BLACKMER PUMPS, COMPRESSORS MAINTAIN …

1 Mexico s first commercial liquidpropane gas (LPG) plant was built in1949, according to Ismael D azVanegas. Today, he said, the countryboasts over 1300 such plants, andranks number one worldwide in percapita consumption of LPG. In 2007,he said, Mexican LPG consumptiontotaled about million tons ( metric tons).D az, a very well-known participantin the Mexican LPG community, saidthat LPG has been an extremely im-portant source of energy for house-hold and commercial settings through-out Mexico.

2 Growth in LPG use inMexico, he said, is projected to beabout per year, which is less thanthe historical trend, and due largely tosteady development of modern naturalgas transportation and distribution sys-tems, especially in the country s largestcities. That growth in natural gas avail-ability has nicked LPG s market sharein some areas, but he said the fuel willremain very important throughoutmuch of the country. He said, too, thatLPG companies have worked hard todevelop new applications and marketsfor their over 30 years of experienceon the technical side of the MexicanLPG business in his role as principalof engineering, design and construc-tion firm Fluid Dynamic Systems(FDS), headquartered in Mexico City,and in a wide range of activities inservice to the LPG industry, D azspeaks with authority.

3 He was a founding member and iscurrently serving one of numerousterms as president of Asociaci nMexicana de Profesionales en Gas, (AMPEGAS). He and members ofhis family, who are also involved inthe LPG world, have coordinated all18 Congresses so far held by thatgroup since its inception in 1989. Hehas also served on the MexicanFederal LPG Standards az is also actively involved in theAsociaci n Nacional de Distribuidoresde Gas LP (ASOCIGAS), Mexico sNational LPG Association, and theAsociaci n Mexicana de Distribuidoresde Gas Licuado y Empresas Conexas, (ASOCIMEX), Mexican LPG Asso-ciation.

4 He founded the first magazinein the country dedicated to the LPG in-dustry, initially named ANPEGAS andlater named ANUVEGAS, from 1990through 1996. In recognition of his involvementand leadership in the LPG community,D az has received many honors, includ-ing those from the Mexican Depart-ment of Energy, The Mexican Depart-ment of Commerce and Industry andthe Mexican Department of in the city of Aguascalientes, inthe Mexican state of the same name, in1943, D az attended the NationalPolytechnic Institute of Mexico, one ofthe most prestigious public universitiesin the nation.

5 Where he earned aBachelor of Science degree in topogra-phy and of his career over 30 yearsof it has focused on the technicalside of the LPG business through hisFluid Dynamic Systems involvement,which specializes in the design andfabrication of LPG facilities. A secondbusiness in which he has immersedBLACKMER pumps , COMPRESSORS MAINTAIN THE FLOWR espected Mexican LPG Plant Designer and Distributor Describes a Mechanically Satisfying RelationshipBy Phil BurnsideAPRIL 2008 COMPRESSORTechTwonBlackmer s model LGL2 sliding vane pump (shown here in cutaway) isdesigned to be truck mounted.

6 The larger LGL3 series is intended to beused in stationary owner Ismael D az Vanegas(right) with Gerardo D az de Le n, who isgeneral manager of the company. They arestanding in front of a BLACKMER LGLD3 4/7/08 11:04 AM Page 1himself is his LPG distribution com-pany, VANeGAS, which is headquar-tered in his home town. He indicatedhe is looking forward to becomingeven more active on the commercialside of the business through that fam-ily Dynamic Systems employseight permanent employees whose ef-forts are augmented by a number oftrusted subcontractors.

7 Among the 30people employed by VANeGAS are twoof D az s daughters, Betsy (an accoun-tant) and Cecilia (an architect who de-signed the VANeGAS plant); his wifeRuth (CFO); Betsy s husband GerardoD az de Le n, who is general basic inventory of the assets uti-lized in the LPG distribution operationincludes pumps , COMPRESSORS , liquidflow meters, LPG dispenser and addition, the distribution plant usesLPG tanks ranging in capacity from1000 to 63,000 gal.

8 (379 to 23,800 dL),all ASME and NOM (Mexican OfficialNorms) stamped, as well as a fleet offive cargo tankers and four cylinder de-livery trucks. One fact common to all the pumpsand COMPRESSORS used by VANeGAS is that they are manufactured byBlackmer, a Dover Company, ofGrand Rapids, Michigan, D azhas been a BLACKMER customer since1977, when FDS designed and built itsfirst LPG plant and today both compa-nies exclusively specify and useBlackmer compression, FDS and VANeGASuse BLACKMER s LB361 oil-free recipro-cating single stage, single acting, com-pressors ranging from 5 to 25 hp ( kW).

9 Both companies alsochoose BLACKMER model LGL slidingvane pumps running at 640 rpm at ,10 and 15 hp ( , and kW). The LB361 compressor is a verti-cally aligned, air-cooled unit designedto operate between 350 and 825 minimum rotation speed, the com-pressor s displacement is cfm (26m3/hr), and at maximum speed it is 36cfm ( m3/hr). The compressor isdesigned for a maximum driver ratingof 15 Bhp (11 kW) and a maximumallowable working pressure (MAWP)of 350 psia (2413 kPa).

10 VANeGAS operates two types ofBlackmer LGL pumps . The LGLD2 Etruck-mounted pump requires 48 lb. ft.(65 Nm) of torque to operate at 100 psi( bar). The larger LGLD3E model forstationary application requires 89 lb. ft.(121 Nm) of torque at 100 psi ( bar).Both models are rated for a maximumpump speed of 640 rpm, a maximumdifferential pressure of 150 psi ( ) and a maximum working pressure,which is the inlet pressure plus the dif-ferential pressure, of 350 psi ( bar).All rotating equipment is driven byexplosion proof electric motors frommultiple manufacturers and suppliedthrough Equipos Para Gas , which is BLACKMER s local distrib-utor.