Corrosion Related Gas Compressor Vibration (Case Study)

CORROSION RELATED GAS COMPRESSOR VIBRATION

(Case Study)  ABSTRACT

             This paper presents a case study of corrosion related gas compressor vibration problem observed at one of Saudi Aramco gas compression plants. Investigation revealed that the high vibration was attributed mainly to corrosion product deposition on the compressor internals. Accumulation of the solids on the compressor rotor caused high vibration and consequently trips the compressor. The corrosion products were characterized by photometric and potentiometric analyses, Inductive Couple Plasma (ICP), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and their morphology was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).  Analytical data and along with the corrosion rate monitoring history indicated that minor corrosion is taking place upstream the affected compressors. It was concluded that the main source of corrosion product is the upstream facilities. The paper has shed lights on the root cause of the problem and discussed the lab analyses and the different experimental techniques used to determine the nature of the corrosion products. The paper also addressed the short and long term recommendations that were proposed to prevent future failures.