Hydrocarbon Processing - February 2021 - 22

Valves, Pumps and Turbomachinery
The impeller, shown in FIG. 4, was
printed at a Siemens AM facility. Test
coupons were printed together with the
impeller, using the same technique and
parameters for the examination of material structure and mechanical properties
(e.g., corrosion, tensile strength). The actual impeller printing duration was 64 hr.
The impeller was then removed from the
printer for post-processing, which included the removal of supports and final machining. The Siemens AM manufacturing
process for 316 stainless steel did not require any post-printing heat treatment.
This trial showed the ability of AM to
significantly reduce the manufacturing
time for parts. The entire new part assessment and manufacturing can be reduced
to 4 wk-6 wk, while printing of a previously completed part can be managed in a
few days. It should be noted that the cost
of an AM part tends to be higher than the
original equipment manufacturer cost.
This is why AM should be considered
when the part is needed in urgent cases,
or if the end user is interested in reducing
its warehouse spare parts inventory.
AM technology and part qualification. The qualification for any part

manufactured by AM typically involves
the qualification of the AM production
facility and the qualification of the part.
At present, no international standards exist that provide mandatory requirements
for AM qualification. However, several
industrial standards have been developed, or are in development, to provide
good guidance on how to qualify an AM
production facility and an AM part. Examples of these standards are DNVGLST-B203, which address laser-based
powder bed fusion (BPF-LB) technology and wire arc additive manufacturing
(WAAM) technology.
The AM production facility qualification typically consists of three main
sections:
1. Qualification of the printer,
which includes the qualification
of the printing machine and
associated auxiliaries, as well
as the qualification of the
printer operators
2. Qualification of the printing
process, which typically includes
significant development and
testing to find the correct printer
parameter settings that produce

22 FEBRUARY 2021 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com

the desired material properties
without manufacturing defects
3. The qualification of the facility
quality system (e.g., by meeting
ISO 9001).
On the other hand, the qualification
process for an AM part can have significant variation depending on the part criticality. It can involve destructive testing of
manufactured parts, manufacturing and
testing of test coupons produced with the
AM parts, nondestructive testing for the
parts or mere visual inspection of the part.
Part testing. The trial included nonde-

structive testing for the impeller to verify
its integrity through several tests, including visual inspection, radiographic testing and penetrate testing. In addition,
the manufactured testing coupons were
sent for material and tensile strength
testing. The test coupons were printed
in both horizontal and vertical arrangements, as shown in FIG. 3. This is typical
for PBF technology, since the printing
methods build up the part in the vertical
direction, which leads to some differences in the mechanical properties between
horizontal and vertical testing coupons.
After passing nondestructive testing,
the impeller was installed in the pump
and went through a 5-mos field test where
the pump was kept in continuous operation. This field test included a pump
performance evaluation that showed the
pump performed per its original design
and within acceptable vibration limits.
Finally, the impeller was removed for inspection after completing the test. Visual
inspection and liquid penetrant testing
were conducted, and the impeller was
found to be in excellent condition. The
team decided to return the impeller to
the pump for permanent plant use.
Takeaway. This article documents the
successful utilization of AM to manufacture a pump impeller. This installation was part of the work being done
by Saudi Aramco to obtain experience
with this game-changing technology in
the oil and gas industry. With 3D printing, companies can benefit from a significant reduction in manufacturing time
and consequently improve critical parts
delivery. This technology also presents
a great opportunity to transform from
physical inventory in warehouses to a
digitalized warehouse that can simplify

supply chains and optimize investment
in spare parts.
ABDULLAH AL-GHAMDI is an
Engineering Consultant with the
rotating equipment division of the
consulting services department of
Saudi Aramco. He has worked with
the company for 28 yr, starting as a
mechanical engineer with Saudi
Arabian Marketing and Refining Co. (SAMAREC) in
1992 and joining Saudi Aramco in 1994. He served as
Standards Committee Chairman for pumps, seals
and mixers for 5 yr, as well as Responsible Standard
Agent (RSA) for 3 yr. Mr. Al-Ghamdi received a BS
degree in mechanical engineering from King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia
and an MS degree in mechanical engineering and
dynamic systems from the Florida Institute of
Technology in Florida, U.S.
SAAD H. AL-DOSSARY is the
Leader of the pumps group at
the consulting services department
of Saudi Aramco. He has worked
at Saudi Aramco for 20 yr. Mr.
Al-Dossary holds an MS degree in
the design of rotating equipment
from Cranfield University in the UK.
AMER AL-DHAFIRI is a Pump
Specialist at the consulting services
department of Saudi Aramco.
He has worked with Saudi Aramco
for 20 yr. He holds a BS degree
in mechanical engineering from
King Fahd University of Petroleum
and Minerals in Saudi Arabia and an MS degree from
the university of Virginia in the U.S.
MAJED AL-ZAHRANI is an
Electrical Engineer at Saudi
Aramco's Riyadh refinery with
13 yr of experience in plant
technical and project tasks.
His work experience is focused
on plant technical issues; project
design reviews; compliance assurance for standards,
procedures and material specifications; site
construction and commissioning; operations
support; and troubleshooting and fault investigation.
Mr. Al-Zahrani holds a BS degree in electrical
engineering from King Abdulaziz University in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
VLADIMIR NAVROTSKY is
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
of Industrial Application Service
for Siemens Energy and a Senior
Principal Key Expert in gas turbine
design and aftermarket. He holds
a PhD in mechanical engineering
from Moscow Physical and Technical University.
Dr. Navrotsky has more than 30 yr of professional
experience in international organizations such as
the Central Institute of Aviation Motors in Russia,
ABB in Sweden, ALSTOM in Switzerland and
Siemens. As an employee of Siemens for more than
20 yr, he has held several management positions
and was appointed Gas Turbine Fleet Director and
Global Service Technology and Innovation Manager
(CTO) in 2007. In 2010, he was also promoted to
Senior Principal Key Expert in addition to these
responsibilities. In 2015, Dr. Navrotsky was awarded
the honor of Siemens Top Innovator.

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