In on or relating to rotating machines

• US 7,949,479 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Napier Turbochargers (Holdings) Ltd. (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Brown, James, Nilsson, Ulf, Wilson, Stephen, Heyes, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem; Michael P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Toan M
• Application Number:
  US11/989,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 702/34, 702/33, 702 41- 44, 702/56, 702/84, 702/127, 702130-132, 702145-148, 702/176, 702182-185, 702 35- 36, 702 80- 81, 702/136, 702141-142, 702188-189, 324/160, 324/162, 324/207.23, 324/207.25, 324/209, 324/500, 324/512, 324/513, 415/30, 415/47, 415/107, 73/10.8, 73/10.9, 73/11.4, 73/13.7, 73/17.9, 73/18.4, 734/88, 734/94, 737/60, 737/63, 737/99, 737/81, 737/83, 737/87, 738/43, 374100-104, 374/137, 701/29, 701/33, 701/135, 346/3, 346/33.F, 346/33.R, 346/33.TP
• US Class Current: 702/34
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/001 Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles

Abstract

A rotating machine, has a rotary component, which includes a memory device for storing data relating to the past use of the component. The data are associated with rotational speed and ambient temperature, which are detected by detectors either on or off the rotary component. The stored data may be the raw temperature and speed data as sampled over time, which are then used to derive values of low-cycle fatigue and creep damage. These fatigue and creep values are, in turn, correlated with the load profiles of the component to arrive at a value of elapsed lifespan for the component. Alternatively, the stored data may be the fatigue and creep values and/or, preferably, values of elapsed and remaining lifespan of the component. In a second embodiment the detectors are located on the machine casing along with an evaluation unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a rotary component having a rotational axis;

a rotor shaft arranged along said rotational axis of said rotary component;

a housing surrounding said rotor shaft;

a first memory device disposed on said rotary component that stores data relating to past use of the rotary component, wherein the data is derived by detecting a rotational speed and a temperature of said rotary component, wherein the data includes values of the rotational speed of said rotary component and either

values of a temperature of at least one part of said rotary component, or

values of an ambient temperature of said rotary component; and

an RF transponder for reading-out the data stored in said first memory device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the derived data is fatigue damage and creep damage sustained by said rotary component.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fatigue is a low-cycle fatigue or a high-cycle fatigue, the creep damage is cumulative damage sustained by said rotary component.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the data includes one or both of an expired operational lifetime of said rotary component and a remaining operational lifetime of said rotary component;

and

the data include data relating to changes in material properties of said rotary component due to aging of said rotary component.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of:

an identity number of said first memory device, a total number of hours during which rotary component has been operating, a total number of starts undergone by said rotary component, and combinations thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a speed detector for detecting the rotational speed;

a temperature detector for detecting the temperature; and

a processing device for sampling the speed and temperature values, deriving the data from the speed and temperature values and writing the data into said first memory device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said temperature detector is a thermocouple or a thermistor, and wherein the speed detector is selected from the group consisting of:

a sensing coil, a Hall-effect device, an accelerometer for measuring vibrations of said rotary component and a strain gauge mounted on a flexible component in or on said rotary component that is distortable under loading of said rotary component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a clock source for providing a time reference for the processing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said rotary component is selected from the group consisting of an impeller of a turbomachine, a rotor of a rotating electrical machine and a wheel.

10. The apparatus of claims 9, wherein the first memory device is arranged at or near an end-face of said rotor or a longitudinal axis of said rotor.

11. A rotating machine comprising:

a rotary component having a rotor shaft arranged along a rotational axis thereof;

a housing that surrounds said rotor shaft;

a first memory device disposed on said rotary component that stores data relating to past use of said rotary component, where the data is derived by detecting a rotational speed and a temperature of said rotary component, wherein the data includes values of the rotational speed of said rotary component and either

values of a temperature of one or more parts of said rotary component, or

values of an ambient temperature of said rotary component; and

a speed detector, a temperature detector and an evaluation device arranged on said housing, said evaluation device including a second memory device and a transmission device, the evaluation device being connected to said speed detector and to said temperature detector and arranged to;

sample values of the rotational speed and the temperature,

derive the data relating to past use of said rotary component from the sampled values of the rotational speed and the temperature,

store the derived data in said second memory device, and

transmit some or all of the stored data in said second memory device to said rotary component, at predetermined points in time by way of said transmission device, wherein said rotary component comprises said first memory device, said rotary component is arranged to receive at least a portion of the data and to store the data in said first memory device by way of a reception device.

12. A rotating machine comprising:

a rotary component having a rotor shaft arranged along a rotational axis thereof;

a housing that surrounds said rotor shaft;

a first memory device disposed on said rotary component that stores data relating to past use of said rotary component, wherein the data is derived by detecting a rotational speed and a temperature of said rotary component, wherein the data includes values of the rotational speed of said rotary component and either

values of a temperature of one or more parts of said rotary component, or values of an ambient temperature of said rotary component; and

a speed detector, a temperature detector and an evaluation device arranged on said housing, said evaluation device including a second memory device and a transmission device, said evaluation device being connected to said speed detector and the temperature detector and arranged to;

sample a speed and a temperature,

derive values for cumulative fatigue and creep damage suffered by said rotary component from the sampled values of the speed and the temperature and to store the derived values in said second memory device,

derive from the cumulative fatigue and creep damage a value of an expired operational life of said rotary component and store the value of the expired operational life in said second memory device,

derive the value of a remaining operational life of said rotary component and store value of the remaining operational life in said second memory device, and

transmit at least a portion of data stored in the second memory device to said rotary component at predetermined points in time by way of said transmission device, wherein said rotary component is arranged to receive some or all of the data by way of said reception device and to store the data in said first memory device.

13. The rotating machine of claim 12, wherein said first memory device is part of an RF transponder, and wherein said first memory device stores an identity signature of said RF transponder.

14. The rotating machine of claim 13, wherein said evaluation device is arranged to further store in said second memory device said identity signature and one or both of a total number of hours during which said rotary component has been operating and a total number of starts undergone by said rotary component.

15. The rotating machine of claim 14, wherein, prior to updating said first memory device with new values of the further information and of the remaining operational life, the evaluation device is arranged to compare the identity signature and existing values of the further information held in said second memory device with corresponding values held in said first memory device and, if the values are the same, to subsequently store the new values in said first memory device.

16. The rotating machine of claim 15, wherein said evaluation device is arranged to make the comparison and transmit the new values at periodic intervals or when said rotary component has stopped rotating or when said rotary component is to be removed.

17. The rotating machine of claim 16, wherein said evaluation device is arranged such that, when a different rotary component is fitted to the rotary machine, the values of the remaining operational lifetime, and the identification signature and further information stored in the first memory of the different rotary component are read and stored in said second memory.

18. The rotating machine of claim 17, wherein, when the different rotary component is an unused component, the values of the remaining operational lifetime and of the further information are maximum and zero respectively.

19. The rotating machine of claim 18, wherein, following a fitting of the different rotary component to the machine, the values that are stored in said second memory device are modified versions of the values stored in said first memory device.

20. The rotating machine of claim 19, wherein an alarm is activated when it is determined that said RF transponder is not a correct RF transponder or that said RF transponder is not working.