Turbo charger
Our Solution
Shock pulse transducers installed in the bearing housings,
both on the turbine and the compressor side, are connected
by coaxial cables to a multichannel measuring and display
module. A vibration transducer monitors the overall movement.
The readings can also be captured with a handheld unit e.g.
Leonova™. You get an instant, user friendly condition evaluation
on a green – yellow – red scale. The system gives immediate
results as maximized up-time, increased profitability and
reduced cost etc.
The concept of air compression and expansion has been used in a variety of applications: gas turbines, steam turbines, wind energy, turbo charging of diesel engines and is commonly used in the maritime industry.
A turbo charger comprises a turbine and a compressor connected by a common shaft, supported on a bearing system.
The turbo charger converts waste energy into compressed air which it pushes into the engine. This allows the engine to produce more power and torque and improves the overall efficiency of the combustion process.
The turbo charger has two bearings, one on the compressor side and one on the turbine side. The bearings are either of roller bearing type or sleeve bearing type.
An unplanned breakdown of a turbo charger is very costly. Direct costs are primary and secondary material damages. Indirect costs are off hire of the ship, penalties due to late arrival to port because of decreased speed, badwill in front of passengers etc. Therefore condition monitoring of turbo chargers is very important when it comes to monitoring the condition of the turbo charger and planning its maintenance to eliminate any unplanned stops.
Typical faults and trends
While in good condition, turbo charger bearings produce very stable shock pulse readings. Due to the high rpm, the fatigue of these bearings results in a fairly rapid damage development. A few weeks´ warning time can be expected, but it is advisable to replace the bearing at the first opportunity after an increase in the shock level.
Vibration above all increases on the turbine side when the compressor is fouled and needs cleaning. Combustion residues on nozzle vanes and turbine blades cause a considerable drop in compressor efficiency.
Bearing damage
The bearing can be damaged due to normal wear, poor lubrication oil, incorrect mounting etc. If the turbo charger runs until the bearing breaks down due to any of the above reasons this will cause the turbo charger to stop and the bearing will have to be replaced before start up. A bearing damage might also cause secondary damages to the turbine and to the compressor.
Rotor imbalance
Rotor imbalance means that the turbo charger starts to vibrate. This is because the blades have dirt deposit causing these vibrations. If the turbo charger is run towards a rotor breakdown this will cause the turbo charger to stop. The rotor will have to be replaced and most probably secondary damages will have to be fixed.
The solution
A breakdown is very costly, mainly due to material costs. The time from worsened condition to a breakdown is much shorter compared to many other applications, due to the very high speed at which turbo chargers are run. An online solution is therefore often preferred when monitoring the condition of turbo chargers.
Suggested methods
- Roller bearing types
- SPM monitoring of the bearings with the SPM® method. Vibration monitoring on the housing for measuring the impeller condition.
- Sleeve bearing types
- Vibration monitoring
For trending and alarm handling, SPM Instrument supplies units which give 4-20 mA output for connecting to local PLC. A solution with the Condmaster®Nova software can also be implemented.