Quietly tough in small spaces, Chart's Howden DGI air-cooled compressor targets tight footprints

Reviewed: ad hoc news Lifestyle & Consumer desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-19, 23:58. Details in the imprint.

With the Howden DGI air-cooled screw compressor, Chart Industries sends a bulky, humming workhorse into the kind of cramped plant corners where every centimeter and every decibel counts. Fans whirr, hot air escapes through the cooler, yet the skid stays surprisingly compact.

What the DGI is built for

The Howden DGI is an oil-flooded, air-cooled rotary screw compressor package targeted at general industrial users who cannot or do not want to rely on water cooling. The entire system is arranged on a single skid to simplify placement and installation.

Chart positions the DGI for continuous 24/7 duty in applications like refinery offsites, petrochemical plants, and heavy manufacturing where reliability matters more than flashy efficiency figures. Pipework, filters, silencers, and the air cooler sit tightly grouped for a small footprint.

Design choices in daily use

Operators see a fairly tidy, almost container-like unit with side access panels and the fan wall dominating one end. Maintenance staff get direct access to key components, keeping service jobs shorter and making it easier to plan shutdowns.

Because the DGI is fully air cooled, users do not have to worry about cooling-water quality, treatment, or blowdown lines. That is attractive in regions with limited water infrastructure and in brownfield plants where adding new water loops would be prohibitively complex.

Performance and configuration options

The DGI platform can be configured across a range of motor powers and discharge pressures to match process needs, typically in the bar-g range that standard plant air and instrument systems require. Variable speed drive options can trim energy use where load profiles fluctuate.

Noise levels remain an important theme. Housing panels and intake silencers reduce the harshest tones, yet this is not a whisper-quiet machine; on a busy compressor deck, the DGI fits in, but it will not disappear acoustically.

Where it fits in Chart's portfolio

For Chart, the Howden DGI air-cooled screw compressor fills a pragmatic niche alongside cryogenic tanks, cold boxes, and process systems. It offers stable, recurring aftermarket potential from service, spare parts, and occasional brownfield upgrades.

Shares of Chart Industries Inc (US16115Q3083) trade on the New York Stock Exchange in US dollars.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.