Session: 20-03 Gas turbine package and expanders

Paper Number: 101524

101524 - Experimental Vibroacoustic Measurements of a Centrifugal Compressor Stage for Oil & Gas Applications 

Noise emission regulations are becoming increasingly stringent globally, also in industrial plants for Oil & Gas applications, where multistage centrifugal compressors are widely used.

An accurate prediction of the noise emitted by this type of machinery is fundamental to designing adequate noise mitigation, while aiming to reduce design, installation, and maintenance costs.

However, the complex noise generation mechanisms of this type of machinery, whose knowledge is fundamental to developing a reliable tool to predict noise emission, are still poorly investigated, probably partially due to the difficulty of finding reliable experimental measurements for this purpose.

This paper presents the results of experimental vibroacoustic measurements performed on a prototype centrifugal compressor stage equipped with one closed impeller. The compressor stage was driven by a variable frequency drive (VFD) electric motor, through a multiplier gear box.

The measurements were carried out in a test facility designed for the experimental verification of the compressor stage predicted performance, with the primary purpose of mapping its head and efficiency curves over inlet flow under similitude working conditions.

Measurements were made using an array of microphones radially located at an offset of approximately 25 cm from the external circumference of the impeller case, which in turn was instrumented with accelerometers installed on its surface to evaluate the vibrational field.

Moreover, since the test facility was not designed to perform acoustic measurements, it was necessary to assess the influence of the other noise sources on the measured acoustic or vibrational signals to discriminate the compressor noise emissions. To this purpose, microphones were placed in the proximity of each sound source (electric motor, gearbox, and gas processing pipe), while accelerometers were installed on the base and the clamping flanges of the compressor stage and on the base of the gearbox.

The presented results provide an acoustic characterization of the investigated compressor stage at the various working points, highlighting the correlation between the measured sound pressure levels and the average acceleration measured on the compressor stage case. Moreover, the results are analyzed considering the significant characteristics of the machinery and its working condition.

Presenting Author: Nicolo Zuccherini Martello Baker Hughes

Presenting Author Biography: After earning his doctorate in engineering, with a focus on applied acoustics, he worked for years as an electroacoustic designer in the R&D department of a well-known Florentine company that is a leading manufacturer of professional audio equipment. During this time, he was involved in the design and industrialisation of electroacoustic and electromechanical transducers, as well as in the design optimisation of other audio equipment.
In the last year, he has embarked on a new career as an acoustic engineer at Baker Hughes, where he is mainly involved in the prediction of noise emissions from machinery produced by the company and its subsidiaries for the Oil & Gas sector. His work at Baker Hughes has enabled him to keep his research activities going, in collaboration with universities and other research organisations.

Authors:

Andrea Santoni University of Ferrara
Nicolò Zuccherini Martello Baker Hughes
Roberto Grimaldi Baker Hughes
Francesco Mori University of Ferrara
Patrizio Fausti University of Ferrara
Simone Chiari Baker Hughes
Carmine Carmicino Baker Hughes
Marcello Ferrini Baker Hughes
Stefano Rossin Baker Hughes