Measuring and testing – With fluid pressure – Leakage
Patent
1990-11-26
1992-12-08
Razavi, Michael
Measuring and testing
With fluid pressure
Leakage
G01M 304
Patent
active
051687470
ABSTRACT:
Both a system and method are provided for detecting and locating a leak in the housing of the steam turbine components of an electric generator of the type that are connected to a vacuum pump that generates a negative pressure to remove air from the steam system, comprising a source of tracer gas for releasing a quantity of gas at potential leak locations on the exterior of the housings, a saturatable tracer gas detector having an inlet port in fluid communication with an outlet of the vacuum pump for detecting a flow of tracer gas associated with a selected minimum leak condition and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to this condition, an electrically controllable butterfly valve located upstream of the inlet port of the tracer gas detector for regulating the amount of tracer gas that flows into the detector, and a control assembly including a microprocessor that is electrically connected to both the tracer gas detector and to the valve for preventing a saturating flow of tracer gas from entering the inlet port of the detector. The system greatly expedites air inleakage inspections of such turbine systems since the tracer gas detector is prevented from becoming saturated with tracer gas, which in the prior art frequently caused the detector to become inoperative for significant periods of time.
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"On-Line Monitoring of Steam Turbine Air Inleakage" by Weaver & Twerdochlib et al. presented at the ASME/IEEE Power Generation Conference in Philadelphia, Pa. between Sep. 25 through the 29th, 1988.
Twerdochlib Michael
Weaver Karen L.
Mah Raymond Y.
Razavi Michael
Telfer G. H.
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
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