Application Of Repairs To Turbomachinery Equipment In Oil Refinery, Chemical, And Power Generation Plants

Abstract

In today’s marketplace the repairs of various components especially long lead items for turbomachinery equipment are an important factor for the maintaining reliability and performance of the equipment. This paper will describe repairs applied to compressors and steam turbines. Various types of repairs will be discussed and how they are applied to rotors, stationary components such as diaphragms and casings. The repairs will be applied to various scenarios that the components have been subjected to. The areas covered will be: Mechanical damage caused by rub of rotor on shaft/diaphragm; Foreign object damage; Erosion caused by either solid particle or liquid; Fretting damage; Fatigue; Creep; Corrosion. Also a review and understanding of the damage mechanisms and what analysis and/or nondestructive testing (NDT) method can be applied to quantify the damage and maintain the reliability of the repair. Various methods will be discussed to assess the damage mechanisms and how to evaluate the extent of the damage so one can assess whether a repair is necessary or the component can function as an as-in condition. Types of repair methods that will be discussed are weld repairs, application of sprayed coating, mechanical fixes, electroless/electrolytic type coating and metal stitching type fixes. The repair methods applied are design process procedures utilizing a design for fitness for service approach.