02 13 Cameron E

cAMeron international corporation—
raising performance. togethertM.
www.c-a-m.com
040
041
Quality and Preservation of Value:
State-of-the-Art
Technology for Proven
and Brand-New Compressors
With its history spanning 180 years, CAMERON International
­Corporation, Houston, Texas, USA, is one of the world’s
­conglomerates with the richest tradition. The company’s
­approximately 18,000 employees feel committed to their history—
and consequently to the ­corporate maxims that already guided
the ­actions of CAMERON’s predecessor, COOPER Industries:
quality and ­performance.
TEXT: Ludwig Schönefeld · PHOTOS: Ralf Baumgarten
IllustrationS: CAMERON International Corporation
T
he company’s present name—
CAMERON—dates back to the
acquisition of CAMERON Iron
Works by COOPER Industries
in 1989. This was the most
­momentous acquisition in the history of the in­
dustrial enterprise that was founded in 1833 by
the COOPER brothers, Charles and Elias, in
Mount Vernon, Ohio, and has been managed
from Houston, Texas, since 1967. Presently, the
company achieves sales of more than 5 billion
dollars with its three Business Divisions—Drill­
ing & Production Systems, Valves & Measure­
ment, and Process & Compression Systems.
Approximately two thirds of CAMERON’s busi­
ness comes from outside the United States. China
is increasingly gaining in importance—both as a
sales market and as a production location.
A Balanced Portfolio
As Director Product Engineering, Development
& Quality, Everette Johnson is in charge of global
development of reciprocating compressors.
­Offering proven technological solutions, both for
the production and for the transport and use of
natural gas in the process industry, CAMERON
is positioned well: “We have a balanced port­
folio covering gas compression from the source
to the end user.”
Over the last few years, CAMERON invested
primarily in the continual optimization of the
­
portfolio. Initially, the efforts were centered
around boosting the efficiency of CAMERON
compressors: “We invested heavily in the devel­
opment of highly efficient products,” Johnson
reported. Another focal area was the minimiza­
tion of greenhouse gases from diffuse emissions
at the compressors: “The pressure toward lower
emissions standards will continue unabated in
the coming years. We’re well-prepared.”
AJAX®—a Champion
in the Gas Field
To this day, the AJAX® Integral Engine Compressor
contributes significantly to CAMERON’s success
around the globe: “The AJAX® compressor is
one of the oldest, yet also one of the most
­successful machines in the world,” explained
Everette Johnson. The AJAX® brand harkens
back to AJAX® Iron Works. Founded in 1892 in
Corry, Pennsylvania, USA, the company started
to produce gas compressors in 1895. After
World War II, the compact design of the AJAX®
compressor helped make it the leading com­
pressor model in the U.S. oil and gas industry.
With a power spectrum between 30 and 360
horsepower, the AJAX® was able to satisfy virtu­
ally all ­requirements of industry at the time.
A cross-sectional view of
the AJAX® DPC-2804LE:
the current top model
In 1963, AJAX® was acquired by COOPER.
COOPER and CAMERON systematically expand­
ed the product line—all the way to the current
top model, the 845-horsepower AJAX® 2804. At
a maximum of 525 revolutions per minute,
AJAX® compressors are slow-speed compres­
sors. What’s special about the AJAX® principle
is that the drive and compressor are combined
on a common frame. The simplistic design prin­
ciple promises minimized mechanical losses as a
result of the matched synchronization of all com­
ponents and resulting low vibrations. Recently
developed is an electric drive AJAX® compressor
that utilizes many of the same components as the
integral engine compressor, including the high
­efficiency lineup of AJAX® cylinders.
Intrinsic Value and Innovation
The technical design of the AJAX® compressor,
the fundamentals of which were developed at
the beginning of the 20th century, is still ­applied
to this day. This is partly due to the simple
­design and the intrinsic value of the construction.
In addition, AJAX®, COOPER and CAMERON
have always managed to successfully refine their
machine through continuous inno­
vation. To
accomplish this, CAMERON relies on strong
­
partners like HOERBIGER. Everette Johnson
stated: “Our partnership with HOERBIGER has
existed for quite some time and is very inspiring
for both sides. We purchase all valves as well as
the packing and sealing rings for the AJAX®
compressors from HOERBIGER.”
­also remains true to the
simple design principle.
HOERBIGER and CAMERON collaborated for a
period of three years with the CAMERON AJAX
division in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, on a
joint project that was aimed at further improving
the performance and reliability of the AJAX
­integral® compressors by developing a more re­
liable, anti-scuff, power ring design. The
­development centered on replacing the previous
tapered ring design with a barrel faced Ferrox
ring. To improve performance, the top ring’s
running surface has several circumferential
grooves which are filled with Ferrox. This
­prevents scuffing and enables the ring face to
retain oil. As a result, wear is reduced both on
the ring face and the cylinder bore.
“For a life cycle that can easily
span 50 years or more, all that’s
required of the operator of an
AJAX® compressor is an annual oil
change and very few special tools.”
2012 AJAX® product brochure
042
043
Everette Johnson in the CAMERON exhibition
hall behind a historic AJAX® model.
“The supply of energy in
Chicago is primarily
based on gas. They use
COOPER-Bessemer®
­compressors, which in
some cases have been in
operation for more than
70 years. Have you ever
read in the ­paper that
the gas supply in Chicago
went down? Reliability,
availability and preservation of v
­ alue. That’s
what matters in our business. And we, at Cameron,
vouch for that.”
Everette Johnson
Thanks to the jointly developed ReigniteTM
­solution, legacy COOPER-BESSEMER® integral
engine compressors satisfy the latest stringent
environmental standards—a sustainable
­investment instead of a new purchase.
EverettE Johnson
Director of Engineering
CAMERON International Corporation
Interested in all things mechanical at a
young age, Everette Johnson did his
­Mechanical Engineering basic training at
Purdue University. After that he went on for
brief stints involving Research and
­Development at Schwitzer (automotive
The Houston, Texas, site of HOERBIGER Corpora­
tion of America has collaborated with Cameron
Ajax with field tests. The new ring packs showed
consistently successful results at several field loca­
tions. The Ferrox ring style is a not a new concept.
It has been around for many years, successfully
benefiting many other legacy natural gas engines,
and it will continue to be a reliable scuff resistant
piston ring design for the future.
­turbocharger manufacturer), then on to
­Detroit Diesel and to Cummins Engine Com­
Quality and Performance
pany, before landing in Mount Vernon, Ohio,
For COOPER, quality and performance were the
strongest arguments of the marketing strategy,
and they have been for CAMERON to this day.
“We want to sell value to our customers,” Everette
Johnson explained. “Because the HOERBIGER
brand is synonymous with reliable and lasting
quality, we rely on this value proposition.” For
decades, HOERBIGER Corporation of America
has been CAMERON’s major provider of valves,
rings and packings. Everette Johnson added:
“For us, the quality of the product is paramount.
And we have always been able to rely on
HOERBIGER’s quality.”
in 1975, where he worked with some indus­
try legends such as Mel Helmich, John
Konkler and Norm Shade, at ­CooperBessemer Engine Company. In his
­early years with Cooper, Everette Johnson
worked in both Rotating Products and in
Reciprocating Products, with the bulk of his
career spent working on Turbochargers as
applied to Large Bore Two Stroke Engines.
In 1999, Johnson went to work with the
Centrifugal Compressor group which was
purchased by Rolls-Royce and so he ended
up in the UK as Director of Europe, Africa
and the Middle East. Upon his ­return in
More than Effective Marketing
2003, he found his way back to Cameron
Another example of the close collaboration
between CAMERON and HOERBIGER is the
­
­Reignite™ project. In October 2009, HOERBIGER
Engineering Services, Houston, Texas, USA,
and CAMERON signed an agreement to jointly
market technology that would u
­pgrade aged
where he works today as the ­Director of
­Engineering for the Process Systems and
Reciprocating Compression team.
i­
ntegral gas engine compressors using
CAMERON’s distribution channels. “This was
­
far more than a joint marketing initiative,”
­Everette Johnson reported. “We were convinced
that together we would succeed in engineering
an outstanding product for legacy compressors.”
The Reignite™ project focuses on the immense
COOPER-BESSEMER® integral engine com­
pressors. The majority of these compressors
have been in operation for decades.
COOPER-BESSEMER®—
the Heavyweight
COOPER introduced the first design principle
for this heavy machinery in 1909, which com­
bines the drive and compressor in one machine.
The basic idea was given a major boost in 1929,
when COOPER acquired Bessemer Gas Engine
Company founded in 1899 by Edwin J. Fithian
and John Carruthers in Grove City, Pennsylva­
nia. Based on the know-how of both companies
—not without reason was the acquisition of Bes­
semer later referred to as a “history merger”—
COOPER continued to develop the compressor.
The result was a machine in which the vertically
mounted cylinders of the engine acted on the
horizontally mounted cylinders of the compres­
sor via the common crankshaft.
The first COOPER-BESSEMER® integral gas en­
gine compressor was shipped in 1938 and put
to work on a pipeline. The V-arrangement of the
performance, the investment that is required
from the operator is no more than 25 percent of
the amount that a new machine would cost.
­Everette Johnson added: “Together, we managed
to convince our customers that the investment
in reconditioning a legacy compressor creates
new value—and additionally, an exceptionally
reliable machine.”
Ambivalent Prospects
drive and compressor generated an increase in
power of 38 percent, which was revolutionary at
the time. Because of its design, the new com­
pressor’s outward appearance was more remi­
niscent of a marine diesel engine than the recip­
rocating compressors customary until then.
The dimensions and weight of the COOPERBESSEMER® integral engine compressors
necessitated a special infrastructure. For the
­
operators, purchasing the compressor and pro­
viding the infrastructure to support it were asso­
ciated with a capital-intensive investment. The
interest among current owners in the continued
and longest possible use of these reliable
­machines is accordingly high. However, this will
only be possible if the engines continue to satisfy
all emissions guidelines. “This was a challenge
for us all,” reported Everette Johnson. Because
Reignite™ was intended to optimize existing
compressors, no modifications were allowed in
terms of the basic design. With the support of
HOERBIGER Engineering Services, CAMERON
optimized the positions of the injection valves at
the combustion chamber. HOERBIGER supplied
a newly developed gas injector and an innova­
tive ignition system, the Electronic Pre-Chamber
Control System (ePCC).
The results of the collaboration were far better
than anticipated. Machines retrofitted with the
Reignite™ package safely meet even the most
stringent environmental standards. Relative to
Everette Johnson is concerned about the eco­
nomic environment of the traditional gas indus­
try. “By continually advancing our technology,
we offer the best conditions for optimizing the
value added in our markets.” The problem is the
pressure on the price of natural gas: “The low
gas prices will be one of the biggest challenges
in the years to come for us all.” To a significant
extent, this can be attributed to the global avail­
ability of shale gas now being within reach.
While problems related to the production of
shale gas are far from being resolved, the sector
is investing in this type of natural gas. This con­
trasts with reduced or deferred investments in
traditional technology as a result of the lower gas
prices. For those who, like CAMERON, are
­active both in the conventional gas business and
in shale gas, the “Golden Age of Gas” definitely
offers development opportunities. Everette
­
Johnson added: “People will rely more heavily
on natural gas than in the past as the primary
resource for energy generation. This will benefit
us, even if the intensity with which the new gas
fields are developed will initially still suffer from
the general economic conditions.”
Everette Johnson has been rooted in the oil and
gas industry for decades. And he’s a realist. He
knows that the development of new oil and gas
fields as well as the installation of the necessary
infrastructure will be among the greatest chal­
lenges for the economical use of the newly
­uncovered natural gas resources. Moreover, he
also sees the changes on the global gas market
through the eyes of an engineer: “The gas we
have delivered until now was dry gas.” Shale
gas, in contrast, is wet gas. Adapting the existing
compressor technology to the requirements of
the wet gas will require development expendi­
ture that is not to be underestimated.
Reorganization of the
Gas Industry
North America, CAMERON’s home market, is
rich in shale gas deposits. Nonetheless, the dis­
tribution of shale gas formations will result in a
reorganization of the gas industry worldwide.
CAMERON has already laid the groundwork for
this trend. “Long-term, we have geared up for
the new situation and searched intensively for
business models that matched our portfolio and
would allow the use of shale gas. The economi­ 044
cal use of shale gas will start in North America
and Europe,” Johnson stated. “However, we 045
must also develop products for India and China
in equal measure—with different performance
levels, both for gas extraction and gas distribu­
tion.” When it comes to the development of
these new compressors, CAMERON relies on
the expertise the company has acquired over
the decades with the high-speed compressors
from the SUPERIOR® portfolio.
A cross-sectional view of the COOPER-BESSEMER®
W-330C3: the engine and compressor are driven
on the same crankshaft.
Part
For decades, HOERBIGER has supplied CAMERON International Corporation with state-of-the-art compressor components. For the high-speed couple-free
compressor,
CAMERON’s
latest
development,
­HOERBIGER adapted the innovative CP valve. The CP
valve is marked by high efficiency and strength.
Its core is the aerodynamically profiled valve
plate made of a carbon-fiber-reinforced
­plastic material developed by HOERBIGER’s
research. It assures low maintenance costs
and a long ­service life.
www.hoerbiger.com
Part OF
With a production volume of approximately 650 billion cubic
meters and domestic consumption of approximately 680 billion cubic meters of natural gas (2011 and 2010 figures), the
United States of America is one of the largest natural gas nations in the world. COOPER, now CAMERON, has supported
the evolution of the gas industry in the USA since the close of
the 19th century. Some of the legacy machines have been in
use reliably for more than 100 years. CAMERON vouches that
both these tried and tested machines, as well as the new
compressors being built today, will be a sustainable investment for their operators. Because of continuous innovation
and modernization of the technical design, CAMERON
­compressors are considered leading technology to this day.
Innovative solutions for the upgrade of legacy machines
­preserve the value of the financial ­investment.
www.c-a-m.com
Partnership
HOERBIGER is a premium supplier of the major CAMERON
compressor
brands:
COOPER-BESSEMER®,
AJAX®
and
­SUPERIOR . When it comes to valves and packing and sealing
®
rings, HOERBIGER has repeatedly contributed to the refinement of proven compressors by offering new technical
­designs and innovative materials. CAMERON and HOERBIGER
Engineering Services, Houston, Texas, USA, have collabo­
rated since 2005 on the upgrade of COOPER-BESSEMER ®
integral engine compressors. Since 2009, CAMERON and
­
HOERBIGER have jointly marketed the Reignite™ brand—
technology that significantly boosts the efficiency, flexibility
and reliability of integrals. The costs for upgrading integrals
are approximately 25 percent of the investment that would
be required for a new compressor with comparable power.
In addition to the low-speed models from the AJAX® series,
CAMERON’s ­portfolio offers high-speed compressors under the
­SUPERIOR® brand. More than 10,000 of these compressors
have been produced so far.
Superior compressors are
manufactured in Houston,
Texas, and in a CAMERON’s
newest manufacturing
­facility in Gaomi, China.
­Critical parts are supplied
by HOERBIGER in the US
and China. The series was
specifically developed for
shale gas a­ pplications.
SUPERIOR®—
the Premier Brand
The history of the SUPERIOR® brand stretches
back to a company founded in 1889 by Patrick
J. Shouvlin in Springfield, Ohio, USA, which in
1892 became Superior Engine and Compressor
Company. In addition to building compressors
with outputs of 20 to 100 horsepower, in the
years that ensued the business was primarily
engaged in the production of diesel engines. In
1928, the company was acquired by its strongest
distribution partner, National Supply Company,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, which was
founded in 1894. The new owner focused on
the manufacture of engines. The compressor
business, on the other hand, was sold to AJAX
Iron Works in 1945. In 1955, National Supply al­
so divested the Diesel Division, selling it to White
Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio.
White Motor Company recognized the synergies
that engines and compressors had to offer. It re­
activated the know-how that the company had
acquired and at the beginning of the 1960s
­began to develop high-speed compressors for
the rapidly growing natural gas industry in
North America. Enjoying a long tradition, the
SUPERIOR® brand was used from then on to
offer compressors—either turbine- or motor­
driven—ranging from 400 to 2,600 horsepower.
After having been reorganized for the compressor
business in 1965, White Superior Division was
faced with financial difficulties around the
­mid-1970s. COOPER Industries recognized the
­opportunity of becoming active in the growing
high-speed compressor market by way of acquisi­
tion. In 1976, the year when the company for the
first time surpassed the magic half billion dollar
mark, COOPER Industries was ultimately able to
take over the SUPERIOR® portfolio as a result of
the acquisition of the White Superior ­Division.
Production in China
COOPER/CAMERON have since produced more
than 10,000 SUPERIOR® compressors with out­
puts as high as 9,000 horsepower. The experi­
ence that CAMERON collected as a result is now
being incorporated in the development of new
compressors for the global market. The most re­
cent development is a high-speed couple-free
compressor, for which prototypes are presently
manufactured at the Houston, Texas, site in the
United States. In the future, these compressors
will be manufactured in Houston and a new plant
in Gaomi, was recently completed in the eastern
Chinese province of Shandong, ­China. “China is
a great opportunity for C
­ AMERON,” Everette
Johnson explained. “We are convinced that, in
the future, China, will play a significant role for
the gas industry.” HOERBIGER Corporation of
America not only supported the development of
the couple-free series from the very start, but
­also assured the technology transfer to China.
The valves, rings and packings for the couplefree compressors that CAMERON will produce
in China will be supplied by HOERBIGER Shang­
hai Co. Ltd., one of the most modern production
plants in the HOERBIGER Group. The technical
specifications will exactly reflect the design
­developed between HOERBIGER and CAMERON
in the USA, as guaranteed by HOERBIGER’s
global quality standards.
The Global Player
“We engineer a new couple-free compressor
primarily with shale gas applications in mind,
which place high demands on the machine,”
­Everette Johnson expounded. This included the
valves and packings as much as the life span of
the cylinders. An important aspect that had to
be taken into account was the wide range of
pressure fluctuations that occurs during the
production of shale gas. Everette Johnson com­
mented: “We were looking for a partner that can
help us solve these problems: HOERBIGER was
there for us immediately.” Under comparable
­requirements, HOERBIGER has already collect­
ed excellent experience in pilot applications with
the newly developed CP valve. The overall
­design, and notably the aerodynamically pro­
filed valve plate made of carbon-fiber-reinforced
polymer material, are compelling, especially
with respect to pressure resistance. The appli­
cation developers of HOERBIGER Corporation of
America designed a new variant of the CP valve
for the new compressors. The valves have under­
gone rigorous testing since the end of 2012 in
light of the upcoming series production.
Over the course of 2012, CAMERON and
­HOERBIGER together overcame the last techni­
cal hurdle of the new compressor series. “Shale
gas not only has a wide variety of BTU values,
but depending on the reservoir, some of it 046
­contains extremely corrosive elements,” ­Everette
Johnson explained. To solve the problem, 047
­CAMERON developed a special inside coating
for the cylinders—and HOERBIGER contributed
the matching piston rings. “Our goal is to achieve
more than 50,000 hours of service without
maintenance as a result of the coating pistonring combination,” said Johnson.
Global Partnership
“CAMERON sees itself as a solutions provider
from the source to the end user,” Everette Johnson
continued. The company considers long-stand­
ing and reliable partners that can guarantee
global quality standards an indispensable asset
in its efforts to live up to this performance claim.
In addition to offering proven concepts and
products, for the future it is also vitally important
to continually explore new solutions. The objec­
tive: to make the best even better. “We need
companies that continue to invest in the oil and
gas industry, in new products that offer high
value for OEMs and their customers.”
­
­HOERBIGER is that kind of a partner—and has
been for d
­ ecades. So there is only one concern
left for Everette Johnson, the experienced chief
developer at CAMERON: the “Silver Tsunami.”
“Our sector is facing a generational change,” he
explained. “The majority of us will retire soon,
and we barely have enough experienced junior
professionals.” HOERBIGER was able to score
points yet again: “HOERBIGER has experienced
research and development employees and the
right talent around the world to meet our
­expectations in the future.”