Abstract
Severe vibration was observed at a scrubber system connected to a reciprocating compressor during commissioning stage. Field measurements including vibration, pressure pulsation, and modal experiment were conducted to determine the causes of vibration, which showed that the excessive vibration was caused by pressure pulsation-induced mechanical resonance. Vibration reduction treatment for mechanical resonance avoidance via the installation of support on scrubber was proposed and then validated by resonance analysis and one-way fluid structure interaction (FSI) analysis. Resonance analysis showed both the dominant frequencies of pressure pulsation and rotational frequencies of compressor were beyond resonance regions, and FSI analysis indicated that the vibration levels of the scrubber system at its design conditions were within the allowable limit. Installation of two braces with a band clamp on the scrubber was implemented. The effectiveness of the treatment was verified by comparison of measured data before and after scrubber modification; the peak amplitudes occurring at the dominant excitation frequencies in both vibration and pulsation spectra declined greatly after modification, which guaranteed the long-term stable operation of the scrubber.
Highlights
Reciprocating compressors are widely used to boost natural gas pressure to be required because of their flexibility in capacity and pressure range in natural gas storage industry
Gas pressure pulsations produced by the reciprocating action of the piston could inevitably be transmitted into the pipelines and equipment attached to a reciprocating compressor; no problem occurs unless they coincide with a particular mechanical or acoustic frequency of the system
This paper is devoted to determine the main causes of high vibration encountered by a scrubber system through field vibration measurement, pulsation measurement, and modal experiment and put forward effective vibration reduction treatment via resonance analysis and one-way fluid structure interaction (FSI) vibration analysis
Summary
Reciprocating compressors are widely used to boost natural gas pressure to be required because of their flexibility in capacity and pressure range in natural gas storage industry. Relevant studies show that vibration is generally induced by poor dynamic balance of structure, poor kinematical design, mechanical resonance, and large pressure pulsations. Researches concerning such vibration have been focusing on three different areas: vibration theory and analysis, vibration diagnosis and identification techniques, and vibration control methods. Recent vibration reduction studies mainly focus on natural frequency adjustment and pressure pulsation control [14,15,16]. These studies lay the foundation for diagnosis, identification, analysis, and mitigation of flow-induced vibration in a reciprocating compressor systems. This paper is devoted to determine the main causes of high vibration encountered by a scrubber system through field vibration measurement, pulsation measurement, and modal experiment and put forward effective vibration reduction treatment via resonance analysis and one-way FSI vibration analysis
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