Rotor dynamics

Our rotor dynamics expertise helps you ensure safe, reliable operation of your equipment.

Why rotor dynamics is vital

Rotor dynamics deals with the vibration of rotating systems – from high speed turbines, compressors and pumps, to larger and slower marine tailshafts – almost any type of rotating equipment.

Any rotating equipment will have critical speeds (natural frequencies) at which vibration levels increase. These natural frequencies can be stable or unstable and an unstable natural frequency can be disastrous! Our team of experts can help you avoid the following rotor dynamics related root causes:

  • Catastrophic failure due to instability
  • Excessive bearing or seal wear leading to reliability or availability issues
  • Fatigue or failure of shafts, or other elements in close proximity including casings or mounts
  • Excessive vibration limiting performance.

We understand that safe, reliable operation of equipment is vital. And our rotor dynamics capability can help you ensure that problems are designed out, avoided or quickly resolved.

How we can help

Design and analysis

The rotor dynamic behaviour of a machine is often key to the design of rotating equipment, right from the concept design stage. We are very experienced at using our rotor dynamics knowledge and analytical capabilities to ensure that concepts and designs will be free from critical speed or stability problems, and robust and insensitive to changes in key parameters. We are well integrated with our wider structural analysis and design teams as part of our rotating machinery centre, and able to take on anything from full scale blank sheet design in-house to providing our rotor dynamics expertise to assist your own design teams and processes.

Independent assurance and peer review

We understand that rotor dynamic problems can be both safety-critical and extremely costly to resolve, in terms of parts, labour and machine downtime – so we can assist owners, operators or integrators in providing assurance against rotor dynamic problems and minimising risk. For example, we have recently carried out peer review work for an operator upgrading a turbo-compressor, to help it minimise the risk to its programme, and to provide assurance that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) had properly assessed the system as part of the upgrade.

Troubleshooting and failure investigation

We are able to effectively analyse a wide variety of rotating equipment and have a strong in-house test and measurement capability. We can help diagnose vibration problems with your rotating equipment through test and simulation, and model potential solutions to come up with the most effective way to resolve the problem. As a consultancy, we offer impartial advice about the best way to proceed.

Asset management

We are able to help you in setting up condition monitoring systems, and interpreting data to understand the behaviour and gain insights into machine performance and condition. Contact us to find out how we might be able to help your business manage its assets and its rotating equipment.

Our rotordynamics capability

  • Damped and undamped lateral rotor dynamic analysis
  • Calculation of critical speeds and separation margins
  • Stability analysis
  • Assessment of oil whirl and whip
  • Rotor dynamic characteristics of bearings, seals, dampers, impellers and turbines
  • API assessments
  • Probabilistic studies and risk mitigation
  • Design sensitivities and robustness studies
  • Torsional vibration analysis
  • Test and measurement services.

Work with Frazer-Nash

Get in touch and let us help with your next project