Process for detecting fouling of an axial compressor
First Claim
1. Process for detecting fouling of an axial compressor, said compressor comprisinga rotor,a housing,an inlet where, in operation, gas enters at a first pressure, andan outlet where, in operation, gas exits at a second pressure higher than said first pressure,said rotor being rotatably mounted within said housing for rotation about a rotational axis,said axial compressor further comprising at least one axial compressor stage, each said axial compressor stage comprisinga row of rotor blades mounted on said rotor and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, anda row of stator blades mounted on said housing and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis,each said axial compressor stage having, in operation, a dynamic pressure field surrounding each said rotor in the region of said housing,each said axial compressor stage further having, in operation, a characteristic frequency defined as the product of the number of rotor blades mounted in said row of rotor blades and the rotational speed of said rotor,each said axial compressor stage further having a defined reference pattern associated with said characteristic frequency,said process comprising the following steps:
- measuring the pressure fluctuations of at least one said dynamic pressure field with a pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency and generating at least one sensor signal;
deriving a plurality of frequency components from each sensor signal, wherein one said frequency component is derived at a frequency essentially equivalent to said characteristic frequency;
smoothing said plurality of frequency components into a smoothed frequency signal; and
comparing said smoothed frequency signal and said defined reference pattern, thereby determining a fouling parameter indicative of the fouling of said axial compressor.
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Abstract
A process and device for detecting fouling of an axial compressor by measuring of pressure fluctuations within at least one of the stages of said compressor in the region of the compressor housing by means of at least one pressure sensing device, deriving a frequency signal from the signals delivered from said pressure sensing device, checking whether each of said frequency signals comprises at least one characteristic peak in the region of a characteristic frequency assigned to one of said compressor stages, and deriving a fouling parameter from said frequency signal, which parameter depends on a peak parameter indicative of the form of said characteristic peak and indicating the status of fouling of the compressor.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. Process for detecting fouling of an axial compressor, said compressor comprising
a rotor, a housing, an inlet where, in operation, gas enters at a first pressure, and an outlet where, in operation, gas exits at a second pressure higher than said first pressure, said rotor being rotatably mounted within said housing for rotation about a rotational axis, said axial compressor further comprising at least one axial compressor stage, each said axial compressor stage comprising a row of rotor blades mounted on said rotor and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, and a row of stator blades mounted on said housing and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, each said axial compressor stage having, in operation, a dynamic pressure field surrounding each said rotor in the region of said housing, each said axial compressor stage further having, in operation, a characteristic frequency defined as the product of the number of rotor blades mounted in said row of rotor blades and the rotational speed of said rotor, each said axial compressor stage further having a defined reference pattern associated with said characteristic frequency, said process comprising the following steps: -
measuring the pressure fluctuations of at least one said dynamic pressure field with a pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency and generating at least one sensor signal; deriving a plurality of frequency components from each sensor signal, wherein one said frequency component is derived at a frequency essentially equivalent to said characteristic frequency; smoothing said plurality of frequency components into a smoothed frequency signal; and comparing said smoothed frequency signal and said defined reference pattern, thereby determining a fouling parameter indicative of the fouling of said axial compressor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 41)
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16. Process for detecting fouling of an axial compressor, said compressor comprising
a rotor, a housing, an inlet where, in operation, gas enters at a first pressure, and an outlet where, in operation, gas exits at a second pressure higher than said first pressure, said rotor being rotatably mounted within said housing for rotation about a rotational axis, said axial compressor further comprising at least one axial compressor stage, each said axial compressor stage comprising a row of rotor blades mounted on said rotor and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, and a row of stator blades mounted on said housing and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, each said axial compressor stage having, in operation, a dynamic pressure field surrounding each said rotor in the region of said housing, each said axial compressor stage further having, in operation, a characteristic frequency defined as the product of the number of rotor blades mounted in said row of rotor blades and the rotational speed of said rotor, each said axial compressor stage further having a defined threshold value parameter associated with said characteristic frequency, said process comprising the following steps: -
measuring the pressure fluctuations of a plurality of said dynamic pressure fields with a pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency and generating a respective plurality of sensor signals; deriving a plurality of frequency components from each sensor signal, wherein one said frequency component is derived at a frequency essentially equivalent to said characteristic frequency; smoothing said plurality of frequency components into a complete frequency signal comprised of a plurality of smoothed frequency signals respective to said plurality of sensor signals; and integrating said complete frequency signal over a predetermined integration interval to determine an integral value; comparing said integral value and said defined threshold value parameter, thereby determining a fouling parameter indicative of the fouling of said axial compressor. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 42)
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27. Computer implemented system for detecting fouling of an axial compressor, said axial compressor comprising
a rotor, a housing, an inlet where, in operation, gas enters at a first pressure, and an outlet where, in operation, gas exits at a second pressure higher than said first pressure, said rotor being rotatably mounted within said housing for rotation about a rotational axis, said axial compressor further comprising at least one axial compressor stage, each said axial compressor stage comprising a row of rotor blades mounted on said rotor and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, and a row of stator blades mounted on said housing and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, each said axial compressor stage having, in operation, an associated dynamic pressure field surrounding each said rotor in the region of said housing, each said axial compressor stage further having, in operation, a characteristic frequency defined as the product of the number of rotor blades mounted in said row of rotor blades and the rotational speed of said rotor, each said axial compressor stage further having a defined reference pattern associated with said characteristic frequency, said computer implemented system comprising: -
pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency to measure pressure fluctuations of at least one said dynamic pressure field and generate at least one sensor signal; a transformation unit for deriving a plurality of frequency components from each sensor signal, wherein one said frequency component is derived at a frequency essentially equivalent to said characteristic frequency; and a computer subunit for smoothing said plurality of frequency components into a smoothed frequency signal and for comparing said smoothed frequency signal and said defined reference pattern to derive a fouling signal indicative of the fouling of said axial compressor. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 43)
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34. Computer implemented system for detecting fouling of an axial compressor, said axial compressor comprising
a rotor, a housing, an inlet where, in operation, gas enters at a first pressure, and an outlet where, in operation, gas exits at a second pressure higher than said first pressure, said rotor being rotatably mounted within said housing for rotation about a rotational axis, said axial compressor further comprising at least one axial compressor stage, each said axial compressor stage comprising a row of rotor blades mounted on said rotor and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, and a row of stator blades mounted on said housing and being arranged one following the other in a circumferential direction with respect to said rotational axis, each said axial compressor stage having, in operation, an associated dynamic pressure field surrounding each said rotor in the region of said housing, each said axial compressor stage further having, in operation, a characteristic frequency defined as the product of the number of rotor blades mounted in said row of rotor blades and the rotational speed of said rotor, each said axial compressor stage further having a defined reference pattern associated with said characteristic frequency, said computer implemented system comprising: -
pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency for measuring pressure fluctuations of a plurality of said dynamic pressure fields with a pressure sensing means responsive at said characteristic frequency to generate a respective plurality of sensor signals; a transformation unit for deriving a plurality of frequency components from each sensor signal wherein one said frequency component is derived at a frequency essentially equivalent to said characteristic frequency; and a computer subunit for smoothing said plurality of frequency components into a complete frequency signal comprised of a plurality of smoothed frequency signals respective to said plurality of sensor signals, integrating said complete frequency signal over a predetermined integration interval to determine an integral value, and comparing said integral value and said defined threshold value parameter to derive a fouling signal indicative of the fouling of said axial compressor. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44)
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Specification