vertical oil separator or horizontal type?

Vertical oil separator or horizontal oil separator, which type do you prefer?
in my opinion that the larger machines are supplied to a vertical oil separator and the smaller ones are thorizontal type (ignoring the design conditions)
but I was told that usually the vertical type is use in the smaller compressors (say swept volume below 5000m3/h)and horizontal is used in the larger ones.
i know that the type and size of oil separator is determined by the design condition,but are there any rules for selecting a oil separator's type? for a big compressor which type is more common in your actual applications?

thanks a lot

cygbob

cygbob ,
Does not matter as its usually to make package cheaper ( horizontal ).
Horizontal is harder to work on the bigger the compressor in my opinion .

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Originally Posted by RANGER1

cygbob ,
Does not matter as its usually to make package cheaper ( horizontal ).
Horizontal is harder to work on the bigger the compressor in my opinion .

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usually compressor is mounted over horizontal oil tank seperator which decreases the cost of package. This configuration helps to make the package more compact and samller in size.

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Originally Posted by RANGER1

Horizontal is harder to work on the bigger the compressor in my opinion .

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Why?is it because of the stress caused by the heavy compressor and motor? or does it have the limitation of height for transport?
i think Horizontal has a good performance

Performance wise, there's not much to discern these days.

Design geometry: Fewer practical limitations on oil level, check valve locations and so on with a horizontal separator; and a big motored vertical separator package ends up with the machine mounted on heavy structural steel (which is $$$) and often, a collection of instrument tubing and similar above the machine. Pull the machine may require undoing a bunch of plumbing with a vertical Oil Sep.

And a vertical tends to have a smaller foot print in the machine room. Often.
But they can represent some design concerns where condensers are already only 4 to 9 feet above surface level.

Small horizontal packages easy to work with; large packages need specialty access to install either way; and a large package with a horizontal separator is not as easy to work on for normal servicing as Ranger1 said....

Although technically both represent confined spaces for coalescer replacement according to OSHA, on a small horizontal its ridiculous to presume anyone is going to get their feet off the ground. With a vertical, you got your feet off the ground before you access the manhole cover in most cases.

large compressor is heavy and if it is mounted on horizental oil separator.the height of gravity mass is increased so stability will be ecreased and vibration will be increased

we use horizontal oil separators on all our compressor units (usually Howden), as they take less space, since the separator is bellow the compressor and motor, instead of adding another 2 feet to the length and another 7 feet to the height of the unit.


the only thing to remember on horizontal oil separators where the motor and compressor is mounted on top is that the alignment has to be checked both when the unit is cold and when it's hot. This to ensure that they don't move out of alignment when the unit is warm.