Method for determining the remaining service life of a rotor of a thermally loaded turboengine

• US 8,454,297 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Ehrsam, Andreas, Mohr, Wolfgang Franz Dietrich, Congiu, Francesco, Ruffino, Paolo, Weiss, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Ninh H
• Application Number:
  US12/766,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 415/47, 415/48, 415/118
• US Class Current: 415/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/085 to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/14 responsive to other specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/31 in steam turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/114 by limiting mechanical stresses
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/303 Temperature

Abstract

A method for determining the remaining service life of a rotor of a thermally loaded turboengine in which a temperature on the rotor is determined. Thermal stress on the rotor is calculated from the determined temperature, and the remaining service life of the rotor is calculated from the derived thermal stress. The temperature is measured directly at a predetermined point of the rotor, and the thermal stress on the rotor is derived from the measured temperature.

Claims

1. A method for determining the remaining service life of a rotor of a thermally loaded turboengine, comprising:

measuring a temperature on the rotor of the turbine;

deriving a thermal stress on the rotor from the measured temperature; and

using an evaluation unit to calculate the remaining service life of the rotor from the derived thermal stress, wherein the temperature is measured directly at a predetermined point of the rotor, and the thermal stress on the rotor is derived from the measured temperature, wherein the rotor is mounted rotatably about an axis and is surrounded by a casing, rows of moving blades, through which hot working gas flows in an axial direction, are arranged on the rotor one behind the other in the axial direction, the working gas is introduced into the blading of the rotor in an inlet region, and the temperature on the rotor is measured in the inlet region, the inlet region is formed by an inflow spiral, formed in the casing and surrounding the axis annularly, for the radial introduction of the working gas and by a deflection duct, adjoining the inflow spiral, for deflecting the entering working gas from the radial direction to the axial direction, and the temperature on the rotor is measured in the deflection duct shortly before the start of the blading.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the turboengine is a steam turbine.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurement of the temperature on the rotor takes place contactlessly.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the measurement of the temperature on the rotor is carried out by a pyrometer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurement of the temperature of the rotor takes place from a fixed point on the surrounding casing.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the measurement of the temperature of the rotor takes place directly from a point on the surrounding casing which lies opposite in the working gas duct.

7. An arrangement for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1 in a thermally highly loaded turboengine or steam turbine which comprises a rotor mounted rotatably about an axis having a blading extending in an axial direction and which is surrounded by a casing so as to form a hot working gas duct or hot steam duct, wherein a contactlessly operating temperature recorder which records the temperature at the predetermined point of the rotor is arranged on the casing.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the temperature recorder is a pyrometer.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the turboengine or steam turbine comprises an inlet region for introducing the working gas or hot steam into the blading of the rotor, and the pyrometer is oriented onto a measuring zone of the rotor, said measuring zone lying in the inlet region.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the temperature recorder is arranged directly opposite the predetermined point or measuring zone of the rotor on the casing.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the temperature recorder is arranged fixedly on the casing.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the temperature recorder is connected to an evaluation unit.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 12, wherein the evaluation unit is followed by an indicator device for indicating the remaining service life.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 12, wherein the evaluation unit has a control output for controlling the operation of the turboengine or steam turbine.