THEREARETWOKINDSOFPULSATIONSTUDIES.

WHICHONEISRIGHTFORYOURRECIPROCATINGCOMPRESSOR?

QuestionfromPackager:Iamreviewingproposalsforapulsation/vibrationstudy(per API618)formyreciprocatingcompressor.Whatarethesignificantdifferences?Especially relatedtothemechanicalanalysis? Answer:Theshortansweristhattwoclassesofpulsationstudiesexistinthemarket: 1. StudiesthatmeettherequirementsofAPI618(5theditionisthecurrentversion) 2. StudiesthatlooselyfollowAPIrequirements,butdoNOTmeetthetechnicalrequirements. WhileBetaMachineryAnalysis(Beta)offersservicestomeeteitherofthesetwoclasses,itisimportantforthe packagerandendusertounderstandthedifferences.Noonewantstomakeabaddecision,soseewhatis includedineachcasewhatyoudontknowcanhurtyou. Theterminologyusedinourindustryisnotasconsistentasitshouldbe.Inmanycasesyouhaveadifficulttime determiningifyouaregetting#1or#2.Sometimes,companiesusejargonthatsoundsright,creatingthe impressionthattheirservices,thoughcheaperandtechnicallyinferior,yieldthesameproductintheend. Unfortunately,thisissimplynotthecase. Youbuyastudytoreducetheriskofvibrationproblems*.Butwhatdegreeofriskdoyou(andyourcustomer) face?Whatlevelofaccuracydoyouwantintheanalysis?Theanswerswilldeterminewhichtypeofstudyyou purchase.Thefollowingtableoutlinesthedifferencesbetweenthestudies.
1. API 618 Pu ls atio n/Vi b rat ion Stud y
MeetstechnicalrequirementsofAPI618guideline Evaluatesalloperatingconditions(oftenover20conditions), ensuringsafeoperationoverthelifeexpectancyoftheunit. Accuratelycalculatesstaticanddynamicpressuredrop; necessarytoavoidlossesinthepipingsystemandto understandimpactoncapacity. AccuratepredictionsofMechanicalNaturalFrequencies (MNF)toidentifyresonanceissuesinthepackage. Accuratepredictions=accuraterecommendations Calculatesvibrationandstress,andcomparestoguideline (requirementforDA3Step3b1&3b2studiesM6orM7 th studiesin4 edition) Cost:$X

2. B a si c Pu ls at ion St ud y
DoesNOTmeetallAPI618requirements Analyzes1or2conditions.Otherconditionsnotanalyzed(but willoftenbeaproblemintermsofhighpulsation,vibration and/orpressuredrop). Calculatesstaticpressuredroponly!Notabletocalculate dynamiclosses(whichcanbehigherthanstaticlosses),sonot abletoevaluateandavoidlossesincapacityandefficiency. LimitedaccuracyofFiniteElementmodels(softwarelimitations, simplifiedtechnique).MNFshavewidevariancefromactual results.Tocompensate,aconservativerecommendationis provided,orpotentialvibrationareasareoverlooked. DoesNOTcalculatestressandvibrationamplitudes(andpublish results).ThisisarequirementofDA3scope(seeseparate example). Cost:$X15%(+/dependingonthecompressor)

BetagenerallyrecommendstheAPI618Pulsation/VibrationStudy(#1)becauseoftheincreasedaccuracyoffered tothecustomer.However,iftheriskismanageable,andthepackagerwantstosavesomemoney,wecanprovide theBasicPulsationStudy(#2)whichisequivalenttoothersuppliersprovidingthisservice.Thepackagerandend usershouldmakeadecisionbasedonriskandreliabilityfactors.

WhattoincludeintheRFQ?
Withoutanaccuratespecificationyouwillnotgettherightstudy!Ensurecriticalstudycomponentsarewritten intotheRFQ,includingthescope,methodology,anddeliverables.Contactustoseeexamplesofspecificationswe havecreatedtohelpyouout.

*TheAPI618studytypicallyresultsinotherbenefits:reducedpressuredrop,improvedcapacityandefficiency,reducedbottlecosts, lowerwarrantyexposure,lowermaintenancecosts,andfewervibrationproblemsduetofutureoperatingconditionchanges.

2009BetaMachineryAnalysis