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Mining & Resources

3 interesting facts for gas turbine vibration issues

18 Sep 2014, by Informa Insights

If you are a gas turbine engineer, solving vibration problems is an issue that you may be dealing with.  We spoke with Chris White of SVT Perth and asked him to share 3 little facts on vibration implications for gas turbines.

Did you know?

  • Manufacturers own permissible acceptance test levels for most gas turbines are greater than the limits prescribed by API 616, and many are also above the acceptance limits prescribed by ISO 7919 and ISO 10816.
  • Most gas turbines have some form of online vibration instrumentation. However, few people realise that in many cases, what’s provided by default may only be sufficient to protect the machine from catastrophic failure – not enough to detect problems early, or to diagnose what the problem actually is.
  • The phenomenon of ‘reverse precession’ in the vibration characteristic is generally taken to indicate the presence of a rub in a turbine. However, it is poorly understood that the absence of reverse precession should not be taken to mean that no rub can be occurring.

    gas turbines image
    Chris White will be speaking at the 15th anniversary Gas Turbines Conference

Chris served 20 years in nuclear submarines in the UK Navy, learning his trade as a mechanical and electrical technician and working his way to Chief Engineer; it was in this role he cut his teeth in vibration in 1987. He studied during the long patrols to gain an Honours Degree, followed by a Master’s degree in Mechatronics. On leaving the Navy Chris specialised in Predictive Maintenance, and has worked both with, and within, the mining, oil and gas, and utility sectors in developing and managing condition monitoring capabilities.

He joined SVT in 2008 and continues to develop, including completing his Vibration Category 4 certification with the US Vibration Institute in 2011. He divides his time between serving as Technical Authority within the Rotating Equipment Reliability business unit, and delivering vibration training courses. However, he would have me tell you that every day he is amazed and humbled by how much more there is to learn.

Chris will be speaking at the 15th anniversary Gas Turbines Conference in Melbourne this November, where he will be sharing his insights and expertise for gas turbine vibration trouble shooting.

Some of issues he will address include:

• What are the vibration measurement strategies for industrial gas turbines vs. aeroderivative?

• What are the specifications and standards and where to find guidance on this?

• What are the common issues and symptoms and how to interpret data plots and reports?

• What are the benefits of proactive monitoring?

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