Simplify Turbine Maintenance With an On-Blade, Wireless Sensor System
Wireless, on-blade temperature sensors are among the best predictive maintenance condition monitoring solutions for turbine fleet managers. Turbine maintenance is simplified with a wireless solution that has none of the shortfalls of alternative methods. Let’s break down the potential offered in this cutting edge evolution of turbine health sensing technology.
Temperature Hot Spots = Component Damage
Undetected hot-spots in turbine engines are a common headache for fleet runners and managers, resulting in substantial repair and maintenance costs—not to mention costly unplanned outages or downtime. Engine teardowns take time and labor, and the cost of new components and lost productivity add up quickly.
However, most current temperature tracking “solutions” are anything but. Sensor systems also have costs of their own, and when those costs include teardowns for installation or test analysis, re-instrumentation of damaged sensors, and inaccurate measurements that necessitate safe-side thermal ratings for engines…you may wonder if it’s worth it. Some fleets will rely exclusively on test engineer ratings and eschew fleet-wide sensor deployment as an unjustifiable cost.
Gas Flow vs. Blade Surface Metal Temperatures
Many current methods are instrumented to measure gas flow temperatures, not the temperature on the blades themselves, and also detect only the highest temperature experienced during a thermal cycle. However, on-blade surface temperatures are much more predictive of the useful life of gas turbine blades. With an on-blade condition monitoring solution, ratings for operating hours and temperature thresholds can be more precise and allow for extended running time between maintenance outages at optimal levels.
The Wireless Sensor System Solution
Sensatek has pioneered technology that makes it possible to install in-situ sensors directly on the turbine blades of power generation machinery that’s already in use within your fleet. Our in-situ sensors are compact—as small as 8mm in diameter and .6mm thick—and completely free of wires, enabling installation in hard-to-reach locations that once required cumbersome machining or drilling to route wires (as with thermocouple sensors). The acceleration of installation and setup times makes it realistic to instrument numerous blades within the engine and across the fleet in a fraction of the time of alternative methods.
Furthermore, the durable ceramic-derived sensors are rated for a lifespan of up to 40,000 hours at baseload operating conditions and long-term continuous operation at up to 1,200°C (or even 1,750°C for short durations). This incredible measurement survivability means the sensors can be deployed for continuous data collection throughout the full engine life without requiring re-instrumentation.
Accurate, Real-Time Data = Early Prediction of Maintenance Needs
The robust temperature life model provided by continuously operating, wireless, in-situ sensors is a powerful maintenance predictor. You’ll simultaneously extend running time between maintenance outages with a real-time pulse on thermal performance and turbine efficiency and also have an improved ability to plan and prepare for times when maintenance is necessary. Unplanned outages can be disastrous, but well-organized maintenance that’s anticipated early will get equipment back in operation much more quickly.
Explore More Key Benefits
Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc. has developed a patented wireless sensor technology for highly scalable in-situ sensor deployment in large turbine fleets. Our cutting edge on-blade turbine temperature sensors have been featured in Power Engineering, Turbomachinery, and other industry publications and earned numerous prizes and grants. Learn more about the technology here, or contact us to discuss the potential advantages of our sensors for your own fleet’s maintenance.