Vaccum pumps in a thermal power plant.

Vaccum pumps is one area without which a thermal power plant will not be working. Vaccum pumps are used to remove the air from the condenser and provide a vaccum path for the steam to the condenser. Vaccum pumps suction is connected directly to the condenser.

During unit light up before admitting the seal steam vaccum pumps will be on and then the seal steam will be admitted.  Seal steam and vaccum pumps both ensures vaccum is maintained in the condenser. If seal steam is not provided air will be moving into the system through the shaft seal thereby effecting the condenser vaccum.

The vaccum pumps consists mainly of inlet butterfly valve, pump and a separator tank.
When the vacuum pump is on the inlet butterfly valve gets open and is connected to condenser. Now the pump will suck the air from the condenser and release it to the atmosphere through the separator tank.

The butterfly valve is the heart of the vaccum pumps as in any thermal power plant a vaccum pumped up will always be in spare along with running once. The spare vaccum pumps butterfly valve must be perfectly closed, if not since the pump is not on the air will ingress into the condenser through the separator tank via butterfly valve.

Turbovisionary parameters for steam turbines

Turbovisionary parameters are indeed the heart of the turbine. It explains the turbines vibrations at various bearings, shaft vibrations, axial shift , casing expansions, shaft expansions and differential expansions. With the help of these parameters the turbine health can and performance can be read.

Along with the physical equipment there will be a separate system to analyse the outputs from these devices and know how the turbine is rotating or are there any glitches. Etc...

Shaft vibrations also contains the bearing vibration as the shaft sensor is placed on the bearing.  Shaft vibrations uses the principle of Eddy currents.