Turbine AlignmentTurbine alignment has come a long way.Gas, Hyrdo and Steam Turbine Alignment As electronic devices of all kinds become more a part of our lives in ways few could imagine a short time ago, the corresponding need for reliable power generation continues to grow worldwide. To meet the demand, new generating plants are being constructed and existing ones are retrofitting. Plant operators are endeavoring to reduce costs and shorten outage durations when they occur. Efficiency, reliability, and availability, always the watchwords of power companies, are being stressed anew. And so plant maintenance has become more important than ever. Conventional methods of turbine alignment are being eclipsedTraditional alignment methods for turbine applications involve tight wires, oil-filled cans, feeler gauges, optics and sound micrometers; and they come with the additional complication of long measurement distances. Such methods are sensitive to nearby vibration and often require the cessation of other work in the area to correct turbine misalignment. They provide adequate though not always precise accuracy and routinely take a tremendous amount of time to perform well. Given our ever-growing demand for power, insistence on the shortest outages under any circumstances, and more competitive power markets, turbine misalignment is not an option. And an easier, faster, more accurate method of alignment is essential. Now turbine alignment systems use lasers for increase accuracy just as turbine efficiency has become ever more instrumental to profitability.Today's turbine alignment standard is a laser systemToday's advanced turbine laser alignment systems can reduce the time required for gas, steam, hydro and even wind turbine generator alignment by 50% and above. What's more, these systems afford an exponential increase in accuracy as well. Turbine efficiency can improve dramatically as a result. Turbines aligned with laser alignment devices have significantly less vibration and run faster. After precision laser alignment, a turbine at shutdown can take several times longer to stop rotating than it did beforehand. Principal advantages of turbine laser alignment:
Turbine laser alignment systems perform measurements for:
From steam turbine alignment to gas and wind, VibrAlign can helpVibrAlign engineers and technicians are experts in the following services for gas, steam and hydro turbines from most leading manufacturers:
Learn more about our turbine alignment or related services. All services include complete documentation for quality assurance and compliance. More information on turbine laser alignmentVibrAlign is the North American distributor for the USA for the entire line of Fixturlaser laser alignment systems and products. For further information on turbine alignment systems, or Fixturlaser laser alignment systems, please contact VibrAlign at 800-394-3279 or by email. |
