GE Oil & Gas has launched what it says is the industry’s first compressor with a single impeller.

The compressor, part of the company’s Integrated Compressor Line (ICL), is designed for use in pipelines that must maintain gas pressure over long distances. The disclosure came at the GE Oil & Gas annual meeting in Florence, Italy.

Previous ICL products with multiple stages and impellers primarily were designed for gas storage. The single impeller compressor enables high performance in applications where the design pressure ratio is very low (1.1 to 1.4), such as at pipeline compressor stations.

The latest ICL compressor combines GE Oil & Gas compressor technology and GE Power Conversion motors and drive systems. The company said the equipment provides up to 20% more operating range flexibility and greater efficiency, but costs about the same as conventional compressors.