Follow the rotor.
Investigate shaft motion, bearing behaviour, alignment and changes in clearance. Radial vibration, axial position and temperature provide complementary views.
VIBSENS / SOLUTIONS
Hydro turbines
Understand your turbine. Protect its future.
01 / Machine behaviour02 / Measurement strategy03 / Solution options04 / Platforms05 / Engineering references
ONE MACHINE. INTERCONNECTED BEHAVIOUR.
Look beyond a single vibration value.
Hydro generating units combine slow rotational speeds, changing hydraulic loads and electrical forces. Understanding a change means looking at these influences together.
VIBSENS brings experience across hydro turbine projects to the selection of measurements, protection and analysis. The starting point is the unit itself: its bearings, shaft arrangement, generator and operating envelope.
Understand the load.
Review vibration in the context of flow and operating condition. Hydraulic excitation can change with the operating point, so comparable measurements matter.
Include the generator.
Consider stator and winding vibration alongside rotor behaviour. Select generator measurements around the failure mechanisms relevant to the installation.
MEASURE AT THE MACHINE.INTERPRET IN CONTEXT.
MEASUREMENT STRATEGYThe right signal.
01 02 03 04
The right signal.
At the right location.
Shaft & bearing motion
Orthogonal proximity probes for radial shaft motion, with suitable housing vibration measurements to understand bearing behaviour.
Axial position & temperature
Track thrust position and bearing temperature to complement dynamic vibration measurements.
Generator condition
Select stator, winding and air-gap measurements where required by the machine and the project scope.
Operating context
Relate the measurements to speed, load and relevant process conditions. Confirm the low-frequency response needed for the turbine.
Four solution approaches.
Choose around your requirements.
Centralised protection & analysis
Advanced Solution
A rack-based architecture centred on V6000 for applications requiring a broader measurement and machinery protection system. The diagram brings the protection platform, monitoring software and measurement locations together.
V6000 platform · integrated measurement architecture
View full diagram ↗Compact machinery protection
Compact Solution
A compact arrangement based on the V400 protection module, with vibration and thrust measurements shown around the hydro unit. A focused architecture for applications with a smaller measurement scope.
V400 module · focused protection arrangement
View full diagram ↗Distributed monitor & transmitter modules
Standard Solution
A modular arrangement using vibration monitor and transmitter modules. The illustrated solution combines local signal monitoring with outputs to the plant system and buffered signals for portable vibration analysis.
VC-series modules · monitoring & plant-system outputs
View full diagram ↗Targeted measurement coverage
Cost Effective Alternative
A focused arrangement for selected vibration measurement points. The original diagram illustrates a limited-instrumentation approach that can be discussed where project scope and budget call for targeted monitoring.
Selected measurement points · project-specific scope
View full diagram ↗FROM PROTECTION TO DIAGNOSISTwo roles.
Two roles.
One considered architecture.
Define the protection requirements and the analysis workflow together, with a configuration matched to the generating unit.
V6000
A modular platform for continuous machinery protection and condition monitoring. Discuss channel selection, transducers and the required protection functions with our engineering team.
Explore V6000 ↗
CMS-Pro
Review waveforms, spectra, orbits, trends and other configured analysis views. Combine complementary plots to investigate changes in machine behaviour.
Explore CMS-Pro ↗PROJECT APPROACHStart with your unit.
Start with your unit.
Build the monitoring around it.
Define the machine
Review the turbine and generator arrangement, bearings, speed range and operating conditions.
Select the measurements
Match measurement locations, sensors and signal response to the relevant failure mechanisms.
Configure protection & analysis
Agree the system architecture, required functions and engineering review process.
Technical reference library
Explore the measurement guidance and diagrams by topic. Open an original diagram when you need to examine the detail.
Operating conditions & monitoring principles
Hydro power generation :
Without reliable health monitoring systems to actively monitor and protect hydro machinery’s health, hydro power generation in extreme load zones may encounter severe problems. Moreover, hydroelectric turbines operate at low speeds, with faults appearing as low as 0.5 Hz; therefore analyzing the health of the unit requires special monitoring hardware capable of detecting these extremely low frequencies.
As hydro turbine health degrades, performance decreases, generation declines, and unplanned shutdowns are possible. Operating this machinery requires special load considerations and monitoring equipment designed for its unique needs.
Without reliable health monitoring systems to actively monitor and protect hydro machinery’s health, hydro power generation in extreme load zones may encounter severe problems. Moreover, hydroelectric turbines operate at low speeds, with faults appearing as low as 0.5 Hz; therefore analyzing the health of the unit requires special monitoring hardware capable of detecting these extremely low frequencies.
As hydro turbine health degrades, performance decreases, generation declines, and unplanned shutdowns are possible. Operating this machinery requires special load considerations and monitoring equipment designed for its unique needs.
Hydro turbine condition monitoring :
Use of vibration and process control parameter monitoring and machinery protection systems on large rotating machines has long been recognized as a valuable tool in the prevention of component and machinery failure. Several international standards have been developed exclusively for hydro machinery. Some of these standards have been summarized here for introduction:
EN 60994, GB/T 11348.5, GB/T 17189,
-6, -5 and ISO 10817.
In accordance with the mentioned standards, VibSens has developed a specific condition monitoring & protection system customized for hydro turbines and generators. In addition to the mentioned above requirements, a complete set of useful monitoring parameters and display functions have been added to increase The efficiency of the maintenance policies to ensure the continued good health of the power generating assets and to detect underlying problems early.VibSens hydro turbine condition monitoring system integrates machinery health data to process control parameters, allowing the user to correct issues before they affect power generation.
Use of vibration and process control parameter monitoring and machinery protection systems on large rotating machines has long been recognized as a valuable tool in the prevention of component and machinery failure. Several international standards have been developed exclusively for hydro machinery. Some of these standards have been summarized here for introduction:
EN 60994, GB/T 11348.5, GB/T 17189,
-6, -5 and ISO 10817.
In accordance with the mentioned standards, VibSens has developed a specific condition monitoring & protection system customized for hydro turbines and generators. In addition to the mentioned above requirements, a complete set of useful monitoring parameters and display functions have been added to increase The efficiency of the maintenance policies to ensure the continued good health of the power generating assets and to detect underlying problems early.VibSens hydro turbine condition monitoring system integrates machinery health data to process control parameters, allowing the user to correct issues before they affect power generation.
Failure mechanisms & transducer selection
Main Problems:
There are three main types of hydro turbine generating unit problems which are common among most of them and categorized as most probable malfunctions:
-Electrical problems
-Mechanical problems
-Hydraulic problems.
To measure each of these categories, procedures have been developed to associate each of these problems with at least one measurement.
There are three main types of hydro turbine generating unit problems which are common among most of them and categorized as most probable malfunctions:
-Electrical problems
-Mechanical problems
-Hydraulic problems.
To measure each of these categories, procedures have been developed to associate each of these problems with at least one measurement.
Transducer selection:
1) Electrical problems which mostly occur are stator bar/winding vibration, insulation breakdown, and rotor pole problems. These problems are measured by:
-Stator frame / Velocity or End winding accelerometer
2) Mechanical problems which occur mostly in hydro generating units are unbalance, shaft misalignment, bearing vibration, bearing and seal excessive clearance fluctuations and stator & rotor deformation. These malfunctions are measured by:
-2 perpendicularly installed proximity probes to measure radial vibrations
-Bearing RTD/thermocouple to monitor bearing temperature
-Bearing housing velocity/ acceleration
-Thrust measurement to monitor oil film
-Stator vibration and movement
3) Hydraulic problems which mostly occur are flow instabilities like cavitation and rough load zone(Vortex) and are measured by:
-Axial and X-Y radial proximity probes
-Axial and radial Accelerometer transducers
1) Electrical problems which mostly occur are stator bar/winding vibration, insulation breakdown, and rotor pole problems. These problems are measured by:
-Stator frame / Velocity or End winding accelerometer
2) Mechanical problems which occur mostly in hydro generating units are unbalance, shaft misalignment, bearing vibration, bearing and seal excessive clearance fluctuations and stator & rotor deformation. These malfunctions are measured by:
-2 perpendicularly installed proximity probes to measure radial vibrations
-Bearing RTD/thermocouple to monitor bearing temperature
-Bearing housing velocity/ acceleration
-Thrust measurement to monitor oil film
-Stator vibration and movement
3) Hydraulic problems which mostly occur are flow instabilities like cavitation and rough load zone(Vortex) and are measured by:
-Axial and X-Y radial proximity probes
-Axial and radial Accelerometer transducers
Machine arrangement & measurement strategy
Mechanical Arrangement:
Due to significant differences in design and arrangement, hydraulic machines areseparated into four principal groups as per radial bearing stiffness and are as follows
Group 1: Horizontal machine sets with pedestal or end-shield bearings mounted on a rigid foundation, usually with operational speeds of above 300 rpm. (fig. 1 a,b)
Group 2: Horizontal machine sets with bearing housings which are only braced against the casing of the hydraulic machine, usually with operational speeds of less than 300 rpm. (fig. 2)
Group 3: Vertical machine sets with bearing housings which are all braced against the foundation, usually with operational speeds of between 60 to 1800 rpm. (Fig. 3)
Group 4: Vertical machine sets with lower bearing housings braced against the foundation and upper bearing housings braced against the generator stator only, usually with operational speeds of between 60 to1000 rpm. (Fig. 4)
Due to significant differences in design and arrangement, hydraulic machines areseparated into four principal groups as per radial bearing stiffness and are as follows
Group 1: Horizontal machine sets with pedestal or end-shield bearings mounted on a rigid foundation, usually with operational speeds of above 300 rpm. (fig. 1 a,b)
Group 2: Horizontal machine sets with bearing housings which are only braced against the casing of the hydraulic machine, usually with operational speeds of less than 300 rpm. (fig. 2)
Group 3: Vertical machine sets with bearing housings which are all braced against the foundation, usually with operational speeds of between 60 to 1800 rpm. (Fig. 3)
Group 4: Vertical machine sets with lower bearing housings braced against the foundation and upper bearing housings braced against the generator stator only, usually with operational speeds of between 60 to1000 rpm. (Fig. 4)
Measurement Type:
-For low-speed machines (below 300 rpm), the preferred measurement quantity is the vibration displacement Sp-p (peak to peak displacement)If the spectrum is expected to contain high-frequency components, the evaluation should normally be based on broad-band measurements of both displacement and velocity
-For medium- and high-speed machines (300 to 1800 rpm), the preferred measurement quantity is the vibration velocity vrms. If the spectrum is expected to contain low-frequency components, the evaluation should normally be based on broad-band measurements of both velocity and displacement
-For low-speed machines (below 300 rpm), the preferred measurement quantity is the vibration displacement Sp-p (peak to peak displacement)If the spectrum is expected to contain high-frequency components, the evaluation should normally be based on broad-band measurements of both displacement and velocity
-For medium- and high-speed machines (300 to 1800 rpm), the preferred measurement quantity is the vibration velocity vrms. If the spectrum is expected to contain low-frequency components, the evaluation should normally be based on broad-band measurements of both velocity and displacement
Measurement Directions:
The directions in which the displacement and acceleration sensors were placed are shown in picture below.
The directions in which the displacement and acceleration sensors were placed are shown in picture below.
Measurement layouts & reference diagrams
YOUR NEXT HYDRO PROJECTBring your machine.
Talk to our engineering team ↗Bring your machine.
Let’s define the solution.
Share the unit arrangement, existing instrumentation and monitoring objectives with VIBSENS.