Acoustic monitoring of foreign objects in combustion turbines during operation
First Claim
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1. A system for monitoring acoustic signals generated within a combustion turbine, the combustion turbine having an interior portion, said system comprising:
- an acoustic waveguide adapted to be located within acoustic communication with the combustion turbine'"'"'s interior portion;
an acoustic receiver in communication with said acoustic waveguide, said acoustic receiver being adapted to produce an electrical signal having a voltage in response to receipt of an acoustic signal;
a transformer adapted to increase said voltage of said electrical signal from said acoustic receiver sufficiently to light a light-emitting device;
a voltage divider network electrically connected to said transformer;
a plurality of light-emitting devices electrically connected to said voltage divider network;
said voltage divider network being adapted to provide an electrical current to an increasing number of light emitting devices with increasing voltage received at said voltage divider network; and
the system being adapted to receive the electrical power necessary for providing the electrical current to the light emitting devices from receiving the acoustic signals generated within the combustion turbine, and converting the acoustic signals to electrical signals.
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Abstract
A foreign object impact sensor for use with combustion turbines utilizes a passive acoustic waveguide within the turbine to receive acoustic signals from foreign object impact. The magnitude of these signals is displayed and or stored using a lighted display or other suitable indicating device. The information is also recorded and stored, so that a spectrum signature can be obtained from Fourier analysis.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring acoustic signals generated within a combustion turbine, the combustion turbine having an interior portion, said system comprising:
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an acoustic waveguide adapted to be located within acoustic communication with the combustion turbine'"'"'s interior portion;
an acoustic receiver in communication with said acoustic waveguide, said acoustic receiver being adapted to produce an electrical signal having a voltage in response to receipt of an acoustic signal;
a transformer adapted to increase said voltage of said electrical signal from said acoustic receiver sufficiently to light a light-emitting device;
a voltage divider network electrically connected to said transformer;
a plurality of light-emitting devices electrically connected to said voltage divider network;
said voltage divider network being adapted to provide an electrical current to an increasing number of light emitting devices with increasing voltage received at said voltage divider network; and
the system being adapted to receive the electrical power necessary for providing the electrical current to the light emitting devices from receiving the acoustic signals generated within the combustion turbine, and converting the acoustic signals to electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for monitoring acoustic signals generated within a combustion turbine, the combustion turbine having an interior portion, said system comprising:
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means for receiving an acoustic signal generated within a combustion turbine;
means for converting said acoustic signal into an electrical signal, the electrical signal having a voltage;
means for visually displaying the magnitude and frequency of said electrical signal; and
the system being adapted to receive the electrical power necessary for visually displaying the magnitude and frequency of said electrical signal from receiving the acoustic signals generated within the combustion turbine, and converting the acoustic signals to electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
a transformer adapted to increase said voltage of said electrical signal from said means for converting said acoustic signal into an electrical signal sufficiently to light a light-emitting device;
a voltage divider network electrically connected to said transformer;
a plurality of light-emitting devices electrically connected to said voltage divider network; and
said voltage divider network being adapted to provide an electrical current to a data acquisition device to display or record increased voltage received at said voltage divider network.
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18. The system of claim 17 wherein the data acquisition device comprises an increasing number of light emitting devices to display the increasing voltage received at said voltage divider network.
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19. The system according to claim 17, wherein said voltage divider network is a capacitive voltage divider.
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20. The system according to claim 17, further comprising means for recording and storing a magnitude and frequency of occurrence of said acoustic signals.
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21. The system according to claim 12, further comprising means for obtaining a spectrum signature of the acoustic signals received.
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22. The system according to claim 12, further comprising means for remote monitoring of said acoustic signals.
Specification