Protecting the Fawley power generation turbines

Sensonics has updated the monitoring systems at Fawley Power Station to provide more reliable, accurate data and eliminate time consuming physical overspeed tests associated with mechanical systems

The RWE Npower facility at Fawley is an oil fired power station providing 1000MW of generating capacity: it is a key facility within the UK power generation network.

A wide range of Sensonics equipment was selected to provide the essential function of monitoring and protecting the condition of the key operational rotating plant.

Original monitoring systems being replaced included the turbine supervisory equipment and vibration monitoring devices installed when the turbines were first commissioned, along with the addition of electronic overspeed protection systems for the steam driven boiler feed pumps.

Fawley's investment in the latest monitoring systems focused on the main turbine supervisory equipment for the measurement of differential expansion, shaft position and bearing vibration on the two 500MW steam turbine sets.

Also included was a high integrity electronic overspeed system for each of the main boiler feed pumps.

Sensonics equipment installed included; Sentry machine protection monitors, the Senturion range of proximity eddy current probes, PZV velocity transducers and turbine detector LVDTs for casing expansion.

The turnkey project also included; Sentry monitors with proximity sensors for measuring rotor / case differential expansion utilising the proven mark-space technique (unique to Sensonics), shaft eccentricity with dual measurement modes (barring and normal running speed), case expansion, thrust and speed.

A separate electronic overspeed system was also installed which employs robust 2 of 3 voting for high integrity protection in conjunction with an excellent spurious trip performance.

Commenting on the main problems that were occurring, Andy Millard, Instrument Engineer at Fawley Power Station, said, "Obsolescence was a key issue regarding the existing monitoring systems, we needed to update to modern systems".

Of the steam feed pump he commented, "The pump and steam turbine had to be regularly de-coupled for physical overspeed tests and this was a very resource intensive activity.

The main Sensonics TSE equipment has proven very reliable and accurate with the electronic overspeed equipment functioning very well".

When asked about the main benefits achieved as a result of installing the Sensonics equipment, Andy commented, "We appreciate the current technology, the fact that it's more reliable, along with the security of on-going support, and we've really benefited from the fact that it is not necessary to decouple the steam feed pumps as regularly as we have had to in the past due to the availability of the built-in electronic test and calibration facility".

The successful upgrading of condition monitoring equipment at the Fawley Power Station is another example of Sensonics position as a leading supplier of turbine supervisory and high integrity protection equipment to industry.

They offer over 30 years experience in providing vibration, displacement and speed instrumentation solutions for demanding environments.

Sensonics not only supply a full range of sensors and API 670 compliant measuring and protection equipment, but also offer design through to installation and commissioning.

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