Among the numerous and complex types of compressors, gas compressors have become a special category of compressors because of their different compression media, such as compressing various hydrocarbon gases, inert gases, chemically active gases, etc. Similarly, due to the different compression media, the requirements of this kind of compressor for lubricating oil are also different.

1. Hydrocarbon gas compressor

All oil products with hydrocarbon structure similar to hydrocarbon gas are soluble with hydrocarbon gas. Conversely, if lubricating oil that can be dissolved with hydrocarbon gas is selected in this kind of gas compressor, gas dissolution will occur. Gas dissolution will cause the viscosity of oil to decrease and the lubricating performance to lose. And the greater the compression pressure of the gas, the higher the dissolution of the gas in the oil. Therefore, lubricating oil with similar structure to hydrocarbon gas should be avoided.
For mixed gas, we should not only consider the content of hydrocarbon gas in the gas, but also consider other gas components. For example, when the gas contains corrosive gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen chloride, corresponding anti-corrosion inhibitors need to be added to protect the equipment from corrosion.

2. Inert gas compressor

Because the inert gas is a rare and precious gas, the purity of the gas is extremely high, and it cannot contain water or oil. Therefore, the corresponding compressor oil is also required to be absolutely pure, and the water content and oil and gas volatilization should be strictly controlled.

3. Other gases

Common compressed gases include oxygen. Although oxygen is not a flammable gas, it is not corrosive gas, and it is not easy to dissolve and dilute with oil products, oxygen compression is very easy to cause severe oxidation of lubricating oil and compressor explosion. At the same time, the combustion supporting effect of oxygen on lubricating oil under high temperature is also very dangerous, so oil-free lubrication is often used for oxygen compression.

Due to the particularity of the compressed medium, gas compression is very different from air compression. When selecting lubricating products, users should analyze the gas components in detail and select appropriate lubricating products according to the gas components and process requirements.