Surge Awareness In Firewater Systems
As part of our responsibilities at DRG, we conduct both standard pressure drop calculations and surge/slug analyses for firewater systems. Our involvement spans various stages, from design validation to conducting root cause analyses after system failures. Current codes and guidelines for firewater systems generally require a comprehensive surge analysis only if there is a likelihood […]
Well Integrity For Fiberglass-Casing Based Well Design
Geothermal energy is a promising renewable energy source, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Two significant issues in geothermal well operations are corrosion and scaling of steel casings. These problems can severely reduce the lifespan of the wells, lead to wellbore integrity issues, and potentially cause environmental contamination. In addition, corrosion degrades […]
Understanding Flow-Induced Vibrations in Piping Systems
Flow-induced vibrations in piping systems are a critical aspect of mechanical engineering, impacting the reliability and integrity of various industrial setups. The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) provides a helpful classification for these vibrations, enabling engineers to understand the different types and interactions with piping systems. Excitation Mechanisms JSME’s classification identifies three primary excitation […]
Accurate Deflection and Stiffness Assessment of Cement-Lined Pipe Spools through Finite Element Analysis
Introduction In the field of engineering design, the precision of pipe flexibility analysis models is critically important for accurately assessing nozzle loads in steel piping systems. The complexity of accurately modeling such systems increases particularly when dealing with non-standard piping designs, where specific details, such as the use of internal liners, are crucial. Internal liners, […]
Thermal expansion of trapped liquids
In 2013, a major incident occurred in a Louisiana chemical plant. In a nonroutine operation, plant operators attempted to start a heat exchanger which had been inactive for some time. Unbeknownst to the operators, the heat exchanger shell side was filled with liquid and was closed off from its pressure relief by a closed valve. […]
Surge Problems And Their Mitigation
To understand pressure surges in large piping systems, a good place to start is at home. When you finish washing your hands, turning off the tap halts the flow of water. In certain homes and when closing the tap very quickly, you may hear a soft bang as you do so. This is because the […]
Vibrations Analysis – Induced Vibrations
Brief introduction to piping vibrations Vibrations are an oscillatory motion about an equilibrium. The oscillatory movement causes alternating stresses in the system, which, if excessive could lead to fatigue failure. Every structural system will exhibit a series of natural frequencies: the frequencies at which the system can easily vibrate. Natural frequencies depend on the system […]
Challenge of Variable Speed Reciprocating Compressor
The pulsation challenge of a variable speed reciprocating compressorA pulsation analysis according to the API 618 is a good method of preventing excessive vibrations in the field and can be critical to safe and reliable operations of reciprocating compressors with high power per cylinder and high discharge pressures. Pulsations, if not dampened or managed correctly, […]
Pulsations Paper
Benefit of computational simulation of a pulsation dampener compared to an analytical method Accumulators are used to reduce pressure pulsations from reciprocating pumps by adding volume to the piping. In the preliminary design stage the size and position of the accumulator needs to be determined before the piping design is completed. The performance of the […]
