Vibrations in hydrocarbon pipelines: Detection and prevention of failures

Industrial hydrocarbon pipelines face the risk of failure due to vibrations, which if not controlled, can cause safety and operational problems, such as wear and leakage. Therefore, it is essential to detect and prevent vibrations both to protect the physical integrity of the pipelines and for environmental, operational and personnel safety.

Causes of vibrations

●??????? Inadequate designs at the piping engineering stage, deviating from standards such as ASME B31.

●??????? Faulty installations compromised structural integrity, poor supports and pipe racks.

●??????? High flexibility or insufficient stiffness, excessive loads, and resonance problems, where the excitation frequency coincides with the natural frequency of the system.

Vibration types

●??????? Flow Induced Vibrations (FIV): They are caused by discontinuities in the fluid flow, generating vortices that interact with the pipeline structure.

●??????? Acoustically Induced Vibrations (AIV): They are the result of high levels of acoustic energy in high-velocity gas systems.

●??????? Pump and compressor pulsations: The rhythmic fluctuations in fluid pressure and flow, potentially resonating with the natural frequency of the pipeline, generate vibrations.

●??????? Resonance: It is the amplification of vibrations when the natural frequencies of the pipes coincide with the excitation frequencies.

●??????? Mechanical energy of turbomachines: These are the rotating forces and unbalances that originate movements in axial, lateral and torsional modes.

●??????? Water Hammer: They come from abrupt changes in fluid velocity that generate excessive internal pressure waves.

●??????? Cavitation and flashing: Refers to the formation of vapor bubbles and rapid change from liquid to vapor, causing turbulence and vibrations.

●??????? Vibrations due to wear, thermal movements and external loads: Originated due to friction, thermal expansions and contractions, and factors such as wind, earthquakes or mechanical impacts.

Detection strategies

●??????? Visual inspections, although not a quantitative method, because pipeline vibrations are usually at low frequencies, are still a valuable tool to identify signs of excessive vibrations.

●??????? Use of portable vibration analyzers equipped with accelerometers or speedometers.

●??????? Continuous monitoring using permanent sensors for real-time monitoring and detection of abnormal behavior.

●??????? Application of spectral analysis to decompose vibration signals and study frequency components.

●??????? Evaluation of pressure pulsations and their impact on pipeline integrity.

●??????? Implementation of modal analysis and measurement of natural frequencies to identify possible cases of resonance.

In short, effective vibration management in hydrocarbon pipelines is fundamental for preventing severe failures, and ensuring operability ?industrial safety and environmental sustainability. Identifying the causes and employing effective control and mitigation strategies are key to maintaining the integrity and operational efficiency of these systems.

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