Turbine Rotor Material Parameter Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine rotors experience significant thermal stresses due to temperature differentials during startup and shutdown, leading to increased creep, fatigue, and deformation, which can result in destructive vibrations and failures, and existing OEM thermal stress monitoring tools are incompatible with process control systems, providing incomplete or incompatible data that operators do not rely on for startup and shutdown procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine material parameters such as thermal diffusivity, Young's modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, and density of turbine rotors using a turbine measurement controller and parameter determiner, which obtain measurements, compare thermal stress results with OEM calculations, and adjust parameter estimations for improved accuracy, enabling real-time monitoring and automated notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If OEM thermal stress monitoring tools are used, then thermal stress calculations can be obtained, but the data is incompatible with process control systems and operators do not rely on it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a process control system as an intermediary that receives temperature data from thermocouples, calculates thermal stresses using validated material parameters, and provides recommendations to operators. This intermediary structure bridges the gap between OEM monitoring tools and process control systems, enabling compatible data exchange and reliable thermal stress monitoring that operators can trust.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring temperature differentials across the rotor, calculating thermal stresses in real-time, and providing automated recommendations to operators. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that thermal stress data is not only compatible with process control systems but also actively guides operational decisions, improving both reliability and adaptability.
2Productivity
If temperature differentials are not moderated during startup and shutdown, then turbine operation can proceed, but thermal stresses increase creep, fatigue, and deformation leading to failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of thermal stresses during startup and shutdown procedures before critical damage can occur. By validating material parameters and calculating thermal stress distributions in advance, the system enables operators to take preventive actions to moderate temperature differentials, thereby protecting the turbine from thermal stress damage while maintaining operational continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback monitoring of temperature differentials and thermal stresses during turbine operation. This continuous feedback allows the system to detect excessive thermal stresses and recommend procedural adjustments, enabling operators to moderate temperature differentials dynamically and prevent creep, fatigue, and deformation while maintaining productivity.
3Productivity
If existing material parameters are used for thermal stress calculations, then calculations can be performed, but the parameters may be inaccurate leading to unreliable thermal stress monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical measurement methods for determining material parameters with a computational approach. By using validated material parameters in conjunction with temperature data from thermocouples and process control system calculations, the system achieves higher accuracy in thermal stress monitoring while maintaining calculation capability and productivity.
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
This solution improves turbine operation by executing optimized startup and shutdown procedures, providing accurate thermal stress monitoring and automated alerts, thereby reducing the risk of failures and extending turbine lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
Turbine rotors experience significant thermal stresses due to temperature differentials during startup and shutdown
Implementation Method 2
leading to increased creep, fatigue, and deformation
Implementation Method 3
A turbine measurement controller can obtain temperature measurements from thermocouples
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are disclosed to determine material parameters of a turbine rotor. An example apparatus includes a rotor geometry determiner to determine a geometry of the rotor, a node radius calculator to calculate radial node locations of radial nodes including a first radial node, a thermocouple interface to record first temperature values over an interval, a first thermal stress calculator to calculate first thermal stress values at one or more of the radial nodes over the interval, a node temperature calculator to calculate second temperature values at respective internal nodes of the first radial node, a reference value lookup to lookup first material parameter information, a second thermal stress calculator to determine second thermal stress values, a thermal stress comparator to calculate a difference between the thermal stress values, and, in response to the difference not satisfying a threshold, a material parameter adjuster to determine material parameters.