Development of Test Stand for Measuring Aerodynamic, Erosion, and Rotordynamic Performance of a Centrifugal Compressor Under Wet Gas Conditions

As the oil and gas industry addresses technology challenges for accessing gas reserves and enhancing the production of existing installations, wet gas compression becomes an important technology focus. When liquid is introduced into a compressor flow stream, the performance of the compressor is significantly influenced. Therefore, a concentrated effort is required to develop the tools to adequately predict the performance of the compressor when subjected to wet gas conditions. A series of tests were performed on a single stage compressor in a wet gas environment in order to provide empirical data for understanding how to predict wet gas performance. The compressor underwent aerodynamic, erosion, and rotordynamic performance testing. The tests were completed with a mixture of air and water at suction pressures of 10, 15, and 18.5 bar. The compressor was subjected to a multiphase flow with liquid volume fractions ranging from 0 to 3% (corresponding to a mass fraction of 73%) at three Mach numbers. Transient tests with liquid load variation were also done. This paper describes the test stand that was developed and operated for testing of the compressor in a wet gas environment. This includes a review of the overall test set-up, description of key test components and of the instrumentation installed on the compressor and the test loop. An overview of main test results is eventually shown.