Turbo machinery speed monitor

1. A turbine speed monitor module comprising:

a sensor for generating a sensor signal in dependence upon rotational speed of a turbine;

a speed monitor module arranged to receive said sensor signal and arranged in operation to generate a trip signal when detected acceleration is greater than a predetermined overacceleration threshold or when detected speed is greater than a predetermined overspeed threshold; and

wherein the speed monitor module is adapted to be plugged in to a same chassis as a module which is controlling the speed of the turbine, and wherein the turbine speed monitor is arranged to receive and accept changes to configuration parameters relating to the overspeed threshold and the overacceleration threshold only when the turbine is operating at a speed lower than a predetermined threshold.

2. A turbine speed monitor module according to claim 1 , in which said module comprises three identical module slices and an output switch and the trip signal is generated by the output switch, the output switch being arranged to receive an output signal from each one of the module slices, and in which the output switch comprises a two out of three voter arranged to receive a signal from each slice and generate a trip signal therefrom.

3. A turbine speed monitor module according to claim 2 , in which said module is arranged to generate a plurality of trip signals and said output switch comprises a plurality of two out of three voters each arranged to receive a signal from each module slice and generate a trip signal therefrom.

4. A turbine monitor module according to claim 2 , in which each module slice comprises:

an input conditioner arranged to receive an analogue sensor signal and to generate a digital signal therefrom;

a trip controller arranged to receive said digital signal and to generate an overspeed or overacceleration signal therefrom; and

an output controller arranged to receive said overspeed or overacceleration signal and to generate said output signal therefrom.

5. A turbine monitor module according to claim 4 , wherein each module slice comprises three input conditioners connected to three trip controllers and the output controller is arranged to receive an overspeed or an overacceleration trip signal from each one of said trip controllers, and in which said output signal is generated according to a two out of three voting arrangement.

6. A turbine monitor module according to claim 5 , further comprising a further output controller arranged to receive an overspeed or an overacceleration trip signal from each trip controller, and arranged to generate a further output signal according to a two out of three voting arrangement.

7. A turbine speed monitor module comprising:

a sensor for generating a sensor signal in dependence upon rotational speed of a turbine;

a speed monitor module arranged to receive said sensor signal and arranged in operation to generate a trip signal when detected acceleration is greater than a predetermined overacceleration threshold or when detected speed is greater than a predetermined overspeed threshold;

wherein the speed monitor module is adapted to be plugged in to a same chassis as a module which is controlling the speed of the turbine, and wherein the turbine speed monitor is arranged to receive configuration parameters relating to the overspeed threshold and the overacceleration threshold only when the turbine is operating at a speed lower than a predetermined threshold; and in which the configuration parameters further comprise an overspeed test threshold which is greater than said overspeed threshold and wherein the module is arranged to generate a trip signal only in an event that the detected speed is greater than the overspeed test threshold and wherein the overspeed test threshold is used as said predetermined overspeed threshold for a predetermined time period after which the predetermined overspeed threshold is reset to be equal to the received overspeed threshold.

8. A turbine speed monitor module according to claim 7 , in which said module comprises three identical module slices and an output switch and the trip signal is generated by the output switch, the output switch being arranged to receive an output signal from each one of the module slices, and in which the output switch comprises a two out of three voter arranged to receive a signal from each slice and generate a trip signal therefrom.

9. A turbine speed monitor module according to claim 8 , in which said module is arranged to generate a plurality of trip signals and said output switch comprises a plurality of two out of three voters each arranged to receive a signal from each module slice and generate a trip signal therefrom.

10. A turbine monitor module according to claim 8 , in which each module slice comprises:

an input conditioner arranged to receive an analogue sensor signal and to generate a digital signal therefrom;

a trip controller arranged to receive said digital signal and to generate an overspeed or overacceleration signal therefrom; and

an output controller arranged to receive said overspeed or overacceleration signal and to generate said output signal therefrom.

11. A turbine monitor module according to claim 10 , wherein each module slice comprises three input conditioners connected to three trip controllers and the output controller is arranged to receive an overspeed or an overacceleration trip signal from each one of said trip controllers, and in which said output signal is generated according to a two out of three voting arrangement.

12. A turbine monitor module according to claim 11 , further comprising a further output controller arranged to receive an overspeed or an overacceleration trip signal from each trip controller, and arranged to generate a further output signal according to a two out of three voting arrangement.