CONTACT:
Harold Simmons, P.E.
Machinery Vibration
  Services
(210) 522-2557
E-mail: hsimmons@swri.org


link to machinery vibration services brochures
link to machinery vibration services contacts
link to machinery vibration services and SwRI company information
link to machinery vibration services home page

KEY TERMS:
 power plant fan
 systems
 troubleshooting
 power plant exhaust
 systems
 air supply systems
 exhaust duct systems
 duct system problems
 engineering services

Machinery Vibration Services
Fan and Duct Dynamics

 

To operate efficiently, power plants must optimize the aerodynamic and mechanical performance of fan and duct systems. Dynamics problems, such as foundation resonance amplification, acoustic resonance, and panel and bellows damage, must be resolved as quickly as possible to minimize damage. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has more than 20 years of experience in troubleshooting power plant exhaust and air supply system problems.

image of exhaust duct system
Acoustic resonance in an exhaust duct system, which can cause panel and bellows damage, is identified by SwRI staff.

Typical Fan and Duct Problems

image of SwRI engineer troubleshooting fan system problem
Fan system problems are resolved because of SwRI 20 years of experience.
graphic of modal testing and strain gage telemetry
To eliminate blade fatigue caused by resonance, engineers combine modal testing with strain gage telemetry.

Various fan and duct system problems include:

  • Shaft critical speed operation

  • Foundation resonance amplification

  • Disk wobble from center-plate flexibility

  • Shaft thermal bow

  • Excessive noise

  • Shaft and impeller cracking

  • Unstable variable speed drives

  • Fan rotating stall

  • Flow-induced vibration

  • Blade fatigue failure

Diagnostic Services

To identify and resolve dynamic fan and duct problems quickly, a comprehensive series of quick-response SwRI engineering services is available, including:

  • Troubleshooting and consultation

  • In situ multi-plane balancing

  • Modal testing of shafts

  • Modal testing of impellers

  • Foundation shaker testing

  • Structure shaker testing

  • Duct acoustic modes mapping

  • Structural modes mapping

  • Shaft strain telemetry

  • Blade strain telemetry

  • Remote diagnostic monitoring

  • Computational fluid dynamics analysis

  • Finite element analysis

  • Rotor dynamic modeling

  • Duct acoustic modeling

  • Noise measurements

  • Vibration measurements

  • Pulsation measurements

  • Performance testing

  • Performance diagnostics

For more information about machinery vibration services or fan and duct dynamics capabilities at SwRI, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact  Harold Simmons, P.E. at hsimmons@swri.org or (210) 522-2557.


Mechanical and Fluids Engineering Department
  Mechanical & Materials Engineering Division SwRI Home

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.