Society of Petroleum Engineers

SPE 26157
Accelerated Fatigue Phenomena in High-Horsepower
Turboexpander Wheels
T.G. Russell, * Canadian Hunter Exploration Ltd.; Colin Duncan, C&M Engineering Ltd.;
Behrooz Ershaghi, Rotoflow Corp. Ltd.; G.J. Dyason, Noranda Technology Centre' and
Reza Agahi, Rotoflow Corp. Ltd. '
'SPE Member
Copyright 1993, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Gas Technology Symposium held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 28-30 June 1993.
This paper was selected for by an Program Committee following review of Information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper
as have not been reViewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect
position of Society of Its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to pUblication review by Editorial Committees of the Society
o etroleum Engineers. Permission to copy IS restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledg-
ment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT.
ABSTRACT
Radial expansion turbines or ..panders" are widely
used in the gas industry in both process and power
recovery applications. The increasing cost of plant inputs
such as power and feedstocks, coupled with abrupt
swings in plant throughput as a function of markets and
pipeline system Iinepack, places a premium on
turboexpander designs capable of operating efficiently
and reliably over a broad range of operating conditions.
High horsepower turboexpander wheels which operate
over a wide speed band are subject to fatigue failures if
the wheel's operating frequency window is too narrow.
The fatigue failure mechanism is accelerated by
resonance. Appropriate wheel designs, which will deliver
extended operating life, may require modified wheel hub
profiles and the use of higher strength alloys. Strict
control of forging and heat treatments must be
maintained to ensure metallurgy of a uniform high
quality.
This case study outlines the systematic methods adopted
in identifying the cause of turboexpander wheel failures
at the Karr Creek Gas Plant, and the engineering design
revisions required to eliminate them.
INTRODUCTION
The Creek Gas Plant located in section 10, township
65, range 2 west of the 6th meridian in north-western
195
Alberta, Canada, first came on stream in 1981. This
"shallow-eut" plant was initially designed as a dewpoint
control facility utilizing a conventional refrigeration
process. The products of the plant were natural gas and
C3+ liquid. In 1990, a major addition was completed in
the form of a new "deep-eut" plant employing the Ortloff
Process. This addition boosted natural gas production
from 45 to 105 MMscflDay, improved C3+
hqUld recovery from approximately 50% to 88% and
allowed for the production of a stabilized C5+ liquid
product.
Integral to the new "deep-cut" facility is the rotary
e"'"pansion turbine or "turboexpander". The
turboexpander replaces the "JT valve" commonly found
in cryogenic processes and allows the recovery of "free"
horsepower for other plant requirements by converting
the pressure energy of the gas stream to mechanical
energy. At Karr the turboexpander powers post-boost
compression into the sales compressors. Without boost
compression, the plant capacity is restricted by as much
as 35% depending on sales line pressures. Therefore, a
dependable turboexpander is essential for the mechanical
and economic efficiency of the plant.
Shortly after startup of the "deep-eut" facility, it became
apparent that the turboexpander system was not
dependable. A catastrophic failure of the turboexpander
wheel occurred without warning after 1300 hours of
operation. Subsequent wheel failures have occurred after
4500, 2500, 750 and 9000 hours of operation (refer to
2
ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TURBOEXPANDER WHEELS SPE 26157
Table 1 for a summary of wheel failures). There have
been no service problems with the compressor wheel.
Extensive mechanical analysis of the failed wheels and
turboexpander operating conditions has been conducted
in an effort to identifY and eliminate the cause of these
recurring short cycle failures. The specific failure
mechanisms investigated were:
- overstress;
- stress corrosion cracking (scc); and
- fatigue.
To eliminate these suspected failure mechanisms. new
wheel designs have been introduced which incorporate
stress relieving, surface coating. higher strength
metallurgy and improved wheel geometry.
These efforts have lead us to conclude that the mode of
failure was fatigue. The failures were caused by
operation of the wheel at speeds which generated
excitation frequencies equal to one or more natural
frequencies of the wheel. Excitation of the fourth node
natural frequency by the third harmonic of the nozzle
passing frequency is the dominant factor in these
resonance induced fatigue failures. The wide range of
operating conditions experienced by the equipment has
caused the wheel to operate at or near this frequency for
extended periods. Operation of the wheel at or near this
harmonic will lead to fatigue failure.
The redesigned wheel now in use at Karr has higher
fatigue strength due to the use of Aluminum alloy 7075
aged to the T6 temper (AI 7075-T6) and has been
designed to optimize the operating window such that the
harmonic corresponding to the 3 times nozzle passing
frequency is above the nominal design speed of 30500
rpm.
TURBOEXPANDER SYSTEM
Design. Manufacture and Testing
The turboexpander system is. in its simplest form. an
energy conversion system. The pressure energy of the
inlet gas stream is converted to mechanical (rotational)
energy and utilized to drive a booster compressor. to
which it is connected via a common drive shaft
(Figure 1). The amount of mechanical energy extracted
from the gas stream is dependent upon the design of the
inlet guide vanes, or nozzles. the design of the
turboe",;pander wheel, and their interaction. The expander
system's geometry is designed such that approximately
50% of the total change in enthalpy occurs across the
nozzles and 50% occurs across the wheel. While the
detail of turbomachinery design is a complex problem in
aerodynamics and outside the scope of this paper. it
should be noted that the system design methodology
(Figure 2) is not only concerned with energy efficiency.
but also unit thrust balance. natural frequencies, stress
concentration (determined by finite element analysis) and
vibration.
The most common material utilized in the construction of
expander wheels is Aluminum alloy 6061 aged to the T6
temper (AI 6061-T6). however. depending on the
application, wheels can be fabricated from such alternate
materials as AI 7075-T6 & T73, Titanium or stainless
steel. Each application is unique and there are no two
turboexpander wheels exactly the same.
Every wheel is subjected to vibration. overspeed (125%),
performance and non-destructive mechanical tests once
manufacture is complete. Wheels are mounted to a test
shaft and excited to a range of frequencies. Natural
frequencies of the wheel hub and disc. as well as the
blades are identified and compared against the results of
the computer simulations. Campbell diagrams, which are
essentially vibration fingerprints for each wheel are
prepared using actual test data (Figures 3 - 7).
Campbell diagrams plot the natural frequencies of the
wheel against excitation frequencies generated by the
interaction of the blades and nozzles at various operating
speeds. Particular attention is paid to excitation of the
fourth node natural frequency by the lxNozzles.
2xNozzles and lxBlades passing frequencies. The fourth
node is typically the strongest natural frequency. These
resonance points are kept above the desired speed range
of the wheel.
Harmonics of the nozzle passing frequency greater than 2
have generally been considered too weak to cause serious
excitation of the wheel's natural frequencies. In addition.
these resonance points generally occur outside the design
range and are only encountered for short periods of time
when the system is accelerating to design speed or
decelerating to shutdown. Although very few service
problems associated with 3xNozzles and 4xNozzles
passing frequencies have been reported. it is recognized
that continuous operation at one of these resonance points
over a period of hours or days may cause fatigue failures.
Stress concentrations in the wheel and the micro
structure of the alloy will greatly influence these failures,
therefore. the quality of the wheel forgings must be kept
very high.
196
SPE 26157 T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, 8. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. Agahi 3
General Characterization and Description of Alloys
The original 5 wheels were forged from AI 6061-T6.
This is a ternary AI-Mg-Si alloy, in which there is
formation of the strengthening inter metallic phase,
Mg2Si system. The alloy makes use of the solubility of
Mg2Si during precipitation hardening. Favorable
characteristics of this alloy include moderately high
strength and good corrosion resistance.
1
,3,5
The redesigned wheel currently in service was forged
from high strength AI 7075T6. This is a complex,
quaternary AI-Cu-Mg-Zn alloy which has Zn as the
major alloying element. The strengthening of this alloy
arises principally as a consequence of the magnesium
present in the matrix solid solution.
1
,3,5
Standard specifications for AI 6061-T6 and AI 7075-T6
forgings include American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) B247, Aerospace Material
Specifications (AMS) 4127 and 4139 and USA
government, QQ-A-367. ASlM B247 chemical
composition limits for these alloys are shown in Table 2.
Values in Table 3 illustrate the significantly higher
tensile strength of AI 7075-T6. While ASlM B247 does
not specify fatigue strength or toughness values, the
fatigue strength for Al 7075-T6 is significantly higher
than that of AI 6061-T6 and its fracture toughness is
adequate. Typical.fatigue strengths of 23 ksi and 14 ksi,
respectively, are reported for 5 x 10
8
cycles of completely
reversed stress.
3
Acceptable Forging and Heat Treatment Procedures
ASlM B247 provides detailed requirements for
manufacture, heat treatment, inspection and testing of
forgings. When specifying forgings which conform to
ASlMB247, the purchaser must state whether additional
specific requirements are to be satisfied. These include
tension test specimen orientation, certification, ultrasonic
inspection and liquid penetrant inspection.
4
,5,6
Corrosion Resistance
The general corrosion resistance of AI 6061-T6 is good
compared to other aluminum alloys since most of the
Mg2Si is present in solid solution or as a microscopic
precipitate. Suseeptibility to intergranular corrosion is
low, since the MglSi in the alloy is well balanced.
During initial failures of Al 6061-T6 wheels, the
possibility of stress corrosion cracking (sec) was raised,
although AI 6061-T6 is not susceptible. There are no
records of service problems - this also applies to forgings
stressed in the most susceptible, short, transverse
direction. Resistance to sec exists despite the fact that
this alloy may be subject to intergranular corrosion.
While sec has been induced in the laboratory with
naturally aged 6061-T4, exposed to abnormally high
solution heat treatment temperatures and slow
quenching, this sensitivity can be eliminated by aging to
T6 temper. Consequently, sec has been excluded as a
factor in the failure of the original wheels.
The general corrosion resistance of AI 7075-T6 is lower
than that of the Cu free alloys of this group and all other
alloy groups except 2XXX. It is fortunate that operation
of the wheel does not promote sec, since 7070-T6 is
susceptible to this failure mechanism. Research has
indicated that water or water vapor is the key
environmental factor required to produce sec. Halide
ions, and most importantly Chlorine (CI) accelerate
attack.
7
,s
PROCESS AND OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
Plant Design Conditions
After passing through an inlet separator, where free
liquids are removed, inlet vapors pass through the inlet
compressor and are boosted from 2410 kPa to 6895 kPa.
The gas is then sent through the molecular sieve drying
train where it is dehydrated to approximately 2 ppm
(equivalent to a dew point of -100 0q, prior to entering
the cryogenic process. The gas flows through the
expander inlet scrubber, where condensed liquids drop
out, and on to the turboexpander where it is expanded
from 6650 kPa at 12C. to 1580 kPa at -47 C. Design
specifications for the turboexpander are outlined in
Tables 4 and 5. A IT valve is provided for backup in
case the turboexpander is not available. Discharge from
the turboexpander is directed to a mid-point feed on the
column. The is a fractionation
column which will reject C2 and Cl from the LPG's.
Propane recovery in the C3+ mode is approximately
88%. Gas from the top of the column is fed through the
booster compressor where it is compressed from 1450
kPa to 2275 kPa. The booster compressor is a single
impeller centrifugal compressor which is on a common
shaft with the turboexpander. After booster compression
the gas flows through sales compression to sales. If the
turboexpander is not operating, the sales compressors are
unable to overcome the extra compression ratio caused by
the lack of booster compression. Therefore, when
operating with the backup IT valve, pressure in the
fractionation column must be raised from 1580 kPa to
2170 kPa. This mode of operation results in lower liquid
recovery.
197
4
ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER WHEELS SPE 26157
Actual Conditions
The attached graphs indicate the actual operating
conditions encountered during the run life of each wheel.
There are large swings in plant throughput (Figures 8 -
12) and sales line pressures (Figures 13 -17) on a daily
basis. Plant throughput varies as a function of both
gathering system deliverability and markets, however the
sharp daily fluctuations seen here represent primarily the
effects of markets. Sales line pressures never approach
design pressure of 8619 kPa and rarely exceed 8000 kPa.
The effect of these swings on the operating condition of
the turboexpander can be seen as wide daily variations in
turboexpander speed. (Figures 18 - 22) Due to the lower
than design sales line pressures, the turboexpander is
rarely required to run at its design speed of 30500 rpm.
The turboexpander is conservatively loaded and generally
runs between 26000 and 29500 rpm. Operating pressures
(Figures 23 - 27) across the expander and the compressor
remain fairly constant near the design levels as expected.
Although not indicated in the graphs, temperatures
across the unit are also fairly constant at or near design
levels.
The actual gas analysis shown in Table 6 are indicative
of the benign, sweet gas environment anticipated in the
system design. There are only trace amounts of sulfides
and chlorides.
DESCRIPTION OF FAILURES
The failures in wheels 1,2,3 & 4 appear to have initiated
in the keyways via an intergranular fracturing mode. The
initiating cracks propagate in a pseudo fatigue fashion as
intergranular and also as a mixed inter/transgranular
fracture mode under the apparent influence of the
operating stresses, however, characteristic fatigue
striations were not identified. Asymmetrical keyway
fracture initiations and propagation have been
experienced consistently. Fracture initiation and
propagation is identical in wheels with square and round
keyway configurations (Figures 28 and 29). Final failure
of the wheels (1,4,5) occurs by ductile overload shearing
and tensile failure. Intergranular and transgranular
cracking has been identified by all investigators.
Compositional and hardness tests conform to Al 6061-T6
standards in all investigations.
Wheels 1 & 2 contain tramp element impurities,
specifically Lead (Pb). Pb was identified by SEM and
atomic adsorption analysis. In the failure of wheel 1, the
fracture surfaces were shown to have a finely deposited
intergranular phase at many locations. Pb is associated
198
exclusively at these deposits in intergranular fracture
facets. This intergranular precipitation was also noted to
be in a very large grain structure.
In the failure of wheel 2, large grains are visible in the .
fractUre origin. Nodular grain boundary deposits are
again present. Prominent precipitates are visible in the
prior cast grain boundary structures and there is an
excessively large grain structure, unexpected in a forged
product. The crack origin reveals high copper (Cu) and
Pb concentrations. There are a large number of ratchet-
like steps at the fracture origin, similar to ratchet steps
developed in some fatigue failures where coincidental
fatigue sites are initiated.
In the failure of wheel 4 there is no detectable lead and a
far reduced incidence of grain boundary features. '
The failure of wheel 5 is clearly fatigue and differs from
the other failures in that it suffered a blade failure.
Distinct striations originating in the keyway confirmed
the nature of fatigue failure. No material or heat treat
anomalies were noted. The blade exhibited two distinct
clamshell marks suggesting that failure had originated on
the concave as well as convex side of the blade, as two
separate fatigue fronts propagating towards each other.
There was clear indication of fatigue striations and
ratchet marks indicative of fatigue failure.
DISCUSSION
After reviewing the operating data for the turboexpander
it is clear that the nominal design conditions for the gas
plant are not the normal operating conditions of the
plant. The plant swings through a wide range of
operating throughputs and sales line pressures, causing
the turboexpander speed to fluctuate markedly from day
to day. The plots of critical speeds derived from the
Campbell diagrams against actual operating speeds for
each wheel (Figures 18 - 22) show many hours andlor
days of operation at or very close to resonance points.
Clearly the operating frequency windows for wheels 1 to
5 were too narrow for the actual operating conditions
encountered in service.
After the failures in wheels 1 and 2, the keyway
configuration was changed from square to round in an
effort to reduce the effects of stress concentrations at the
keyways. The subsequent failures of wheels 4 and 5 with
identical failure characteristics is clear evidence that
overstress at the wheel hub was not a contributor to the
failure of the wheels.
SPE 26157 T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. Agahi 5
There is strong evidence that metallurgical defects,
namely tramp elements such as Pb and Cu introduced in
the meltshop, have played a role in the failures of wheels
1 and 2. The presence of these elements set up plains of
weakness at the grain boundaries and facilitated the
intergranular fracture mode. However, stringent
metallurgical controls utilized during the construction of
wheels 4 and 5 apparently did little to prevent identical
failures from occurring in these wheels. Therefore,
metallurgical defects are not the principal cause of wheel
failure. The failure of wheel 5, which is clearly the result
offatigue, has no signs of intergranular cracking.
There is also evidence to suggest that keyway stresses are
not uniform. Failure initiation is more strongly developed
on one side of the wheel due to variable keyway stress
distribution. The cracks do not propagate diagonally as
would be expected if stresses were uniform. The
asymmetrical nature of the fracture orientation is due to
the assembly stresses and not imbalance, therefore, crack
initiation may be the result offretting.
Initial studies indicated that a scc failure mechanism was
operative. However, as indicated by the gas analysis no
mercury and only trace sulfides and chlorides are present
in the process stream. Most importantly due to the
dehydration process there is very little moisture present
during normal operation, startup or shutdown. Therefore,
there is no support for an scc failure mechanism. There is
no record of any service problems with scc in AI 6061-
T6. In addition, there have been no service problems with
the compressor wheels, which are made from the same
alloy and operate in a process stream of comparable
sulfide and chloride composition. Application of an
anodized surface coating to wheel 5 did nothing to
prevent the rapid and obviously fatigue related failure in
the wheel. This clearly indicates that scc is not playing a
role in the wheel failures.
The wheel which is currently in service has been tuned to
provide a more appropriate operating range for the wheel
(Figures 6 and 7) given the normal plant conditions. The
Al 7075-T6 alloy used for the construction of this wheel
has significantly higher fatigue strength. Stringent
metallurgical controls were utilized to ensure metallurgy
of the highest possible quality. Therefore, the new wheel
appears to have the qualities necessary for a prolonged
runlife.
CONCLUSIONS
1. The failures of the turboexpander wheels at the Karr
Creek Gas Plant have been caused by fatigue. The fatigue
failure mechanism has been accelerated by prolonged
199
operation at speeds which create excitation frequencies
equal to one or more natural frequencies of the wheel.
2. Metallurgical problems, specifically the presence of
tramp elements Lead and Copper at the grain boundaries,
contributed to the failure of wheels 1 and 2.
3. Overstress and stress corrosion cracking are not causes
of turboexpander wheel failure.
4. The wheel which is currently in service has an
operational window which is wide enough to
accommodate the actual operating range of the
turboexpander system.
5. In the high cycle fatigue regime of wheel operation, selection
of Aluminum alloy 7075-T6 significantly improves the wheel
fatigue resistance over the original Aluminum alloy 6061-T6.
While this choice makes sacrifices in terms of corrosion
resistance and specifically resistance to scc, corrosion does not
appear to have played a role in the wheel failures.
REFERENCES
1. Aluminum. Properties and Physical Metallurgy. John
E. Hatch, Editor, American Society for Metals, 1984.
Pages 50-52 & 64-82.
2. Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-
Alloy Die Forgings, Hand Forgings, and Rolled Ring
Forgings. Designation B247-88. Annual Book of
ASTM. Standards. Volume 2.02,1989.
3. Metals Handbook. 9th Edition, Volume 2. Properties
and Selection: Non-ferrous Alloys and Pure Metals.
American Society for Metals, 1979. Pages 61-62 &132.
4. Metals Handbook. 9th Edition, Volume 14. Forming
and Forging. American Society for Metals, 1988.
5. Aluminum. Properties and Physical Metallurgy. John
E. Hatch, Editor. American Society for Metals, 1984,.
6. ASM Handbook. Volume 4. Heat Treating.
American Society for Metals, 1991.
7. Metals Handbook. 9th Edition, Volume 13.
Corrosion. American Society for Metals, 1987.
8. Aluminum. Properties and Physical Metallurgy. lE.
Hatch, Editor. American Society for Metals, 1984.
6 ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TURBOEXPANDER WHEELS
Table 1
SUMMARY OF WHEEL FAILURES
WHEEL Haun of Operation No. of Normal Starts Wiled Condition at
Prior to Failure Prior to Failure Diseovery of Failure
1 1300 9S Split in half
,
2 4S00
69 Severely craela:d
3 9000 74 Severely c:rac:kcd
"
2500 9 Split in half
5 7S0 14 Severely crackcdI
I blade missinl!
Table 2
OIEMICAL COMPOSmONLIMITS (from AS1MB247-88)
ELEMENT AI 6061 (Wt.%) AI 7.075 (Wt.%)
Si 0.40-0.8 0.40 max.
Fe 0.7 max O.SOmax
Cu 0.IS-o.4O 1.1-2.0
Mn 0.15 max '0.30 max
Mg 0.8-1.1 2.1-2.9
Cr 0.04-0.35 0.18-0.28
Zn 0.25 max 5 . 1 ~ . 1
'11 0.5 max 0.20 max
Othcn, Each 0.05 max 0.05 max
Othcn, Total 0.15 max 0.15 max
AI Remainder Remainder
. Table 3
MECHANICALPROPERTYLIMlTS FORDIEFORGINGS (from AS1MB247-88)
PROPERTY 6061-T6 707S-TIS
UP to " In. nick 3.001-4 In. nick
TcnsUe strength:
parallel" ksi
38.0 min 73.0 min
non-oar:alIel ksi
38.0 min 70.0 min
Yield strength #I:
paralIeI" ksi
35.0 min 62.0 min
non-oarallel ksi
35.0 min 60.0 min
Elongation:
paralIel'f%
7 min 7 min
non-oarallel* %
5 min 2 min
Hardness:
Brinell 80 min 135 min
SPE 26157
# 0.2% Offset 'fspecimen axis parallel to
direction of grain flow
200
*specimcn axis non parallcl
to direction of grain flow
SPE 26157
T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. A'bahi 7
__e-
FIGURE #1
TURBOEXPANDER SYSTEM SCHEMATIC
CllIIlIS
CFIIII( BSllr
lM.'ISl51
lID!
FIGURE #2 EXPANDER WHEEL DESIGN METHODOLOGY
201
8 ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TUR80EXE'ANDER WHEELS
SPE 26157
Campbell Diagram
Wheels 1,2 & 3
Campbell Diagram
Wheel6a
......... ,...
I
15
10
5 4
2
O.....,=L...--'----'----'----'---.la---'---'----'---O
o 5 ro "
RPM (Thousands)
CPS (Thousanda)
1<4 ;:.:....:.....:.;......:..:=,:.:.:..:=-=-----,.------r--
12 I
10 :,
8 J..
""",.""..,."., "---, ..."....,.j.""--:,,".',,,,,.--
8
4
2

o 5 ro "
RPM (Thousands)
14
i 15
12 I
10 ! I : i I.' i
: ..:.: l L L ; -
........;.
1
5
.. x Nozzl - 41th NodI _. Ith Nod.
Blad
.-.... B.ad.' .. 2 x Nozzl - 3 x Nozzl.. ._ 8Iod
- 3 x Nozzle.
81.d..
--- x N011I
...... 2 x Nozzle
FIGURE #3
FIGURE #6
Campbell Diagram
Wheel 4
Campbell Diagram
Wheel 6 Final
15
45 40 15 20 25 30 35
RPM (Thousands)
10 5
.:. __ __ ---_.-'-_-'-_-'-----..1:
50
Cps (Thousands)
14
12 I .'
1: 10
8 .. --
4r
2
o
o
10
5
;
, - 15
...... -!"
4
2
o.....=.-'--_-'-_.L-_-'-_-'-_......_ .....- .. J. . --'-- 0
o 5 ro "
RPM (Thousands)
.! -
8 .... ..
Ilad
...... Blad .__.. 2 x Houl - 3 x Nozzl Blad ---... Blad ...... 2 x Noz.z - 3 x NOZz.I
-- .. x Noul - 4th Nod. -- Ith Nod.
- .. x Nozzl - "'h Nodi - 8th Nodi - Blad'.
FIGURE #4 FIGURE #7
Campbell Diagram
Wheel 5
__-""T-....,--:--_--II--:1
14 15
12 ;. II
1
0
iii .i l.. _.i J. <..L.... L............. 10
....=...... ..=..... .... .....=.........
W
:,,! 5
.. \
2 :
o!,.'<:::::::=:,.. .......--'-- . 0
o 5 ro "
RPM (Thousands)
....... Blade. .-., Blad
-_. .. x Nozzl - 4th Nod.
...... 8Iad.. - 3 x Nozzl
._. 11th Nod. - 81.d
FIGURE #5
202
FIGURES #3-7 CAMPBELL DIAGRAMS
SPE 26157 T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. A ~ a h i 9
TURBOEXPANDERDESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
Table 4
UNIT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR
Molecular Wt. 20.10 18.00
Plnlet, kPa
6778 1551
Toudet, C
12 41
Plnlet, kPa
1668 2354
Toudet, C
-45 78
Flow, t03m
3
/hr 55.929 72.848
Power,kW 1336 1318
Design Speed, rpm 30500 30500
Shutdown Speed, rpm 33550 33550
Efficiency, % 82 77
Weight % Liquid 13.44 0
TableS
EXPANDER WHEEL DESIGNDETAIL
ITEM DESCRIPTION
# Long Blades 7
# Short Blades 7
# Nozzles 4
Wheel Diameter, inches 7.5 (Wheels 1,2,3,4, 6); 7.375 (WheelS)
Tip Sileed U, ftlsec. 999
Weight, Ibs. 3.16 (Wheels 1,2,3); 3.140 (Wheels 4,5); 3.620 (WheeI6)
# Keyways 4
Keyway Configuration Square (Wheels 1,2,3); Round (Wheels 4,5,6)
203
10 ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TUR80EJ<P.ANDER WHEELS
SPE26157
PLANT THROUGHPUT !WJwI "1
PLANT THROYGHPUT IWhnl '41
...
",.
2100 -.-------------------------
2250 .
--....... (.03m31 -5-..FIlMtl03nt3l -
ft '100
: 1210
,.... L-----i----------I,.f----+----
. . .
- .
. . . . .
....
..
,
II \

.

I I ! I ! I I ! ! !
- - - a a a a a a S 0 S Ss ____ _ _____
- HftL - -=-=s:..:':nc:...: : . .INit DeIiIn - - ::.-,:.:..:. - -
710
100
'10

..50
: "-1
ft'lOO
..
1250
....
FIGURE #8
FIGURE #11
ptANT THROUGHPUT !WJwI '21
"'-ANT THRQUGHPUT !WJwI161
'100 .,.-,----- _
-....... Row 1103m31 - s.a- Row (103m31 - - In6M DUgn
- s..DuIgn
__
.. i:':..l _ -.
...\1,---...I 1'1"
v -.::::::::0

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FIGURE #9
FIGURE #12
PLANT THRQUGHPUT IWhnl '31
2500 r---'
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FIGURES #8-12 PLANT THROUGHPUT - ACTUAL VS. DESIGN
--I_Rewn03m3l -&-'FIowf.Q3M3I" ......o-iIn - SIIII DIIiIn
FIGURE #10
204
SPE 26157
T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. A'gahi
11
SALES LINE PRESSURE mill". SALES UNE PRESSURE !Wblll '41
:r .. .. : .:..=..:..:..:..
1000 ,-- _
..............................................................................................................................................
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---
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FIGURE #13 FIGURE #16
SALES UNE mssURE IW!wef '21
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SALES LINE PRESSURE !WbtII '51
---
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FIGURE #14
FIGURE #17
SA' FS LINE PRESSURE IWbnI '31
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FIGURES #13-17 NOVA UNE PRESSURES - ACTUAL VS. DESIGN
FIGURE #15
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SPE 26157 T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. Agahi
13
n OPERATING PRESSURES IWIwI III
IE opERATING I'REl!SURES IWIwI '41
3100
4100
11
4000
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.....

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AGURE#23
AGURE#26
IE OPERATING PRESSURES IWIwI '21
IE opERATING PRESSURES IW!1111I5I
-Tl ......
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- Comp. SucItan CIl:I'W
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11
4000
FIGURE #24
FIGURE #27
IE OPERATING pRESSURES 1W1w1131
3100
_
4100
11
4000
--
l._ _ _., .... __ ., __ -

.
oTLLIIIj"l!.
....
II In
.... ,. .
TURBOEXPANDER PRESSURES - ACTUAL VS. DESIGN
FIGURES #23-27
207
-. - TE ..... cw.1
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FIGURE #25
14 ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TURBOEXPANDER WHEELS
ACTUAL GAS ANALYSIS
SPE 26157
Table 6
COMPONENT MOLE FRACTIONS
He 0.0001 0.0001
N
2
0.0036 0.0039
CO2
0.0116 0.0126
H
2
S Trace Trace
C
1
0.8337 0.8840
C
2
0.0905 0.0965
C
3
0.0386 0.0027
iC
4
0.0058 0.0001
C
4
0.0096 0.0001
iC
s
0.0024 0.0000
C
s
0.0022 0.0000
C
6
0.0011 0.0000
C+
0.0008 0.0000
7
Molecular Wt. 19.8 17.9
H
2
S 0.8 ppm 1.1 ppm
Carbonyl Sulphide 0.3 ppm 1.1 ppm
Methyl Mercaptan 0.1 ppm 0.0 ppm
Chlorides <0.1 mg/m
3
<0.1 mg/m
3
208
SPE 26157 T.G. Russell, C. Duncan, B. Ershaghi, G. Dyason, and R. Agahi
15
FIGURE #28
TURBOFAILURE OF WHEEL 1 (SQUARE KEYWAYS)
209
16
,
ACCELERATED FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN HIGH HORSEPOWER TURBOEXPANDER WHEELS
FIGURE #29
TURBOFAILURE OF WHEEL 4 (ROUND KEYWAYS)
210
SPE 26157