Turbine Rotor Coordinate Mapping for Automated Blade Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual maintenance of turbine rotors is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly due to the need for disassembly and visual inspection, leading to significant downtime for gas turbines.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a robotic device with a visual inspection device and computing system to calibrate the robotic device, generating a coordinate system based on rotor axis and blade data, enabling precise automated maintenance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual visual inspection is performed on the rotor assembly, then components can be identified that need maintenance, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors and imaging devices. The robotic device navigates the rotor assembly autonomously, capturing data without human intervention, thereby eliminating the time-consuming nature of manual inspection while maintaining or improving detection accuracy through consistent, programmable measurement protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic inspection system performs self-navigation and self-data-collection around the rotor assembly using onboard sensors and pre-programmed paths. The system independently identifies components requiring maintenance without human guidance, enabling autonomous operation that reduces both labor requirements and inspection time while preserving measurement precision.
2Ease of operation
If the gas turbine is disassembled for maintenance access, then components become accessible, but labor costs and downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic inspection system is deployed to examine the rotor assembly before any disassembly occurs. By performing comprehensive data collection and component identification in the assembled state, the system enables maintenance planning that minimizes the extent of disassembly required, thereby reducing both labor costs and downtime while ensuring all necessary components are identified for maintenance.
3Productivity
If automated robotic device is used for maintenance, then labor costs are reduced, but calibration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinate system as an intermediary framework that bridges the robotic device's operational space with the rotor assembly's physical geometry. This mathematical coordinate system serves as a mediator that simplifies calibration by providing a standardized reference framework, transforming complex spatial relationships into manageable coordinate transformations that enhance productivity while controlling calibration complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (100) for use in performing maintenance on a turbine rotor (108). The system (100) includes a rotor mount (102) configured to receive the turbine rotor (108), a robotic device (104), a visual inspection device (120) removably coupleable to the robotic device (104), and a computing device (106). The computing device (106) is configured to direct the robotic device (104) to evaluate, with the visual inspection device (120), the turbine rotor (108) at different circumferential locations thereof to obtain rotor axis data, determine a centerline (150) of the turbine rotor (108) based on the rotor axis data, generate a coordinate system including the centerline (150) of the turbine rotor (108), direct the robotic device (104) to evaluate, with the visual inspection device (120), each blade on at least one stage (112) of the turbine rotor (108) to obtain blade position data relative to the centerline (150), and populate the coordinate system with the blade position data.