Vibration

What’s Wrong With

My Steam Turbine!

Sco% Cavendish – Principal Turbine Field Engineer
Independent Turbine Consul<ng, LLC
www.TurbineFieldService.com


About Independent Turbine Consul2ng, LLC
Turbine Services Provided:
•  Turbine Technical
•  Turbine Field Engineers (Steam, Gas, Generator)
•  Outage Client Representa<on (Owner’s Engineer)
•  Outage Planning & Scope Development
•  Borescope Results– Engineering Review
•  Troubleshoo7ng and Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

•  Vibra<on Data Acquisi<on and Analysis

•  Turbine Project Management

•  Outage Project Management
•  Project Planning and Modeling
•  Quality Control

•  Shop Surveillance
•  Quality Control and Repair Expedi7ng

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Index
(1) Introduc7on - Understanding Steam Turbine Vibra7on
(2) Rotor Vibra7on Data – Reading the Tea Leaves
(3) Diagnosis By Frequency Analysis
•  Sub-Synchronous
•  ½ Per Rev
•  1 Per Rev
•  2 Per Rev
(4) Other Vibra7on Signatures
•  Rotor Posi7on in Bearing
•  Founda7on and Structural issues

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Index
(5) Steam Turbine And Component Behavior
•  Rotors and Alignment
•  HP Turbine Shells and LP Casings
•  Bearings
(6) Diagnosing Steam Turbine Vibra7on Problems
•  Turbine Field Engineers
•  Vibra7on Specialists
•  Common Vibra7on Causes
(7) Summary
(8) The List…
•  Don’t Do this to my Steam Turbine!

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 The List… Don’t Do this to my Steam Turbine!
1.  Don’t Perform an outage to solve a vibra7on issue without performing a
vibra7on analysis before shutdown.
2.  Don’t Low Speed balance a turbine or generator rotor to remove
imbalance. This will remove the “high-speed” balance weights and be an
extremely costly mistake to correct. (May require unit disassembly, high-
speed balance pits to correct, etc)
3.  Don’t use a hand-held pump balancer to diagnose the complex, mul7-
bearing, supercri7cal rotor dynamics of turbine generator rotor vibra7on.
4.  Beware past balance weights that covered up an old issue – Correc7ng
the issue could put the unit out of balance.
5.  Don’t forget to check for sob feet.
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(1) Introduc2on
Understanding Steam Turbine Vibration
•  This presenta7on is aimed at demonstra7ng the nature of turbine
vibra7on, how turbine components behave, and how to read vital
signals to diagnose causes.
•  Demonstrate why many “experts” fail by only looking at amplitude
and phase angle, instead of understanding specific turbine rotor
dynamics and turbine component behavior.
•  Amplitude and phase angle signals mainly detect rotor weight
unbalance where as most vibra7on issues are caused by other issues.
•  This presenta7on is aimed at providing opera7on and maintenance
details that will be ac7onable back in the plant.

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 (2) Rotor Vibra2on Data
(Reading the Tea Leaves)
•  Most vibra7on issues are not easily diagnosed and
fixed because the data is taken with limited installed
instrumenta7on that focuses on bearing amplitude at
low sample rates, and oben without phase and a
frequency spectrum data.
•  To truly diagnose most issues requires:
•  High frequency data collec7on (ADRE or equivalent)
•  Combina7on of Proximity probe and Seismic probe data
•  Phase angle and amplitude with at least 2 planes
•  Frequency analysis
•  Trending vibra7on over 7me, startup/shutdown, centerline behavior, and vibra7on
events
•  It also requires a Vibra7on Engineer familiar with:
•  Knowledge of the turbine generator internal components to narrow down to a “short-
list” poten7al causes
•  High-Speed data acquisi7on and analysis equipment (ADRE or equivalent)
•  Experience
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(3) Diagnosis by Frequency Analysis –
Con2nued
•  Vibra<on frequency analysis is necessary, and is
the most important tool in diagnosing and fixing
vibra<on problems.
•  Most types of internal turbine issues have a
vibra<on signature that can help determine what
is going on inside a machine.
•  Bearing vibra<on is a “Symptom”. The real
ques<on is what is the “Cause”.
•  Most oXen the cause is not visible or accessible
•  Measuring and interpre<ng vibra<on data is oXen the
cheapest solu<on to iden<fy the root cause, asses
severity, and determine repairs needed.

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 Diagnosis By Frequency - Con2nued

•  Sub-Synchronous
•  Improper bearing support (Sob Feet,
Structural Looseness, Founda7on,
Bearing Pinch, etc)

•  ½ Per Rev Frequency
•  Bearing Instability From Under Loading
(Incorrect bearing eleva7ons or loading)
•  Oil Whirl / Oil-film stability problems
(0.3 – 0.5x)
•  Also Caused By Excess Bearing
Clearances, Or Misapplied Bearing
Design

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 Diagnosis By Frequency - Con2nued
•  1 Per Rev Frequency
•  Weight Change / Unbalance On Rotor
•  Bowed Rotors / Rubs, Etc
•  Angular misalignment - Face (oben with 2x and 3X
present)

•  2 Per Rev Frequency
•  Generator Coupling Face Run Out – (Rotor Not
Straight)
•  Parallel Offset alignment (Rim, oben with 1x
present)
•  3 Bearing Set – Coupling Sling Check performed
Incorrectly – (Adjacent Rotors Not Straight, like tail
wagging a dog)

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(4) Other Vibra2on Signatures

Centerline Trends:

•  Rotor Position
•  Journal Not At intended 27 Degree Posi7on – (Oil
wedge Instability)

•  Rotor Movement In Bearing

•  Abnormal Journal Movements (Orbit centerline
over 7me)
•  Journal Moving Leb And Right – (Rotor Coupling
Not Straight)

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Rotor Posi2on Within Bearing

Rotor Posi<on Journal Posi<on Analysis

•  Normal Journal Posi<on Is 27

Degrees From Bomom
Abnormal Journal Posi<ons
•  Rotor Forced In Other Posi7ons By
Rotor Adjacent Bearings
•  Journal Movement Back And Forth –
½ Bearing Rotor Train Not Straight
27 Clearance
°
•  Abnormal Journal Movements,
Frequency, Centerline, and Orbit within
bearing indicates vibra7on cause
•  (Under/over loading, rubs, alignment, etc)
Ellip<cal Bearing
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Turbine Vibra2on – Founda2on Looseness
Air Gaps Under Founda<on Plates
Casing looseness and
buckling

•  Casing And Front Standard

Sliding Vs Buckling
•  Founda7on Plate Looseness
•  Structural issues are oben
noted in casing Seismic
sensors, oben with
subsynchronous frequencies)

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 (5) Vibra2on from Misalignment
and Component Behavior (D11 and A10)

D-11 Steam Turbine

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Steam Turbine Vibra2on

Steam Turbine Configuration Behavior

•  D11 Specifics
•  A10 Specifics
•  Unit Thermal Expansion / Vacuum Casing Movements
•  Casing Support Configura7ons -Turbine HP Shells And LP Casings
•  Bearing Design Fundamentals

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D-11 Steam Turbine

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D-11 Bearing Alignment – (Cold Rotor)
Rotor Form – Cold Alignment D-11 Rotor Bearing Loading

Engineering
•  Rotor Dynamics – Cold To Hot
•  Vacuum Deflec7on – LP Bearing Cone
•  Tradi7onal Bearing Loading – (200 Psi to
450 Psi)
•  Bearing Loading Design Margin – Through
Opera7ng Range

Symptoms - Vibration
•  Bearing Unloading - (½ Per Rev), Step
Change
•  Coupling Misalignment - (Face 1 Per Rev)
•  Coupling Misalignment – (Rim 2 Per Rev
Generator Rotor)

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GE A-10 Combined Cycle Steam Turbine

3 Bearing Turbine Rotor Configuration

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A-10 Bearing Alignment – (Cold Rotor)

A-10 Rotor Form – Cold Alignment A-10 Rotor Bearing Loading

Engineering
•  Rotor Dynamics – Cold To Hot
•  Vacuum Deflec2on – LP Bearing Cone
•  Tradi2onal Bearing Loading – (200 Psi to 450
Psi)
•  Bearing Loading Design Margin – Through
Opera2ng Range
Symptoms - Vibration
•  Bearing Unloading - (½ Per Rev), Step Change
•  Coupling Misalignment - (Face 1 Per Rev)
•  Coupling Misalignment – (Rim 2 Per Rev
Generator Rotor)

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 Steam Turbine Component Specific Behavior
A Few Examples
HP Turbine Shells
•  Centerline vs Non-Centerline Key Support (Different Structure,
Different Transient Thermal Behavior)
•  D-11 N-2 Packing Casing Area .015” Downward Warm Up Deflec7on
As Steam Enters Reheat Valve Piping Connec7on 1-3 Hours During
Cold Starts.
•  Must factor into internal steam path alignment. Ellip7cal Packing installed in
Later Designs to Compensate

LP Turbine Casings
•  Vacuum Deflec7on on LP is Casing Specific
•  Typically .020” Downward Deflec7on Bearing Cone Area
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Engineering Alignment Factors - Turbine Shell
Support
Non Centerline Support Shell Design Centerline Support Shell Design

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LP Turbine Casings – Vacuum Flexibility
Behavior (Both are D11, different designs)
LP Casing – 4 Piece LP Casing – 6 Piece

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LP Turbine Casing – Bearing

Cone Flexibility
33.5” LSB 4 Piece – Bearing Cone Area 33.5” LSB 4 Piece – Steam Flow Guide

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Bearing Designs – (Based On Rotor Loading)

Common Bearing Designs

•  Bearing Design Based On Rotor Stability / Loading
•  Cylindrical – Pre 1975 Designs
•  Ellip7cal – Design For loading 250 to 450 Psi, Unstable Below 150 Psi
•  Short Ellip7cal – Special Small Clearance Bearing Design Used Down To 100
Psi Loading Stability – (Run Hot, Near 200 F)
•  Til7ng Pad – Operate Stable Down To 100 Psi

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Bearing Stability Issues – (Causes Of Vibra2on)

Common Rotor Vibration Caused By Bearings

•  Excessive Clearance – (Excessive wear, measurement and repair errors)

•  Pinch Check Issues (Incorrect Maintenance)
•  Incorrect Bearing Eleva7on – (Incorrect Maintenance - Bearing Alignment
Diagram)
•  Bearing Ring Bolt Tightening and Contact – (Incorrect Maintenance)
•  Bearing alignment (Incorrect Maintenance - Twist and Tilt incorrectly set)

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Diagnosing Steam Turbine Vibra2on Problems
Other Common Rotor Vibration Causes
•  Steam Path Rubs – Incorrect Steam Path Work / Alignment
•  Incorrect Coupling Alignment and Coupling Assembly
•  Bearing Unloading – Incorrect Alignment, #1 Bearing Eleva7on
•  Bowed Rotor – Steam Path Rubs, Water From Drains, Shutdown
without Turning Gear – (Rotor Will Bow In Less Than 5 Minutes)

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 (6) Diagnosing and Solving
Steam Turbine Vibra2on Problems
A Good Turbine Field Engineer – This is your best defense against
future turbine problems. The right person will have:
•  Excellent knowledge Level
•  OEM Training and Decades of Experience performing the work
•  An Understanding on how folks do it wrong and how to correctly
•  Ability To Diagnose Issues and Recommend correc7ve ac7ons

A Good Vibra<on Specialist – Will know how to measure, diagnose,

and solve vibra7on problems.
•  Have equipment for high speed data acquisi7on, analysis, diagnosis,
and make knowledgeable, ac7onable recommenda7ons to correct
vibra7on. www.turbinefieldservice.com
 (7) Summary
Understanding Turbine Vibration / Successful
Maintenance Involves:
•  Understanding Steam Turbine Designs And Component Behaviors
•  Proper Maintenance Evalua7on, Diagnosis, Technical Work Direc7on
•  Proper OEM Maintenance Methodology
•  Understanding the Engineering Of Turbine Vibra7on

Technical Direction:
•  Experience, Depth Of Knowledge
•  Improper Maintenance – Responsible For Majority Of Turbine
Problems
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 (8) The List…
Don’t Do this to my Steam Turbine!
1.  Don’t Perform an outage to solve a vibra7on issue without performing a
vibra7on analysis before shutdown.
2.  Don’t Low Speed balance a turbine or generator rotor to remove
imbalance. This will remove the “high-speed” balance weights and be an
extremely costly mistake to correct. (May require unit disassembly, high-
speed balance pits to correct, etc)
3.  Don’t use a hand-held pump balancer to diagnose the complex, mul7-
bearing, supercri7cal rotor dynamics of turbine generator rotor vibra7on.
4.  Beware past balance weights that covered up an old issue – Correc7ng
the issue could put the unit out of balance.
5.  Don’t forget to check for sob feet.
www.turbinefieldservice.com
 Q&A
•  Specific ques7ons or issue on your steam turbine?
•  Please stop by the ITC booth and meet the team to discuss any
specific turbine issues and experience.

Thank you!

Independent Turbine Consul7ng, LLC

www.TurbineFieldService.com
(804) 397-9411