Turbomachinery Monitoring and Diagnostics

Turbomachinery condition monitoring and diagnostics has come a long way in the last few decades. The main tool for monitoring and diagnosis of turbomachinery is the use of vibration measurement and analysis. Along with machine operating parameters, machine vibration analysis provides a complete picture of turbomachinery condition and can be used to perform a complete analysis and a diagnostic result can be subsequently obtained. Usually diagnostics is performed after an anomaly has been detected through monitoring. This is the approach taken by ISO 13373 series of diagnostic standards. This chapter discusses methods of vibration measurement for machinery monitoring and diagnostics. The sensors used, their operating principles and installation methods are described, as well as the required instrumentation and measurement set-up. The main tool for vibration diagnosis is the spectrum, however, for a complete and accurate diagnosis other vibration tools may have to be considered, including the overall amplitude, time waveform, the phase, the orbit and in some cases an operating deflection shape analysis (ODS) may need to be performed. Finally recent trends shall be briefly discussed, including the use of wireless sensors, cloud monitoring, expert diagnosis, the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, as well as the very recent use of vibration video motion magnification technology.