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Vibrations Vol 19 No 4 December 2003

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Vibration Reduction with a Dynamic
Absorber
This problem has to do with two Worthington ERPN 80
centrifugal pumps driven by 125 HP motors at 3,562 RPM.
The pumps are used to transfer liquid ammonia during
production; at least one pump operates 24 hours a day. Each
pump contains two mechanical seals that cost $3,200 per
set. The pumps have common suction and discharge headers
and are spaced about four feet apart. They are located
outside and thus are subjected to ambient temperature
variations from -40C to +40C.
The pumps had been modified in several ways. The
suction piping supports were altered because shifting was
causing misalignment so severe that the coupling shim
packs broke apart. Mechanical seal failures had to be
repaired. Bearings wore prematurely due to lubrication
problems; the interior of the fabricated component of the
pump base had to be grouted. Modifications have been made
to the discharge piping and hanger supports on the minimum
flow line.
Pump A always ran more smoothly than pump B;
vibration amplitudes were close to 0.2 IPS on A and 0.3 IPS
on B. The check valve and piping on the B pump were
worked on during a major shutdown. Upon start-up the
vibration level increased to almost 0.6 IPS, sufficiently high
to cause early mechanical seal failure. The spectrum was
dominated by vibration at operating speed.
One possible cause of the increase in vibration level
was that something had fallen into the impeller while the
discharge piping was open during the shutdown. However,
no damage was found on the impeller or inducer when the
pump was removed from service and inspected. Runout,
impeller unbalance, and signs of rubs were checked. The
pump was carefully re-installed with attention to coupling,
Gary M. Einarson
Saskferco Products
Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, Canada
Summary. A dynamic absorber was installed on a
centrifugal pump to solve a resonance problem. Vibration
levels were reduced by more than an order of magnitude.
alignment, and soft foot. Vibration levels remained high,
sometimes to 0.8 IPS. The pump was reserved as a spare for
short-term use whenever maintenance was to be performed
on the A pump until a solution could be found.
When the pump was again operating, it was discovered
that loosening poorly installed pipe hangers on the minimum
flow line decreased the vibration level between 0.3 IPS and
Figure 1. Design of Dynamic Absorber.
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Vibrations Vol 19 No 4 December 2003
0.4 IPS. The decrease was tolerable for short-term operation
but was higher than it should have been.
The vibration levels along the piping were measured to
determine the locations of nodes and antinodes. Rigid
hangers were installed at appropriate locations to achieve an
acceptable decrease in pump vibration. However, the
vibration levels again increased to almost 1.0 IPS overall.
One day when pump A was running, it was discovered
that the vibration levels on pump B, which was not
operating, were higher than those on pump A. Resonance
could have been confirmed with a bump test or a test with
an FRP hammer, but it was concluded that resonance was
the cause of the high vibration levels.
The mass or stiffness of a system can be changed to
correct a resonance problem; the forcing frequency is moved
away from the natural frequency. Another more economical
solution is to add a dynamic absorber to the pump. A
dynamic absorber was designed, built, and installed to
reduce the vibration amplitude of the operating speed
frequency of 3,562 CPM. The absorber was simple so that it
could be attached easily to the pump using two of the bolts
that hold the end cover onto the drive end of the pump.
The design involved a relatively simple calculation and
some minor guesswork. The equations are shown in Figure
1. The frequency of vibration that had to be controlled was
calculated using spectral analysis and was the operating
speed, or 3,562 CPM. Steel was chosen as the spring
material. The cross section of the spring (b and h in Figure
1) could have been obtained by clamping a piece of bar
stock in a vise, finding the resonant frequency with a bump
test, and adjusting the length (L) and required weight (W2).
Instead a cross section (b and h), length (L), and weight
location (a) were assumed to calculate the required weight
in pounds (W2).
The weight was found by calculating and weighing flat
bars and hardware that add up to the required weight, W2.
The weight on the spring (a) had to be sufficiently far from
the end of the spring so that the absorber could be tuned in
the field. The final test was to mount the absorber onto the
pump and run the pump up to speed. A good rule of thumb
is that the end of the absorber should displace a maximum
of 0.5 inch peak to peak. A higher displacement could cause
the absorber to fatigue.
The dynamic absorber worked, and the location (a) of
the weight (W2) was fine tuned. A vibration transducer was
mounted to the pump at the point of highest amplitude; the
location of W2 was adjusted until the amplitude dropped to
its lowest point. The top of the absorber displaced almost
0.5 inch peak to peak and appeared to blur as the absorber
Figure 2. Spectrum Before Dynamic Absorber.
Figure 3. Spectrum After Dynamic Absorber.
Figure 4. Pump After Installation of Dynamic Absorber.
was adjusted closer to the resonant frequency of the pump.
Spectral analysis verified the success of the solution; the
operating speed component was reduced from 0.92 IPS
(Figure 2) to 0.05 IPS (Figure 3). The pump after the
dynamic absorber had been installed is shown in Figure 4.
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