Angle Measurement Jig for Axial Flow Compressor Vanes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In axial flow compressors, measuring the vane angle of variable vanes located inside the casing is challenging, requiring casing opening, which increases worker burden and prolongs plant stoppage periods.
Innovation Solution
An angle measurement method and jig that allow for easy measurement of vane angles by mounting a measurement jig on an arm outside the casing, using a guide part and facing part to contact a reference surface, enabling vane angle measurement without opening the casing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the casing is opened to access the vane main body for angle measurement, then the measurement can be performed, but the worker burden increases and inspection time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary measurement jig that transfers the measurement function from the inaccessible vane main body to the accessible arm. The jig includes a measurement unit mounted on the arm that can contact reference surfaces, enabling angle measurement without opening the casing. This intermediary device bridges the gap between the measurement requirement and the physical accessibility constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system creates a copy of the angular relationship by using reference surfaces on the arm and casing that correspond to the vane angle. Instead of measuring the vane main body directly, the system measures equivalent angular relationships through the arm-casing interface, providing an indirect but accurate representation of the vane angle.
2Measurement precision
If the casing is opened to access the vane main body, then the vane angle can be measured, but the plant stoppage period is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement jig serves as an intermediary that enables measurement through the existing arm-casing interface, eliminating the need to open the casing. This maintains plant availability while achieving the measurement objective through indirect measurement of angular relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes existing components (arm, casing, and their reference surfaces) that are already accessible during normal operation to perform the measurement. The arm's rotational position and the casing's reference surfaces self-provide the measurement interface, eliminating the need for additional disassembly or plant shutdown.
3Measurement precision
If the casing is opened to access the vane main body, then the angle measurement can be performed, but the worker burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement jig acts as an intermediary tool that simplifies the measurement operation by providing a standardized interface between the accessible arm and the measurement requirement. Workers interact with the jig through simple mounting and reference surface contact operations, eliminating the complexity of opening the casing and directly accessing the vane main body.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement function is extracted from the vane main body and transferred to the measurement jig mounted on the arm. This separation allows the measurement operation to be performed on the accessible arm rather than requiring access to the inaccessible vane main body, significantly easing the operational burden.
Data Source
AI summary
This angle measurement method is a method of measuring an angle of a variable vane of an axial flow fluid machine including a vane main body which is disposed inside of a casing, and an arm which is disposed outside of the casing and rotates integrally with the vane main body, and includes: a jig mounting step of mounting a measurement jig configured to measure an angle of the vane main body on the arm in a fixed posture in a rotation direction of the arm; and a measurement step of measuring a relative angle between a predetermined angle reference surface intersecting the rotation direction of the arm and at least a portion of the measurement jig.