Published Articles

Technical articles published in magazines like CompressorTech2, Hydrocarbon Processing, PTQ, Gas Compression

Good Vibrations?

2020-06-05T09:50:13+02:00Published Articles|

Does frame vibration offer effective and reliable protection for reciprocating compressors? For decades, reciprocating compressor monitoring was not a high priority; centrifugal machines were always the focus of operators and monitoring equipment investments. The reasons for this are partially based on the high number of centrifugal compressors, in comparison to reciprocating compressors, found in refineries, natural gas or other petrochemical applications. Secondly, operators simply did not fear severe damages due to the low kinetic energy of these comparably slow running machines. However, reality shows that reciprocating compressors have a reputation as bad actors among the rotating equipment fleet; showing the highest number of damages while simultaneously being process critical. Although this is a dangerous combination, insufficient protection and condition monitoring [...]

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Lube oil camouflages component failures

2020-06-05T09:52:24+02:00Customer Case Studies, Cases with PROGNOST®-NT, Hyper Compressor, Machine Protection, Published Articles|

This case study demonstrates a case where – after a safety shutdown – a hyper compressor in LDPE service was restarted after it was tripped which led to severe damage within the compressor.

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Abrupt Failures Demand Automatic Shutdown

2020-06-05T09:44:07+02:00Published Articles, Cases with PROGNOST®-NT, Customer Case Studies, Machine Protection|

Modern, online diagnostic and monitoring systems are great things to have for safe and reliable machinery operation. Condition based maintenance, increase of uptime, efficient repairs and short MTTR with maximum MTBM – all these concepts and goals can be realized with state-of-the-art technologies and services.

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Bridging the Gap

2020-06-05T09:45:23+02:00Published Articles|

In the process industry, it is still common that users strictly separate machine protection equipment from condition monitoring. Machine operators frequently face a time-consuming troubleshooting based on minimum diagnostic data e.g. from the DCS system. For many years, flight data recorders have been a common standard in the aviation industry to perform post-incident analyses of aircraft accidents. Such transient data recorders are also available for machinery protection systems. Captured data can be used to improve the traditional snapshot monitoring program and support cost-efficient condition monitoring purposes without waiting for an analyst to come.

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Purpose and terminology of condition monitoring systems for recips

2020-06-05T09:58:26+02:00Published Articles|

The only way to ensure safe, reliable, efficient and economical operation of reciprocating compressors is to monitor them continuously and to take appropriate action based on the information the monitoring systems provide. That simple objective, however, is difficult to put into practice. The variety of instruments, systems and methodologies for machine monitoring and diagnostics can be perplexing. Descriptions and claims are sometimes similar, often conflicting and almost always confusing. This plain-language guide to system selection is to help provide clarity for the decision process. It lists the essential capabilities a system should have and explains why those capabilities are needed.

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Early, Automatic, Online Failure Detection

2020-06-05T09:49:12+02:00Published Articles, Cases with PROGNOST®-NT, Customer Case Studies, Machine Protection|

In December 2007, the online monitoring system avoided a major and cost-intensive damage at one compressor. The permanent piston rod position monitoring detected a cracked respectively a virtually broken piston rod at the 1st stage. Prior to a complete rod failure, the machine had been automatically stopped and costly consequential damages have been avoided.

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Reciprocating compressors need dedicated online vibration monitoring systems

2020-06-05T09:58:26+02:00Published Articles|

Avoiding ‘crater maintenance’ and the ‘doom loop’ Reciprocating compressors have a reputation as bad actors among the rotating equipment fleet; showing the highest number of damages while being process critical at the same time. Although this is a crucial combination, insufficient protection and condition monitoring systems can still be found on reciprocating machinery. Prognost recently asked a potential customer’s reliability engineer whether he employed time-based or condition-based maintenance strategies. He was completely caught by surprise and replied, “None of these. We operate on ‘crater maintenance.’ As long as there is no crater visible where once was a recip, no maintenance is needed on the machine.” His reply was in jest, but it underscores the fact that “cheap” maintenance usually is [...]

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