Material Deterioration Evaluation Device for Turbine Embrittlement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for evaluating material embrittlement in high-temperature equipment, such as turbines and steam piping, are inadequate for part-load operations and fail to accurately predict embrittlement over a wide temperature range, requiring frequent equipment shutdowns and relying on periodic measurements that are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A material deterioration evaluation device that uses sensors to collect operation data, calculates embrittlement quantities based on temperature and material data, and provides a recommended maintenance time, enabling continuous embrittlement evaluation without equipment shutdowns and improving accuracy through adaptive statistical analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If periodic embrittlement evaluation through equipment shutdown and opening is conducted, then embrittlement quantity can be measured directly, but equipment operation time is lost and evaluation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing embrittlement estimation formulas and storing material data before equipment operation begins. The system pre-processes material composition information and creates predictive models that can be applied during operation without shutdown, eliminating the need for periodic equipment opening while maintaining evaluation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical measurement system (direct sampling and laboratory analysis requiring equipment shutdown) with an information-processing system that uses sensors, databases, and estimation formulas to calculate embrittlement quantities during operation, substituting physical intervention with computational evaluation
2Ease of operation
If embrittlement evaluation is based on design-point temperature data, then evaluation is simple, but accuracy deteriorates under part-load operation with varying temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from static design-point temperature assumptions to dynamic temperature tracking. The system continuously acquires actual operation temperatures through sensors and adjusts embrittlement estimates based on real-time temperature variations, enabling accurate evaluation under varying load conditions while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring actual operation temperatures and using this information to adjust embrittlement estimates. The system compares predicted embrittlement with actual conditions and refines evaluations based on accumulated operational data, improving accuracy without complicating the evaluation process
3Measurement precision
If embrittlement evaluation is performed frequently to improve accuracy, then measurement precision increases, but productivity decreases due to repeated shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous embrittlement evaluation during equipment operation without interruption. The system continuously acquires operation data, calculates embrittlement quantities using stored formulas, and provides ongoing assessments, eliminating the need for repeated shutdowns while maintaining high measurement precision through continuous monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A material deterioration evaluation device for evaluating embrittlement of equipment, includes: an operation data obtaining unit that detects and obtains a state of the equipment as operation data; an operation data storage unit that saves the operation data; a temperature evaluation unit that calculates a predetermined evaluation-target site temperature of the equipment based on the operation data; an evaluation-target component material storage unit that stores material data of a material forming the equipment and embrittlement estimation formulas; an embrittlement evaluation unit that calculates an embrittlement quantity of the material forming the equipment based on the evaluation-target site temperature, the material data, and the embrittlement estimation formulas; a risk evaluation unit that calculates a damage risk of the material that forms the equipment based on the embrittlement quantity; and a recommended maintenance time presentation unit that presents a recommended maintenance time of the equipment based on the damage risk.