Forsthoffer's More Best Practices for Rotating Equipment

624 Pages·2017·69.15 MB·English

by  Michael S. Forsthoffer (Auth.)

More Best Practices for
Rotating Equipment
Michael S. Forsthoffer
Copyright
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Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical
treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating
and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such
information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including
parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume
any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability,
negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or
ideas contained in the material herein.
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This work is dedicated to my father, William E. Forsthoffer,
who has been the ultimate mentor to me both
professionally and personally.
About the Author
In his 18 years of experience, Michael has had the opportunity to be involved
in design/selection of or field troubleshooting of all of the major types of ro-
tating equipment. He spent 4 years with John Crane, 3 of which consisted of
being the on-site Seal Reliability Engineer at Hovensa Refinery, St. Croix, VI.
He worked as a Rotating Equipment Specialist for Forsthoffer Associates, Inc.
from 2009–15 and has been involved in selection of equipment for new and
revamp projects, troubleshooting, and site specific training worldwide for all
types of rotating machinery including, Pumps, Compressors, Steam Turbines,
and Gas Turbines. He is currently the President of Forsthoffer Associates, Inc.,
whose goal is to continue to bridge the gap between vendor and user by bringing
design and field knowledge to the user in a practical manner to assure maximum
rotating equipment reliability and safety.
ix
Preface
The objective of this book was to build upon Forsthoffer’s Best Practice Hand-
book for Rotating Machinery by adding more best practices that will optimize
plant safety, reliability, and profits. These best practices have all been dem-
onstrated globally by the author and/or coworkers and are intended to resolve
machinery issues in a cost effective manner.
The format for each best practice, again is the same, and is as follows:
The Best Practice presented clearly
l The Lesson Learned, which is the issue that was resolved by the Best
l Practice
Benchmark, which describes generally where each best practice was used
l and what it did to increase safety, reliability and/or profits
Supporting Material to give the information that lead to solving the problem
l or lesson learned. This information is intended to aid in assuring manage-
ment implementation of your recommendations.
The book is arranged in 12 chapters just like its predecessor with only the
last chapter being of a different subject matter (Reliability Optimization). Sub-
jects covered include Projects, all the major types of rotating machinery in
individual chapters, and the major components of rotating machinery. Chapters
also included are pre-commissioning, start-up and Turnarounds, and Predictive
and Preventive Maintenance.
All of these Best Practices were not included in the previous book and if
there are any references to the previous book a brief summary of that reference
is included so the reader does not have to jump back and forth. The same idea
was in mind when including the supporting material for this book. If there was
the same or similar supporting material for a best practice from the previous
book, it was still included here so the reader can easily access the needed mate-
rial.
In conclusion, the best practices presented throughout this book are intended
to optimize the reliability and safety of rotating equipment based in a practical
cost effective manner. If used properly, the hope is that you, the reader, will be
able to increase your rate of implementation for rotating machinery reliability
recommendations.
xi
Acknowledgments
The best practices contained in this book are a result of my 18 years of experi-
ence plus probably about the 1000 years of experience I have tried to soak up
from many of my mentors along the way in design and operation/maintenance
of rotating equipment.
The first and most important person to acknowledge is my father, William
E. Forsthoffer, who has over 50 years of experience and is recognized globally
as one of the best minds in the industry. If it wasn’t for all of the knowledge he
provided to me, whether on a job or at a pub jotting down equations on a napkin,
this book would not be possible. The majority of these best practices started as
a conversation between us two with him always providing a little extra insight
that I would not have thought of.
I also want to thank certain coworkers who have helped mentor me to this
point of my career (and I can always use more). Bob Linquist and Ken Laplant
of John Crane gave me what seems like decades of knowledge about mechani-
cal seals and pumps in about a 4 year stint which aided in Chapters 2 and 8 of
this book. Dennis Campbell, globally recognized as one of the premier Auxilia-
ry Systems designers has passed a lot of information to me over the last 5 years
that has led to a number of (as well as some supporting material) Best Practices
included in Chapters 7 and 9 of this book. Richard (Dick) Salzmann has been
a very helpful mentor in passing down centrifugal compressor application and
design knowledge to me over the years. A lot of his thoughts come out in the
material in Chapter 3 of this book. Also, Jimmy Trice has mentored me in the
way of field maintenance and operation over the past few years and provided
me with a practical way of getting to the root of field issues without beating
around the bush.
I also want to acknowledge my parents (William and Doris) and my siblings
(Brian, Eric, Dara, Jennifer, and Donna) who have always been there for me and
continue to be my best friends.
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge my nephew Ben, who always encouraged
me to get back to writing with his question, “Aren’t you done with that book
yet, Uncle Michael?” As of writing this, he is approaching his 10th Birthday and
I am sure he will be very successful at whatever endeavor he chooses.
xiii
How to Use This Book
This book is intended for all disciplines within the rotating equipment field with
a wide range of experience. For the reader who is new in their career in this
field and want to gain a basic knowledge of all types of rotating equipment and
their components, the supporting information can be used in a practical manner
to do so.
For plant personnel with more experience who want to troubleshoot and
resolve current rotating equipment issues, this book will be most effective.
To do this, the most efficient way included in this book are essentially two
table of contents. One lists the Best Practice, which is the resolution to a ma-
chinery problem, and the other lists the Lessons Learned or the actual problem.
The Lessons Learned list is a quick way to search for an existing problem you
are dealing with in the plant and see what the resolution (Best Practice) is for
the problem.
When you go to any specific Best Practice throughout this book you will see
they all begin with a page of the following format:
Best Practice—Resolution to a machinery problem in a cost effective man-
l ner to positively impact safety, reliability, and plant revenue.
Lesson Learned—The issue that lead to the Best Practice. This issue nega-
l tively impacted safety, reliability, and plant revenue.
Benchmark—Where this Best Practice has been applied and what its real
l impact was on safety, reliability, and plant revenue.
Supporting Material—information to support why the best practice recom-
l mendation will positively impact safety, reliability, and plant revenue. This
is essential in making a presentation to management in order for immediate
implementation.
All Best Practice numbers will be written on the top corner of each page
(just like Encyclopedia) so you can quickly reference and turn to the proper
page of the book.
Whatever you do, don’t attempt to use this book like a Stephen King novel
and read it straight through, unless you suffer from severe insomnia!!!
xv
List of Best Practices
CHAPTER 1 PROJECT BEST PRACTICES
B.P. 1.1: Establish a database of Lessons Learned with cost of unavailability in order for all
corporate plants to utilize
B.P. 1.2: Organize periodic conferences with users in the same geographical area focused
on machinery continuous improvement
B.P. 1.3: Never allow vendors to take exceptions to machinery specifications that result in
additional costs
B.P. 1.4: Evaluate vendors on experience, scope of supply, and specifications exceptions
before quotation ($) has been submitted
B.P. 1.5: Be proactive during the pre-award meeting by meeting and assessing the proposed
project engineer (get and review cv)—Be sure to state this requirement in the ITB.
B.P. 1.6: Establish and enforce a drop dead date for process conditions to be finalized, as
early in the project as possible
B.P. 1.7: Think “Outside the Flanges” when preparing datasheets. Include process and
system effect details into the datasheets
B.P. 1.8: Assure Plant experienced personnel are involved in all phases of the project
B.P. 1.9: Obtain CV’s of EP&C Machinery Engineers prior to EP&C Award
B.P. 1.10: Assure construction specifications are included in ITB to Construction Contractors
B.P. 1.11: Prepare FAT Scope to cost effectively duplicate field conditions as closely as
possible
B.P. 1.12: Always benchmark Best Practice recommendations, showing results in: MTBF,
MTTR, revenue savings, safety, and emissions
B.P. 1.13: It is essential to have experienced personnel involved in MOC and HAZOP studies
B.P. 1.14: Have a cold eyes design review as early as possible (during VCM)
B.P. 1.15: Assure all issues that expose the end user to safety, revenue lost and emissions
issues are documented by notes on the datasheets.
B.P. 1.16: Perform auxiliary system component selection review at 40% engineering phase
CHAPTER 2 PUMPS
B.P. 2.1: If an individual flow meter is not available, calculate flow using a process control
valve
B.P. 2.2: Assure that all critical pumps are installed with an individual flow meter
B.P. 2.3: Use Pipe Differential Temperature to determine whether or not a pump is operat-
ing in its “EROE”
B.P. 2.4: Confirm NPSH Available in the field for bad actor pumps
B.P. 2.5: How to determine EROE boundaries when unsure
xvii
xviii List of Best Practices
B.P. 2.6: Accurately define Suction Specific Speed for pumps with Double Suction Impel-
lers and create new boundaries of EROE
B.P. 2.7: When cost effective, Assure Driver and System have “End of Curve” Power and
NPSHA respectively
CHAPTER 3 COMPRESSORS
B.P. 3.1: Favor dry (No Oil Injection) screw compressors for process applications below
5000 ACFM (8500 Actual m3/h)
B.P. 3.2: When to use medium and high speed (>400 RPM) reciprocating compressors
B.P. 3.3: Meet with Process Licensor and/or EP&C Process Engineers as early as possible
in the project to assure all operating and process conditions are on the data sheets
B.P. 3.4: Always assure highest head required point in the lifetime of the plant is on the data
sheets for centrifugal and axial compressors
B.P. 3.5: When considering a horizontally split compressor case for pressures greater than
40 barg (600 psig), assure that there is a minimum of 2-year operating experience
in a similar application
B.P. 3.6: Assure centrifugal compressors are selected that have a rated operating tempera-
ture below 350 degrees Fahrenheit (approx. 180°C)
B.P. 3.7: Require a pulsation audit by an experienced company immediately after installa-
tion of reciprocating compressor
B.P. 3.8: Require a one-Piece Impeller for all sour gas services
B.P. 3.9: Always require two pressure and temperature transmitters in the same plane at
the inlet and discharge of each compressor section (for both between bearing and
integral gear compressors)
B.P. 3.10: Always check tilting pad thrust bearing clearance using a hydraulic jack and set
alarm and trip values based on this clearance
B.P. 3.11: Impeller Design Pre-Bid Meeting Guidelines
B.P. 3.12: Require bundle removal tooling be used during the performance/mechanical run-
ning testing period for barrel type (radially split) compressors
B.P. 3.13: Size compressor driver for end of curve power at MCOS when greater flow = more
plant profit
CHAPTER 4 GEARS AND COUPLINGS
B.P. 4.1: Confirm Gear no-load pressure exerted on bearings. If this value is less than 50
PSI, modify bearing design to assure shaft vibrations are at an acceptable value
during no load conditions
B.P. 4.2: Always check the following when replacing gear couplings with dry couplings
B.P. 4.3: Always match-mark hydraulic fit coupling to shaft in order to observe if the cou-
pling slipped at all
CHAPTER 5 STEAM TURBINES
B.P. 5.1: Always require single valve steam turbines to be supplied with a throttle valve
position indicator
B.P. 5.2: If the driven equipment has additional flow range and there are no other plant
bottlenecks, consider additional steam turbine power
List of Best Practices xix
B.P. 5.3: Consider using Backpressure (or Extraction/Backpressure) turbines whenever
possible for process trains
B.P. 5.4: Operate condensing turbines at specified exhaust pressure
B.P. 5.5: Trend After 1st Stage (and after extraction stage for extraction turbines) in “Real
Time”
B.P. 5.6: Use after 1st stage (or after extraction pressure for extraction/condensing) pres-
sure to determine blade/nozzle corrosion for condensing turbines
B.P. 5.7: Require a thrust analysis on all condensing turbine applications and install a thrust
balance device where necessary
B.P. 5.8: Always require ratchet type turning gear device on compressor drives
B.P. 5.9: Perform a rotor stability analysis per API 617 to confirm rotor stability for tur-
bines with VHP inlet steam (above 100 bar or 1500 psi)
B.P. 5.10: Always purchase critical service steam turbines with electronic overspeed (two
out of three voting) backup system in order to avoid use of mechanical overspeed
trip systems
B.P. 5.11: Live trend steam seal gland condenser vacuum pressure in DCS
B.P. 5.12: Determine frequency of trip valve exercising based on steam system quality, in-
crease frequency if steam quality is off-spec
CHAPTER 6 GAS TURBINES
B.P. 6.1: Always use, if possible, two shaft gas turbines for mechanical drive applications
B.P. 6.2: Conduct design audits on aero-derivative gas turbines that have zero, or limited
(less than 2 years in operation), mechanical drive experience
B.P. 6.3: Require a compressor discharge temperature (CDT) transmitter for all gas tur-
bines in order to accurately trend air compressor efficiency
B.P. 6.4: Establish a washing procedure consisting of both on line and crank washing tech-
niques
B.P. 6.5: Use external (API-614) Lube Systems for critical mechanical drive applications
over 40 MW
CHAPTER 7 AUXILIARY SYSTEMS
B.P. 7.1: Oil viscosity selection guidelines
B.P. 7.2: Assure the vendor is provided with details of supply and drain interconnecting
piping (if they are not the supplier)
B.P. 7.3: Oil system console layout best practices
B.P. 7.4: Locate auxiliary pump auto start switch or transmitter in pump discharge header
B.P. 7.5: If an oil system sub-vendor is used A design audit shall be conducted with them
present, along with a shop audit of the sub-vendor
B.P. 7.6: Install high point vents on direct acting valves
B.P. 7.7: Do not install time delays in oil system trip circuits
B.P. 7.8: Install a Differential Pressure gauge across seal oil drainers when a balance line
DP gauge or transmitter is not installed on the compressor
B.P. 7.9: Always mark oil system control valves after a turnaround to give a baseline
condition and determine wear throughout a run (from turnaround to next sched-
uled shutdown)
B.P. 7.10: Install a bypass with a valve and orifice around accumulator isolation valve