A Case Study Aiming to Mitigate Pipe Vibrations Using CFD Dynamic Stress Analysis Approach

摘要

Piping vibrations in process plants are rarely analyzed or anticipated correctly during the 'design Stage'. Most of the times 'in-depth' analysis is not carried out during 'design stage 'except following few good engineering practices. As a result, few pipes can show excessive vibrations during operations that fall under the 'danger' zone. The vibrating pipe transfers the vibrations to the steel structure and these vibrations are experienced by operating personnel causing a 'safety hazard'. The real risk is loss of containment due to unacceptable vibrations and eventual fatigue failure of pipe and or structure. The reason resulting in vibrations can be connection of pipe with rotating equipment, the vibration of structure on which the pipe is supported, flow inside the pipe, noise level or slug /water hammer. Here, the authors present a case study of a vibrating pipe beyond the accepted limit and how the pipe vibrations which are being transferred to supporting platform are minimized. The analytical results obtained by software simulations are benchmarked against actual readings measured at the site. The paper also provides the mathematics and its application to solve a practical vibration problem. It provides a systematic approach starting from generic calculations until a detailed flow simulation. In the end, it provides guidelines to select rubber and viscous dampers. The innovative part of the case study is the usage of specially designed rubber mounds which have yet not been used for pipe vibrations.