Plunger Pump Station Vibration-Induced Cracks in Piping
Abstract
Many plunger pumps are installed without adequate pulsation and vibration considerations at the design stage. Pressure
pulsations from normal pump operating can cause high shaking forces throughout the entire piping system. These shaking
forces typically occur at multiples of plunger passing frequencies. In fixed-speed, low power applications it may be
acceptable to not complete an API 674 vibration study, however, in variable-speed applications above 50 HP (37 kW) the
consequences can be costly. In many cases uncontrolled shaking forces can result in production downtime, costly fixes and
high-risk fatigue failures.
This case study highlights how a simple station upgrade resulted in significant failures, field troubleshooting, nondestructive
testing investigations, downtime and re-design. Both field data and design modeling are used to tell the story
and showcase design elements that should be considered for all variable-speed plunger pump applications over 50 HP (37
kW)
Description
Case StudiesCollections
Citation
Crowther, Paul; Eberle, Kelly; Ghattas, Mena (2018). Plunger Pump Station Vibration-Induced Cracks in Piping. Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /172460.