Enhancing Energy Production Through Laser Measurement Systems

When dealing with energy production, the alignment and efficiency of your machines play a paramount role in the success of the plant. With production and efficiency as a focus, you need well-maintained and aligned machines to ensure the highest quality maintenance process at all times.

Older, conventional methods of measuring turbines are very time-consuming, but with a new-age laser measurement system you can take on these tasks more effectively and in less time.

Laser alignment and measurement solutions are not only far more accurate but can also give you intensive information about the operational abilities of your components. The possibility of measurement results being easily and clearly documented is ideal for any plant dealing with this level of production.

Electricity generation of this nature occurs in several different ways, many of which rely on the use of a turbine to run the process of generation.

These integral moving parts are present in the gas, steam, water, solar, and wind power, and can be the source of massive damage if not maintained and aligned properly. As the driving force for the process, a broken element here means a complete halt for the production process.

With a professional alignment and measurement tool and solutions provider that understands diverse power networks, you can ensure that the maintenance department can operate on a number of systems accurately and responsibly.

With a wide range of tools and solutions available, there are ideal methods used to ensure your energy production is always maintained efficiently.

Older methods for measuring and aligning turbines sometimes require a long time to set up in order to get an accurate measurement.

A laser system comes in relatively small and lightweight carrying cases and is set up on the machinery in a fraction of the time, not to mention that the reading itself is infinitely more accurate than the traditional methods could really achieve.

There is no wire in the way for the technician, all calculations are made by the software and alignment can be made with live values when suitable, meaning these alignment and measurement systems give plant maintenance and operations a number of benefits to using the high-tech system.

Working on the diaphragm within a gas or steam turbine can be an intensive job to take on. As a professional laser alignment and measurement provider, we can offer a system like the Easy-Laser E960 that brings with it versatile and simple brackets and software that guides the user and allows for in-depth feedback to be given in real-time.

With such accuracy, you can ensure a far more productive and safe work environment. With the laser and transmitters being placed in strategic points within the machine setting, the measurement result displays the straightness of the bearing and the diaphragm’s centerline, both vertically and horizontally, compared with the baseline point of reference. This shows with pinpoint accuracy how aligned your components are.

Shaft/Coupling Alignment
The shaft alignment system is what is needed for the coupling between turbine and generator. The alignment requires a high-precision measurement system with software that can take many measurements. For instance, EASY-LASER shaft alignment tools like the XT770 have the Multipoint and Continuous Sweep measurement methods allowing the system to take multiple points of
reference and analyze larger machines and longer spans that may have critical components.

Large Water pumps with electric motors

Flatness Of The Turbines Partition Surfaces And Other Applications
The partition surfaces of the turbines split casing halves, just like a split casing of a compressor, may need to be checked for flatness. With the Easy-Laser XT770 GEO system (ie. XT770 system which comes with the D22 Laser Transmitter), you can sweep the laser along the surface measuring precision flatness.

Not only can you use the XT770 Geo with the D22 Laser to measure flatness of the partition surface, but you use the system to measure the turbines, generators or other machinery’s bases or foundations – an extremely important measurement when installing the machine at the start.

These types of measurements are a prerequisite for trouble-free operation, something that can save you in the long term. Other things that can be measured and aligned using Easy-Laser include centering of mountings for sluice gates at power plant dams, straightness of pipe systems, squareness, and flatness of pipe flanges, etc.

Energy production is a highly intensive process that requires accurate and well-maintained machines to operate effectively. With major moving parts that are integral to the process, having the right alignment and measurement tools gives you the information you need about your productivity.