Power plant torque sensor application

Power and power consumption are important paired values ​​for measuring the power production of a power plant: The power can be measured very easily by the output of the generator. However, the degree of efficiency - the ratio of the effective power and the drive power of the generator at a given time is very difficult to measure.

There are many ways to measure the fuel mass flow. However, direct measurement of fuel mass flow is inaccurate. A range of factors can affect the fuel parameters and the type of fuel used, creating significant uncertainty. In practice, the mass flow of fuel is often indirectly determined by previously measured calibration values ​​or by simulation software.

Another way to measure the drive power is to measure the shafting torque between the drive and the generator. In this way, the drive output can be calculated based on the speed. The torque of the drive shaft generated by the drive torque can be measured. A series of methods can be used for this purpose. However, there is a common problem: none of the torque is measured directly. Instead, it is based on the torque parameters and subsequent calculations. The parameters used for the calculation have very large tolerances, leading to uncertainty in the torque measurement.

A better way is to measure the torque by measuring the stress on the drive shaft surface. The strain gauge is mounted on the surface of the shaft and then linked to the bridge amplifier. The power of the measuring signal and the measuring bridge is transmitted wirelessly between the stator and the rotor via the telemetry system. This method can obtain very accurate measurements. However, there is an error of 3 to 5% when calculating the torque value. The reason is that the above mentioned parameter tolerances will be brought into the calculation. This theory also has certain advantages - for example, existing systems can be refurbished at any time. But for new power plants, the uncertainty of the torque parameters cannot meet the demand.

The uncertainty of the above method can improve the accuracy of the parameters by calibrating the drive shaft or part of the drive shaft. Calibrate the load on the drive shaft to calibrate it. The corresponding signal is measured and recorded. The calibration process can be performed on site. However, on-site calibration is more expensive and the on-site environment is more complicated. Calibration in the laboratory will be able to obtain higher accuracy. In addition, in some cases it is not suitable for the calibration machine to work, or the size of the components and the limitation of the maximum torque will bring great difficulties.

...now that uncertainty is gone - it is easier and more accurate to measure torque. The difficulties described above can easily be avoided. The torque measurement function can be considered in the power plant design: Mount components directly on the drive chain, rotate them together or consider them as drive chain functions. The torque sensor has been calibrated in the laboratory with a calibration certificate. It is very easy to install, replace and recalibrate.

Depending on the torque sensor of the telemetry system, it can provide dynamic torque signals with a signal bandwidth up to 6 kHz. It has many advantages for power plants:

High-precision, high-efficiency measurement (monitoring)

Fuel consumption and optimization No additional sensors required Torque and vibration analysis Detected torque characteristic curve Service cycle repairs or corrections Judgment of shorter signal delays Fast adjustments and limitations when overloaded Easy to install Installation, simpler ATEX approval for potentially explosive atmospheres ABS or Other same certifications can be used for shipbuilding