Piston compressor and method of operating the same

A method of operating a piston compressor, said piston compressor comprising a cylinder and a piston disposed therein, a carrier housing having a crosshead mounted in the carrier housing, a piston rod extending in a longitudinal direction (L), which connects the crosshead to the piston, an inlet valve and an outlet valve, and a spacer which connects the cylinder to the carrier housing, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of support arms extending in the longitudinal direction (L), wherein the support arms are each individually connected to the cylinder towards the cylinder, wherein the cylinder has a plurality of attachment points, and wherein one support arm of the plurality of support arms is attached to one respective attachment point of the plurality of attachment points, the method comprising the steps:

• a) supplying an inlet fluid (FE) at a temperature in the range between −162° C. and −40° C. to the cylinder via the inlet valve;
• b) expelling the fluid located in the cylinder from the cylinder as an outlet fluid (FA) via the outlet valve, wherein the outlet fluid (FA) is heated in the cylinder by compression by a temperature difference in the range between 100° C. and 150° C.;
• wherein the cylinder is heated during the conveyance of the fluid to an average temperature which lies between the temperature of the inlet fluid (FE) and the outlet fluid (FA),
• wherein thermal energy, due to a thermal difference between the attachment points, is not exchanged directly in the circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal direction (L) between the attachment points, but via the support arms extending in the longitudinal direction (L).