Johnson Controls has opened a new $6.7 million screw compressor testing laboratory at its Pennsylvania manufacturing plant in the US. The 7,000 ft2 (650 m2) facility is reportedly one of the largest, most sophisticated testing laboratories in the screw compressor industry. The new laboratory is used to test large screw compressors that support refrigeration and gas compression applications in the oil, gas, and process industries. It allows Johnson Controls to load-test and confirm the performance of its compressors. A key feature of the lab is a 5,000 hp (3,730 kW) variablespeed electric motor. Its test loop is rated for 1,100 psig (7,600 kPa), to support test conditions up to 1,000 psig (6,900 kPa) discharge pressure. Also, an ammonia refrigeration system equipped with one of the company’s top-of-the-line commercial screw compressors with an electric motor drive is used along with a cooling tower to remove the heat of compression and achieve desired suction temperatures.
(Source: The HVAC&R Industry, May 4, 2017)