Blade Rubbing Issues? Our Systems Support Decision Making
As power plant is spun up or slowed down, turbine blade rubbing can produce issues as clearances vary. Using our CapaciSense ™ sensors and associated electronics, power plant operators can monitor those clearances in real time for the first time to identify those issues.
Our capacitive sensors will survive in high temperatures to 1400ºC / 2552ºF , even the turbine stage blade clearance can be measured, an important factor as this means the whole engine can be monitored, not just the lower temperature compressor areas. This raises the possibility of controlling the various stages differentially and optimising the whole turbine rather than just one zone.
CapaciSense ™ systems contain probes, turbine mounted electronics and remote electronics. The turbine mounted electronics are now ATEX approved for use in hazardous areas and this means that blade height can be monitored live for the first time on running engines. We plan to achieve hazardous rating for systems in the USA (FM) and Japan (TIIS) before December 2006.
Work has begun to make these systems suitable for retrofit by designing small diameter probes that can use existing holes in the frame to monitor clearances. These may be installed as a retrofit item during periodic outages, or used for inspection checks during running conditions.
