1 Copyright 2009 by ASME

THE USE OF INTERFERENCE DIAGRAMS TO AVOID IMPELLER RESONANCE:

AN APPLICATION TO IGV DESIGN
Marco Ferioli
Air Liquide Engineering
Champigny-Sur-Marne, 94503, France
ABSTRACT
Interference diagrams can be used to avoid the potential
excitation of a particular mode of vibration for centrifugal
compressor impellers, thus reducing the risk of fatigue
failures.
Such diagrams are an excellent tool to combine information
on impeller natural frequencies and mode shapes, excitation
sources and operating speed of the machine on the same
graph.
Once the impeller design has been finalized in terms of
aerodynamic performance, structural assessments and
therefore geometry, Finite Element Analysis can be used to
predict its natural frequencies and mode shapes (i.e. nodal
diameters).
Results can therefore be shown on a chart, together with the
operating speed range of the machine.
The need to plot on a single diagram this whole set of data
arises from the mathematical evidence to consider the
frequency of vibration together with the mode shape and the
shape of the exciting force, while analyzing resonances.
Typical Campbell diagrams are unable to provide this
information at a glance.
A common source of excitation for the first impeller of
centrifugal compressors is the IGV set. Inlet Guide Vanes
produce an exciting frequency that is directly proportional to
the number of vanes N, where N represents also the shape of
the excitation.
The interference diagram can therefore be used:
- to design and optimize the IGV for a new machine
- to choose between two different designs
- to evaluate the impact of a new IGV for the impeller
of an existing compressor
A case study will be introduced, in order to show the
application of interference diagrams to avoid potentially
dangerous resonances between an IGV set and the first
impeller during the re-design phase for a centrifugal
compressor already in operation.
INTRODUCTION
Many parameters are taken into account while designing
an IGV and many disciplines concur in generating the
optimum result:
- aerodynamic performance must be satisfactory
(correct inlet and outlet gas angles, correct solidity, no
boundary layer separation, acceptable performance
over the whole compressor operating range)
- pressure losses must be kept at a minimum
- structural stresses of the blades must be kept below
material capabilities
- manufacturing and assembly constraints have to be
evaluated
- costs of production has to be acceptable
- potential resonances have to be avoided
The number of vanes is very critical for potential impeller
resonance issues downstream the IGV set and the interference
diagram is useful to give a clear indication of the possible
solutions for the IGV design.
In fact, for all manufactures, impellers are chosen among
groups of standard design and it would not be practical to
modify the geometry to fix a resonance problem.
Disk and shroud thickness is often already reduced to a
minimum, and the blade shape is determined by the
aerodynamic design, so that there is no margin to significantly
modify the natural frequency of the impeller.
On the other end, it is impossible to eliminate a-priori all the
potential resonances because the same impeller may have a
wide range of applications and may be manufactured with
different materials (different specific weight and Young
modulus, of course, yield different natural frequencies for a
given geometry).
Proceedings of the ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences &
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2 Copyright 2009 by ASME
As a consequence, an IGV redesign is often necessary to tackle
such issues and an optimization process appears regularly
during the requisition phase of new units, although many
efforts are put into the creation of master models or standard
drawings.
Basic Theory
The presence of Inlet Guide Vanes in front of a centrifugal
compressor impeller generates an excitation on the impeller
itself. Such force can be expressed by means of a Fourier
series, whose single predominant component has a frequency
equal to:
f
IGV
=
60
K N
(1)
where:
f
IGV
= frequency, Hertz
N= compressor rotating speed, RPM
K= number of vanes
The force applied on the impeller can therefore be written as:
F
K
(t,u) = A
K
sin[K(et +u)] (2)
being u the angular position on the impeller. Likewise, the
generic M-th mode shape with M nodal diameters produces a
displacement that can be written as:
X
M
(t,u) = A
M
sin(e
M
t +Mu)] (3)
In a condition of resonance the force applied on the impeller
does positive work, thus increasing vibration amplitudes. In
mathematical form this can be expressed as:
W =
} }

X T
F
K
dX
M
> 0 (4)
In equation (4):
T = one full period of the harmonic

X = domain over which the force is applied (for this

particular case the domain is described by 0sus2t)
As Singh et al. have highlighted [3], equation (4) yields the
following result:
W= Nt A
M
A
K
if K=M and Ke=e
M
(5)
W=0 if KM or Kee
M
(6)
The physical meaning of equations (5) and (6) is that, using a
simplified model in which force is described as in equation (2)
and displacement is described as in equation (3), positive work
is done by the force F
K
(t,u) only when the following
conditions are simultaneously verified:
- there is coincidence between the nodal diameters of
the mode shape and the shape of the excitation
- the natural frequency of the vibration is equal to the
frequency of the applied force
It is important to remark that both these two conditions must
occur at the same time. In any other case the work done by the
force described in equation (2) would be equal to zero.
Such result, as reported in [1] and [2] is the basic principle
behind the creation of the interference diagram
There is another point to be considered, though. Given N
B
as
the number of blades of the impeller, it can be easily shown
that the maximum number of nodal diameters M
MAX
of any
mode shape is equal to:
- N
B
/2 for even number of blades
- (N
B
-1) /2 for odds number of blades
It could therefore be assumed from equation (5) that, any IGV
set with a number of blades greater than M
MAX
would not cause
any trouble from a resonance standpoint.
In reality, however, shrouded multi-bladed disks and impellers
show complicated mode shapes that cannot be described with a
single harmonic content (3u or 9u for example) like in
equation (3).
In stationary terms, the displacement of the generic M-th mode
shape, rather than being in the form:
X
M
(u) = A
M
cos(Mu) (7)
would therefore appear as:
X
M
(u) =

A
Mt
cos(tu+
t
) (8)
It can be shown that the parameter t can be expressed in the
form:
t=Mi N
B
(9)
being i=0,1,2,3N
B
, so that the condition expressed in
equation (5) remains valid not only for K=M but more
generally:
W= Nt A
M
A
K
if K=abs[Mi N
B
] and Ke=e
M
(10)
As a consequence of (10), the generic mode with M nodal
diameters can be excited by a force whose mode shape is not
coincident with the M-th modal displacement but satisfies the
relation K=abs[Mi N
B
]. The frequencies of course must be
coincident.
3 Copyright 2009 by ASME
In physical terms this can be explained by looking at the two
signals on a single plot. If (10) is satisfied, then the two curves
will always intersect every O degrees, being O the angle
subtended between two consecutive blades.
Simple tables can be generated to find out which forces could
excite a particular mode shape.
Lets assume for example to analyze a 17 blades impeller.
Tables 1 and 2 depict the condition K=abs[Mi N
B
].
Only cases for i=0,1,2,3 are represented.
N
B
=17 K=M+i N
B
M 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=1 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
i=2 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
i=3 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
Table 1. Graphical representation of K=M+i N
B
.
N
B
=17 K=abs(M-i N
B
)
M 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=1 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9
i=2 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26
i=3 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43
Table 2. Graphical representation of K=abs[M-i N
B
].
It is clear from the tables above that, for instance, an IGV set
with 21 blades can create a resonance of the mode shape with
4 nodal diameters is the frequencies of the two signals are
coincident.
EXAMPLE OF INTERFERENCE DIAGRAM
An example of Interference Diagram is shown in Fig.1 for
an impeller whose natural frequencies and mode shapes are
determined through Finite Element Analysis (for this case as
well N
B
=17).
The speed range represented in the chart is 70-105%; it can be
noted that there is a natural mode with 3 nodal diameters
whose frequency is positioned within the compressor speed
range. Such mode, according to Tables 1 and 2 can be excited
by a force having the same frequency and with a harmonic
content K=3, 14, 20, as well as other values that can be derived
from formula (9).
Once the diagram is generated, it is important to assess what
are the possible exciting forces and which is their harmonic
content.
An example will be provided in the Case Study paragraph.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
0 2 4 6 8
Mode Shape - Nodal Diameter
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
[
H
z
]
Figure 1: Example of Interference Diagram for an
impeller.
Multiple reflections can be plotted to represent the chart at
higher frequencies but, for simplicity, only the first reflection is
provided.
IGV DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION
A proper design of the IGV blades, as described in the
Introduction paragraph, has to satisfy many requirements that
seem often to yield discrepancies in how the optimum
configuration should look like.
For example, the level of solidity o
IGV
can be defined with the
following expression:
o
IGV
=
M
M
R 2
KC
t
(11)
being
K= number of vanes, consistently with previous notation
C
M
=mean chord of the IGV blade
R
M
= mean radius of the IGV blade
In order to target a specified value of solidity o
X
(determined
for instance through CFD analysis), it could be possible to
increase the number of blades or to increase the mean chord of
the blade itself.
4 Copyright 2009 by ASME
On the contrary, in order to minimize the aerodynamic losses
of the IGV, a convenient design choice would be to reduce both
N
IGV
and C
M
.
Figure 2 shows the geometrical definition of the terms in
equation (11).
Figure 2: Geometrical definition of the terms in equation (11).
The guide vanes themselves are also subjected to possible
resonances induced by the 1X, 2X, 3X shaft rotation
frequencies and the so called impeller blade passing frequency,
f
IMP
, equal to:
f
IMP
=
60
N N
B

(12)
It is therefore mandatory to perform a Finite Element Analysis
(or hammer ping test) of the final geometry for the IGV. It is
standard procedure to produce a Campbell diagram and make
sure there are no resonances between the aforementioned
frequencies and the IGV natural frequencies with typical safety
separation margins in the order of 10-20%.
It appears clear at this point that impeller and inlet guide vane
designs are tightly connected and engineers should ideally
proceed through step-by-step refinements and an iterative
process of analysis and verification.
As a matter-of-fact, it is more practical to start from a given
impeller Interference Diagram, select the value of K (number
of blades of the IGV) that would not cause any resonances and
proceed with the vane design.
It is also true that most manufacturers have master models of
typical geometries with a defined number of vanes; it is
anyway quite simple, through automated drawing techniques,
to obtain an updated model with the desired number of vanes.
A typical profile for an Inlet Guide Vane is from the NACA
symmetric series as the one shown in figure 3. A shroud can be
added to increase the stiffness of the first bending mode of
each blade and possibly avoid resonances.
Through parametric CAD techniques, a 3D model like the one
shown below can be easily and quickly adjusted and optimized.
Parameters could, for example, be defined to represent:
- Blade height at trailing edge
- Blade height at leading edge
- Mean chord
- Metal blade angle at leading edge
- Metal blade angle at trailing edge
- Number of vanes
- Maximum blade thickness
- Distribution of thickness along the chord
- Fillets between blade and disk
Such features would allow a quick regeneration of the model
each time one of the parameters needs changing. A direct link
to any commercial Finite Element software, finally, allows
keeping track of the natural frequencies and mode shape with
each change.
Figure 3: Typical symmetric NACA profile for IGV blade.
The following paragraph details a case study in which all the
presented concepts have been applied.
5 Copyright 2009 by ASME
The process flowchart adopted to achieve a valid IGV design is
represented below (Fig. 4).
IMPELLER GEOMETRY AND MATERIAL IS
SELECTED THROUGH THERMODYNAMIC
DESIGN / CENTRIFUGAL STRESSES
EVALUATION / ANALYSIS OF GAS
COMPOSITION
FE MODAL ANALYSIS AND DEFINITION OF
INTERFERENCE DIAGRAM WITH
COMPRESSOR SPEED RANGE, IMPELLER
NATURAL FREQUENCIES AND MODE
SHAPES
A REASONABLE NUMBER OF IGV BLADES K
IS CHOSEN NOT TO HAVE RESONANCES
WITH FIRST IMPELLER WITHIN THE
COMPRESSOR SPEED RANGE
IGV BLADE SHAPE IS OPTIMIZED TO
PROVIDE PROPER AERODYNAMIC ANGLES,
SOLIDITY AND LOW LOSSES
OPTIONAL CFD ANALYSIS OR MODEL
TESTING IS PERFORMED ON IGV
MODAL ANALYSIS IS PERFORMED ON IGV
TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO
RESONANCES WITH 1X,2X MECHANICAL
FREQUENCIES AND FIRST IMPELLER BLADE
PASSING FREQUENCY
O
P
T
I
M
I
Z
A
T
I
O
N
C
Y
C
L
E
IMPELLER GEOMETRY AND MATERIAL IS
SELECTED THROUGH THERMODYNAMIC
DESIGN / CENTRIFUGAL STRESSES
EVALUATION / ANALYSIS OF GAS
COMPOSITION
FE MODAL ANALYSIS AND DEFINITION OF
INTERFERENCE DIAGRAM WITH
COMPRESSOR SPEED RANGE, IMPELLER
NATURAL FREQUENCIES AND MODE
SHAPES
A REASONABLE NUMBER OF IGV BLADES K
IS CHOSEN NOT TO HAVE RESONANCES
WITH FIRST IMPELLER WITHIN THE
COMPRESSOR SPEED RANGE
IGV BLADE SHAPE IS OPTIMIZED TO
PROVIDE PROPER AERODYNAMIC ANGLES,
SOLIDITY AND LOW LOSSES
OPTIONAL CFD ANALYSIS OR MODEL
TESTING IS PERFORMED ON IGV
MODAL ANALYSIS IS PERFORMED ON IGV
TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO
RESONANCES WITH 1X,2X MECHANICAL
FREQUENCIES AND FIRST IMPELLER BLADE
PASSING FREQUENCY
O
P
T
I
M
I
Z
A
T
I
O
N
C
Y
C
L
E
Figure 4: Flowchart for IGV design/optimization.
The optimization cycle is performed until the combined
performance of the IGV/Impeller system, conceived as a
whole, is satisfactory from a mechanical and aerodynamic
point of view.
CASE STUDY
A brief description of a case study is presented here in
order to provide an example of application for the concepts
described in the previous sections.
Machine Description
The centrifugal compressor described in this paragraph is
a gas turbine driven pipeline compressor with a 60-105%
speed range. It has been in operation since the early 90s and is
equipped with an old design IGV set (only 4 vanes and very
low solidity). Since its installation on-site, the compressor has
shown a vibration spectrum with significant asynchronous
content (similar to the one displayed in Figure 5), whose
appearance has been immediately connected with the poor IGV
design.
Figure 5: Vibration spectrum of machine with old-design IGV.
The first impeller of the rotor has 17 blades and its
interference diagram is shown in Figure 6.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
0 2 4 6 8
Mode Shape - Nodal Diameter
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
[
H
z
]
Figure 6: Interference diagram of the first impeller of the rotor.
6 Copyright 2009 by ASME
The impeller is a large closed-type 3D one (i.e. the impeller
blades evolve from leading to trailing edge not only in the
radial section of the gas flow-path but starting from the axial
section). In order to tackle the vibration issues, it was proposed
to change the existing IGV set with another one being
developed for different applications. The parametric master
model was a 16 vanes high solidity design with tapered blades.
The geometry was adjusted to fit the inlet volute design of the
existing compressor and final drawings were generated before
performing the final resonance check with the impeller
interference diagram.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
0 2 4 6 8
Mode Shape - Nodal Diameter
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
[
H
z
]
N
B
=17 K=abs(M-i N
B
)
M 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=1 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9
i=2 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26
i=3 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43
Figure 7: Interference diagram with exciting force.
It can be clearly seen from Figure 7 that, within the operating
speed range of the compressor, an exciting force with K=16
(such as the one generated downstream the IGV set) would
generate a resonance with the natural mode of the impeller
characterized by one nodal diameter and highlighted in the
chart. It is also of fundamental importance, once the Finite
Analysis model is produced, to interpret the different mode
shapes, in order to assess the risk of failure associated with
them. Relative amplitudes and normalized stress distribution
help in determining whether the risk associated with a
resonance is relevant or not. Such analysis, anyway, is out of
the scope of the present investigation. Based on the results
shown in Figure 7, it was decided to generate a new IGV
model with 14 vanes. Figure 8 displays the safety of the choice.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
0 2 4 6 8
Mode Shape - Nodal Diameter
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
[
H
z
]
N
B
=17 K=abs(M-i N
B
)
M 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
i=1 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9
i=2 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26
i=3 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43
Figure 8: Interference diagram with new exciting force.
The model that had already been finalized (as shown in Figure
9) was discarded and a new design process was launched.
Figure 4 details such process:
- the impeller interference diagram is generated
- the number of vanes is chosen for the IGV, in order to
avoid any resonances. In this particular case it was
decided to have K=14
- a new IGV blade is optimized
- 3D CAD model is generated
- CFD analysis is performed on the IGV+Impeller
assembly to check aerodynamic performance
- 3D Finite Element model and mesh is generated from
the 3D CAD drawings
- modal analysis is performed on the IGV set to make
sure potential resonances are avoided (with blade
passing frequency and 1X, 2X mechanical
frequencies)
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At this point the validation of the model can be considered as
completed as all possible interactions between the vanes and
the impeller have been taken into account. Manufacturing of
the actual component can therefore be started.
Figure 9: Discarded IGV model with 16 vanes.
An example of CFD analysis on an IGV set of blades is shown
in Figure 10. Velocity contour plots are visualized to assess
incidence angles, boundary layer separation or vortex
formation.
Figure 10: CFD analysis on IGV.
The manufacturing and the assembly of the component was
followed by field testing.
The new vibration spectrum, as shown in Figure 11, has a
much lower content in terms of sub-synchronous frequencies
and was deemed as acceptable by the customer.
Figure 11: Vibration spectrum of machine with new-design
IGV.
CONCLUSION
A case study was provided as an example of application of
interference diagrams for centrifugal compressor impellers.
The starting point of the investigation was a vibration issue
during on-site operation of a pipeline compressor. The
presence of sub-synchronous vibration, visible on the spectrum
in Figure 5, particularly during high flow operating conditions,
has immediately been connected to an improper IGV design.
The aerodynamic forces acting on the portion of the shaft
upstream the first impeller are, in the right portion of the
compressor maps, of the same order of magnitude of the
compressor weight. The turbulent nature of the flow caused by
the low-solidity of the inlet vanes therefore induces low
frequency vibration.
The necessity of a re-design of the IGV set is the starting point
of the current investigation.
The interference diagram for the first impeller of the rotor is
generated from the Finite Element results. The original design
of the vanes does not create any resonances on the impeller
natural modes of vibration.
Through the application of a step-by-step design process as the
one described in the flow-chart of Figure 4, the new geometry
of the vanes takes form based on the results of aerodynamic
and mechanical calculations.
It is important to note that any interference issue connected
with the impeller downstream the IGV is excluded a-priori
based on the interference diagram.
The use of an existing geometry to replace the old one was
excluded based on this approach.
It should be noted, as a corollary, that further analyses lead to
the conclusion that other parameters should be taken into
account for evaluating the impact of inlet guide vanes on
impeller resonance; the distance along the flow-path between
8 Copyright 2009 by ASME
the vanes trailing edge and the impeller leading edge, for
example, could be enlarged so that the wakes of the IGV and
the pressure cyclic pulsations along the 360 are actually
dampened and no longer a dangerous source of excitation.
Charts are therefore being prepared to include such parameter
in the investigation. It is anyway recommended to avoid the
possibility of resonances a-priori if that is feasible; the
application of interference diagrams is simple and
straightforward enough to be considered as a very effective tool
to prevent impeller failures.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the ex-colleagues in Italy that helped
me in putting together the material for this paper and Murari
Singh for explaining and detailing the concepts and the
applications of the SAFE Interference Diagram during a
Workshop at the GE Oil&Gas headquarters in Florence, Italy.
REFERENCES
[1] Singh, M. P. and Vargo, J. J., 1989, Reliability Evaluation
of Shrouded Blading Using the SAFE Interference Diagram,
Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbine and Power, 111, pp.
601-609.
[2] Singh, M. P. and Vargo, J. J., Schiffer, D. M., and Dello, J.
D., 1988, Safe Diagram- A Design Reliability Tool for
Turbine Blading, Proceedings of the Seventeenth
Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery Laboratory,
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, pp. 93-101.
[3] Singh, M. P. and Thakur, B. H., and Sullivan W. E., 2003,
Resonance Identification for Impellers, Proceedings of the
Thirty-second Turbomachinery Symposium, Turbomachinery
Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas pp.
59-70.