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Thermal Design Considerations For

Centrifugal Compressor Piping Systems
CT2 Staff

5-6 minutes

This article was originally published in the Aug./Sept. issue of COMPRESSORtech2. We

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By Francisco Fierro, Angel Rivera and Benjamin White

Synopsis 

Centrifugal compressor packages have become more

popular for natural gas transmission applications in recent
years as they are well suited to the necessary flow rate and
pressure ratio requirements. Additionally, unlike
reciprocating compressors, centrifugal compressors do not
have the need for expensive pulsation bottles.

However, because the piping is connected directly to the

compressor, a thermal analysis is vital to ensure
compressor nozzle loads remain below the manufacturer’s
specified limits. Exceeding these limits without approval
from the manufacturer can lead to misalignment between
the driver and compressor and can lead to coupling or
bearing failures.

A proper thermal analysis should review and ensure a

number of parameters are acceptable for operation. These
include stress in the piping, compressor nozzle loads,
cooler nozzle loads and pipe support reaction loads.
Additionally, all mechanical natural frequencies should be
identified, and design should reduce the likelihood of
vibration problems.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has performed many

of these analyses and has identified common mistakes in
centrifugal compressor piping layouts. These mistakes and
resolutions will be presented along with general
recommendations and good design practices. Following
the provided information should result in a more robust
design and will allow the piping designer to begin with a
better initial design and account for possible problems in
the design stage where changes and modifications are
easily implemented.

Introduction

Centrifugal compressors have gained more popularity for

natural gas transmission applications. This can be
attributed to a variety of factors, such as lower emissions,
cost considerations, no significant compressor-generated
pulsation and a flexible range of operating conditions.

However, centrifugal compressors are much more sensitive

to the thermal growth of the attached piping. The added
loads on the compressor nozzles may affect the alignment
of the compressor enough that API 617 has an allowable
load limit. Along with nozzle loads, equipment loads are
also affected by thermal growth, which is the case with
cooler nozzles, for example. Additionally, if not properly
designed, the piping layout of the station may have high-
stress sections due to thermal growth.

Thermal analysis/design considerations

Larger diameter piping stiffness

Recent industry trends have led to the use of larger

compressors and larger-diameter piping. This allows for
higher flow rates and a lower number of units. Larger-
diameter piping generally provides more stiffness than
smaller piping. This is also apparent in elbows, which are
often used to provide a flexible point and allow the pipe to
grow thermally.

A model was developed which was composed of a 6 ft.

(1.8 m) vertical run followed by a 6 ft. (1.8 m) horizontal
run. The start point and end points remained the same, but
the elbow and line size between the two end points were
varied between 4 and 48 in. (100 and 1220 mm). This
model would be representative of taking a cooler riser
design used on a smaller line and using the same design
on a much larger line size.

Figure 1 presents the stiffness of a typical piping run for

different pipe size. The stiffness of the curve reveals that
the piping stiffness increases exponentially. Because of
this trend, a similar piping layout can result in much higher
reaction loads and thermal stress. Elbows are often used
to relieve thermal stress, and it is critical to review the
change in thermal stress when increasing the pipe
diameter.

Figure 1. Pipe run bending stiffness for different pipe sizes.

Piping elbows

Oftentimes, the type of elbow used is determined by the

station layout and the desired accessibility of certain areas
to personnel. While 90° elbows are far more common than
45° bends, changing from one type of elbow to another can
have significant thermal effects. Along with providing a
lower pressure loss, 45° bends tend to provide a higher
resistance to bending. Thermally speaking, additional
stiffness in the piping run will usually lead to higher
reaction loads at clamps and nozzles, as well as higher
stress levels in the pipe. Figure 2 shows a comparison of a
piping run with a 45° bend and a 90° elbow.
Figure 2. Example compressor layout using a 90° elbow and 45°
elbow.

It is clear the 45° elbow nearly doubles the axial stiffness,

which would lead to nearly doubling the loads and stresses
in the area. Inversely, if a 45° elbow is installed and nozzle
loads are excessive, replacing the elbow with a 90° bend
will reduce the loads by the same stiffness ratio.