Paper: Plant Pulsation and Vibration Control

The adverse effects of pulsations on compressor and pumping stations have long been recognized by industry if not totally understood. With the development of the SGA Compressor System Analog, a means is available to accurately predict piping pulsation levels and shaking forces and to optimize piping design from the standpoint of compressor efficiency. Experience has shown, however, that criteria based upon pulsation levels alone, or even upon pipe vibration levels, are inadequate for the design of reliable piping systems. To overcome such limitations, therefore, prediction techniques have been evolved to completely describe piping integrity in terms of vibratory stresses produced by the dynamic pulsation forces and static loading due to thermal expansion, pressurization, and bolt-up. These plant design techniques, used in conjunction with analog data, provide a broad spectrum of design capabilities from plant layout to detailed component design.