Systems and methods for monitoring rotary equipment

• US 9,176,024 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Jensen, Raymond Verle, Hatch, Charles Terrance, Summers, Sean Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III, Freddie
• Application Number:
  US14/061,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20150107342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 731/120.1, 738/623.21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/02 Arrangement of sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/20 Devices dealing with sensing elements or final actuators or transmitting means between them, e.g. power-assisted sensing elements alone F01D17/02; final actuators alone F01D17/10
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/31 in steam turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/72 a steam turbine
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/003 of rotating machines G01H1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves by detecting changes in electric or magnetic properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 3/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations by using a detector in a fluid G01H7/00, G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/101 involving magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/109 involving measuring phase difference of two signals or pulse trains
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/12 involving photoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 3/1435 involving magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/16 by oscillating or rotating the body to be tested
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/49 using eddy currents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A system includes a first unitary measurement strip configured to be secured about a rotational component at a first axial location. The first unitary measurement strip includes a first set of one or more windows, each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a first respective tangential location of the rotational component at the first axial location, and each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to be detectable via a first sensor.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first unitary measurement strip configured to be attached about a rotational component at a first axial location, the first unitary measurement strip having a first thickness, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises a first set of one or more windows formed in the first unitary measurement strip prior to attachment to the rotational component, each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a first respective tangential location of the rotational component at the first axial location, wherein each window of the first set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the first thickness of the first unitary measurement strip, and each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to be detectable via a first non-optical sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises a first length approximately equal to a circumference of the rotational component.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising one or more bands configured to secure the first unitary measurement strip about the rotational component, wherein each band of the one or more bands comprises a fastener.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first unitary measurement strip is configured to be attached about the rotational component at the first axial location via a weld, an adhesive material, or a brazed material, or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each window of the first set of one or more windows is spaced uniformly along the first unitary measurement strip.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of one or more windows are non-uniformly spaced along the first unitary measurement strip.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of one or more windows comprises a first window configured to identify a reference location of the rotational component, and the first window is different than other windows of the first set of one or more windows.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising a second unitary measurement strip configured to be attached about the rotational component at a second axial location, the second unitary measurement strip having a second thickness, wherein the second unitary measurement strip comprises a second set of one or more windows formed in the second unitary measurement strip prior to attachment to the rotational component, each window of the second set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a second respective tangential location of the rotational component at the second axial location, wherein each window of the second set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the second thickness of the second unitary measurement strip, and the second set of one or more windows is configured to be detectable via a non-optical second sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising the first non-optical sensor, wherein the first non-optical sensor comprises an eddy current sensor, a capacitance sensor, a magnetic reluctance sensor, or any combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of one or more windows comprises a first window that is oblique to an axis of the rotational component.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises sheet metal, and the first thickness of the first unitary measurement strip is 1/16inches or less.

12. A system comprising:

a first unitary measurement strip configured to be attached about a rotational component at a first axial location, the first unitary measurement strip having a first thickness, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises a first set of one or more windows formed in the first unitary measurement strip prior to attachment to the rotational component, and each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a first respective tangential location of the rotational component at the first axial location, wherein each window of the first set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the first thickness of the first unitary measurement strip;

a first non-optical sensor configured to transmit first operational feedback based at least in part on when the first non-optical sensor detects each window of the first set of one or more windows from a radial direction; and

a controller coupled to the first non-optical sensor and configured to determine an operational parameter of the rotational component based at least in part on the first operational feedback.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operational parameter comprises a rotational direction, a rotational speed, a differential expansion, a torsional vibration, or any combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first set of one or more windows comprises a first window that is oblique to an axis of the rotational component, and the controller is configured to determine differential expansion of the rotational component based at least in part on first operational feedback corresponding to the first window.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first set of one or more windows comprises a first window and a second window, and the operational parameter comprises a change in rotational direction, a change in rotational speed, a change in differential expansion, a change in torsional vibration, or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 12, comprising:

a second unitary measurement strip configured to be attached about the rotational component at a second axial location, the second unitary measurement strip having a second thickness, wherein the second unitary measurement strip comprises a second set of one or more windows formed in the second unitary measurement strip prior to attachment to the rotational component, and each window of the second set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a second respective tangential location of the rotational component at the second axial location, wherein each window of the second set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the second thickness of the second unitary measurement strip; and

a second non-optical sensor configured to transmit second operational feedback based at least in part on when the second non-optical sensor detects each window of the second set of one or more windows;

wherein the controller is coupled to the second non-optical sensor and is configured to determine the operational parameter of the rotational component based at least in part on the second operational feedback, wherein the operational parameter comprises an angle of twist on the rotational component between the first axial location and the second axial location, a torque on the rotational component between the first axial location and the second axial location, or any combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 12, comprising one or more bands configured to secure the first unitary measurement strip about the rotational component, wherein each band of the one or more bands comprises a fastener.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the first non-optical sensor comprises an eddy current sensor, a capacitance sensor, a magnetic reluctance sensor, or any combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises sheet metal, and the first thickness of the first unitary measurement strip is 1/16inches or less.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the first non-optical sensor is an eddy current sensor.

21. A method comprising:

determining an operational parameter of a rotational component with a first unitary measurement strip attached about the rotational component at a first axial location, the first unitary measurement strip having a first thickness, wherein the first unitary measurement strip comprises a first set of one or more windows formed in the first unitary measurement strip prior to attachment to the rotational component, each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a first respective tangential location of the rotational component at the first axial location, wherein each window of the first set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the first thickness of the first unitary measurement strip, and each window of the first set of one or more windows is configured to be radially detectable via a first non-optical sensor.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first set of one or more windows comprises a first window and a second window, and the operational parameter comprises a rotational direction, a rotational speed, a differential expansion, a torsional vibration, a change in rotational direction, a change in the rotational speed, a change in differential expansion, a change in torsional vibration, or any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising determining a torque between the first axial location and a second axial location on the rotational component or a torsional vibration between the first axial location and the second axial location, or an angle of twist on the rotational component between the first axial location and the second axial location with the first unitary measurement strip and a second unitary measurement strip, the second unitary measurement strip having a second thickness, wherein the second unitary measurement strip is attached about the rotational component at the second axial location, the second unitary measurement strip comprises a second set of one or more windows, each window of the second set of one or more windows is configured to correspond to a second respective tangential location of the rotational component at the second axial location, wherein each window of the second set of windows comprises a recess through an entirety of the second thickness of the unitary measurement strip, and each window of the second set of one or more windows is configured to be radially detectable via a second non-optical sensor.