A Preliminary Investigation of Valve Fault Diagnosis in Reciprocating Compressors

Analytical and experimental studies of the vibration response of a reciprocating compressor have led to the development of a procedure for the detection and diagnosis of valve faults. The procedure uses the Smoothed-Pseudo-Wigner Ville Distribution (SPWVD) to interpret monitored impact response vibration. Features of the monitored signals are correlated with pressures in the cylinder and in the valve chambers. The impact events caused by the operation of the suction and discharge valves are revealed to exhibit characteristic patterns on the time-frequency plane. Observation of the variation in these patterns facilitates the diagnosis of incipient valve faults such as leaking, accumulation of deposits and deterioration of valve springs.