Predicting crack propagation in the shaft dovetail of a generator rotor

• US 7,711,664 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Koinuma, Hiroaki, Yoshioka, Yomei, Ito, Hiromichi, Saito, Kazuhiro, Nagano, Ryoji, Matsuyama, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US11/645,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20070172357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 295/98, 416/97.R, 340/679, 310/270, 702/34, 702/35
• US Class Current: 706/21
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/94 Functionality given by mechanical stress related aspects such as low cycle fatigue [LCF] of high cycle fatigue [HCF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to control crack propagation, either by predicting shaft dovetail crack propagation with high accuracy, or by determining operation conditions under which the crack does not extend. The crack propagation prediction system includes an operation processing unit, an interface unit, and a memory unit. The operation processing unit includes a stress calculation unit that calculates the mean stress generated in the shaft dovetail, a factor range calculation unit that calculates the stress intensity factor range for the crack in the shaft dovetail, and a crack propagation amount calculation unit that calculates an amount of the shaft dovetail crack propagation for an arbitrary time period, from the obtained mean stress and the stress intensity factor range, an operation pattern, an operation time, and data on the crack. The stress calculation unit includes as individual calculation units that calculate separately different types of mean stress, a contact surface pressure stress calculation unit, a thermal stress calculation unit, and a residual stress calculation unit, as well as a mean stress calculation unit that sums these mean stresses.

Claims

1. A generator rotor crack propagation prediction system, comprising:

memory means;

interface means that inputs data and outputs results;

stress calculation means that calculates the mean stress in a generator rotor shaft dovetail and stores the stress in the memory means;

factor range calculation means that calculates the stress intensity factor range of shaft dovetail crack and stores the stress intensity factor range in the memory means; and

crack propagation amount calculation means that calculates an amount of the shaft dovetail crack propagation from the mean stress and stress intensity factor range stored in the memory means, and crack data.

2. The generator rotor crack propagation prediction system according to claim 1, wherein the stress calculation means adds the mean stress in the shaft dovetail due to contact surface pressure between the shaft dovetail and a wedge, the mean stress in the shaft dovetail due to shaft dovetail thermal stresses, and the mean stress in the shaft dovetail due to residual stresses to calculate the mean stress generated in the shaft dovetail.

3. The generator rotor crack propagation prediction system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the crack propagation amount calculation means calculates the amount of the shaft dovetail crack propagation for an arbitrary period of time from the obtained mean stress and stress intensity factor range, an operation pattern, an operation time, and the crack data.

4. The generator rotor crack propagation prediction system according to claim 1, wherein the stress calculation means comprises as means for calculating the shaft dovetail thermal stress:

means for carrying out fluid temperature analysis of a cooling medium near the generator rotor and a generator coil;

means for carrying out unsteady temperature distribution analysis of the wedge and the rotor using heat transfer coefficients and temperature data of the cooling medium obtained from the fluid temperature analysis as temperature boundary conditions; and

means for carrying out unsteady contact stress analysis of the rotor and wedge using the temperature distribution obtained from the unsteady state temperature distribution analysis.

5. The generator rotor crack propagation prediction system according to claim 1, wherein the factor range calculation means comprises:

means for carrying out linear stress analysis of a whole generator rotor model;

means for carrying out zoom up contact stress analysis of the shaft dovetail using deformation and stress data of part of the rotor obtained from the linear stress analysis; and

means for calculating the stress intensity factor of the shaft dovetail crack using the stress distribution or the displacement distribution obtained from the zoom up contact stress analysis.

6. A generator rotor crack propagation prediction method for predicting generator rotor shaft dovetail crack propagation using operation processing means that carries out calculations to predict crack propagation, memory means that stores calculation results, and interface means that receives data input and outputs results, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating the mean stress in the shaft dovetail using the calculation means;

calculating the stress intensity factor range for a crack in the shaft dovetail;

calculating and storing in the memory means an amount of the shaft dovetail crack propagation from the obtained mean stress and stress intensity factor range, and crack data; and

displaying the obtained calculation result using the interface means.

7. A generator rotor crack propagation prediction program that predicts generator rotor shaft dovetail crack propagation using a computer, the program causing the computer to implement:

a stress calculation function that calculates the mean stress generated in a shaft dovetail;

a factor range calculating function that calculates the stress intensity factor range for a crack generated in a shaft dovetail; and

a crack propagation amount calculation function that calculates an amount of the shaft dovetail crack propagation, from the obtained mean stress and stress intensity factor range, and crack data.