Systems and methods for use in monitoring operation of a rotating component
View Patent ↗A system for use in monitoring operation of a rotor assembly is provided. The system includes a plurality of clearance sensors including at least a first clearance sensor configured to measure a distance between the first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab, and a monitoring unit coupled to the plurality of clearance sensors, the monitoring unit configured to receive measurements from the plurality of clearance sensors, and determine whether a crack exists in the rotor assembly based on the received measurements.
1. A system for use in monitoring operation of a rotor assembly, said system comprising:
a plurality of clearance sensors comprising at least a first clearance sensor configured to measure a distance between said first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab; and
a monitoring unit coupled to said plurality of clearance sensors, said monitoring unit configured to:
receive measurements from said plurality of clearance sensors; and
determine whether a crack exists in the rotor assembly based on the received measurements.
2. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said first sensor comprises a sensor positioned to measure a distance between said first sensor and a surface of the lockwire tab that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
3. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said first sensor comprises a sensor positioned to measure a distance between said sensor and a surface of the lockwire tab that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
4. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said plurality of clearance sensors further comprises at least a second sensor positioned to measure a distance between said second sensor and a surface of a bucket coupled to the rotor assembly.
5. A system in accordance with claim 4 , wherein said second sensor comprises a sensor positioned to measure a distance between said second sensor and a tip of the bucket adjacent to a leading edge of the bucket.
6. A system in accordance with claim 4 , wherein said second sensor comprises a sensor positioned to measure a distance between said second sensor and a tip of the bucket adjacent to a trailing edge of the bucket.
7. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said monitoring unit is further configured to compare measurements from at least one of said plurality of clearance sensors to determine a location of a crack in the rotor assembly.
8. A system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said monitoring unit is configured to generate an alert when a crack is detected.
9. A monitoring unit for use in monitoring operation of a rotor assembly, said monitoring unit comprising:
a memory device configured to store measurements received from a plurality of clearance sensors that include at least a first sensor configured to measure a distance between the first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab; and
a processing device coupled to said memory device and configured to determine whether a crack exists in the rotor assembly based on the stored measurements.
10. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said memory device is configured to store measurements from a first sensor positioned to measure a distance between the first sensor and a surface of the lockwire tab that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
11. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said memory device is configured to store measurements from a first sensor positioned to measure a distance between the first sensor and a surface of the lockwire tab that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
12. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said memory device is configured to store measurements from a second sensor positioned to measure a distance between the second sensor and a surface of a bucket coupled to the rotor assembly.
13. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said memory device is configured to store measurements indicative of a distance between the second sensor and a tip of the bucket adjacent to a leading edge of the bucket.
14. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said memory device is configured to store measurements indicative of a distance between the second sensor and a tip of the bucket adjacent to a trailing edge of the bucket.
15. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said processing device is further configured to compare measurements from at least one of the plurality of clearance sensors to determine a location of a crack in the rotor assembly.
16. A monitoring unit in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said processing device is configured to generate an alert when a crack is detected.
17. A method for monitoring operation of a rotor assembly, said method comprising:
acquiring, from at least one clearance sensor, measurements indicative of the distance between the at least one clearance sensor and a component of the rotor assembly, wherein the at least one clearance sensor includes a first sensor configured to measure a distance between the first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab;
transmitting the acquired measurements to a monitoring unit; and
determining, using the monitoring unit, whether a crack exists in the rotor assembly based on the received measurements.
18. A method in accordance with claim 17 , wherein acquiring measurements comprises acquiring a measurement indicative of a distance between the first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
19. A method in accordance with claim 17 , wherein acquiring measurements comprises acquiring a measurement indicative of a distance between the first sensor and a surface of a lockwire tab that is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotor assembly.
20. A method in accordance with claim 17 , further comprising comparing, using the monitoring device, measurements from at least one clearance sensors to determine a location of a crack.