Automatic System for Failure Detection in Hydro-Power Generators

Luis Carlos Ribeiro^1*, Levy Ely de Lacerda de Oliveira^2,3, Erik Leandro Bonaldi^2,3, Luiz Eduardo Borges da Silva³, Camila Paes Salomon^2,3, Jonas G. Borges da Silva^2,3, Germano Lambert-Torres³

¹Itapebi-Neoenergia Power Plant Co., Salvador, Brazil.
²Institute Gnarus, Itajuba, Brazil.
³Itajuba Federal University, Itajuba, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/jpee.2014.24006                

Abstract

This paper presents an automatic system for failure detection in hydro-power generators. The main idea of this system is to detect failure using current and voltage signals acquired without any type of internal interference in the generator operation. The detected failures could be mechanical or electrical origins, such as: problems in bearings, unwanted vibrations, partial discharges, misalignment, unbalancing, among others. It is possible because the generator acts as a transducer for mechanical problems, and they appear in current and voltage signals. This automatic system based on electric signature analysis has been installed in Itapebi Power Plant generators since 2012. Some results are presented in this paper.

Keywords

Automatic System; On-Line Measurements; Digital Signal Processing; Predictive Maintenance; Failure Detection

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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