Hydraulic Unit Fatigue Detection With Remote Hub Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting fatigue damage in hydraulic units are cumbersome, require immobilization of the turbine, are costly, and have limited access to hot spots, making them inefficient for monitoring fatigue and predicting remaining lifetime.
Innovation Solution
Implementing remotely queryable fatigue indicators sensitive to specific locations, positioned away from hot spots, which translate fatigue into variations in physical parameters like electrical resistance or strain, allowing for wireless data collection and reducing the need for direct access and immobilization of the turbine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If strain gauges are positioned in close proximity of hot spots for accurate fatigue detection, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult access and wired connection requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the hub with integrated fatigue indicators) that mediates between the hot spots on blades and the measurement system. The fatigue indicators are positioned on the hub rather than directly on the blades, allowing remote measurement of fatigue at critical locations without requiring direct access to those locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical strain gauge system with wireless indicators that eliminate the need for wired connections. The fatigue indicators transmit data wirelessly, substituting the complex wired mechanical measurement system with a simpler wireless detection system that is easier to operate.
2Measurement precision
If mechanical strain measurement campaigns are conducted with gauges mounted on blades, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to turbine immobilization
Solution Approach 1:
The fatigue indicators are installed on the hub before the turbine enters operation, allowing continuous monitoring to begin immediately without requiring subsequent shutdowns for measurement campaigns. This preliminary installation enables ongoing fatigue assessment while the turbine remains productive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous fatigue monitoring through permanently installed indicators that operate throughout the turbine's operational life. This eliminates the intermittent nature of traditional measurement campaigns, providing continuous data without interrupting turbine operation, thus maintaining productivity.
3Reliability
If fatigue indicators are positioned on wet surfaces exposed to turbulences, then reliability of fatigue detection is improved, but device complexity increases due to protection requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fatigue indicators from the wet, turbulent environment of the blade surfaces and relocates them to the dry, protected surface of the hub. This extraction maintains reliability by preserving the indicators' sensitivity to fatigue while eliminating the need for complex protection structures against water and turbulence.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables early detection of fatigue damage, reduces operational costs, and allows for remote monitoring of hydraulic units, preventing major failures and extending the lifetime of components by isolating fatigue indicators from turbulences and allowing permanent installation without interfering with the hydraulic flow.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one fatigue indicator, when detecting a fatigue above a predetermined threshold of fatigue, translate(s) said fatigue into a variation of a physical parameter, optionally, the physical parameter is an electrical resistance, or a counting of an accumulated strain
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a method for detecting a fatigue undergone on at least one specific location of a hydraulic unit (10), the method being characterized in that the fatigue undergone on the at least on specific location is detected by at least one fatigue indicator (F) said at least one fatigue indicator arranged for being remotely queried via wirings or via a wireless connection.