Is it necessary to install a displacement sensor on the compressor of a hydrogenation unit?
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Is it necessary to install a displacement interlock for the fresh hydrogen compressor and the circulating hydrogen compressor in hydrogenation units? I’ve seen that many machines are equipped with such an interlock, but manufacturers generally don’t use it. Do you think it’s necessary to have a displacement interlock in place?
I think it is still necessary to have such settings, especially for machinery units; as large-scale equipment, the principle of putting safety first remains essential. Moreover, parameters such as displacement and vibration can provide a comprehensive assessment of the operating condition of a unit, laying the foundation for its long-term operation. We specify that a displacement of the machine unit reaching ±400μm is one of the conditions for shutting down the machine.
The hydrogen compressor I just installed doesn’t have this feature, and it works fine when in operation
Displacement interlock is necessary to effectively ensure the safety of the unit.
All the compressors I’ve seen are equipped with this interlock, but in actual production operations it is usually removed and not used. Another one is the anti-surge interlock for centrifuges; it’s rarely used. I saw one installation where, despite no major issues initially, a problem arose and the interlock triggered an immediate shutdown, almost causing an emergency stop across the entire plant. Later, the engineers removed this interlock as well.
Neither the new hydrogen compressor nor the circulation pump in our facility is equipped with displacement detection; during the trial run at Luoyang Petrochemical, their compressors did have displacement detection
Ours also has it set up, and there’s interlocking for anti-surge as well; personally, I think anti-surge is not necessary.
It is necessary to have this in place, as it allows one to monitor the operating condition of the equipment. By comparing it with data from previous operations, it is possible to detect any sinking of the reciprocating machine shafts in a timely manner, and to report and address such issues promptly in order to prevent serious accidents. As for the displacement interlock for centrifuges, it is used by everyone.
Our cyclic hydrogen compressors are also equipped with shaft displacement interlocks, limited to 0.7 mm, and other temperature and vibration interlocks are equally necessary
Our company’s hydrogen press has a hydrogen outlet pressure of 9.5 Mpa, and there is no vibration issue. The motors are from Siemens; one of these motors had problems with its shaft even before it was tested!
We are preparing to add a hydrogenation unit; personally, I think what was said on the 2nd floor makes sense.