Reciprocating Compressor

Condition Monitoring
Bently Nevada
Solutions
Presentation Objectives

Introduction
Malfunctions and Monitored Parameters
3500 Protection Tools
System 1 Video Demo
Reciprocating Compressors RulePaks

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Overview – Recips in industry Reinjection
plant
Oil/Gas
Offshore field
production
platform

Gas / Oil
boosting
Oil/gas
stations
Treatment
plant

Gas storage
plant
LNG
production
plant

LNG
receiving
Refinery Petrochemical plant terminal

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Overview – Recips in industry
API 618 process compressors (300-600 rpm)
Heavy-duty gas processing applications. Usually
motor driven

High speed recips (700-1800 rpm) API 11P

Continuous operation in oil & gas, offshore
applications. Motor or engine driven. Upstream
and Midstream applications

Hyper compressors
Designed for ethylene compression in Low
Density Polyethylene (LDPE) production plants.
Delivery pressures up to 3500 bar

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 Evolution of Reciprocating Compressor
Protection and Monitoring at Bently Nevada
3500/72 Rod 3500/70 and System Nuovo Pignone
Patent #4,987,774 issued for 1 Knock and GEnyus
Rod Position Measurement Position/Plunger
Position Monitor Segmental Analysis Diagnostics
Correlated To Crank Angle Release Released
Released

First Proximity First First Hyper System 1 v6.0

Probe Commercial Compressor Improving Crosshead
Applications at 3300 Piezo-resistive Strain diagnostics and vertical force
Pressure Monitoring Pressure Measurement monitoring calculation in
Packing Case System Transducers Trial accuracy System 1
Launched
‘65~75 ‘70~75 ‘88 ‘90 ‘91 ‘94 ‘95 ‘99 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11

First Hyper 3300 Series First Field Cylinder New Plotting

Compressor Piezo- Test of Trim Capabilities
Plunger Electric Bently RulePak Introduced
Diagnostic Velomitor Proximity- Released in System 1
Case History Released Based and 3500/70 v6.5
Published Piezo- Impulse/Impact
First Resistive
First Hyper Reciprocating Monitor Released
Plunger Pressure
Compressor Transducer
Protection Best Practices
Systems (L8129) 3500 3500/77 Cylinder Pressure Impulse/Impact
Installed Monitoring Monitor Released RulePak Released
3300/75 32
Channel System
Launched System 1 Recip Diagnostic
Temperature Tools Release System 1
Monitor Cylinder 5/
Released Pressure Transducer Release Animation
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Customers Include….

Cooper

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…and more…
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Maintenance Costs and failure modes
Maintenance costs of Recips % Causes of failures on Recips, %

60 30

25
50
20
40
15
30 10

20 5

0
10
overloa d liquid / foreing object ingestion
0 lubrica tion problems fa tigue, excessive stress
va lves pressure pa cking piston rings rider ba nds rods cylinder liner bea rings freeze da ma ge other/ undetermined

Unscheduled Recips shutdown causes by component, %

40

35 Condition Monitoring
30

25
helps save cost
20
15

10

va lves pressure pa cking piston rings rider ba nds unloa ders cyl lube system

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Presentation Objectives

Introduction
Malfunctions and Monitored Parameters
3500 Protection Tools
System 1 Video Demo
Reciprocating Compressors RulePaks

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 Reciprocating Compressor Condition
Monitoring
Valve
Temperature

Packing-case
Temperature
Suction Gas Crosshead Vibration
Temperature
Main Bearing API 618
Temperature
Cylinder Pressure Frame
Vibration

API 618
Discharge gas
Temperature

Recommended for Piston-rod Position

critical machine
monitoring Crosshead-shoe
temperature
Recommended
Shutdown Rod-load
parameter

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Keyphasor GE /
Malfunction/
Measurement
in detail

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Presentation Objectives

Introduction
Malfunctions and Monitored Parameters
3500 Protection Tools
System 1 Video Demo
Reciprocating Compressors RulePaks

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3500 Monitoring System for Recips
• Designed to meet requirements of standard API-670 for
Machinery Protection Systems
• Capability to meet specific Safety Integrity Levels (SIL)
• Software-configurable, multi-channel monitor modules
• Embedded essential recip analytic capabilities
Designed for Recips

3500/70 - 4 Ch Impulse/Velocity
3500/72 – 4 Ch Rod Position

3500/77 – 4-Ch Cylinder Pressure

3500/25 – 2-Ch Keyphasor
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3500/65 – 16-Ch Temperature GE /
Temperature Measurements
• Main Bearing (shutdown
parameter)
• Valve
• Wireless Connecting Rod
bearing and Crosshead Pin
• Crosshead Guide
• Packing case

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Frame Vibration
Spacer Blocks
Tie Bolts

Velocity Force
sensor

Main Bearing
Support Webs

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Crosshead Vibration
Acceleration
sensor

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Crank angle domain analysis

0°
0° 40°
40° 92°
92° 180°
180° 225°
225° 283°
283° Valve Events

23°
23° 203°
203° Load
Load Reversal
Reversal Events
Events

Crosshead Guide Impulse Events 16 /

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Crosshead Segmental Band Analysis

Segmental Banding – Up to Six segmental vibration bands in 3500

For example for given machine they can be configured as
Band 1 – 350 degrees to 10 degrees (Trapped debris/liquid ingestion–Head End)
Band 2 – 170 degrees to 190 degrees (Trapped debris/liquid ingestion–Crank End)
Band 3 – 185 degrees to 210 degrees (Loose valve / Loose running gear)
Band 4 – 10 degrees to 35 degrees (Loose valve / Loose running gear)
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Piston Rod Position
Configurable Channels
Rod Position - recommended management
parameter - 1 or 2 probes
Rod Drop - management parameter
Hyper Plunger position – recommended
protection parameter
Key Benefits Piston Rod Vibration
Proximity Probe Transducer

Rod Position
Indicates rider band condition/crosshead
looseness
Hyper Plunger Position/Vibration
Indication of Bending Force, Packing
Condition, and Crosshead Shoe Wear
Rod Drop (if properly applied) provides
indication of rider band wear

Hyper Plunger position data 18 /

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Crankshaft Position
12 Equally Spaced Event Duration Versus Once-Per-Turn
Average Event Duration
Instanta neous RPM Revolution Avera ge
0.0180 278
0.0178 281
0.0176 285
0.0174 288
0.0002 seconds/ div

Indicated RPM
Event Duration

3.4 RPM/ div

0.0172 292
0.0170 295
0.0168 298
0.0166 302
0.0164 Once-Per-Turn Average
305
0.0162 0.01676 seconds 309
0.0160 312
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
Revolution Duration
0.05 seconds/ div

Source: “Multi-Event Wheel Installation Pitfalls” Orbit Vol. 27 No. 2 2007

Divided
Divided Notch
Notch
Reciprocating compressor crankshaft RPM
Special Multi-Event wheel synchronizes
varies continuously through out the
data collection 12 times per revolution.
revolution.
Much smaller errors than with a once-per-
turn event.
Multiple events per revolution required to
keep data acquisition system synchronized
Secondary single event keyphasor is
with crankshaft.
recommended for redundancy
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Cylinder pressure transducer

Bently Nevada dynamic

pressure transducer
Absolute pressure reference
Gold plated diaphragm for
corrosion protection
Tested to over 2 billion cycles,
guaranteed 3 years
An isolation valve is always
installed between the
compressor cylinder and the
pressure transducer

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Recip Cylinder Pressure 3500/77M
Eight (8) parameters monitored
• Degrees of Rod Reversal (API 618)
• Peak Rod Tension & Compression
• Suction and Discharge Pressure
• Maximum and Minimum Pressure
• Compression Ratios
• Key benefits:
– Crosshead Pin (Rod Load)
– Suction & Discharge Valves
– Piston Rings

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 Reciprocating Forces

The inertial force (due to masses moving) and the gas force (in the chambers) produce a
combined force acting at the rod that alternates between compression and tension.

By convention, if the rod is under compression, the “rod load” force is said to be negative.

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Combined Load Plot (normal loading)

Red line – Inertial force

Blue line – Gas force 23 /
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Green line – Combined Force (sum of Gas + Inertial force)
Measuring Forces 160° of tension loading
200° of compression loading

93,130.5
93,130.5 lbf
lbf

-108,858.5
-108,858.5 lbf
lbf

OEM defines Max Allowable Limits 24 /

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Combined Load Plot (unloaded)

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 Rod Load Reversal
Rod load reversal is the periodic shifting of piston rod
load from tension to compression during a complete
stroke. Critical for crosshead pin & bushing
lubrication.
Crosshead Pin Bushing
Lubricating Oil

Crosshead Pin

Rod in compression Rod in tension

Animation: Reversal.avi

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Measuring Reversal 200 – 40 = 160 degrees of reversal

40°
40° 200°
200°

OEM defines Minimum Rod reversal degrees 27 /

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Reversal – Severe valve leakage

The load curve showed only 55 degrees of reversal, and there was a large difference
between the magnitudes of the peak tension and the peak compression, 12,000 psi
versus -92,000 psi. As the degrees of reversal decrease and the difference between
tension and compression increases, the life of the crosshead pin bushing is reduced.
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Displaced Volume Domain

Reciprocating Plot – Pressure vs. Volume

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Measured and Theoretical
Cylinder Pressure vs. Crank Angle

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System 1 Software Variables

• Right-click in
Reciprocating
Plot.
• Select Show
Software
Variables.
• Individual
software variables
can also be
displayed on a
trend plot over
time.

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Correlation of multiple variables
Liquid Ingestion event detection

In this case both crosshead

acceleration transducers
show an impact event at
top-dead-center
The intermittent appearance
of this event began with
process upset at reformer
This upset allowed liquid to
form and pass through the
piping and compression
system

Impulse Events at top-dead-center on redundant crosshead accelerometers

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Crank Angle Overlay Plot
Rod Load – Normal Case

Quickly compare rod

load curves (gas load,
inertia load and
combined loading) to
filtered acceleration,
acceleration, piston rod
vibration for knock and
mechanical looseness
detection.

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Crank Angle Overlay Plot
Rod Load – Loose Piston

The close correlation of

the events with gas
reversal strongly
suggests a loose piston
Upon disassembly,
plant confirmed that the
bolted joint securing
the piston to the rod
had relaxed.

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System 1 Video

To play the video, codec download may be needed: http://www.techsmith.com/download/codecs.asp

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Presentation Objectives

Introduction
Malfunctions and Monitored Parameters
3500 Protection Tools
System 1 Video Demo
Reciprocating Compressors RulePaks

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Reciprocating Compressor RulePaks
Cylinder Trim RulePak
• Rod Load
• Valve Condition - Leakage
• Packing Condition - Leakage
Impact/Impulse RulePak
• Analysis of Mechanical Looseness (Piston, Crosshead, Valves)
• Liquid/Debris Ingestion

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Recip RulePak - Cylinder Trim
Designed for valve, pressure packing case
& crosshead pin / crosshead bushing management
Suction Valve
- Describes leak path
- Identifies leaking valve1
Discharge Valve
- Describes leak path
- Identifies leaking valve1
Crosshead Pin/Bushing
- Excessive Rod Load
- Insufficient Reversal

Pressure Packing Case

- Identifies leaky packing cases2

1 - Requires valve temperature in addition to cylinder pressure.

2 – Requires packing vent or packing case temperature in addition to cylinder pressure
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Recip RulePak - Impact/Impulse
Tracking bands in System 1 following the force reversal points

Static bands in 3500

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Questions?

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