Air gap monitoring of rotor in generator
In large generators and electric motors, certain imbalances during various operations are bound to occur. These imbalances could be the result of wear caused by extreme wind and weather conditions, which could cause the the rotor touch the stator. Since the rotor and the stator are quite flexible, their shape and position can be influenced by operating forces. Hence, the gap between the inside diameter of the stator and outside diameter of the rotor, i.e. the air gap must always be maintained and kept consistent in order to keep the rotor from damaging due to magnetically induced heating.
Capacitive displacement sensor capaNCDT from Bestech Australia is used for this non-contact measurement of displacement, distance and position. These sensors are especially designed to perform such measurements that require reliability and temperature stability as in case of generators. These sensors are protected by a special housing and are resistant to vibration and magnetic fields. The condition monitoring is performed during machine operation only, identifying thr air gap issues for taking corrective measures before any failure is inflicted.
The sensors are capable of achieving resolutions in the submicrometre range and are suitable for high-volume OEM applications. They are also equiped with different interfaces such as analog, Ethernet and EtherCAT, thereby providing a user-friendly measuring environment.
Sensor technology used:
