Location: Western Australia
Commodity: Natural Gas
Machine Type: Dresser-Rand D6R10B Centrifugal Compressors – Driven by Solar Taurus 70 Gas Turbine
Project Timing: December 2020 to July 2021
Skillsets Required: Design, Problem Solving, Project Management, Stringent Safety Awareness
Project Overview
In late 2020, a client approached Rotation Solutions (RS) to scope and repair the internal cladding of a Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU) attached to a compressor and turbine assembly.
Early instructions were that cladding within the exhaust ducting had deteriorated significantly over time.
The OEM initially recommended a complete replacement of the internal cladding, leading to significant downtime of the compressor unit and increased production risk to the entire facility.
Inspection of the exhaust ducting revealed that studs supporting the internal cladding had broken at several points, with further analysis showing loose washers in several locations.
With the stack itself beginning to fail, the RS team’s challenge was: To determine the optimal repair strategy for the continued operation of the unit, considering effects on safety, gas production and maintenance cost.
The Solution
Rather than relying on the recommended method of stripping and replacing the cladding, the team took it upon themselves to explore a new and novel solution.
Leveraging CAD and an in-house 3D printer, they manufactured a set of bespoke part prototypes to allow for localised, in-situ repairs. The team estimated this approach could provide significant time savings on the job.
RS Engineer Mark Wicks, who was heavily involved with the process, spoke about the onsite inspections and the brainstorming sessions leading up to the project.
“We wanted to avoid stripping the entire elbow, provide a cost-saving and deliver a repair that would last the life of the unit,” Mark said.
“Once we had conducted the initial inspection and broken down the task, we used CAD and our 3D printer to design and create the prototypes, which was pretty cool.”
As it turned out, thanks to the custom tooling on hand, the RS team could then apply their prototype work to simplify the solution even further.
“In the end, we were able to conduct point repairs and avoid stripping the unit,” Mark continued.
“By thinking outside the box, RS was able to develop a suitable solution that limited downtime, improved safety and decreased costs.”
“Which meant we had a happy client.”
The Outcome
The RS solution delivered an estimated cost saving of approx. AUD 1.2 million Vs removing and re-lining three elbows in their entirety.
While In addition, mitigating the production risk when compared against the traditional method, applied over multiple units.
The 3D printed parts allowed the team to confirm the viability of a final fix and for the welding team to understand the issue and visualise the solution.
