Pumps, Compressors and Turbines: Selection, Operation & Maintenance

Fluids and fluid movers such as pumps, compressors of various designs and applications, are encountered throughout chemical and process industries, including oil refineries, gas production facilities, power generation, and other fields of engineering. As fluids can be in-process material in the form of liquid, gas, or a mixture of both with solids, corresponding pumps and compressors sometimes have to satisfy high demands of efficient transport of complex and difficult fluids. The progress in the design and application of pumps, compressors, and turbines has been so rapid that currently, all limitations of pressure, capacity, temperature, and nature of fluids have disappeared. At the same time, this advance in construction and application has presented numerous problems: mechanical, hydraulic, operating, economic, etc.

A thorough understanding of basic principles of fluid flow in pumps, compressors, and turbines as well as in piping systems is a prerequisite for the successful design, installation, and operation of these machines. Various numerical examples are selected carefully to be from real-life technical practice and will help remove any misconception reflected in an inefficiently operating piping system. Design and operation of gas turbines due to their complexity, require special attention and information on their interaction with axial compressors.

Highlights of the course include:

• Principles of selection of the right pump, compressor, and turbine for the given application
• Practical issues related to trouble-free functioning of pumps, compressors, and turbines in various industrial applications
• A good blend of comprehensive explanations of fundamental principles of fluid flow and valuable empirical industrial experience gained over the years in operation and service
• Guidelines for installation, operation, and maintenance with the procedure to diagnose and solve problems in operation with troublesome fluids
• Economical issues: cost and benefit analysis

This course will enable the participants to achieve the following:

• Understanding of technical features of different types of pumps, compressors and turbines, and their capabilities and limitations
• Familiarity with principles of the hydraulic and mechanical design of pumps, compressors, and turbines according to existing world standards and codes
• Knowledge on the selection of optimal type and size for a given industrial application
• Proper use of methods of diagnosing and estimating the degree of deterioration and inefficiency of pumps, compressors and turbines and the ways to improve them
• Best practices and techniques of pinpointing the problems, and choosing the most efficient remedies, in operation, such as cavitation, surge, stall, choking, corrosion, erosion, etc

The course will combine lectures with active delegate participation including discussions and workshops. Although numerical examples and calculations will be included, the focus will be on physical principles and clear technical reasoning. Workshops are scheduled where case studies about pumps, compressors, and turbines will be presented with calculation procedures and results discussed

This course will benefit the delegates through:

• Stronger familiarity with all types of pumps, compressors, and turbines that are encountered in every-day industrial practice in the process and chemical industry
• Enhanced knowledge of methods used to assess the main design parameters of pumps, compressors, and turbines
• Greater understanding of the guidelines for selection and sizing of pumps, compressors and turbines regarding their operational cost in terms of energy consumption
• Knowledge of modern trends in the pumps, compressors and turbines industry regarding increasing demands for greater efficiency and reduction in size when dealing with difficult fluids (viscous, corrosive, abrasive, toxic, explosive, etc.)
• Confidence in the best practices for their efficient operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting the problems related to cavitation, surge, stall, choking etc.

The course will benefit the company through:

• Performance of the company in the long run will be improved by an adequate selection and sizing of pumps, compressors, and turbines that have the best overall efficiency
• Well maintained pumps, compressors, and turbines will prolong the life of the plant and significantly reduce overall costs, and in the same time reduce the risks and impact on the environmental
• Efficiently operated pumps, compressors and turbines by skilled personnel will result in energy saving and in the reduction of overall costs of the plant operation
• Personnel in the maintenance department will be able to follow the best practices for inspection, maintenance, repair and alteration
• Problem-free operation of pumps, compressors, and turbines will result in reducing of downtime for repairs and alterations and reduce the operating costs in the technological process.