Optimizing the life of a turbine cooling

Project details:

  • Date:

     04/11/2016

INTRODUCTION
Test Motors, through its predictive maintenance tool TestIM, to detect when complete the life of a component, in this case a turbine cooling, and can know when replacement is required. It is a centrifugal cooling turbine driven by an asynchronous motor 18.5 kW.
FAULT DETECTION
With continuous monitoring and vibration as is done with the system TestIM, Test Motors, can detect in real time any alteration of machine operation. In this machine, besides other parameters, vibrations are monitored as it is a machine that usually had a stable vibration behavior, although these were somewhat elevated accordance with the rules. From May begins to have a high tendency of the values of vibrations, which continues until August.

Signs of failure:

  • Changing trend: From have stable values ​​to a high tendency of vibrations that indicates that has changed the behavior of the machine.
  • High values: The values ​​of vibration of this machine are already high in itself, but when it reaches above 100, there is an increased risk for the machine.
  • The graph peaks: Peaks observed the machine indicates the presence of impacts of a component, such as bearings.

grafica-1
Evolution of vibrations while there is a fault, and the last measure when the bearings are replaced.

grafica-2
Blue graph with the peaks of the vibration when there is a fault, and the green graph shows the vibrations when the bearings have been replaced.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
Once the machine is opened, the turbine is inspected and replacement of the bearings is performed. When the replacement is made, the system detects if it becomes the usual levels of machine vibration, indicating thereby that the process of replacement of bearings was successful and the machine can continue to operate until further notice.

TestIM is the right tool to detect when it has ended the life of a component, in this case a turbine cooling, and lets you know when replacement is necessary.