A typical electricity generating power plant that uses fossil fuels such as gas, oil or coal will consist of 5 or 6 power generators of varying sizes. In addition to this, the plant will be equipped with 2 larger capacity units, 2 to 3 medium capacity units and 1 or 2 peaking units with a smaller generating capacity. Peaking units need gas turbines or diesel engines to run their electric generators whereas big steam turbines are employed to run medium and large generators.
To be able to generate and provide uninterrupted power supply, it is crucial that need-based power plant maintenance activities, such as vibration analysis, are regularly conducted on such equipment. Employing vibration test systems is a cost-effective method to ensure the plant remains fully operational. A vibration analyzer is a non-invasive, predictive-maintenance tool engineers can apply to measure vibration levels of rotation equipment and turbo generators at the power plant.
Typically, all large equipment at a power plant is installed with monitoring systems such as vibration analyzers. These instruments measure parameters specific to long and heavy rotors and machines commonly used for steam turbines. These parameters include zero speed, valve position, differential expansion and absolute shaft vibration.
On the other hand, the smaller equipment undergoes vibration analysis on a periodic basis using portable vibration meter Periodic vibration monitoring allows engineers to keep a check on upto 800 different areas of equipment on a monthly basis.
Several maintenance teams are now deciding to standardize continuous monitoring irrespective of the size of the equipment especially for smaller machines which require more maintenance than the standard rate. Continuous vibration analysis is also recommended for enhanced visibility of operating conditions, safety of technicians who are required to reach out to remote parts of the equipment such as cooling towers and to reduce the overall workload of maintenance teams.
All in all, placing a strong vibration test system at a power plant helps predict failures, schedule corrective interventions and avoid loss of production time and quality. Besides, vibration analysishelps reduce costs of maintenance, labour and material and minimizes energy consumption. It also benefits power plants to enhance production capacity, minimize inventory and stock of spare parts, continue reliable production processes, enhance availability of equipment and minimize overall collateral damage. Utilizing vibration analysis equipment has also statistically proven to have optimized maintenance schedules and drastically reduced risks related to health, safety and environment, which are common occurrences at power plants.