In the beginning there was an altimeter - Meggitt PLC

with information and lets him decide
how to cope with a misbehaving engine, the
situation is different with large industrial
power generation turbines.
“Some of those run automatically, day
and night, without human supervision,”
explains Reinmann, “so you have to have a
mechanism in place to shut them down if
something goes wrong.” Sometimes this
is achieved by flagging up a problem to a
remote control room, but the Vibro-Meter
system can be given the ability to close
down a malfunctioning turbine by itself
within a fraction of a second.
The second aspect to the VM600 is
condition monitoring. This measures a
series of parameters and transmits the
information to a remote computer, where
analysis software checks that the turbine
is performing within its limits. The digital
VM600 has been around for a decade. The
latest VM600X version includes InSight
software and a new data acquisition card.
InSight integrates multiple sensing
and analysis modules, has greater capacity
and is faster than its predecessor, giving
better performance, explains Reinmann.
“It measures new parameters and does
so more quickly. For example, we started
monitoring combustion dynamics on
the older system and were reaching the
system’s limits. We can do that much
better with InSight and now we are the only
company to propose an efficient combustion
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REVIEW | WINTER 2010
monitoring system for gas turbines.”
The new software also has an open
architecture that allows new modules
to be integrated. Meggitt’s tip clearance
measurement hardware and software—
the smaller the gap between the turbine
blade and the turbine casing, the more
fuel-efficient the engine—was released for
InSight last December, for example.
Open architecture also allows it to
interface with other plant information and
control systems.
There is undoubtedly a benefit for
operators in using condition-based
monitoring in avoiding downtime due to
unscheduled maintenance or malfunction.
As well as being an unexpected expense, it
can cause major problems for the operator’s
customers. An operator in Florida does not
want to lose a turbine in July when demand
Meggitt’s condition monitoring equipment
provides the pilot with information and lets
him decide how to cope with a misbehaving
engine. The situation is different with large
industrial power generation turbines
for air-conditioning is at its peak, for
instance. The same goes for a power utility
in Germany in January, when customers are
reaching for the central heating thermostat.
Demand for very large turbines can
reach 300 to 400 units a year. “Demand
for power production usually comes more
or less in parallel with GDP growth, so
countries like China and India have very big
potential,” says Reinmann.
At present, Meggitt Sensing Systems’
condition monitoring systems are on about
35% of these huge machines. Meggitt
clearly leads the market in areas such as
Left: Technicians prepare the
Siemens Energy SGT5-8000H
for delivery to a power plant in
Irsching, Bavaria. The turbine
weighs 440 metric tons.
high-temperature piezo-electric pressure
sensors and accelerometers,
while recent hi-tech achievements such
as the microwave based tip-clearance
measurement gives the company greater
overall credibility in the sector.
One major boost for the Fribourg-based
facility comes from the long-term support
of German turbine manufacturer Siemens,
for which it has been ‘house supplier’ of
condition-monitoring equipment since
the 1970s. “We’re seen as a very reliable,
innovative supplier,” says Reinmann.
That innovation, he adds, is faster
with industrial turbines than with Meggitt’s
traditional aero-engine market.
This is because aviation is one of the
world’s most highly-regulated industries.
Every component of an aircraft—quite
literally down to every screw—is logged and
tracked throughout its lifespan to ensure
aviation is as safe an activity as possible.
“In aerospace, you design something
in close co-operation with an OEM. He
then certifies that part on an engine or
airframe and it’s given a certified part
number. On the energy side of the business
these systems are much more open and
configurable. You can use a part on a gas
turbine, steam turbine or hydro turbine.
You are more innovative because you don’t
have to go through the same regulated
certification procedure. Once you have
agreement from an operator to put a new
part on his machine you can do trials ‘in the
field’ alongside existing systems. There’s
no certification body saying ‘You can’t do that.’
The challenges of working in aerospace
do have benefits, however, says Reinmann.
“When we’re talking to energy customers,
they’re impressed we have a leading position
in aerospace, as they know it’s a very
demanding market with tough factors such
as the environment, quality and reliability. ●