Machinery Messages Static and dynamic alignment of turbomachinery « Good alignment reduces stress on the rotors. This means a smoother operating machine, less downtime and lower maintenance cost...” by Alastair J. Campbell Senior Alignment Spociaiist Bently Newida Corporation lignmeat of tnrbomsehiners Ay sit eens cot sidered to be the prime cause of vilbration, which inturn could result in a catastivphi failure. Machinery today is, mechanically aligned using very sophis. ticatedl methiads, such as optics lasers and excellent computer-aided mecha cal tools People strive to obtain an alignment hased on a calculated thermal growth Figure Ut may, or may not, De elose te sshore the machinery operates. ‘There: fore, i is very important to determine ‘he dynamic alignment to determine the proper static alignment. With a high percentage ol vibration in tusbomachin ‘ery directly caused by misalignment, the watpose of thisarticle is to describe and advise readers ahont some of the methods used to correct this misalign ment and provide smoother operating. turbornuchinery. Many people are aware that misalign ment is a prime cause of vibravon in rotating machinery. Unfortunately, the migjority af end-users don't concern themselves with alignment until machinery is displaying excessive vibra 24 orbit tion levels, and vibration analysis points to misalignment. Studies eontirm that approximately 1 percent of vibration in rotating machinery is caused by misalignment What is alignment? Alignment is more than the act of aligning, the adjusting of electronic or mechanical parts 10 a Hine oF tw each other, According to the Society of Ger rman Engineers, alignment also means “the geometrically perfect arrangement of all rotating shafts and wheels” Any- tone who deals wit high and low speed rotating equipment must understand alignment. This machinery includes high and low speed rotating equipment in the form of turbines, generators, com: pressors, pumps, reciprocating com- pressors, marine shafting or equipment found in paper mills. Most machinery requires realignment at some time or other: Machinery supplied by an oxiginal equipment manufactures (OEM) ust ally cones with suggested static aiga- ment figures. These figures are usually caleulated thermal rise for that specific piece of equipment and may, or may not, be derived from rigorous thermal analysis. This value is usually not highly accurate but one you must use for the initial alignment Different alignment methods There are various methads used t0 obtain this initial mechanical align- ‘meat. The most common is “the reverse dial indicator” method (Ref. (), which entails two dial indicators mounted on opposite shaits which are read simul taneously, preferably with the coupling in place, The aduition of special align- ‘ment bars (Ref, 2) has improved the reverse dia! indicator method as bath indicators can be read with ease as the Shafts and coupling rotate through 360 dogrees, ‘There ate also laser optic systems available which automatically convey misalignment data to a microprocessor ‘The systems generally consist of an emitterireceiver leser unit anil a beam return prism or two transmitter! detector units, The laser is mounted on fone shafi, the prism on the other or a iransmitter/detector unit can be ‘mounted on each shaft. When all data the distance from the shatt end to the Unit support feet, etc. has been fed into the computer, you are ready to align, June 1993ses 488 8 et vet ee 91st: ess sep Yer: 5.66 8 aT Freq = 3,688 (i) fats he Desered ty 2 Copilleespe Figure 1 The laser units are especially good when you have an extremely fong spool piece and are excelent tools for aligning large vertical pumps, Where should you initially place the machinery? We have alreadystated that the alignment numbers supplied by the OEM are sometimes questionable as they are based on a calculated thermal rise, Equipment does not always con form to these alignment numbers, but these numbers are a place te start until the actual thermal rise has been con- firmed. If lateral movement is given for a steam turbine, compressor, boiler feed pump or similar piece of rotating machinery, it would be hetter 0 set it “straight on” until the actual movement can be confirmed, ‘This reasoning, is von because piping must be attached to the machinery. Improperly installed pipingincluees pipe strain, which in turn ‘moves the machinery out of alignment and, in most situttions, inereases vibra tion levels. Incorrect piping can also ‘wist a case, causing internal problems A gear case, especially the fabricated style of ease, isthe one pieee of machin. cevy in a train which very rarely grows June 1993: — Tp Far = 3,808 pe tons 298 9 2s ue seer 2,84 9 128c ra ‘eke 0 foo} reer 3.44 9 2860 NY Sraq = 3,600 Cephy Oates sere! Sy on ci ilescope according to predictions, The one- picee-cast ease lacks the vertical or late eral movement found in a fabricated case. Often there Is no logical explana- tion for this vertical and horizontal movement as measured, Theoretically, the oll temperature would need to be in the 50°F (260°C) range to confirm the rise recorded. In other sitsttions, the ‘observed twisting effect is caused by oil spraying or splashing on interaal sur- faces. ‘This twisting does not promote s900 oth comiact and, on oecasion, Jhas caused the gear teoth to chip at th duier ends. It also increases vibration level. The fact thar good alignment can reduce vibration has been established by controlled testing and also by neces- sity in correcting vibration induced by misalignment in a field problem. The controlled test involved « motor and compressor that were in proper align- ‘ment when in afully-loeded operational condition. At this condition, the motor ‘was movedt horizontally in small inere- ‘ments, and the change in vibration level novably ineveased as the misalignment increased Figure2 ‘The field protilem was on a 6000 HP motor, gear and compressor. This unit had been realigned using data from a coldjhot optical alignment study and had been in operation for approx: imately three months. The highest level of vibration was between the gear and compressor and was 0.4 mils peak-to peak a1 10,600 rpm. The vibration increased during a graveyard shift and by 8:00 AM had reached 3.0 mils peak- to-peak at running speed Tequency (1X). When the alignment was checked optically at 12:00 noon, the vibration level was 4.0 mils pealsi¢-peak, and the Compressor was out of hor zontal align- ‘ment by 01062 inch (1.S8 mm). This misalignment was also con- firmed by the shape of the Orbits, belore and alter the compressor moved (Pigures 1 & 2). The misalignment was caused by pipe strain induced! on the compressor by failure of the spring hanger supporting the suction and dis charge piping to and from the com- pressor. When the sprig hanger was reinstalled, and the springs agjusced to the proper tension, the compressor ‘moved towards its original alignment. — Orbit 25Figure3 However, it was still 0.040 inches (102 mm) out of alignment when the tension was correct ‘The production deparument would not allow the compressor to be shut down for realignment. Therelore, there was no choice but to do an alignment move while in operation. This was done very carefully with dial indicators mounted at each corner of the com pressor and with tke optical alignment ransils zeroed to Lei established! Lines. of sight. With cach movement toward the original alignment, vibration levels decreased until the unit was once again. in position and the vibration level was. hack 10 0.4 mil peak-to-peak. ‘This realignment exercise was observed by some high level plant managers. One of the managers felt that if the compressor wove further, the vibration would cease, When this was done, he was sur prised to see the evel increase ancl became a firm believer that vibration and alignment were directly connected. teach other. For safety reasons, machinery should not be moved while it is in operation, especially ifthe alignment haste change vertically. Horizontal changes can he done very carefully, provided there is no. excessive pipe straia, However, there is ‘no question that the ideal way is lo shu the unit down and then realign the machine. 26 orbit tis important to know the alignment ‘when turbornachinery'is in its dynamic (holinormal) operating conditi Otherwise, the proper static (cold? shutdown) mechanical alignment can- not be obtained. Phere are several ways to obiain this dynamic (hot) alignment data. Of the different methods we will discuss, the optical alignment methed gives the best overall results, ‘Methods for determining hot alignment “The optical method applies optical tooling technology to the thermal growth and moxement (shatt alignment) of rotating machinery. This involves the use of precision optical instruments (Figures 5 & 4) establish precise, detined lines of sight that can be repeated from one ‘optical check to another, An optical scale holder system, capable of the stme pre~ cepeaiability, along with the accu rate documentation af scale locations, is used in conjunction with the insti ments, The optical alignment tec has prosen its usefulness in original installation, repair and maintenance of turbomachinery ‘There are other methods used to determine “hot” alignment, One is the Charlie Jackson method of using prox- snmity probes mounted on water-cooled stands (Figure 5) (Rof.3). These stands are located at each end of each compo- Figure 4 nent in the machine train, with 2 mini- itn of two proximity probes mounted con cack stand to relate the vertical ancl horizontal movements, ‘The results ean then be plotted graphically. This ethod! is @ very good Way to monitor the aligament of train, especially ifthe unit is expased to the elements, sun- light, heavy rain, snow, ete, Chaslie Jackson used this method during his tenure with Monsanto at ‘Texas City, sats, IU is valuable «compare the proximity probe data to the optical data The “Docid Bar” method (Figure 6) (Ret. 4) uses proximity probes mounted fon bars located on each vnit at each coupling location in @ train, One far contains mounted probes which are rel- eroneed to the other bar for the probe gap. Movement of the units is measured by the change in probe gap, and the relative alignment of the train is eale lared and plotied. When actual problem conditions are studied, there is a close correlation between the alignment bars ancl optical readings. Another method is the Acculign Sys- tem, sometimes known as benchmark gauges (Figure 7) (Ref. 5), which uses a spring-loaded telescoping column with spherical seats to accept tooling balls mounted on the machinery and installed in the concrete foundation Angular measurements and displace- ment readings are obtained Irom static ___ June 1993Figures (cold) 10 dynamic (hot) and the sus: pected movementoruhe unitcalculated, both by graphical plotting and by caleu” lator programs set up for this method of alignment, This method, in conjunction with an optical system, produces good. results, ‘The preceding systems are different, but they all produce good results, ‘Therefore, if you don't have a system, got one. with? The most common question asked ment is present is “What can we live with?” The manufacturer of the machinery will tell you ane thing; the coupling manufacturer will tell you another, and Bently Nevada Corpora lion, 2s a service company, may tell you what can we ng manufacturer will advise that their coupling can withstand eis- alignment up to “figure? which isnot relly large and varies among different manufacturers. The figure they reeom- mend ismormally true, and the coupling will withstand that amount of misaligne ment. Meanwhile, what does this mis- alignment do to your bearings, labyrinths, seals ete? The coupling length isthe key factor in determining how much misaligaesent cean be tolerated. Since there are no spe- cific figares, you must have guidelines within which to work. A good figure is (000025 inch (006 mim) for each inch (25.4 mm) of coupling length. This fig- ure can normally be achieved on realignment. Otherwise, an adjustment June 1993 may be required, especially on old instatkutions. If the 0.00025 inch (.006 mm) per inch (25.4 mm) cannot be achieved, the factor can be raised to. 0.0005 inet (.013 mm) per inch (254 mm) of coupling length, This figure cate be achieved, and vibration due to mis- aligament would not be expected to occur from alignment that was with this tolerance, One should not live with misalig ment that exceeds 0.001 inch (25 mm) per inch (25.4 mm) length of coupling. Bently Nevada Corporation can advise a customer about the best alignment for his equipment, but cannot demand that he realign or work to a suggested toler ance, The main criterias, of course, the level of vibration, inwhiea case an alig ment (© suit aeceptable vibration levels must be achieved, One of the best alignment charts pro~ “duced is by John Piotrowski (Figure 8). suggest you obtain a copy of his "Shaft Alignment Handbook; an excellent publication (Ref 6). Optical alignment of turbomachinery from a cold 1 hot state has heen com ‘mon in the petrochemical industry for ‘over twenty years. Optical aligament has been used in the power industry for several years, primarily on boiler feed pumps, duc te a rash of coupling fale ures, shaft eracks andshaft failures. The ‘majority of the Failures were caused by misalignment with [X vibration fee- quency being prominent. The misaligr ‘ment was again primavily the result of pipe strain causing excessive movement ofthe pump. Figure 6 Power industry In the power industry, stub shatts or direetly-coupled shafis are used between turbines and generators and are, therefore, a prime source for shait cracks. Alignment is critical in this industry: ironically, there isa great lack of alignment information. Bently Nev ada isresearchingthe alignment of large power trains to determine what the desired operating or running aligoment should be, In any piece of machinery, the thermal rise can be calentated ‘However, the answer to this calculation has been missed en many occasions, making if more advantageous t mea sure the proper operating alignment. Throughout the world, the power industry typically uses the low pressure turbine as a starting point and caleu- lates the sag or catenary carve of the rotor, which naturally leaves the coup- ling faces out of parallel. By installing a coupling, stub shattor connectingshatts inectly and then ensuring that the faces ‘re parallel, we now have the beginning of a “big banana’ (Figure 9). A “big Tvanena” can be described as @ power train, consisting of two LP turbines, an IP turbine, a HP turbine and a genera tor and exciter which is one extremely ong catenary curve. During optical thermal growth studies of power trains, it has been found that trom a static (cold) shutdown condition to the dynamic (hot) operating condition, the “banana” remains and its condition merely flaticns very slightly Chunges are now being made in the alignment of power goneration nits Orbit 27PTO RIS Figure 7 especially the higher megawatt units which may consist of three LP turbines, ‘one double flow HP tuibine, @ genera~ tor and an exciteror alterex (depending on the manufacturer). All of the LP bearings, phis the inboard HP bearing and the inboard generator bearing, are ncxally etal the same elevation. This willvaryifyou have am IP iurbine rather than the double flow HP turbine and a generatoralterex (Figure 10), Based on static (cold) to dynamic (hor) optical thermal growth data on record, other changes have been sug- ested. However. it is very difficult 10 conwinee the power generation com panies to vary from the OEMalignmeat standard, even when they are experienc- w excessive vibration levels on their machinery. Nevertheless, some power companies have changed their machi ety alignments 1 correspond 1 the served data, On small curbine generator units showing high levels of vibration and where alignment is suspected as the cause, itis generally the excessive heighht of the generator outhoard pedestal that is actually the cause, This alignment is, exen more critical when the unit con sists of only three bearings, with the middle bearing either part of the cur- bine o: part of a speed-reducing gear. Cracks have appeared in both the gen- erator and turbine shafts directly behind the coupling flange, due primar- ily to the excessive height of the ovt- board generator pedest 28 omit In the power industry, one of the prime uses of the optical method of alignment is to set diaphragms in the turbines as itis much quicker snd acca- rate than the olf piano wire method. When using an optical alignment leleseope with a target installed in the diaphragm, the diaphragm can be removed, adjustments made and the diaphragm ceinsialled, With the piano ‘wire method, the wite must be removed to lift out, adjust and reinstall the dia- phragm, sind the wire needs to be rein- stalled and reset each time a diaphragm requires adjustment The alignment laser is another align ment method. Lasers arent extensively used for the aligament of turbomachin- ery from a statie to dynamic condition Many people think a laser is mote acca- rate than the optical method, but actu- ally they are very comparable. The optical method is preferable over a short distance (50 feet) and the laser method is preferable over langer distances. A poser train normally consists of an HP and IP tusbine, two LP turbines, 2 generator and an exciter, which adds up to twelve bearings. The Number I bear: ing and the Number 12 hearing would typically be 150 feet (46 metres) t0 200 fect (61 meties) apart, This is @ good alignment laser application, especially if the Number | and 12 bearings are used als the references and all the inter mediate bearings are aligned to that ret: crenced laser beam, OF course, the eatenary curve must be within the range 4 n woh era Figure ofthe laser. In other words, the Number and 12 bearings could not be at an clevation that was out of the range of the laser compared to the lowest LP bearing. All rotors would have 10 be removed to accomplish this, and that rarely occurs, “This brings us back to a point made earlier: the calculated position of the intermediate bearings is « static (cold) position. What is the alignment of the bearings while in operation? In the power, petrochemical, gas transmission and otter industries, the alignment laser can be used to align something that has a bore, Examples are a turbine with the rotor remoxcd, & plastic extruder with the feedserew removed or a reciprocating engine with the crankshaft removed. These machines ean be aligned more quickly using opties as they are all short length items and itis quicker and easier to set up optics. There ate many situations when the optical method would be pre: ferted over the laser method and vice versa. It all depends on the situation and, in some cases, your preference. There are several ways 10 observe a machine's dynamic response 10 a mis- alignment condition, IF machines use hydrodynamic bearings for rotor sup. port, an orthogonal pair of noncantact- ing probes is typically used at cach bearing tor both machinery monitoring and for diagnostic purposes. Using these probes, the rotors orbit ur shalt centerline motion can be directly oo June 1993— aepon soreel thie tates tae she corer one eae Syren at yo fepo | : 1 — ia cas gnnent | 6 r oon wm eorg Nuva ‘pel Cele Apart ot Paver Figure ne us ae ‘rk CLR Generator 1 ple observed, allowing an analyst to deter ‘min the degree of preloading, Preloads. are defined us unidirectional, steady stale forces acting radially on a rotating, clement. Machine-to-machine mis- alignment is one type of preloading ‘Thus, the osbital pattern represents the direct response of the rotor. IT iL is abnormal. indicating a preloaded con dition, the static alignment can, and Should, be investigated. Another common method of detect ing.a machine's response to 2 preload is Uhrough observation of a shatt’s position in its bearing using proximity probes Due to normal steady state forees acting ona sotorsystem, 2 ro10r will move 1D AM, equilibrium position within the con: straints of its bearing. If the rotor is, acted upon by ottier loads, such as mis alignment, then the rotor will respond to these loads by moving 10 another location, The change in position will vary depending upon the strength aad June 1993. bh— tT earns nbore Figure 10 disection of the preload force. changes in the orbital pattern, chang in the Shaft Centerline position merit investigation with machine-lo-machine misalignment being one of the possible forces causing the change. Conclusion: Good alignment reducesstress on the rotors, This means a smoother aperat- ing machine, less downtime and lower maintenance cost. If a machine has been property aligned and optical data thas been eecorded, and vibration levels subsequently increase, it is a simple matter to check the alignment and doiermine if misalignment is the eause of the change in vibration levels, Once cannot overemphasize the importance of alignment in the world ot turbomachinery. It also plays « big part in the reciprocating compressor and engine worlds. Therefore, think align: ment when your Orbit looks flat — eac4533 References: Jckion, Charles, Aligomet Prog foe Two Casings Using Reverse Indicitor Techniques. Oot, Bently Nevada Corpo ration, Volume 7.9.3, October 198, ALign Manufetwsing Ca, PO. Box S51, [Port Toeis P81 Jackson, Charles, “Aliganentby Proximity Probes! The Practoal Wario Primer, Chapter 9, Gu Pebsishing Ca, BO. Nos 2408, Heuston, Tess 700, Dod, UR, Shaft Alignment Mentoring Cuts Costs Oil & Gas Jour, September 1 Essinger, IN. A Closer Lock at Tasbo- machinecy Alignment, Hyrecattos Pro essing, Septeoe 1072 Plotionsk.J, ShattAtgnment Hancock, Marcel Deke, Ine.,New York Cis, New York 986 Camptell, AL. Opyical Alignment of Tur Ieamachinery Protvedings Second Anal Inteenationst Tarbumachinery Sympa- sium, Texas A&M Lnersity, October 073 Campoctl, AJ. Aligament ot Turbo- machinery. Proceedings Second Annual International Turorochinery Congisss Stngipor, 18 Orbit 29