Compressor Train Performance - Evaluation and Monitoring (Part 1)

Utilization of Equipment Health Management system tools has allowed end users to monitor, protect and manage the critical rotating machinery in an Ethylene Plant. The systematic monitoring and evaluation of turbomachinery is an important diagnostic tool in the execution of a long-term maintenance plan as well as the prevention of unexpected outages due to machinery breakdown. This paper introduces equipment health management system architecture, hardware and software components that provide performance monitoring and automated diagnostics capability, the typical causes of performance deterioration in compressors and steam turbines and the phenomena related to their causes. In addition, procedures on how to evaluate performance, based on site monitoring techniques are explained by combining typical evaluation results with torque measurement and maximum power limit control. Evaluation of these results can determine if deterioration in performance, caused by a change in the internal flow conditions, has occur.

Typical results from on-line washing techniques for compressors and steam turbines will be introduced and the power recovery rate after on-line washing, measured by the torque meter, will be discussed.

Key points of discussion:

1) Causes of Performance Deterioration - Observed Phenomena

2) Performance Evaluation - Site Monitoring Data

3) Typical Results - Maximum Power Limit Control by Torque Meter

4) On-line Techniques to Prevent Performance Deterioration and Efficiency Recovery

5) Typical Results of On-line Washing Techniques for Compressors / Steam Turbines