Piping Design Considerations for

Reciprocating vs Centrifugal Pumps

Ramin Rahnama, Project Engineer
Jordan Grose, Manager, Vibration Integrity Group
BETA Machinery Analysis
A Wood Group Company

Calgary Pump Symposium 2015

 Presenters
Ramin Rahnama, PEng Ramin is a Project Engineer leading Design and Field teams in BETA’s special needs projects,
as well as developing tools for field vibration analyses. He received his Master’s degree in
Mechanical Engineering, specialized in Machine Dynamics, from the University of Calgary in
2010. Ramin has been with BETA for more than five years. He has extensive experience in
machinery system vibration design by performing mechanical, pulsation, performance, and
thermal stress analyses. He has also been leading vibration troubleshooting and
maintenance projects for pump and compressor packages (on- and offshore) in many
different countries. Besides his academic publications on vibration analysis in micro
machining units, he co-authored “Improved Thermal Piping Analysis for Reciprocating
Compressor Piping Systems” for the Gas Machinery Conference in 2012.

Jordan Grose, PEng Jordan leads BETA’s vibration integrity department in addressing vibration, reliability, and
integrity issues on rotating machinery piping systems, including pulsation, mechanical
analysis, water hammer transient studies, small bore piping analysis, Energy Institute
programs. He is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Calgary with a
wide range of domestic and international design, field, and monitoring experience with
compressors, pumps, and other production machinery. He has specialized skills in vibration,
performance, and troubleshooting; and significant international experience in on- and
offshore production facilities. Jordan has been with BETA Machinery Analysis for 12 years
and was responsible for establishing BETA’s Malaysia office. He has authored, co-authored,
and presented several articles and technical papers on rotating machinery and piping topics.

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 Contents
1. Introduction: Centrifugal vs. Reciprocating Working Principles
2. Piping Design
a) Centrifugal Pumps
b) Reciprocating Pumps: Pulsations
3. Pulsation Considerations
a) Pulsation Resonance
b) Pulsation Dampener
c) Cavitation
4. Mechanical Considerations
a) Piping Layout
b) Clamps
c) Pipe Supports
5. Case Studies
6. Conclusion

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 Key Points
1. Differences exist between
centrifugal & reciprocating pumps, and their behavior
while interacting with the piping system
2. Reciprocating pumps have many additional piping
design considerations, not needed for centrifugals
3. Pulsation must be considered in recip pump piping
design
4. Mechanical piping supports must be considered
5. Small bore piping vibration must be considered in the
design stage
6. Recip pumps can work well, if they are designed well!

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 Introduction

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 Pump Categories

Pumps

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 Working Principles
Centrifugal Reciprocating
Virtually
Continuous
Flow

Intermittent Flow

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 Reciprocating Pumps - Applications

• High pressure (over 3000 psi) • Oil & gas

• High viscosity • Refineries
• Metering • Water treatments plants
• Non-Newtonian Fluids • Cryogenic
• Food processing
• Fracking
• Pharmaceutical

Characteristics Industries

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 Piping Design
Centrifugal vs. Reciprocating

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 Centrifugal Pump Piping Systems

Static
LOADS

Thermal

Dynamics- Minimum
At steady state
conditions, vibrations
and pulsations are
typically not severe

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 Standards

• API 686 RP • API 610

– No Tee or elbow near – Nozzle forces and
suction nozzle moments
– NPSH calculations – Corrosion resistance
– No High point – Pressure rating
– Straight pipe to avoid – Orifice size
turbulences

No specification on piping supports or pulsations

since dynamic loads are comparatively less!

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 Reciprocating Pump Piping Systems

Static
LOADS

Thermal

Dynamics - Large

 Pulsations-induced forces up to 10,000 lbf

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 Pulsation in Reciprocating Pumps

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 Pulsation-Induced Unbalanced Forces
Force (lbf) = Pressure (psi) * Pipe Area (in²)
Forces
Mean Cancel out
Pressure Acts on elbows &
Pulsation
Dynamic (time varying)
change in
geometry

Pm + P Pm - P

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 How Pulsations Cause Failures
• Pulsations in piping does not necessarily mean
failures will happen…

Pulsation Forces Vibration Stress Failure

• Forces, vibration, and stress caused by

pulsations can be a problem

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API 674/675 (for Reciprocating Pumps)

Design tip: Pumps higher

than 50 HP, should start
thinking about a study

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 Reciprocating Pump
Piping System Design

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 Design Considerations

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 Design Considerations

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 Pulsation Resonance : Video

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 Example: Pulsation Resonance
PROBLEM: PSVs popping at line pressures
well under PSV set pressure TROUBLESHOOTING
Cost $5,000 every pop to re-certify PSV 1. PSV OEM recommends new model $$$
2. Dampener OEM recommends new
pulsation dampeners  $$$
3. Pulsation Design Study ordered, showed
pulsation resonance in PSV piping
4. Root cause: Pulsation resonance in PSV
PSV line

SOLUTION:
Move the location of PSV
Design tip: Pulsation study
can help with the
troubleshooting process

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 Pulsation Dampeners
Gas Charged Maintenance Free
Active/Soft Element Reactive/Hard Element

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 Pulsation Dampeners
Gas Charged Maintenance Free

Style Appendage style Mostly in-line (flow through)

• No maintenance
• Compact
• No spare parts
Pros • Off the shelf
• Very reliable, high
• Generally lower capital cost
frequency range
• Generally higher capital
• Effective frequency range limited
cost
• Maintenance required
• Often custom design per
• Bladder failures remove pulsation
Cons application
protection
• Pulsation amplitude
• Gas charging procedure not
reductions can be limited
always easy

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 Pulsation Dampener Sizing
Traditional Approach Empirical Sizing Methods
• Empirical calculations
• API 674 & OEMs have different empirical sizing
methods
• Good first step for quoting, but…
• Do not account for acoustic resonances in piping
system
Advanced Approach
• Pulsation Design Study
Pulsation Design Study
• Benefits:
 Complete range of operating conditions
 All pump speeds
 Multiple pump interaction
 Optimized for:
• All piping designs
• Size and Location
• Type (active vs reactive)
• Number - sometimes none, one, or two

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 Example: Pulsation Dampener
PROBLEM: High vibration and pulsation TROUBLESHOOTING: Pulsation Design
after adding VFD drive (change in pump Study highlighted inadequate pulsation
speed) & change in operating conditions control with new operating states.
Solved the problem for new pumps
speeds and operating conditions

Design tip: If VFD added, or

flows change by more than
10%, a pulsation study can
predict the results, and
proactively mitigate risks
SOLUTION: Additional Pulsation Controls

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 Cavitation
Acceleration
Pulsation
Head Margin

Pressure (psi)
Mean Pressure

Vapor Pressure

Time (s)
High pulsation increases the
likelihood of cavitation.
Acceleration head calcs do not
account for pulsation resonances
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 Example: Problems Caused by Cavitation

BACKGEOUND:
• Filtration system added
• Head loss calculations done
• No pulsation design study

PROBLEM:
• Cavitation on suction line

Filtration
Charge Recip System
Pumps Pumps Charge Recip
Pumps Pumps
Original Configuration New Configuration

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 Example: Problems Caused by Cavitation

SOLUTION:
- Change in pipe layout
- Speed restriction
- Change in filtration
process
- Up-size the charge
pumps for more NPSH
Design tip: Perform a pulsation
design study before changing pipe
layout or adding additional
equipment, to avoid pulsation
resonances!

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 Design Considerations

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 Mechanical Considerations

• Pulsation design minimizes pulsation-induced

forces, but cannot eliminate them completely
• Mechanical considerations in
– Sizing vessels
– Piping layout
– Clamping
– Small bore attachments

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 Mechanical Natural Frequency (MNF)

• Frequencies where
small forces result in
large vibration response
of structure
• Even small forces at
MNF can cause
significant amount of
vibrations, which can
lead to fatigue failures

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 Force & MNF in Reciprocating Pumps
Most pulsation induced forces occur at
Plunger Passing Frequency (PPF)=
RPM X Number of Plungers
Forces Design goal:
MNF > 1.2 x PPF
API 674:
Minimum MNF must be
greater than 20% above
PPF

MNF
| | |
1x 2x 3x
Orders of PPF

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 Example: Clamps
PROBLEM: High Vibrations
Shoe type and rest-only pipe
supports good for thermal loads,
but cannot restrain dynamic • Calculate the Clamp Spacing to raise MNF above
loads of reciprocating pumps 1.2XPPF- move clamps closer to each other
• Appropriate type of Clamps should be used,
U-Bolt clamps are not recommended

Design tip: Perform a full API 674

mechanical review at the design stage
All clamps must have
proper foundation Note: Vibration and thermal pipe stress
concerns can both be accommodated.

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 Example: Piping Layout
PROBLEM: High Vibrations
Design tip: Eliminate or
reduce elevated piping for
reciprocating pumps

• Route piping as close as possible to the foundation, so it can be easily supported

• Additional friction and head loss will affect system resistance curve – but recips will
easily make up the pressure.

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 Example: Small-Bore Attachments (SBA)

PROBLEM: Small-Bore Failure

• About 70% of leaks are due
to SBA failures
• Stress concentrations
(threaded connections are
trouble) Design tip: If a SBA cannot be
eliminated, shorten the length
• Eliminate if possible as much as possible or brace it
• Shorten as much as back to the main pipe
possible
• Add braces to main pipe Eliminate
Christmas
(not to foundation)
trees!

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 Piping Design for Centrifugal Pump
Piping Systems - Summary

Design Approach (Centrifugals)

• Designed mainly for static
and thermal loads
• Pipe supports to restrain
dynamic loads, generally not
required
• Hanger and piping shoes are
common

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 Piping Design for Reciprocating Systems - Summary

• Pulsation dampeners and other

pulsation control devices Reciprocating
generally required
• API 674 Pulsation Design Study
often necessary
• Piping supports should be
designed to restrain large
dynamic loads
• Hold-down type clamps
• Clamps at different locations to
raise MNF above 1.2X PPF
• Piping layout close to foundation
• Eliminate or shorten small bore
attachments as much as possible

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 Case
Study

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 Case Study: What’s the problem?
BACKGROUND:
1. Field pressure depleting
2. Existing centrifugal pumps
highly oversized, high recycle
3. Why not replace centrifugal
pumps with a small recip?
4. A triplex diaphragm pump was
installed (no pulsation or
mechanical study done)
5. Could not be operated due to
vibration and pulsation
problems!

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 Case Study: Video

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Vibration and Pulsation Measurements

11 inch/sec!!

Discharge Piping Vibration

Vibration Guideline

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Case Study: Pulsation and Mechanical Analyses
Mechanical Model Pulsation Model

Mechanical Recommendations Pulsation Recommendations

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Case Study: Recommendation Implementation
Additional pulsation dampener
Many supports were
installed to raise MNF
of elevated piping

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 Wrap-Up

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 Conclusions
Reciprocating Pumps generate high pulsation-induced forces in piping.
• Therefore, piping design concepts for centrifugal pumps should NOT be applied
to reciprocating pumps
• Reciprocating Pumps can work well, they just have to be designed well
For Reciprocating Pumps:
1. Pulsation Dampeners are required
2. API 674 Design Study is often necessary (DA1, DA2, or DA3)
3. Pulsations should be controlled and minimized at design stage
4. Piping layout should be as close as possible to foundation for best support
5. Vibration and thermal pipe stress concerns can be both addressed for a good
design.
6. Generally piping requires more support (including vibration clamps)
7. Hangers, rest-only supports, and pipe shoes cannot restrain high pulsation
induced shaking forces
8. Eliminate, reduce height, or brace small bore attachments

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 QUESTIONS?

[email protected]
[email protected]

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