Vibration monitoring apparatus and vibration monitoring method

• US 8,701,493 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masanobu, Kitajima, Yasumi, Sato, Michio, Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi, Warashina, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): MacChiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Samir M
• Application Number:
  US12/677,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20110154900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 735/97, 736/27, 736/28, 735/79, 376/249, 376/252
• US Class Current: 73/627
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 17/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves, not provided for in the preceding groups see provisionally also G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 9/008 by using ultrasonic waves measuring position using ultrasonic waves G01S15/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/045 External reflections, e.g. on reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2693 Rotor or turbine parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/11 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4427 with stored values, e.g. threshold values
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/48 by amplitude comparison
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 15/25 using jet pumps
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

The present invention provides a vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a jet pump disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using ultrasonic wave, including: an ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives ultrasonic wave; a reflector that is mounted on a surface of a riser pipe of the jet pump, and includes a planar reflecting surface that can reflect ultrasonic wave; and a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration amplitude of the riser pipe and calculates a vibration waveform.

Claims

1. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave; and

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

2. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit detects abnormal vibration when an amplitude level as the measured vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored exceeds a normal amplitude level of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

3. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is provided in a region with a relatively large amplitude in a normal vibration mode of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

4. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of reflectors are arranged along a vertical direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors are attached to the outside of the reactor pressure vessel correspondingly to the reflectors.

5. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave; and

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the planar reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, wherein

a plurality of ultrasonic sensors, one ultrasonic sensor provided in each of a direction perpendicular to a vertical direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored and a direction at a predetermined angle to the vertical direction,

reflectors are mounted on the component of the jet pump to be monitored correspondingly to the ultrasonic sensors, and

the signal processing unit calculates a vibration displacement, in the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and in the vertical direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

6. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave; and

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the planar reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored,

wherein the reflector is a corner reflector including a first planar reflecting surface and a second planar reflecting surface disposed perpendicular to the first planar reflecting surface, the first and second reflecting surfaces being configured to reflect the ultrasonic wave such that an incident ultrasonic wave is reflected from the first reflecting surface to the second reflecting surface, and then reflected from the second reflecting surface to the ultrasonic sensor.

7. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave; and

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the planar reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored,

wherein the ultrasonic sensor is attached to a region where the ultrasonic sensor is configured to receive the ultrasonic wave reflected by the reflector mounted on the component of the jet pump to be monitored in a vibration mode of an abnormal vibration other than normal vibration of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and is configured to not receive the ultrasonic wave reflected by the reflector mounted on the component of the jet pump to be monitored in a vibration mode of the normal vibration.

8. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic sensor that is attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave; and

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensor, reflected by the planar reflecting surface of the reflector, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, wherein

the component of the jet pump is a wedge of the jet pump, and

when the wedge of the jet pump is displaced due to wear and degradation of the wedge, the ultrasonic wave is not reflected by the reflector, the ultrasonic sensor does not receive the ultrasonic wave, and the signal processing unit can detect an occurrence of wear and degradation of the wedge.

9. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors a position change based on wear and degradation due to vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

a plurality of ultrasonic sensors that are attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors configured to transmit and receive the ultrasonic wave;

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensors, reflected by the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and received by the ultrasonic sensors, and measures a position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

a calculation unit that accumulates a time series change of the position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, compares the accumulated time series change of the position and position change data, and predicts a time when the component of the jet pump to be monitored will reach an acceptable limit value of wear amount,

wherein the position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored changes based on wear and degradation due to the vibration of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

10. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the component of the jet pump is a wedge of the jet pump disposed in the reactor pressure vessel.

11. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

a plurality of ultrasonic sensors that are attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction the component of the jet pump to be monitored, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors configured to transmit and receive the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave;

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensors, reflected by the reflector mounted on the curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored;

a calculation unit that accumulates a time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

a frequency analyzer that calculates a vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a maximum and a maximum amplitude from the time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored,

wherein the calculation unit or the frequency analyzer accumulates the time series change of the vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is at the maximum, and

the calculation unit outputs a warning signal to a warning unit when the accumulated time series change of the vibration frequency reaches an acceptable limit value of a preliminarily calculated frequency change.

12. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a wedge of a jet pump disposed in the reactor pressure vessel.

13. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the calculation unit samples the time series change of the vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude is the maximum accumulated in the calculation unit or the frequency analyzer at regular time intervals, calculates a predicted frequency curve from time-series data of similar vibration frequencies sampled before, predicts a value of the vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude is maximum at a next time interval from the sampled time series change of the vibration frequency and the predicted frequency curve, and outputs a warning signal to a warning unit when the predicted value reaches an acceptable value of a preliminarily calculated frequency change.

14. A vibration monitoring apparatus that monitors vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising:

a plurality of ultrasonic sensors that are attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction the component of the jet pump to be monitored, the plurality of ultrasonic sensors being configured to transmit and receive the ultrasonic wave;

at least one reflector that is mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and includes a planar reflecting surface that reflects the ultrasonic wave;

a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic sensors, reflected by the reflector mounted on the curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and received by the ultrasonic sensor, and measures a vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored;

a calculation unit that accumulates a time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

a frequency analyzer that calculates a vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a maximum and a maximum amplitude from the time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored,

wherein the calculation unit or the frequency analyzer accumulates the time series change of the maximum value of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and

the calculation unit outputs a warning signal to a warning unit when the accumulated time series change of the maximum value of the vibration amplitude reaches an upper limit value of an acceptable range of a preliminarily calculated maximum value of the vibration amplitude.

15. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a wedge of the jet pump disposed in the reactor pressure vessel.

16. The vibration monitoring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the calculation unit samples the time series change of the maximum value of the vibration amplitude accumulated in the calculation unit or the frequency analyzer at regular time intervals, calculates a predicted amplitude curve from time-series data of similar maximum values of the vibration amplitude sampled before, predicts a maximum value of the vibration amplitude at a next time interval from the sampled time series change of the maximum value of the vibration amplitude and the predicted amplitude curve, and outputs a warning signal to a warning unit when the predicted value reaches an upper limit value of an acceptable range of a preliminarily calculated maximum vibration amplitude.

17. A vibration monitoring method for monitoring vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising the steps of:

reflecting the ultrasonic wave from an ultrasonic sensor attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel by a planar reflecting surface of a reflector mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and then receiving the ultrasonic wave by the ultrasonic sensor; and

performing signal processing of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic sensor and measuring vibration displacement of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

18. A vibration monitoring method for monitoring a position change based on wear and degradation due to vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising the steps of:

reflecting the ultrasonic wave from a plurality of ultrasonic sensors attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored by the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and then receiving the ultrasonic wave by the ultrasonic sensors;

performing signal processing of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic sensors and measuring a position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

comparing a time series change of the position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored and position change data with development of wear of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and predicting timing when the component of the jet pump to be monitored reaches an acceptable wear amount,

wherein the position of the component of the jet pump to be monitored changes based on wear and degradation due to vibration of the component of the jet pump to be monitored.

19. A vibration monitoring method for monitoring vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising the steps of:

reflecting the ultrasonic wave from a plurality of ultrasonic sensors attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored by a planar reflecting surface of a reflector mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and then receiving the ultrasonic wave by the ultrasonic sensors;

performing signal processing of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic sensors and measuring a vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored;

calculating a vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a maximum and a maximum amplitude from the time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

issuing a warning when the time series change of the vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is maximum reaches an acceptable limit value of a preliminarily calculated frequency change.

20. A vibration monitoring method for monitoring vibration of a component of a jet pump to be monitored disposed in a reactor pressure vessel using an ultrasonic wave, comprising the steps of:

reflecting the ultrasonic wave from a plurality of ultrasonic sensors attached to an outside of the reactor pressure vessel along a longitudinal direction of the component of the jet pump to be monitored by a planar reflecting surface of a reflector mounted on a curved surface of the component of the jet pump to be monitored, and then receiving the ultrasonic wave by the ultrasonic sensors;

performing signal processing of the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic sensors and measuring a vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored;

calculating a vibration frequency at which the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored is a maximum and a maximum amplitude from the time series change of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored; and

issuing a warning when the time series change of a maximum value of the vibration amplitude of the component of the jet pump to be monitored reaches an upper limit value of an acceptable range of a preliminarily calculated maximum value of the vibration amplitude.