Unbalance Related Recurrent Turbine Shutdowns Case
Recurrent turbine shutdowns due to excessive vibration were traced to mechanical unbalance. A new balancing process, conducted at the turbine’s nominal operating speed, eliminated the failure and restored operational reliability.
Success Story – Turbine preventing grinding.
We have identified a case of recurrent shutdown of a turbine, caused by automatic shutdowns due to excessive levels of vibration. During the spectral analysis, a characteristic pattern of mechanical unbalance was observed, pointing to the probable root cause of the problem.
When contacting the company responsible for balancing, it was found that the rotor had been balanced at a rotation significantly lower than its nominal operating speed, which compromised the efficiency of the procedure. The component was sent back for a new balancing process, this time carried out under conditions closer to the real working conditions.
After the intervention, the effectiveness of the diagnosis and recommendation was verified, resulting in the elimination of the failure and reestablishment of the operational reliability of the equipment.
This case reinforces the relevance and accuracy of vibration analysis as an essential tool for reliability management, ensuring not only the availability of assets, but also the safety and continuity of the production process.
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