RAM Compressors

„ Reciprocating, balanced opposed „ 2.0 in (51 mm) rod diameter

„ 1 - 4 cylinders „ 40,000 lb. (179 kN) internal gas rod load
„ 5 in. (127 mm) stroke „ 1000 fpm (5.1 m/s) piston speed
„ 600 - 1500 RPM @ 1200 RPM

RAM Specifications Reciprocating, balanced opposed

RAM 52 RAM 54

No. of Cylinder Throws 2 4

Frame HP @ 1200 RPM 950 hp (708 kW) 1900 hp (1417 kW)
Frame HP @ 1400 RPM 1110 hp (828 kW) 2215 hp (1652 kW)
Frame HP @ 1500 RPM 1190 hp (887 kW) 2375 hp (1771 kW)
RPM Range 600 - 1500 RPM 600 - 1500 RPM
Stroke 5 in (127 mm) 5 in (127 mm)

Rod Diameter 2.0 in (51 mm) 2.0 in (51 mm)

Maximum Internal Gas Rod Loads
Tension (MGRT) 40,000 lb (179 kN) 40,000 lb (179 kN)
Compression (MGRC) 40,000 lb (179 kN) 40,000 lb (179 kN)
Total Peak-to-Peak 80,000 lb (358 kN) 80,000 lb (358 kN)
Net Rod Load 35,000 lb (157 kN) 35,000 lb (157 kN)

Piston Speed @ 1200 RPM 1000 fpm (5.08 m/s) 1000 fpm (5.08 m/s)
Piston Speed @ 1400 RPM 1167 fpm (5.98 m/s) 1167 fpm (5.98 m/s)
Piston Speed @ 1500 RPM 1250 fpm (6.35 m/s) 1250 fpm (6.35 m/s)

Lube Oil Flow @ 1200 RPM 14.0 gpm (53 liter/min) 20.0 gpm (75 liter/min)
Lube Oil Flow @ 1500 RPM 17.0 gpm (64 liter/min) 21.0 gpm (79 liter/min)
Sump Capacity 10 gal (38 liter) 30 gal (114 liter)

Frame Wt. w/ Crosshead Guides 2450 lb (1114 kg) 5100 lb (2318 kg)
Note: Standard equipment, specifications and data are subject to change without notice.
Standard Equipment

„ Frame: One piece, cast iron „ Bearings: Precision, split shell, „ Crosshead: Ductile iron, 9.8 in.
heavily ribbed casting with steel backed tri-metal main and (24.8 cm) diameter, with replaceable
integral crosshead guide and tie connecting rod bearings. Held in 5.5 in. (14.0 cm) width shoes, and
bolt construction. Aluminum top place by 2-bolt, ductile iron 3.5 in. (8.9 cm) diameter crosshead
cover and cast iron end covers. bearing caps. Main, thrust and pins and bushings.
connecting rod are 4.9 in.
„ Crankshaft: Forged from a solid „ Lubrication system: Crankshaft
(12.4 cm) diameter.
billet of heat-treated SAE 5046 or gear-driven oil pump, system relief
4140 steel, with integral „ Connecting rod: Forged steel, valve, crankcase strainer, spin-on
counterweights. Main bearing precision machined, H-Section, type full-flow oil filter, filler/breather,
journals are 4.9 in. (12.4 cm) rifle drilled for pin lubrication. oil level sight gauge, and oil pressure
diameter. Centerline from bottom Bolts are SAE 4140 steel with gauges. Pressurized suction cylinder
of frame is 14.2 in. (36.0 cm). rolled threads. lubrication system which includes:
stainless steel tubing and fittings,
divider block, and lubricator flow
meter and no-flow shut-down.
„ Special tools needed for field
maintenance.

Compressor Cylinder Sizing

Made Easy with CASCADE
Software.
CASCADE is another Superior
Compressor exclusive! The most
comprehensive and flexible sizing
program available, CASCADE is easy
to use and Windows-integrated.
CASCADE specifies the compressor
Model-RAM RAM 52 RAM 54 that meets the needs of a specific
A width – ft-in(cm) 9'7" (292) 9'7" (292) application based on data entered,
calculates performances, and lists
B length – ft-in(cm) 3'10" (116) 6'10" (208) recommended components
including cylinder sizes.
C frame width – ft-in(cm) 4'3" (130) 4'3" (130)
D required to remove To download the CASCADE
piston and rod – ft-in(cm) 2'8" (81) 2'8" (81) software (at no charge), visit
www.coopercompression.com

Superior® is a registered trademark of

Cooper Cameron Corporation.
10-503 20110 GH Circle • Waller, TX 77484
Copyright © 2004 Cooper Cameron Corporation Telephone: (713) 890-1300
Printed in U.S.A. Visit our web site at: www.coopercompression.com
SUPERIOR® COMPRESSORS
RAM COMPRESSOR

Table of Contents:
RAM COMPRESSOR DATA BOOK
RAM Technical Data Book: RAM-DB-07-2003
SUPERIOR® COMPRESSORS

Warning: Delays between the adoption of engineering revisions

to data contained in this manual and the distribution of updates
are unavoidable, although every attempt will be made to
minimize them. We recommend contacting Superior Compressor Marketing
to ensure the accuracy of information before making guarantees to customers
on ratings and performance.

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SUPERIOR® COMPRESSORS

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 General

Application and Performance Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Balancing Superior Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Balance Data for RAM Separable Compressors (1-2) . . . . . . . . 1-6
Operating Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Conversion Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Conversion Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Useful Equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Useful Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Areas of Circles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Miscellaneous Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Glossary of Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Symbols and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Hydrocarbon Synonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32
Altitude and Atmospheric Pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33
Gas Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35
Compressor Horsepower Selection Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-42
Compressor Interstage Pressure Drops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-43
Superior Compressor Crank and Cylinder Location. . . . . . . . . 1-44

Engineering Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-45

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-47
ES 3 Venting and Draining Systems
for Reciprocating Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-48
ES 5 Protection of Engines and Compresssors
for Domestic Shipment or Average Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-49
ES 7 Protection of Engines and Compressors
for Export Shipment or Hazardous Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-56
ES 13 Trimming Superior and Ajax Compressors for Sour Gas
Applications in Lubricated Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-59
ES 14 Trimming Compressors for Carbon Dioxide/Natural
Gas Applications in Lubricated Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-77
ES 16 RAM Series Compressor Mechanical and
Acoustic Packaging Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-82
ES 19 Compressor Frame and Cylinder Assembly Criteria . . . 1-85
ES 20 Guard and Spring Reference List for RAM, WH,
MH, & W7 Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-94
ES 23 Superior Compressor Cylinder
and Cylinder Class Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-99
ES 27 Compressor Performance Guarantee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-102
ES 1001 Lubrication of Superior Engines and Compressors . 1-106

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 Table of Contents: Ram Compressors

ES 1002 Lubrication Recommendations for Superior

Reciprocating Compressor Frames and Cylinders. . . . . . . . 1-109
ES 3001 Pipe Cleaning Engines, Compressors,
Packaged Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-115
ES 3002 Welded Clearance Volume Bottles for Compressors:
Material and Fabrication Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-117
ES 3004 Ajax-Superior Packager Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-119
ES 3006-Compressor Cooling System Design . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-132
ES 4009-Determination of Compressor Cylinder
Dead Center Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-147
ES 4100-Compressor Field Performance Test Specification . 1-150
ES 4101-Ajax-Superior Compressor Field Performance
Test Instrumentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-162
ES 4102-Analysis and Interpretation of Compressor
Field Performance Test Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-172
ES 5011-Hydrostatic and Helium Test of Compressor Cylinders,
Cylinder Heads, and Valve Covers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-182

Service Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-187

Recommended Frame Spare Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-189
Recommended Cylinder Spare Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-192
Parts Interchangeability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-220
Cylinder and Valve Parts Interchangeability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-225

API 11P AND 618 Comments and Exceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-235

Comments and Exceptions to API 618, 4th Edition,
for Superior MH, WH, W7, WG & RAM Compressors . . . 1-237
Comments and Exceptions to API 11P,
for Superior RAM Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-250

Chapter 2 RAM Frame Data

General Frame Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Model Nomenclature and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Standard Equipment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Summary of Estimated Frame Component Weights. . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Optional Equipment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11

RAM 52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Frame Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
RAM 52 Standard Auxiliary Equipment Specifications . . . . . . 2-18
RAM 52 Frame Construction Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
RAM 52 Frame Material Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
RAM 52 Starting Torque Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23

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SUPERIOR® COMPRESSORS

RAM 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
Frame Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-31
RAM 54 Standard Auxiliary Equipment Specifications . . . . . . 2-32
RAM 54 Frame Construction Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
RAM 54 Frame Material Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
RAM 54 Starting Torque Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37

Chapter 3 RAM Cylinder Data

General Cylinder Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Cylinder Nomenclature and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Standard Equipment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Valve Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

RAM Cylinder Valves - MT Plates / No Cushion Plate. . . . . . . 3-9

Application and Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15

Standard Options for Sour Gas Machines (Lubricated Service) 3-17
Special Options for Sour Gas Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Standard Options for Carbon Dioxide Machines . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Assembly Weight Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
RAM Cylinder Lineup Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Cylinder Head End Support Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Gas Passage Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29

Cylinder Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31

Cylinder Number Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
C15A Class 4.50 - 5.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
C15B Class 5.50 - 6.00". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
C15C Class 6.50 - 7.00". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
C15D Class 7.75 - 8.25" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
C15E Class 9.00 - 9.50". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
C15F Class 9.50 - 11.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
C15G Class 12.00 - 12.50" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
C15H Class 13.50 - 14.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57
C15I Class 15.50 - 16.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-61
C15J Class 17.50 - 18.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64
C15K Class 19.50 - 20.00" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-67
Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-70

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TOC-viii RAM-DB-07-2003