards. The gas circuit adopts stainless steel and anti-corrosion alloy materials, equipped with multi-stage high-efficiency filters to strictly control oil content of compressed air within industry limits. In addition, high-efficiency pre-purification components are configured for wellhead associated gas containing dust and moisture to protect impellers and downstream process systems from the source.
3.2 Stable Pressure & Flow for Variable Working Condition Adaptation
Interruption is not allowed in the entire oil and gas production process. Centrifugal air compressors shall realize precise pressure control with pressure fluctuation within ±0.05 MPa under normal working conditions, and excellent pressure holding performance under high-pressure working conditions of long-distance pipelines and gas storage facilities, so as to avoid pipeline vibration and filling faults caused by sudden pressure changes.
Supported by variable frequency speed regulation systems, the equipment adapts to fluctuating oil and gas output and pipeline gas demand, and maintains high efficiency within a wide flow regulation range to ensure continuous and stable gas supply and pressurization across the whole process.
3.3 Explosion & Corrosion Resistance for High-risk Complex Media
Natural gas and oilfield associated gas are flammable and explosive. All centrifugal air compressors deployed in oil and gas plants must obtain national explosion-proof certifications, and be fitted with explosion-proof motors, explosion-proof electrical control cabinets and static grounding devices.
For media containing hydrogen sulfide and moisture, key components including impellers, cylinders and pipelines are made of corrosion-resistant alloys and duplex stainless steel with anti-corrosion coating. High-performance dry gas seals are adopted to drastically reduce gas leakage rate and eliminate explosion risks, enabling reliable operation in field environments with high humidity and strong corrosion.
3.4 Professional Anti-surge Control to Ensure Unit Operational Safety
Centrifugal compressors are prone to surge under low-flow conditions, which will lead to severe impeller vibration, component damage and even safety accidents — a major hidden danger for large-scale centrifugal units in the oil and gas industry.
All units are equipped with professional anti-surge control systems integrated with real-time flow, pressure and temperature monitoring modules. The system automatically adjusts return valves and guide vane opening when approaching surge conditions to prevent surge. Large units are also fitted with shaft vibration and shaft displacement online monitoring devices to monitor operating status in real time and ensure long-term safe operation of high-power units.
3.5 Full-scale Intelligent O&M for Unattended Operation
Most oil and gas stations are located in remote field areas, and refining units and gas storage facilities require 24-hour continuous operation, resulting in high difficulty and cost for manual maintenance.
Modern centrifugal air compressors are equipped with industrial PLC control systems and high-definition human-machine interfaces, as well as full-parameter sensors for pressure, temperature, vibration and energy consumption, realizing real-time data collection, automatic pressure regulation and on-site fault alarm. Integrated with IoT remote monitoring modules, the equipment allows operators to remotely check unit status and issue control commands via computers or mobile terminals. Combined with digital twin and big data technologies, the system realizes fault prediction and predictive maintenance, drastically reducing unplanned downtime and meeting the demands for unattended operation and centralized management of oil and gas stations.
IV. Application Advantages and Future Development Directions of Jiangsu Minnuo Centrifugal Air Compressors
Driven by the accelerated development of domestic oil and gas industry, localization of high-end equipment and low-carbon energy transition, centrifugal air compressors manufactured by Jiangsu Minnuo have gradually replaced imported products and gained growing market share in the oil and gas sector by virtue of profound technical accumulation and localized service strengths.
With decades of experience in R&D and manufacturing of centrifugal air compressors, Jiangsu Minnuo Group has built a complete industrial chain covering R&D & design, precision manufacturing, project delivery and full-lifecycle services. Its full-range products cover all pressure and flow grades to adapt to various working conditions in upstream, midstream and downstream links of the oil and gas industry.
Multiple high-pressure and large-flow units have been successfully applied in national gas storage projects, long-distance pipelines and million-ton refining projects, with core performance reaching international advanced level. The Group’s products and services cover major domestic oil and gas fields and are expanding to overseas markets.
In the future, the domestic oil and gas industry will develop towards large scale, high pressure, intellectualization, low carbon and localization. New projects including expanded long-distance pipeline networks, large-scale gas storage facilities, gas injection renovation for mature oilfields and LNG capacity expansion put forward higher requirements for centrifugal air compressors. Jiangsu Minnuo will focus on five key directions to consolidate market competitiveness.
4.1 Core Technology Breakthrough to Overcome Bottlenecks of High-end Equipment
Focus on tackling key technologies such as high-pressure sealing, special anti-corrosion materials, large-scale three-dimensional flow impeller design and high-precision anti-surge algorithms. Develop special centrifugal compressor units for ultra-high pressure gas storage above 70 MPa, ultra-large flow long-distance pipelines and offshore oil and gas platforms to fill the gap in high-end products.
Continuously optimize aerodynamic design to improve unit isentropic efficiency and reduce energy consumption per unit air volume, supporting the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, and breaking foreign technological monopolies in the field of high-end oil and gas equipment.
4.2 Intelligent Manufacturing Upgrade to Ensure Batch Delivery and Product Quality
Build intelligent digital workshops equipped with automated processing equipment, robotic assembly lines and AI full-range inspection systems to realize high-precision machining of core components (impellers, main shafts, cylinders) and automatic assembly of complete units.
Establish a full-process quality traceability system to monitor production, pressure testing and explosion-proof inspection in real time, improving product consistency and reliability, shortening delivery cycles and meeting the demand for bulk equipment procurement of large-scale oil and gas projects.
4.3 Scenario-based Customization to Enhance Adaptability to the Entire Industrial Chain
Develop customized solutions for segmented working conditions of the oil and gas industry:
- Develop skid-mounted small centrifugal air compressors for scattered field oil and gas stations for quick installation and commissioning;
- Optimize compact units with high salt-fog corrosion resistance for offshore oil and gas platforms to adapt to limited space, high humidity and high salt environments;
- Customize large-flow high-pressure compressor units for gas storage and gas injection projects, matched with integrated automatic gas injection & withdrawal control systems;
- Adapt to emerging business forms such as oil-gas-hydrogen integration and CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage) to expand product application boundaries.
4.4 Intelligent Ecosystem Improvement to Enhance Full-lifecycle O&M Value
Upgrade the industrial IoT intelligent monitoring platform by integrating big data and AI algorithms, adding functions including intelligent energy optimization, accurate fault prediction, intelligent maintenance reminder and multi-unit linkage control.
Break data barriers between centrifugal compressors and DCS/SCADA systems of oil and gas stations to realize collaborative control of the whole production plant and reduce overall O&M difficulty. Build a nationwide integrated service network, set up spare parts warehouses for remote oil and gas fields and overseas projects, and provide 24-hour remote technical support and on-site emergency services to improve customer satisfaction.
4.5 Global Layout to Enhance International Brand Influence
Expand overseas markets based on mature domestic project experience, focusing on oil and gas-rich regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. Promote localized operation and spare parts deployment to improve response speed for overseas projects.
Actively participate in the formulation of international standards for oil and gas equipment and compressors, and promote the inclusion of Minnuo’s centrifugal air compressors into the global oil and gas supply chain. Shift from simple product export to integrated export of technology, brand and services, and elevate the voice of Chinese centrifugal compression equipment in the global energy sector.
Conclusion
Centrifugal air compressors serve as core power equipment supporting safe production, efficient transmission, deep processing and peak regulation of the oil and gas industry. Their technical level and product quality are directly related to national energy security and the development quality of the oil and gas industry. Amid the trend of energy restructuring and domestic substitution of high-end equipment, domestic centrifugal compressor manufacturers have become a key force for equipment upgrading in the oil and gas industry with solid technical accumulation, comprehensive product portfolios and reliable field performance.
The oil and gas industry is embracing new development opportunities, while raising new requirements for compression equipment in terms of high pressure, large flow, energy saving, intellectualization and safety. Adhering to the development philosophy of technology innovation as the core, market demand as the orientation, and operational safety and reliability as the bottom line, Jiangsu Minnuo will keep forging ahead in five key areas: core technology breakthrough, intelligent manufacturing upgrading, scenario-based customization, intelligent O&M ecosystem improvement and global layout.
The Group will continuously optimize product performance and strengthen comprehensive service capabilities to provide solid equipment support for the safe and stable operation of China’s oil and gas industrial chain. It will help China grow from a major compressor manufacturer to a powerful compressor manufacturing country, and enable Chinese centrifugal compression equipment to demonstrate greater value on the global energy stage.
FAQ
Q1: What working scenarios are centrifugal air compressors mainly used in oil & gas industry?
A1: They cover oil/gas well gathering stations, refineries, long-distance pipeline pressurization stations, underground gas storage facilities, LNG liquefaction plants and offshore oil platforms, for instrument air, process gas pressurization and EOR gas injection.
Q2: What is the difference between barrel-type and ordinary multi-stage centrifugal compressors?
A2: Barrel-type units adopt vertical split high-strength cylinders, supporting ultra-high pressure 40–70MPa working conditions, specially used for large gas storage and oilfield high-pressure gas injection projects.
Q3: Do oil & gas centrifugal compressors meet explosion-proof safety standards?
A3: Yes. All Minnuo oil & gas dedicated compressors pass national explosion-proof certification, equipped with flameproof electrical components, static grounding, anti-surge and leakage monitoring systems for flammable hazardous environments.
Q4: Can centrifugal compressors realize remote unattended operation?
A4: Supported by built-in IoT intelligent control system, real-time parameter monitoring, automatic fault alarm and remote mobile terminal control, realizing long-distance unattended operation for remote oil & gas well stations.
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