System and method for monitoring health of electrical machines

• US 8,310,120 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Andarawis, Emad Andarawis, Hershey, John Erik, Berkcan, Ertugrul, Lape, Brock Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Quyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mok, Alex W
• Application Number:
  US12/870,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 310/68.B, 731/61
• US Class Current: 310/68.B
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0057 measuring forces due to spring-shaped elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/20 for measuring, monitoring, testing, protecting or switching rectifiers H02K11/04; power electronics H02K11/33
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/487 Slot-closing devices

Abstract

A system for monitoring health of an electrical machine is provided. The system includes at least one sensor element embedded in at least one substrate element located in a stator core. The system further includes a measuring subsystem coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to monitor the health based on changes in electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element due to changes in force acting on the substrate element or compression of the substrate element.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring health of an electrical machine, the system comprising:

at least one sensor element embedded in or directly disposed on at least one substrate element located in a stator core;

a measuring subsystem coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to monitor the health based on changes in electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element due to changes in force acting on the substrate element or compression of the substrate element during operation and shutdown of the electrical machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate element comprises a flat plate, a spring, and a ripple spring.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the substrate element is located between a stator wedge and a stator winding in a stator slot.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate element is located between stator windings of the stator core, said substrate element includes a metallic or non-metallic flat plate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element embedded in or disposed on the substrate element varies with the time varying force acting on the substrate element during the operation of the electrical machine.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element embedded in or disposed on the substrate element varies with compression of the substrate element during the operation or shutdown of the electrical machine.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least two sensors embedded in or disposed on a plurality of substrate elements for measuring the health of the electrical machine during operation or shutdown.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor element comprises a dielectric, conductor, resistor, capacitor, inductor, semiconductor, optical sensor, piezoelectric sensor, pressure sensor, strain sensor and a load sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system monitors the stator wedge tightness continuously during operation of the electrical machine.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic characteristics comprises resistance, strain, conductance, magnetic permeability and permittivity.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein any change in the electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element is acquired by the measuring subsystem through one-port electrical interface.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the measuring subsystem is configured to interrogate the at least one sensor element continuously or at a predetermined interval.

13. A system for monitoring stator wedge tightness in an electrical machine, the system comprising:

at least one sensor element embedded in or disposed on at least one substrate element located proximate to the stator wedge of a stator core;

at least one switch for indicating a state of compression in the substrate element; and

a measuring subsystem coupled to the at least one sensor element and configured to monitor the stator wedge tightness based on changes in electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element due to changes in compression of the substrate element.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the substrate element comprises a flat plate, a spring, and a ripple spring.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the switch indicates compression of the substrate element equal or above an optimum value.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor element of the substrate element is connected in series with the at least one switch in an equivalent electrical circuit of the system.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises an assembly of the at least one switch coupled in series with the at least one sensor element embedded in the substrate element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system comprises a parallel arrangement of a plurality of said assemblies across a single port electrical interface of the system.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises an assembly of a diode coupled in series with the switch and the sensor element of the substrate element in an equivalent electrical circuit.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the system comprises a plurality of substrate elements arranged proximate to a plurality of stator wedges in the stator core, said substrate elements are coupled to a module through the single-port electrical interfaces and said module is a device configured to conducts electrical measurements sequentially or in parallel at the substrate elements via the single-port electrical interfaces.

21. A method for monitoring stator wedge tightness in an electrical machine, the method comprising;

providing at least one sensor element embedded in or directly disposed on at least one substrate element located in a stator core;

generating signals based on changes in electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element corresponding to changes in compression of the substrate element; and

determining the stator wedge tightness by analyzing the signals during operation and shutdown of the electrical machine.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the substrate element comprises a flat plate, a spring, and a ripple spring.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the method comprises providing a measuring subsystem coupled to the at least one sensor element for analyzing the signals.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the method comprises monitoring and estimation of a compression range.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the method comprises remotely monitoring the tightness of plurality of substrate elements arranged proximate to a plurality of stator wedges in the stator core.

26. A method for monitoring health of an electrical machine, the method comprising;

providing at least one sensor element embedded in or directly disposed on at least one substrate element located in a stator core;

generating signals based on changes in electromagnetic characteristics of the sensor element corresponding to changes in time varying force acting on the substrate element during operation or shutdown of the machine; and

determining the health of the machine by analyzing the signals during operation and shutdown of the electrical machine.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises calibrating the sensor element using the generated signals.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the health of the machine includes information of optimal loads of the electrical machine.