Research on the vibration mechanism of compressor complex exhaust pipeline based on transient flow

The periodic exhaust of the compressor often induces gas flow fluctuations within the pipeline, leading to vibrations. Excessive vibration can lead to fatigue, cracks, loosening of components, and resulting in local leakage, which may easily lead to fire, explosion, and secondary hazards. Therefore, in this paper, a computational model for the transient flow field of the compressor exhaust pipeline was established, using the pulse excitation method and Fluent software, the natural frequencies of the gas column in the pipeline were calculated, and the patterns of oscillation decay of the gas column wave propagating back and forth within three exhaust pipes were researched. The mechanism behind the pipeline pressure pulsation and the influence of pipeline structural parameters on the natural frequencies of the gas column were explored. The calculation results show that the first-order natural frequency of the gas column is very close to the double frequency of the compressor excitation frequency at 3.33Hz, and the second-order natural frequency of the gas column is very close to the quadruple frequency of the compressor excitation frequency at 3.33Hz, which may cause significant pipeline vibrations. Altering the pipeline structure, especially when influenced by airflow branching after a tee junction, results in complex changes in the natural frequencies of the gas column. Furthermore, the structural natural frequencies of the pipeline were obtained through the finite element. It has been observed that resonance phenomena exist among the structural natural frequencies and their harmonics of the pipeline and the natural frequencies of the gas column and their harmonics, as well as multiples of the excitation frequency. These results lay the foundation for understanding the vibration mechanism of the pipeline and finding ways to reduce vibration.