On the occasion of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration’s (IIAR) annual conference & exhibition, March 22-25, 2015, San Diego, California GEA Refrigeration North America presented its new GMX series of screw compressor packages. These four new GMX packages replace their predecessors in the GM series and offer swept volumes from 335 to 618 CFM, representing the medium series within the company’s overall swept-volume range, which spans 164 to 8,150 CFM.
The new GMX models are highly impressive owing to outstanding COP – both at full-load and at part-load operation and offer a number of benefits in performance, size, and total cost of ownership. In addition, GMX compressor packages feature the new, user-friendly GEA Omni™ control panel, which provides a high-definition multi-touch screen and delivers the ease of use and the technical wow factor that industrial refrigeration professionals have come to expect from GEA. GEA Omni is standard on all GEA Refrigeration North America compressor packages.
Characteristics of the new GMX screw compressor packages
One of the most important improvements offered by the new GMX series is the new capacity control. The screw compressors employed in GMX packages use either an internal capacity slider with fixed Vi (internal volume) or a capacity slider combined with variable Vi. The latter combines the Vi slide and the capacity slide in one single component, which operates without an oil pump. This results in fewer pressure drops and in a very robust slide design. The Vi setting range has likewise been expanded to the ranges between 1.8 and 5.5, with the result that – even with lowered liquefaction temperature – energy-optimized operation is possible.
Variable speed operation ranges from 1,450 to 4,200 rpm. Service staff has easy access to the coupling, and the D-Flange motor enables simple assembly without time-consuming adjustments.
The suction design on GMX models features a hot-gas-activated check valve designed to eliminate chatter and optimized for minimal pressure drop, greater tolerance to dirt, and long service life. Further advantages include lower costs during operation and maintenance: thrust bearings that are easy to replace; reduction in the number of moving parts; and elimination of an oil pump for high-stage, fixed-speed ammonia applications. The multi-stage oil separator with its extremely low maximum oil carryover of 5 ppm rounds out the beneficial characteristics of the new GMX series.
For more details on these new GEA compressor packages and the new control panel, please visit www.gea.com