2023 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia Kicks Off in Houston

This week kicks off the 2023 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS) in Houston, TX, held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from Sept. 25 – 28, with short courses starting today, Monday, and the exhibition floor and technical sessions kicking off on Tuesday. Topics for this year’s program include maintenance, new technologies, reliability, troubleshooting and instruction on emerging designs, and best practices supported by case studies.

TPS 2023 is host to more than 270 turbomachinery and pump companies that will be showcasing full-size equipment, new technology, and emerging industry trends. The symposium features a continuing education program that spans the oil and gas, petrochemical, power, aerospace, chemical, and water industries.

A few new events at this year’s show include a social media scavenger hunt, Women in TPS luncheon, a book signing with Dr. Dara Childs, author of Turbomachinery Rotordynamics with Case Studies, and a tour of the Lab at Texas A&M University in College Station on Thursday—attendees can see how the lab is equipped and what research projects are in progress. The conference is also featuring the Innovation Presents Stage, located in the front corner of the exhibit hall, which gives exhibitors a platform to present 20-minute commercial presentations.

Technical Sessions

Michael Webber, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair in Engineering, will kick off the first day of technical sessions during the keynote address on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 8 a.m.

Also on Tuesday, folks from the Elliott Group and Aramco are hosting a tutorial on Applications and Technology for Hydrogen Compression and Pumping. On Wednesday, Sept. 27, speakers from Siemens Energy and two industry consultants are presenting a tutorial on Troubleshooting Aero-Performance Issues in Centrifugal Compressors, which will provide guidance on how to resolve aero-performance-related issues both in the field and on an OEM production test stand. The discussion includes:

• establishing effective communications between the parties involved in resolving the issue
• understanding the scope and/or history of the problem
• accumulating pertinent data, e.g., geometric, process, dates/times, etc.
• application of advanced analytical tools to help identify possible root causes and assess solutions
• documentation of the solutions

Experts from Elliott Group and Solar Turbines are also presenting on Turbomachinery in Liquified Natural Gas Production Plants. Given that the global demand for LNG has dramatically risen over the last 20 years, this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The tutorial will review major turbomachines, such as turbines, compressors, pumps, and expanders, in LNG plants, focusing on how compressors, pumps, and gas turbines fit into the various LNG plant cycles and their integration, operation, and application limits. Presenters will also discuss how to best match turbomachinery for optimal service in LNG plants based on the power, speed, and utility needs of the most common LNG cycles.