One Skid, Four Systems That Each Fail Differently
The reason a compressor is harder to ship than its size suggests is that a single skid carries four things that fail in four different ways. The air end, the screw element, the pistons and valves, or the centrifugal impeller, is a precision rotating assembly that corrodes internally if humid air is sealed inside it and hammers its own bearings if the rotor is free to turn under continuous transit vibration. The oil and lubrication circuit must travel drained or sealed, or it weeps and carries moisture into the bearings. The inter- and after-coolers are thin-finned heat exchangers that crack on impact or corrode if they ride wet. And the control panel, VFD and instrumentation resent both moisture and vibration.
The machine type changes the emphasis. A centrifugal compressor's high-speed rotor and dry-gas seals demand careful rotor locking and seal protection; a rotary screw's element and its oil charge dominate the preservation plan; a reciprocating unit's cylinders, valves and crank need internal VCI and bracing. BENZ matches the protection to the type: the air end is preserved internally with VCI and the rotor locked, the oil circuit drained or sealed and ports capped, coolers cushioned and shielded, and the panel barrier-wrapped with desiccant. The complete package is then secured to its skid on its true load path, sealed under barrier film for sea transit, and crated on heat-treated timber rated to the package weight.