Simulation and experimental study on vibration and noise of shale gas compressor main unit

Abstract A Shale gas compressor is the key equipment for shale gas extraction; its larger vibration noise seriously threatens the health of operators. Therefore, this paper takes the main unit of the DTY-500 reciprocating compressor as the research object. Based on the finite element method and the boundary element method, a transient simulation method for the vibration and noise of the compressor main unit is proposed to study its vibration and noise characteristics. The relevant vibration and noise tests were carried out to verify the accuracy of the simulation results. The results show that the vibration of the compressor main unit is concentrated in the area of the cylinder and buffer tank, the maximum vibration intensity of 17.52 mm s −1 , which occurs at the free end of the secondary inlet buffer tank in the reciprocating direction, and through the vibration experiments to measure the vibration intensity of the key parts of the nodes in the reciprocating, vertical, axial direction of the three directions of vibration experiments and the simulation of the value of the average error of 7.34%, 11.28%, 8.98%, respectively. The compressor main unit’s overall noise sound pressure level is between 70dB–100dB, noise significant frequency bands are the center frequency of 63–250 Hz within the 1/3 octave band, the field point total A-weighted sound pressure level average of 91 dB (A) or so, the experimental measurement of the compressor main unit of the average sound pressure level of each measurement point is 93.4 dB (A), the error is 2.5%. The study’s results provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for shale gas pressurization equipment’s vibration and noise reduction.