The situation: Von Mises stress calculations on Hydro unit forced plant operators to run well below rated capacity of 57.5MW. Running at 55MW, the rotor was calculated to be exceeding the material limits of 8000psi shear and 13,333.33psi von Mises combined stress when running at capacity. The solution: live torque monitoring of the shaft (as […]
Hydropower Monitoring Solutions Modern grid issues, old age and flex-ops have brought numerous new problems to the hydropower industry. A comprehensive monitoring system is the best way to stay ahead of the curve. While hydroturbine equipment can be quite stout, excessive start-stops, running loads outside design parameters, cavitation, rim float, and structural issues are becoming […]
We would like to extend a thank you to Harold Breitbach of Energiforsk Thermal Engineering Research Institute for including our TDMS system in their report about torsional vibrations in nuclear steam turbine applications. “Vibration problems in nuclear power plants can originate from different sources. One of these is torsional vibrations in shaft trains, which have […]
Recently we helped out our neighbors to the north with Hydro TG torsional monitoring in the most prestigious powerhouses in North America. Our friends at OPG were interested in monitoring TG performance and civil structure performance on the Niagara Sir Adam Beck plant. The installations were performed in conjunction with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) […]
Chris explains modulations caused by grid imbalances and their potential effects on steam turbine health.