Control & Instrumentation
Preventing failure
FAG online condition monitoring system prevents failure of a power
generation turbine at Corus
An FAG DTECT X1 online vibration monitoring system has Wolfgang Hahn, manufacturing manager for the Central Power
prevented the failure of a steam turbine, which could have cost Station at Corus Scunthorpe confirms the company’s intention to
the Corus plant in Scunthorpe many thousands of pounds in lost continue the good work of the PCM department in recent years.
power generation. “PCM has been working well for us. We get a good service
The Central Power Station on the Corus site in Scunthorpe from the PCM department and have saved the company a lot of
provides electricity for the site by utilising works arising gases. money,” he confirms.
There are a total of six steam turbines generating up to 53 MW “We are moving towards a full condition-based monitoring
of energy for the plant. The remaining required energy is drawn system as we recognise the considerable benefits to our plant.
from the National Grid. Energy prices remain high so it is in our own interests to reduce
It was only when Turbine No. 5 was taken off-line for routine the need to draw from the National Grid by maintaining reliable
maintenance that serious cracks in the generator’s retaining equipment in our own plant. If we increase the reliability and
rings were discovered. The resident maintenance engineers availability of our equipment we can increase the power
immediately realised that the risk of a failure of this turbine generated to the plant and reduce our costs significantly.”
would not only result in lengthy downtime and lost production, This proactive approach to maintenance is welcomed by the
but in serious safety risks to plant personnel. Corus PCM team. “The Central Power Station is always looking
To ensure the continued safe operation of an identical for ways to maximise the availability of its plant and equipment,
generator, the maintenance team decided to act fast and and works very closely with our team to explore new ways of
conducted a HAZOP (Hazard & Operability Analysis) study on doing this, comments Ian Taylor, business development engineer
Turbine No. 4. If this sister unit was discovered to have the for PCM at Corus. “The FAG online monitoring systems have
same problem as No. 5 Turbine, a more serious failure could proved a cost-effective way of meeting their requirements, and it
have occurred. Following the study, a protective cover was put is refreshing to work with maintenance engineers who believe in
in place immediately, but it was clear that early failure detection what we are trying to do,” says Taylor.
was also required. The next three years will be challenging times for Scunthorpe,
“We needed a quick response vibration monitoring unit to but with the support from Schaeffler to provide in-depth product
provide protection not only for the equipment but for our training to their maintenance engineers and operators, they
personnel,” says maintenance engineer, Josh Mortimer. “Having should be able to meet their maintenance objectives.
seen how successful the Corus PCM (Plant Condition For more information contact please visit www.schaeffler.co.uk
Monitoring) team had been at Teesside
and in other areas of the Scunthorpe
plant in preventing plant failures, I was
keen to identify a system that was quick
and easy to install and that was also
easy for our operators to understand.
The FAG DTECT X1 unit seemed ideal
for our requirements,” he continued.
It was decided to install the DTECT X1
system on the exciter end bearing and
the turbine end bearing of Turbine No. 4.
Shortly afterwards the online vibration
monitoring device detected a problem
with one of the rotor blades. “Our
attempts to protect this generator paid
off,” says Chris Smith, Scunthorpe’s
PCM engineer. “By picking up the blade
failure early on, we were able to prevent
the failure of the whole turbine. In lost
generation alone, this machine is worth
£35,000 a day. Minimal damage and a
quick return to service is obviously the
preferred option.”
ABOVE: Detached blade in roof of stator
36 Solids & Bulk Handling February 2010 www.solidsandbulk.co.uk
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60