Design and Testing of a Unique Compressor Test Facility
Jörgen Olsson
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Outline of the presentation
» Introduction» Specifications» Design» Hardware» Test Compressors» Testing» Summary
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What type of compressors are tested?
Low Pressure Compressor
RM 12 (GE F404)
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Why are compressors tested?
» Measure the performance of a new design
» Map the operational envelope
» Establish the operational limits to avoid stall, surge and flutter
» Verification of design models
Main design criteria for the Compressor Research Facility
» Drive power 4.3 MW
» Rotation speed ranges: 0-5500 rpm and 0-25000 rpm, continuously variable
» Variable inlet pressure
» Variable outlet pressure
» Air flow through the test facility without a test compressor installed
» Efficient sound proofing of the control room and to the external environment.
» Control system with safety monitoring and logging
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Envelope of the Compressor Test Facility
0
1000
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3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000
Torque[Nm]
n [rpm]STARCS Proprietary
STAL-LAVAL (Siemens Turbomachinery Finspång Sweden) Compressor Test Facility
6 MW
In service fall 1973
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First sketch
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Compressor Test Facility Overview
Side view of the Compressor Test Facility
0 1 2 3 m
Utloppsventil (2 st)1300
Provobjekt
Inloppsventil
Nät
motvikt
Asynkronmotor 4.3 MW
Test object (rig)
Asynchronous motor 4.3 MW
Counter weight
Inlet valve
Outlet valve (2)
Control valve for ejector primary flow
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The Compressor Test Facility seen from the motor
Golvnivå
0 1 2 3 m
Inloppsventil
UtloppsventilUtloppsventil
EjektorReglerventil för injektortryckluft
Till utloppsskorsten
Inlet valve
Outlet valveFloor levelTo acoustic baffles
and exhaust tower
Outlet valve
Ejector Control valve for ejector primary flow
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Inlet flow manipulators
Perforated plate
Net
NetNet
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Modified ejector
Insert
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Gearboxes
Cut away sketch of the gearbox for 5500 rpm
Sketch of the gear box for 25000 rpm
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Torque meters
0-10 kNm
0-8000 rpm 0-1400 Nm
0-30000 rpmSTARCS Proprietary
Situation plan
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External view of the building
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Motor and 25000 rpm gear box
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Gear box and exhaust annular collector
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Air inlet with inlet valve and stagnation chamber
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Hardware needed to adapt a test compressor
Inlet pipe
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Diffuser
Vital booster and instrumentation rack
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Overview of the control and measurement system
ZephyrRecording of fast
response dataBandwidth: 30 kHz On-line monitoring
IDARecording of dataBandwidth:10 Hz
On-line monitoring.
Electronic Pressure Scanners
(ESP)Recording of ”slow” pressures. (10 Hz)On-line monitoring.
ABB 800Control system for motor
and valvesOn-line monitoring.
FFA 1260Signal conditioning
Alarm SystemCompilation of data and
presentation online of data, RMS, FFT etc. Alarm can invoke emergency stop
FFA 1220Signal conditioning
Strain gauges
Temperatures
Instationary Pressures
Facility fixed transducers
Stationary Pressures
Data to customer
Bearing temperature and
vibration
Emergency stop
Motor control sensors
MAESTROTest sequence control
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Control Room
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Control System Display
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On-Line Compressor Performance Map
Hulda low pressure compressor
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Vital LPC
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AIDA Aggressive Duct With Hulda Compressor
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Test compressor for max 5500 rpm
Front view of SiemensIndustrial Turbo-machinery test compressor with first stage guide vanes.
(inlet hub not present)
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What is measured?
» Inlet and outlet pressures and temperatures» Mass flow, rotational speed and drive shaft torque» Vibration and loads on the rotor blades using strain gauges or tip-timing» Vibration and loads on the stator vanes and the inlet guide vanes using strain
gauges» Stall detection using temperature sensors and unsteady pressure transducers» Static pressures in the flow channel» For monitoring: Rotor tip clearance, shaft position, temperature and vibration of
the compressor bearings, lubrication oil pressure, temperature and mass flow» Flow properties in the channel using traversing probes: pressure, temperature
and flow angles
Summary
» STARCS in-house designed and built Compressor Test
Research Facility
» Today a well proven concept
» Drive power and mass flow capabilities in parity with
customer demands
» Unique capabilities with sub atmospheric outlet
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