Verdantas Flow Labs (formerly Alden Research Laboratory) recently completed a comprehensive performance evaluation of a bladderless pulsation dampener (BPD) for a confidential client in the energy sector. The project was conducted at the Holden, MA campus and focused on assessing the BPD’s ability to reduce pressure pulsations, generated by a triple plunger positive displacement pump, under varying operating conditions. This was the second project performed for a BPD for this client, only this BPD and required flow loop was significantly larger than the first.

A custom flow loop was designed and constructed to simulate plant resonance scenarios where the pump operating speed produced pulsations at a frequency close to the frequency response of the system. The flow loop was designed to allow for acoustic lengths corresponding to ¼ wave and ½ wave responses to be evaluated by manipulating the loop piping configuration. The test program included system commissioning/loop tuning, evaluating instrumentation, performing loop operational inspections, all to ensure data accuracy and safety, as the test loop was required to reach static line pressures of 1000 psig at flow rates up to 49 gpm. Testing evaluated the dampener’s effectiveness in reducing pressure pulsations generated by the positive displacement pump through measuring acceleration/vibration, pipe displacement, and both static and dynamic pressures, at multiple locations in the loop. A secondary objective of the testing was to evaluate and measure differential pressure across the BPD.

Results showed that, with the BPD offline, the 1 to 99% quantile peak-to-peak pressure pulsations downstream of the pump were >600 psig (>±300 psig ), and with the BPD online, these peak-to-peak pressures were reduced to < 9 psig (<±4.5 psig) within the tested flow range of 39 to 49 gpm. The pressure drop across the BPD at a representative flows confirmed the device’s suitability for the intended application.

The successful completion of this project provided the client with clear, data-driven evidence of the dampener’s performance under a range of realistic operating conditions, supporting informed decisions for future system implementation.