Apparatus for monitoring speed and lateral position of a rotating shaft having reflective surfaces

• US 5,214,278 A
• Filed: 11/01/1991
• Issued: 05/25/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Combustion Engineering Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Combustion Engineering Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Banda, Lionel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, QUE TAN
• Application Number:
  US07/786,870
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 250/231.13, 250/231.14, 250/231.18, 250/229, 356/400, 356/401, 356/375, 324/175
• US Class Current: 250/231.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/268 using optical fibres G01D5/28 - G01D5/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/30 the beams of light being detected by photocells
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/342 the sensed object being the obturating part
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/486 delivered by photo-electric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

An apparatus for monitoring the position of the shaft of a coolant circulating pump of a nuclear steam generating system comprising light source for directing a light beam at a number of reflecting surfaces on the shaft and a pair of spaced apart light receiving devices adapted to receive light beams reflected off the reflecting surface. Light from the receiving devices is conveyed, by fiber optic cables, to intensity measuring devices which measure the intensity of the two light beams on a time-dependent basis. A processor calculates the shaft rotational speed and the magnitude of the shaft wobble as functions of the time-dependent intensity measurements of the pair of reflected light beams.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the speed and lateral position variation from the nominal lateral position of the shaft of a reactor coolant circulating pump of a nuclear steam generating system, the apparatus comprising:

at least one reflective surface defined by at least one non-reflective surface portion on the pump shaft;

light source means for directing a light beam onto said reflective surface;

light receiving means for receiving each of a pair of spaced apart reflected light beams reflected from said reflective surface;

intensity measuring means for measuring, on a time-dependent basis, the intensity of each one of said pair of reflected light beams received by said light receiving means;

said light receiving means and said intensity measuring means being connected by fiber optic cable; and

processing means for calculating both the shaft speed and lateral position variation as a function of the time-dependent intensity measurements of each one of said pair of light beams.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light receiving means and said intensity measuring means are so positioned and adjusted that the indicated intensity of each of said pair of light beams is equal when the shaft is in its nominal lateral position.