Reciprocating compressors are positive displacement machines in which the compressing and displacing element is a piston having a reciprocating motion within a cylinder. The discussion on the this page on reciprocating compressors includes a description of process configuration for multistage units, as well as an explanation of the concepts of:
- Speed control
- Inlet throttling
- Recycling
- Pressure relief
- Blowdown
- Distance piece venting and draining
