This compressor turned out to have a design fault

This compressor turned out to have a design fault. I do not have the details, but every six months or so conditions would occur that caused it to fail in a very self destructive way.

I recall returning to Beaumont from Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula one Sunday afternoon. Dad was a ‘heavy foot’ driver and treated highway speed limits as suggestions. He was not reckless, he speeded relatively safely, but nonetheless as we were inbound to Beaumont on I-10 we crested an overpass and the Mobil Chemical flare was in fine form.

Dad went from heavy foot to intense heavy foot. We skidded to a stop in our driveway (the car was panting from being ‘rode hard’), dad changed clothes in a flash and was off to the chemical plant to care for ‘his’ compressor.

Once the unit was back on line - this may have taken a few months - he began a study of the compressor problem like a maniac. He read engineering text books about compressor design and failure modes. He had drawings and measurements. He understood how the bearings worked and how they were lubricated. He was a self made expert on this compressor.