Engineers Guide to Rotating Equipment

The Pocket Reference

Clifford Matthews BSc, CEng, MBA, FIMechE

Professional Engineering Publishing Limited, London and Bury St Edmunds, UK

First published 2002 This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. Unlicensed multiple copying of this publication is illegal. Inquiries should be addressed to: The Publishing Editor, Professional Engineering Publishing Limited, Northgate Avenue, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 6BW, UK. ISBN 1 86058 344 X 2002 Clifford Matthews A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This book is intended to assist engineers and designers in understanding and fulfilling their obligations and responsibilities. All interpretation contained in this publication concerning technical, regulatory, and design information and data, unless specifically otherwise identified carries no authority. The information given here is not intended to be used for the design, manufacture, repair, inspection, or certification of pressure equipment, whether or not that equipment is subject to design codes and statutory requirements. Engineers and designers dealing with pressure equipment should not use the information in this book to demonstrate compliance with any code, standard, or regulatory requirement. While great care has been taken in the preparation of this publication, neither the author nor the Publishers do warrant, guarantee, or make any representation regarding the use of this publication in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability, currentness, comprehensiveness, or otherwise. Neither the Publisher, Author, nor anyone, nor anybody who has been involved in the creation, production, or delivery of this product shall be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising from its use. Printed and bound in Great Britain by St Edmundsbury Press Limited, Suffolk, UK

About the Author

Cliff has extensive experience as consulting/inspection engineer on power/chemical plant projects worldwide: Europe, Asia, Middle East, USA, Central and South America, and Africa. He has been an expert witness in a wide variety of insurance investigations and technical disputes in power plants, ships, paper mills, and glass plants concerning values of $40 m. Cliff also performs factory inspections in all parts of the world including China, USA, Western and Eastern Europe. He carries out site engineering in the Caribbean Jamaica, Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands. Cliff is also the author of several books and training courses on pressure equipment-related related subjects.

PREFACE How to Use this Book

This book is intended to be an introductory guide to rotating equipment, suitable for use as a first port of call for information on the subject. It tries to incorporate both technical and administrative aspects of rotating equipment manufacture and use, introducing the basic principles of balancing, vibration, noise, and inspection and testing of a wide range of equipment. There is some well-established content and a few newer ideas. It makes references to the most commonly used current and recent pressure technical codes and standards, and attempts to simplify their complex content into a form that is easier to understand. By necessity, therefore, the content of this introductory book is not a substitute for the full text of statutory instruments, regulations, and technical codes/standards. In all cases, reference must be made to the latest edition of the relevant document to obtain full, up-to-date information. Similarly, technical guidelines and rules of thumb given in the book should be taken as just that their only purpose is to be useful. This introductory guide to rotating equipment is divided into 14 main chapters covering practical, theoretical, and legislative aspects of rotating equipment technology. Content includes website and documentary references for technical and regulatory information about rotating equipment design and manufacture. Formal design-related information appears in the referenced sources, while the websites provide a wide spread of related information that can be used on a more informal basis. Most information that you will need can be obtained from the websites, if you know where to look. Chapter 1 provides details of engineering units systems and mathematics, essential to understanding the principles on which rotating equipment performance is based. The basics of statics and deformable body mechanics are given in Chapter 2, leading on to Chapter 3, which covers motion and

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Engineers Guide to Rotating Equipment

dynamics. The generic topics of balancing, vibration, and noise are introduced in Chapter 4; these are common to virtually all types of rotating equipment. Chapter 5 provides an outline of the various machine elements that make up rotating machinery. Chapter 6, covering fluid mechanics, is a necessarily theoretical chapter, providing formal explanations of essential fluid mechanics principles used in the design of rotating fluid machinery. Individual types of rotating equipment such as pumps, compressors, turbines, and their associated power transmission equipment are outlined in Chapters 710. Chapters 11 and 12 are practically orientated, looking at the basic principles of mechanical design and material choice used in the design of all types of rotating equipment. In common with other areas of mechanical engineering, there have been rapid legislative developments over the past few years; Chapter 13 provides detailed summaries of the content and implications of The European Machinery Directives, and mentions the proposed Amending Directive 95/16/EC that may cause further changes in the future. Finally, the purpose of this introductory book is to provide a useful pocket-size source of reference for engineers, technicians, and students with activities in the rotating equipment business. If there is basic introductory information about rotating equipment you need, I want you to be able to find it here. If you have any observations about omissions (or errors) your comments will be welcomed and used towards future editions of this book. Please submit them to:

Ukdatabook2000@aol.com

If you have any informal technical comments you can submit them through my website at: www.plant-inspection.org.uk Clifford Matthews BSc, CEng, MBA, FIMechE

INTRODUCTION The Role of Technical Standards

Technical standards play an important role in the design, manufacture, and testing of rotating equipment components and machinery. In many cases, rotating machines use a wide variety of types of technical standards: complex, theoretically based topics for kinetic and dynamic design complemented by more practical engineering-based standards for materials, manufacture, non-destructive and pressure testing. Published standards also have wide acceptance for vibration measurement and dynamic balancing of rotating components and systems. In common with other areas of mechanical engineering, rotating equipment is increasingly subject to the regime of EU directives and their corresponding harmonized standards. In particular, The Machinery Directives are now well established, with wide-ranging influence on design, manufacture, operation, and maintenance documentation. Harmonization is not an instant process, however, and there are still many well-accepted national standards (European and American) that are used as sound (and proven) technical guidance. Because of the complexity of rotating equipment, technical standards relating to basic mechanical design (mechanics, tolerances, limit and fits, surface finish, etc.) continue to be important. These standards form the foundation of mechanical engineering and are based on sound experience, gained over time. One area of emerging technical standards is that of environmental compliance. Most types of engines and prime movers come under the classification of rotating equipment and these machines are increasingly subject to legislative limits on emissions and noise. Health and Safety requirements are also growing, with new standards emerging covering machine safety, integrity, and vibration limits.

Engineers Guide to Rotating Equipment

As in many engineering disciplines, technical standards relevant to rotating equipment use several systems of units. Although the Systme International (SI) is favoured in Europe, the USA retains the use of the USCS imperial system, as do many other parts of the world. There are also industry-specific preferences; the aerospace and offshore industries are still biased, in many areas, towards imperial units-based technical standards. These industries are big users of gas turbines, and other complex fluid equipment. In using the information in this book, it is important to refer to the latest version of any published technical standard mentioned. New standards are being issued rapidly as the European standards harmonization programme progresses and there are often small and subtle changes in new versions of previously well-established technical standards.