Piping Induced Vibration Services

Our dedicated engineers undertake assessments of piping systems and process units to identify and control induced vibration phenomena. We primarily follow the principles of the Energy Institute. We do also work with other design codes such as those of BP, Shell, Petronas, Saudi Aramco, ADNOC and Exxon.

We offer a wide range of services to deal with induced vibration, from full system checks to dedicated assessments. The two most common types of assessment we conduct are acoustic induced vibration and flow induced vibration.

Acoustic Induced Vibration (AIV)

A common problem in high pressurised gas systems are the rapid depressurisation of systems resulting in high mass flow rates and large pressure drops which result in sound pressure waves transmitting through the system and attenuating to atmosphere, sometimes causing significant vibration to transmit through the pipe.

WKC will identify at-risk pressure-reducing devices to determine the likelihood of failure at all points of discontinuity downstream of the identified high-risk devices and provide recommendations for their mitigation.

  • control valves

  • pressure relief valves

  • blowdown devices

  • restriction orifices

Flow Induced Vibration (FIV)

Piping systems in long term service that have high operating velocities and substantial mass flows generate significant amounts of kinetic energy. If left unchecked the turbulence in the system can lead to plastic deformation through a number of loading cycles, primarily through failure at welds between adjacent pipework.

WKC will identify lines at risk of FIV on the basis of several criteria and conduct a screening assessment to quantify the likelihood of long-term low frequency FIV failure for all high-risk main line pipes. By applying certain principles we are able to make our client’s assets safer, and reduce the likelihood of disruptions to production from long-term flow induced vibration failure.

Induced Piping Vibration

Click on the links below to view the full list of our noise and vibration services: