Mechanical News
This News Section is written and maintained by: Jewel Creative Ltd
April '10
B-Cool cutting fluids used in aerospace sector
The latest generation of Blaser Swisslube's B-Cool range of water-miscible cutting fluids is being applied in the aerospace and power-generation sectors.
There it is said to be delivering outstanding performance when machining titanium alloys, Inconel and stainless-steel alloys.
Available in the UK through Jemtech, B-Cool 9665 is a chlorine-free semi-synthetic cutting fluid that is suitable for light- and heavy-duty machining, as well as grinding of components such as blades and blisks.
With very low foaming characteristics in soft water and under high pressure, B-Cool 9665 is suited to high cutting speeds and high-pressure coolant systems.
This also makes it suitable for use in standalone machines or in multi-machine cells, as operator intervention is kept to a minimum.
This situation is also enhanced by the emulsion's extreme stability, which ensures extended sump life.
Other features of B-Cool 9665 that are relevant to the aerospace sector are its rinsing behaviour and corrosion protection for the workpiece, toolholder and machine tool.
When combined, these features ensure that the consumption of cutting fluid is kept to a minimum, typically reducing consumable costs.
The increase in cutting data that is possible when using B-Cool 9665 on titanium alloys, combined with the extended sump life and reduction in the amount of maintenance and fluid that needs to be purchased, are said to be contributing to major cost savings.
Source: ManufacturingTalk
March '10
The range of synergy-controlled welding power sources in the Qineo series from Cloos has been completed with the inverter power source Qineo Tronic on IGBT basis.
The welding machine with infinite voltage pre-selection is available in capacity classes 350, 450 and 600A, and is suitable for manual and automated welding.
The Qineo Tronic user software also enables Rapid Weld high-capacity welding with the advantages of MAG single-wire welding of thick-walled steel components.
The operating modes two-cycle, four-cycle, super four-cycle, spot/interval and external (robot operation) are available.
Depending on the individual application, the inverter power source can be equipped with the operating modules Eco, Master or Premium, which are available in the Qineo programme as options.
From the Master version onwards, it is possible to generate, store and protect 999 jobs against unacceptable data changes.
When programming jobs, the user is led through dynamically supported graphics on the operating surface.
The Premium version also makes it possible for the customer to create synergic characteristic curves and multi-channel weld-data monitoring.
It includes an extensive diagnostic system for quality assurance and the allocation of multi-level access rights.
The Qineo Tronic is available in compact design, or with a separate wire drive unit.
A portable remote control offers high welding flexibility.
The Qineo Tronic automation concept provides ready-to-weld packages for all market-leading welding robots.
Source: ManufacturingTalk
January '10
3M introduces air-powered die grinders
The latest addition to 3M's abrasive systems range is a line-up of air-powered die grinders.
The range offers two motor options and is designed to work with 3M abrasives and accessories.
It includes four models with a 1hp high-torque air motor, with a choice of 8,000, 12,000, 18,000 and 20,000 maximum revolutions per minute.
Three smaller versions for greater accessibility are available with 0.5hp motors.
Featuring a compact design, the die grinders have built-in safety features, including an adjustable exhaust that allows airflow to be directed away from the operator in any preferred direction.
For a secure grip with minimum effort, they are finished with 3M Greptile gripping material.
Partnered with 3M Scotch-Brite Radial Bristle Type C-RB-ZB, the air-powered die grinder is suited to metal, wood, plastics and composite materials for cleaning, finishing and deburring in applications where extreme conformability is required.
Paired with the Roloc+ Cut and Polish Flap Brush PF-ZR, it can be used on wood and metal to provide satin finishing and the light deburring of larger components where the machine is taken to the part.
3M's Abrasive Systems Division offers a complete range of air-powered tools for cutting, grinding, blending and finishing.
Source: ManufacuringTalk
December '09
Express Assembly Products has added oil pulse torque screwdrivers to its light-torque assembly tool lines.
The oil pulse technology minimises torque reaction transfer, resulting in reduced operator fatigue and increased productivity.
Express Assembly offers shut-off oil pulse torque screwdrivers and a line of non-shut-off tools.
Both tool lines are claimed to provide high torque ranges with an accuracy rate of +/- five per cent.
High rpm rundown reduces total fastening time, while an exhaust silencer maintains operator comfort.
The shut-off oil pulse tools include an auto shut-off clutch.
Once the torque setting is reached, the tool shuts down.
The operator simply applies light pressure on the screwdriver's lever to restart.
The shut-off series oil pulse torque screwdrivers are available in ergonomically designed pistol grips.
The non-shut-off oil pulse tools are an economical alternative when exact torque is not a requirement.
The screwdriver stops turning once the torque value of the tool is reached, although the tool will continue to pulse with a slight reaction.
The non-shut-off tool series is available in inline, angle and pistol grips.
Source: EngineeringTalk
June '09
NSK's HP spherical roller bearings feature double the service life and increase operating speed envelope by 20 per cent compared with competitor bearings.
The high-performance spherical roller bearings are interchangeable with standard bearing envelopes and are suitable for a wide variety of applications.
NSK\'s HP Series of high-performance spherical roller bearings is interchangeable with standard bearing envelope and is suitable for a huge variety of applications.
The increased performance and extended operating life on offer can extend maintenance schedules on machines for which the bearings are fitted as a replacement, and increase the performance of machines for which the bearing is specified by the OEM manufacturer.
The bearings can also be used to save weight and improve operational efficiency by enabling some products to be made more compact and lighter at the design stage.
Spherical roller bearings (SRB) typically offer a high load capacity and a self-aligning feature that allows for some misalignment of the axis of rotation.
The unitised design of the bearings enables easy handling and installation, making them popular across a range of industries, including steel, pulp and paper, transportation, extraction and construction, which require durability and smooth running performance.
NSK researched the SRB design extensively to identify the limiting factors on bearing life.
It sought to improve the design in order to address them and deliver the extended life of HPS bearings.
Key to the self-aligning performance of SRB is the spherical profile of the bearing rollers acting in the bearing inner and outer-ring raceways.
However, the research showed that under rotation, these geometrical forms interact to produce slippage at the contact surface points between the raceways and rollers.
With its HPS design, NSK has clarified for the first time the mechanism that causes slippage and creates high friction on the surface, leading eventually to damage due to surface fatigue.
NSK further verified, by theoretical analysis and bench testing, that the friction can be reduced by controlling the motion of rotating rollers, and that a special surface treatment of the outer ring is effective in achieving this.
Based upon these findings, NSK developed mass-production technology and bearings, which can minimise slippage to prolong running life by more than twice that of conventional products.
The cage of a spherical roller bearing is also an important component that plays a major role in the performance of the bearing.
Therefore, the cage must have high dimensional accuracy and functionality.
NSK has applied a special nitriding surface treatment to the high-precision pressed steel cage of the HPS series, which can significantly reduce wear in harsh operating environments.
Compared with usual nitriding, NSK's treatment forms a finer and harder surface with more uniform hardness.
Since the special treatment is conducted at high temperatures, the dimensional accuracy of the cage is inevitably affected.
NSK has solved this difficult problem and has achieved a means of ensuring high accuracy of the cage after treatment.
As a result, the problem of cage wear under conditions of continuous running at high speeds, which restricted any increase of the limiting speed of the bearing, has been solved.
This is evidenced by the 20 per cent increase in limiting speed achieved by the HPS series design.
The high durability and superb running performance of the HP spherical roller bearings are a result of consolidated technologies developed by NSK using the latest analysis technology, severity testing and refined production methods.
Initially, 42 sizes with outside diameters ranging from 80 to 260mm will be marketed globally by NSK for a variety of industries and applications.
Source: Engineering Talk
June '09
Departmental Research in Special Issue of “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A”
Two theme issues of Philosophical Transactions A contain a selection of papers presented at the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting, held in Edinburgh between 8 and 11 September 2008. Fewer than 15% of the papers submitted to the conference made it through the rigorous review process to publication in these two theme issues.
The meeting - having the same title as these issues - aimed to bring together computer scientists, computational scientists and researchers from all domains engaged in the endeavour of e-Science: computationally intensive research, typically carried out in highly distributed environments (often involving grid computing), with potentially immense data sets, involving technologies/resources that enable and facilitate such distributed collaboration.
A paper, lead by Dr. Vanessa Díaz, presented future challenges in Cardiovascular Engineering if the current paradigm in cardiovascular disease is to be shifted to predictive medicine. Dr. G. Burriesci is one of the co-authors of this paper.
According to the editors: “The papers selected for publication in these two issues can be considered to represent the cutting edge of e-Science. Aspects of the technical challenges outlined above are addressed through the development and application of available technology and resources to complex scientific questions from various scientific disciplines - driving innovation and progress. They represent those currently paving the way towards a new, faster, better and different science than has been possible before”.
Source: UCL
Mar '09
Engineers Invent New Process to Make Foundries Greener
Engineers at the University of Birmingham, with local company, Ntec, have invented a new casting process that could reduce the energy costs of light-metal foundries. The technology, called CRIMSON, means that foundries need only heat the quantity of metal required to fill a single mould rather than whole batches that use unnecessary energy and create waste.
The UK is at the forefront of light metal casting and investment casting technologies, which are vital to the global aerospace and automotive industries. The energy efficiency of the casting process has never been investigated fully so a new research project run by the University of Birmingham’ School of Mechanical Engineering will identify the energy use in traditional foundry processes and compare it with the University’s new process that aims to reduce costs, energy usage and waste output.
Currently a typical light-metal foundry melts between 100kg to several tonnes of alloy in a range of furnace types. This liquid metal is held at about 700 degrees centigrade in a holding furnace before it is transferred to a ladle and poured into a casting mould. It can take roughly 8 hours for the liquid metal in a batch to be used up and any leftover metal is poured off to be re-used or scrapped for re-melting or refining in a secondary processing plant.
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| Phase 1 of the new process | Phase 2 of the new process |
The traditional casting method uses energy to melt and keep the batch at temperature, heat the pouring ladle, and melt the unused metal so it can be recycled or scrapped.
Quality issues can also arise when the liquid metal reacts with hydrogen, oxygen and water in the atmosphere. An oxide surface layer is created which becomes mixed in during the pouring process, resulting in tiny particles or layers of metal oxide, which reduce the quality of the liquid metal, leading to degraded mechanical properties of the end product.
The new CRIMSON technique uses a high-powered furnace to melt just enough metal to fill a single mould in one go in a crucible. It transfers the crucible into an up-casting station for a highly controlled filling of the mould against gravity. This method only holds the liquid aluminium for a minimum time reducing the energy losses incurred when holding metal at temperature and removing the need for ‘degassing’ as other elements from the atmosphere are not absorbed or thick layers of oxide allowed to form. The castings produced are of a higher quality, leading to a reduced scrap rate and decreased re-melting energy costs.
Dr Mark Jolly, the lead investigator from the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, says, ‘At the moment in the UK we use the equivalent of every man, woman and child each boiling a kettle twice a day every day of the year just to melt the aluminium for casting. It is hoped that the new process will be able to reduce this energy usage by one third.’
He continues, ‘From an industrial point of view any understanding of the relationship between processing and energy usage is of benefit to both the process engineer and designer in today’s climate of sustainability. By measuring the energy usage of the traditional processing methods we will be able to gain a better insight into how energy can be saved. Our new casting technique will provide an alternative and more energy efficient processing route for foundry designers and engineers.’
Source: Birmingham University News Center
January '09
A project aimed at producing the second-generation of starter alternator reversible systems (StARS) could help boost
Led by global automotive supplier, Valeo, the
It is hoped that this will fulfil global demands for more energy efficient vehicles following the introduction of new European Union legislation designed to reduce the average carbon dioxide emission for new cars from 160g/km to 130g/km in 2012.
Existing hybrid solutions have a high level of integration between the electrical machine assisting the internal combustion engine and the associated power and control electronics.
This causes thermo-mechanical constraints on the system that pose difficulties to the automotive industry in terms of flexibility and cost.
Project leader, Valeo, already has experience developing the first generation of alternator-based start-stop systems for Citroën, Smart Cars and Mercedes Benz A and B class vehicles.
Through this project, the company hopes to build on the existing model by reducing its size to a single integrated package and therefore eliminating the need to incorporate a separate box of electronics.
Derek de Bono, marketing director of Valeo, said: ‘Not only will it be possible to reduce consumption emissions without any major change to engine design, but this translates into a six per cent saving in fuel use for the car driver.’
Microelectronics specialists, ON Semiconductor and Freescale, will be working alongside Valeo to help develop the two application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and the power-switching transistors.
Bono added: ‘
According to market forecasts, around one million vehicles a year will be using these systems by 2010, with a four per cent global penetration of the market by 2015.
The Peugeot-Citroën group has announced that it will use the new second-generation technology in more than a million cars a year as of 2010/11.
The project has also registered interest from automotive manufacturers in
Source: Theengineer
November '08
A new rugged, inline, infrared thermal imaging camera has been launched that is not only comparable in terms of technical specification and performance to the latest inline thermal imagers, but costs around 60 per cent less.
Available for £6,000, the new Micro-Epsilon PI (Process Imager) is an inline radiometric thermal imaging device that provides temperature images and profiles of a target area. Included as standard is free software that enables users to both configure all the adjustable parameters of the PI and capture (at 100Hz full frame rate) and store images or an event for play back at a later date – an important feature for R&D purposes.
Rather than a handheld thermal imaging camera, the Micro-Epsilon PI is fixed into position in a production process or R&D laboratory to monitor the temperature profile of target materials or objects. The camera is well suited to process control, quality and R&D applications, across a wide range of industries, including plastics, packaging, FMCG, thermoforming, automotive, paper, printing, textiles, food, chemicals & pharmaceuticals, medical engineering and machine building.
The Micro-Epsilon PI has a USB 2.0 interface for real time thermography with 100Hz frame rate as standard (most competing cameras offer only 50Hz) and a cable length of up to 20m. Temperature measurement ranges are comparable with the latest inline thermal imaging cameras, with -20…100°C, 0...250°C and 120...900°C available, enabling the user to adapt the device to suit their application. System accuracy (±2°C or ±2%) is also comparable to alternative cameras currently on the market.
PCBs, LCD flat screens and brake discs
The system can be used to monitor the thermal behaviour of working electronic PCBs in test stations or to check the thermal effects on mechanical components such as automotive brake discs or clutches. The device is also ideally suited to checking the homogeneity of solar heating panels, LCD flat screens and for semiconductor process applications. Other uses include temperature measurement and control in extrusion and thermoforming processes. The PI also enables users to detect for hot spots in bulk materials or products that are moving on materials handling and conveyer systems.
Similar to all industrial thermal imaging cameras, the PI uses an uncooled micro bolometer Focal Plane Array (FPA) with 160x120 pixels, offering a pixel size of 35µm x 35µm. Exchangeable lenses of 31 degrees field-of-view (FOV) and 9 degrees FOV enable temperatures to be measured across a variety of object distances, including ‘close’, ‘standard’ and ‘far field’ focus. The camera has good thermal sensitivity (NETD 0,08 K with 31° field-of-view; 0,3 K with 9° field-of-view), which means the device is able to show very fine temperature details of the target object.
Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon (UK) Ltd comments: “Many process plants have maintenance technicians who patrol certain areas of the plant using relatively expensive handheld thermal imaging cameras to monitor critical processes or equipment. The Micro-Epsilon PI can be installed in a fixed monitoring position next to a critical part of the production process, to constantly monitor a target material or object. The relatively low cost of the system makes it a viable option for many process plants and R&D laboratories.”
The operator can choose to use a flexible spot with crosshair mark and a fixed measurement area with automatic display of maximum, minimum or average value. Temperature profiles along defined lines inside the image can be shown in a separate graph.
As well as a digital USB 2.0 interface for image processing, the PI comes with a programmable 0-10V analogue output and programmable limit switches. This means the temperature of the target or other measurement information can be re-transmitted to other logging equipment or alarms. The software provided with the PI enables the user, for example, to set up an alarm if certain process temperature limits are exceeded. A Process Interface analogue input (PIF in) allows the user to remotely adjust the emissivity of the target object or material.
The Micro-Epsilon PI is extremely compact and lightweight. Made from anodised aluminium, the camera housing measures 45mm x 45mm x 62mm and weighs just 250g (including lens and 1m USB cable), enabling easy mounting in restricted spaces. The rugged device is protected to IP65 (NEMA-4) and is powered (5V DC) via the USB 2.0 interface, with a maximum current draw of 500mA.
The system is compatible with Windows XP/Vista, enabling easy integration of thermal imaging information with mini-PCs, rail mounted PCs and industrial embedded PCs and PLCs. A DLL is provided so that the user can export thermal imaging data from the process imager into customer-specific software.
The PI comes with Micro-Epsilon’s PI Connect software as standard, which includes a recording function with radiometric video, snap shot, an analysis and post-processing of infrared images function and video. Not only does the software enable the user to configure the process imager, it also allows engineers to capture and store the images on a PC for play back at a later date. PI Connect also offers different colour palettes including iron, rainbow, black-white and inverted black-white.
Source: The Engineer
Sep '08
Newcastle University engineers have developed an automated robotic cleaning system that removes marine growth from the hull of a ship.
Operating in a similar way to the automatic carpet cleaner, the robot has been developed out of an EU-funded project called HISMAR (Hull Identification System for Marine Autonomous Robotics) and is able to navigate its own way across the ship’s hull. First, a map of the hull is automatically charted, recording the location of every weld, thickness change, rivet and indentation on the ship’s surface. The robot is then magnetically attached to the ship’s side and sent off on its journey of the hull, following a planned route and cleaning as it goes. Adjustable jets of pressurised sea water blast the marine growth off the surface of the ship, which is then sucked up into the main chamber. Here, 150 litres of water a minute is filtered and the bio-fouling removed and rendered harmless to the local environment. In this way, the ship’s robotic ‘vacuum’ can continuously roam the ship’s hull, preventing the build-up of slime and allowing it to travel through the water efficiently by cutting down on drag and hence reducing fuel consumption. Newcastle University’s Prof Tony Roskilly, leading the project, said: 'Marine growth on ships is a huge environmental and financial problem for the marine industry and HISMAR offers a unique solution to both of these. 'What we have created is a system that works totally independently – in or out of the water – and not only keeps the ship clean but also feeds back vital information about the hull’s condition. 'Because the map it follows is so detailed, if there is a change to its path caused by corrosion or a crack in the steel then it feeds this information back. This means it can be used as an additional check on the seaworthiness of the ship’s hull or highlight potential future problems. 'And because the drive module and navigational system are separate to the cleaning tools we hope that ultimately we will be able to fit it with different tools to carry out different tasks – such as stripping and painting the hull.' Until the beginning of this year, ships used anti-fouling paints to protect them from the corrosive environment, with Tributyltin (TBT) added as a biocide to also prevent marine growth. However, it was found to contaminate the surrounding water – having a serious detrimental impact on other marine life – and this summer it became illegal worldwide to use TBT anti-fouling coatings.
Newcastle University’s Jonathan Heslop, a researcher on the project, said: 'All other developed cleaning or inspection systems currently available are remotely controlled during their operation, requiring highly skilled and experienced operators to effectively clean the hull, while the ship is out of operation and usually out of the water. 'The advantage of the HISMAR robot is that it is an autonomous system so it can continue cleaning with the ship remaining in service – feeding back hull information as it does so – resulting in very little build-up of slime, reduced fuel costs and much less pollution.' The HISMAR robot uses a novel optical dead-reckoning system in conjunction with a magnetic system to identify the location of surface and subsurface features to build up a detailed map of the ship’s hull.
- Source: www.theengineer.co.uk
July '08
Anson implement 13 seats of AutoCAD Mechanical
Anson, a leading manufacturer of valves, manifolds and flowline equipment for use in oil and gas, has selected AutoCAD Mechanical to increase its overall power and start dimensioning services
The firm had previously been using AutoCAD 2000 LT and Autodesk Inventor but required a solution with additional intelligence in order to improve its general drafting capabilities, and to make it easier to edit existing features and annotations Neil Kennedy, head of engineering at Anson explains, "AutoCAD Mechanical was a good fit with our engineering needs
The link between Inventor and Mechanical really impressed us as there was an easy interaction between 2D and 3D".
The firm contacted Imass, the leading Autodesk UK partner in the manufacturing sector, who assisted them in their decision to select Autodesk products through a series of presentations and seminars.
Anson also selected product training from the firm.
"We found the sales staff very accommodating and polite and the technical staff knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the product and as they were temporarily located on the same Trading Estate as us, it made attending meetings and presentations very easy," explains Kennedy.
Anson were also impressed by the level of after sales support offered, "Imass have assisted in template and drawing border creation for Mechanical which helped iron out a few glitches we were having with our system and our software".
Source: ProcessingTalk
July '08
AREVA T&D to upgrade France-UK interconnection
22 July 2008 - AREVA's Transmission and Distribution (T&D) division has been awarded a €70m ($111m) contract from National Grid and RTE, to enhance the reliability and reinforce the availability of IFA 2000.
The IFA 2000 is currently the largest subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) system and interconnects the French and British national power systems.
AREVA will replace the existing high voltage converter equipment and the control and cooling system, implementing its H-400 HVDC thyristor valves and Series V control system to optimize the interconnector's availability. The downtime on each circuit will be limited to less than seven weeks.
Since its launch in 1986, IFA 2000 has significantly contributed to the development of the European electricity market and has been recognized as a technical success. Today, this interconnection enables the efficient transmission of electricity between the two countries.
Commenting on the deal, Philippe Guillemot, chairman and CEO of AREVA's T&D division said: "IFA 2000 has been a pioneering interconnection and a positive example of effective co-operation and partnership between European electricity companies."
He added: "Our knowledge and experience of this interconnection dates back to 1986 when AREVA supplied the original HVDC converters. We are therefore extremely confident that we can provide the most appropriate solutions that will maximize the performance and efficiency of the scheme."
Source: Power Engineering
July '08
Cutterhead supplied for China’s biggest tunnelling project for 4800 MW hydro station
UK heavy engineering company DavyMarkham has fabricated and shipped a 320 tonne cutterhead for a 12.4 m diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM), being built by The Robbins Company of Ohio, the world’s foremost manufacturer of underground construction machinery.
It has been despatched to the mountains of Sichuan Province, China, where it will be instrumental in one of the biggest TBM-driven tunnelling projects in the country, i.e. for the new 4800 MW Jinping II hydropower station on the Yalong River. Once completed in 2010, this will be the largest power station in an ambitious project for owners Ertan Hydropower Development Company, and will transmit electricity to many eastern provinces and such cities as Shanghai and Beijing.
Fabricated in six sections and test assembled at DavyMarkham’s Sheffield works prior to despatch, the cutterhead and associated Main Beam TBM are being finally built by Robbins in a massive underground launch chamber, pre-excavated by drill and blast methods. The same on-site assembly technique was also employed on the earlier Niagara Falls TBM contract, for which DavyMarkham again supplied the cutterhead.
In a contract valued at £1.15m ($2.2m), DavyMarkham applied precision engineering standards to the heavy machining and fabrication. In order to improve competitiveness when dealing with such large steel pieces, the firm employed a newly-developed cutting tool for rough machining, which resulted in a metal removal rate five times faster than normal, and deployed the latest carbide U-drill technology, which cut holes eight times faster.
Tunnel boring machines are among the largest, most complex pieces of equipment made and, with 50 years of innovation and experience, Robbins is regarded as the leading exponent, holding 94 per cent of all world records for TBM production. Its Main Beam TBMs bore more than 200 km of tunnel every year, establishing them as the workhorses of hard rock excavation.
The cutterhead is the rotating head at the front of the TBM, which actually cuts through the rock, and DavyMarkham has supplied Robbins with these and many other TBM elements over the years, including the literally groundbreaking Channel Tunnel machine.
For the Jinping II project, the 12.4 m TBM will bore a headrace tunnel almost 17 km long, which will deliver water under pressure to the turbines of the hydropower plant currently under construction.
Source: Power Engineering
July '08
Vibro-Meter used to protect and remotely monitor the world’s most powerful gas turbine
Siemens Energy has chosen Vibro-Meter to provide the monitoring system for the SGT5-8000H gas turbine.
Irsching 4 near Ingolstadt, Germany is the test power plant for the new SGT5-8000H, which is the world’s most powerful gas turbine (GT) with a 340 MW simple cycle power output. The GT was first fired in December 2007.
After an 18-month trial operation period, it will be expanded to become a 530 MW combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) and will be handed over by Siemens to German utility E.ON for commercial operation in 2011.
This technologically-leading CCPP will achieve an efficiency of 60 per cent, which is a new world record. As a result, it will emit approximately 40 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year less than comparable existing plants.
Monitoring vibrations and combustion is a proven way to contribute to reliable GT operation, with the target of reaching the highest possible efficiency and lowest emissions. Integrated solutions include dynamic pressure sensors, as well as relative and absolute vibration sensors and a VM600 protection & condition monitoring system.
All data collected by the VM600 are continuously transferred to Siemens’ Intranet, interfaced with its Win_TS system (a global networked plant diagnostic platform). With these tools, experts working in Siemens’ Diagnostic Centres (Erlangen and Orlando) and Research and Engineering Centres (Erlangen, Berlin, Muelheim, Orlando and others) can for example remotely calculate balancing for turbines located in plants all over the world.
Using this information, staff on-site can balance a turbine without the need for an on-site visit by experts.
Source: Power Engineering
The team @ findyourengineer.co.uk
