Safeguarding Rotating Equipment in Ethylene Plants

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Rotating Equipment

Safeguarding
Rotating Equipment in
Ethylene Plants
Kazim Akhtar Protect compressors and turbines by using
ABB Lummus Global, Inc.
piping strainers and following the line cleaning
procedures outlined in this article.

C
onstruction debris and foreign objects can serious- unit with suction line sizes in the range of 24–42-in. diam-
ly damage compressors. To establish the location eter. The charge gas compressors are driven by an extrac-
and type of suction strainers to be installed, line tion/condensing steam turbine.
sizes and cleaning methods need to be considered. The propylene refrigeration compressor unit is com-
Unless they are properly designed and installed, strainers prised of one large casing and typically three to four sec-
may represent more danger than benefit to the machine, tions with side-stream flow nozzles. The initial suction
because of their potential for failure or plugging (Figure line size can range from 36-in. to 60-in. diameter. The
1). This article describes the type of process compressors propylene refrigeration compressor is also driven by an
installed in ethylene plants, the extent of piping and extraction/condensing steam turbine.
cleaning methods employed, and types of strainer The ethylene refrigeration compressor unit is typically
designs to be considered. a single compressor casing with three sections with side-
In an ethylene plant, the charge gas train is typically stream nozzles. The initial suction line is in the range of
comprised of three compressor casings and four or five 18–24-in. diameter. The compressor is driven by a con-
compression stages. The first compressor case (first sec- densing turbine or by an induction motor through a gear.
tion) handles large-volume flows.
The configuration is a double Line cleaning methods
flow inlet casing with balanced For large compressor lines,
opposed impellers discharging in mechanical cleaning (e.g., wire
the middle of the casing. For brushing by hand, blowing and
world-class ethylene plants, each hydrojetting) is preferred. Weld
suction line of the casing can beads in large lines should be
range from 36-in. to 78-in. diam- ground out. All cleaned pipe must
eter. The second compressor cas- be inspected, using a boroscope
ing is a two-section intercooled where necessary. Small lines can be
unit. The possible suction line hydrojetted and then air- or steam-
size range for this casing is blown at high velocity. The com-
30–54-in. diameter. The third pressor should be isolated from pip-
high-pressure casing (discharge ing during cleaning operations to
■ Figure 1. If not properly designed and installed, strainers
pressures of 500–550 psia) is nor- may be more dangerous than beneficial because of their poten- prevent debris from collecting in
mally a two-section intercooled tial for failure, as shown by this damaged T-strainer screen. the casing and causing damage.

30 www.cepmagazine.org October 2005 CEP


Types of Strainers
The piping should not be cleaned by sandblasting. This
will contaminate the piping system and compressor casing Temporary strainer. A heavy-duty cone-type strainer made
with fine particles of sand, which can only be removed from perforated plate with or without fine wire mesh can be
with great difficulty. There are proprietary line cleaning used as a temporary strainer. For large sizes, stiffeners are
methods available in the market with good results. welded inside the basket for structural strength. A typical con-
When the compressor suction piping is large enough, it struction detail can be 1/4-in. thick plate perforated with 3/8-in.
holes on 1/2-in. centers and an outer surface covered with
should be designed and inspected with sufficient care to
8-mesh 0.047-in. wire.
make suction strainers unnecessary. Suction line strainers
have been normally recommended in all 20-in. and small- Fabricated strainers
er compressor inlet lines, including the inter-stage inlet. Vertical-basket strainer. This type of strainer can provide
Once a decision is made regarding suction strainers, there an extra open area, making it suitable for permanent installa-
are many factors to be considered regarding the sizing tion. It also provides access for replacing or cleaning the
and construction of the strainer. Some of the factors to strainer without disturbing the piping. The construction options
include differential-pressure connections, offset nozzles and
consider are:
many others.
Temporary vs. permanent installation. The type of serv- T-type (bathtub) strainer. With the “T” straight flow con-
ice and the line sizes are the main factors to consider in struction, the strainer open area is always less than 100% due
deciding on a temporary or permanent installation. If the to the geometry. The “T” can be butt-welded or flanged. The
service is clean and the only concern is initial pipe cleanli- advantage of this construction is ease of cleaning or replacing
ness, then a temporary installation may be selected. The the strainer without disturbing the piping.
next factor is to review the line sizes and evaluate the prac- Y-type strainer. The fabricated version can be supplied
with flanged or butt-welded connections. In this type of strainer,
ticality of installing even temporary strainers. If the line is
the open area is larger than that of the T-type strainer.
large in a clean service, such as propylene refrigeration, All fabricated strainers can be provided with a continuous
then it may be more practical to just ensure by inspection slot-opening wedge wire basket. For limited sizes, cast con-
that all refrigeration piping loops are clean. If permanent struction is available for vertical-basket-, T- or Y-type strainers.
strainers are installed, a provision for sensing differential A limited survey of strainer vendors shows that vendor experi-
pressure across the strainer is required, at a minimum. ence is limited to 24-in. line sizes. Some vendors show strainer
Piping design and maintenance considerations. Where sizes up to 54-in.
suction strainers are installed, it is mandatory that piping
design be reviewed with an eye toward maintenance. If the eration services in an ethylene plant, pressure drops in suc-
suction strainer design requires dismantling of piping for tion lines are critical. If strainers are installed in the lines,
inspection (spool piece), then the location of the strainer evaluate the pressure drop through the strainer carefully.
has to be carefully designed without disturbing the pipe Relative cost for different types of strainer construction.
supports and piping forces on the equipment. The temporary cone strainers (e.g., witches and pilgrim
Access for inspection or cleaning. Whenever possible, hat) construction is relatively low in cost compared to a
it is good practice to provide manholes for easy inspection fabricated strainer in a vertical-basket-, T- or Y-type con-
and cleaning. For large lines, such as those required for struction (sidebar).
world-class ethylene plants, it is easier to provide inspec-
tion openings to ensure cleanliness. Walk-through inspec- Industry practice and standards
tions can also be conducted for large lines. Strainers are The following information is from API Recommended
installed where lines are small and inaccessible, and ade- Practice No. 686 First Edition Chapter 6 — Piping:
quate field cleaning is not possible or process conditions Section 2. Machinery Piping Installation Design
may create solids. 2.8.2.1. For machinery that is not equipped with a per-
Percent open area and screen mesh size. The percent manent inlet screen or strainers, a removable temporary
open area depends on the geometry of the suction strainer start-up screen or strainer shall be provided. The open
and screen mesh size. If mesh size is fine and the required area of the screen or strainer shall have a minimum of
percent open area is large; the physical size of the strainer 150% of the open area of the piping. Typical hole strain-
becomes the limitation for larger lines. For temporary strain- er size is 6 mm (1/4 in.).
ers, a large percent open area is not needed unless high parti- 2.8.2.2. Acceptable temporary strainer designs include:
cle loading is expected in a short time. This relates to the conical, truncated conical, and T-type or similar design.
factor of how clean the lines are before commissioning. Paragraph 2.8.1, which deals with permanent strainers
Allowable pressure drop through the strainers. For refrig- does not specify type, mesh or open area. Paragraph 2.8.1.3

CEP www.cepmagazine.org October 2005 31


Rotating Equipment

does specify differential-pressure Case history 2. Where air com-


indication for permanent strainers. pressors take suction from the
Section 3. Machinery Specific atmosphere, an air filter with a back-
Piping Installation Design up screen is provided at a relatively
3.2.2.7. The suction line to each short distance from the compressor
compressor or blower section shall and a strainer is usually not
be provided with a permanent or required. Even in this arrangement,
temporary strainer. care must be taken to ensure that the
This requirement, however, is pipe is clean. An example of air
voided by paragraph 3.2.2.10 for larg- compressor impeller damage due to
er lines with alternative provisions. failure to protect the compressor is
Paragraph 3.2.2.8 specifies an in- ■ Figure 2. Impeller damaged by foreign objects. shown in Figure 2.
line temporary strainer with a
flanged breakout spool for lines NPS 20 and smaller. As Summary
an alternative, a T-type strainer can be used to minimize When strainers are not provided, the system must be
cleaning efforts during commissioning and start-up. reviewed during design to make sure that access for clean-
Paragraph 3.2.2.9 allows the user to specify permanent ing and inspection will be available. We must also make
screens or strainers for suction lines larger than NPS 20 sure that construction and start-up personnel will, in fact,
but less than NPS 30. The API note at the end of this para- carry out the necessary cleaning. The initial design must
graph states “the requirement for a permanent strainer in provide sufficient opening to allow cleaning. This should
large pipes is intended to facilitate removal of debris.” It is be verified during the constructibility study of the project.
also intended to avoid potential problems with forces nec- In those cases where a compressor suction line strainer
essary to restrain a plugged temporary screen. This note must be used, consideration should be given to a practical
explains why API does not specify open area for perma- means of handling the removal and reinstallation of the
nent strainers — because they are stronger and inherently strainer. In most cases, temporary strainers should be
designed for easy cleaning. As noted previously, leaving removed as soon as the plant is started and debris ceases
the strainer screen permanently in place requires a differ- to come through the suction line. Since this requires a
ential-pressure indication. shutdown, the owner sometimes may want to leave the
Paragraph 3.2.2.10 clearly states that suction strainers are strainer in place. This possibility needs to be considered
not required for down connected table-top-mounted suction when specifying strainers. For the charge gas train, tempo-
lines NPS 30 or larger. The intent of this paragraph and rary strainers should be removed as soon as the air dry-out
3.2.2.11 is to avoid the use of strainers by allowing interior operation is completed to avoid a plant shutdown. The
access with blind flanges or manways to NPS 30 and larger strainers should preferably be installed horizontally. A
lines for manual or vacuum cleaning, and 100% inspection pressure gage (or at least a valve tap) upstream and down-
for cleanliness. An API note states “this can be more cost- stream of the screen will indicate pressure drop if any
effective than large screens for catching debris.” appreciable clogging has occurred. The gages are impor-
tant for a permanently installed strainer, since their indica-
Case histories tion can warn of a serious clog that could collapse the
Case history 1. For a world-class ethylene plant, T-type strainer and have it drawn into the compressor. If the pres-
strainers were installed for all process gas compressors. The sure drop across the screen becomes excessive, the screen
baskets were 20-mesh wedge wire stainless steel construction. should be removed, cleaned and replaced. The strainer
The charge gas suction line size range was 78 NPS for inlet to must be strong enough so that it will not collapse before it
30-in. inlet for the final section. The strainers were installed is removed and cleaned. CEP

before the plant dry-out operation. The charge gas train was
used to compress air for the dry-out operation. The first-stage KAZIM AKHTAR is the department manager for mechanical engineering of ABB
inlet strainer was inspected after about six weeks of air run. Lummus Global (3010 Briarpark Drive, Houston, TX 77042; E-mail:
The strainer was broken into many pieces. Fortunately it did kazim.akhtar@us.abb.com). His department is involved in the specification,
design, selection, shop test acceptance and startup coordination of rotating
not cause any damage to the compressor. Other large strainers and static equipment for major refinery, petrochemical, and oil and gas
were also found to be damaged on inspection. After ensuring projects. Akhtar received a BS in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M
that the lines were clean, all strainers were removed from the Univ. and an MS in industrial engineering from the Univ. of Houston. He is
an active member of API, ASME and AIChE, and is a registered professional
process compressors’ piping. engineer in Texas.

32 www.cepmagazine.org October 2005 CEP

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