Software improves turbine repair accuracy
A
Delcam product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Dec 22, 2005
Reverse engineering with a Romer Cimcore arm and Delcam's Powerinspect inspection software is a critical part of the steam turbine repair business of Hickham Industries.
Reverse engineering with a Romer Cimcore arm and Delcam's Powerinspect inspection software is a critical part of the steam turbine repair business of Hickham Industries.
Based in Texas, Hickham's facility repairs steam turbines for the petrochemical, oil, gas and power-generation industries, which can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a day if a key piece of machinery is out of action.
And there are almost never any original drawings to go by.
Even when they are available, they may not be very helpful because of modifications, wear and corrosion over the years.
Dave Dixon, Project Manager for the hot-gas expanders business at Hickham, said: "We have to get the measurements right".
"The margin for any type of error is very small and the price of an error is extremely high".
"Data from our reverse engineering efforts support all the key decisions on what repairs are needed, how they will be done, how long it will take, and which parts must be replaced".
Powerinspect and the Romer Cimcore arm provide dimensions that are reliable.
Internal diameters of casing seals are the biggest and most awkward surfaces to measure and they are among the most critical.
The ends of the blades of the rotating parts run with tight clearances to the casing.
If these dimensions are exceeded, the turbine's efficiency plummets.
Often the diaphragm, seal and bearing housing on a case are eroded.
To repair them, damaged sections must be removed and re-machined in preparation for being built up again with welded metal.
The weld is then machined to the final dimensions.
Powerinspect helps establish dimensions to an existing reference point so the firm can accurately return the weld repair to as-new dimensions.
Machinists then cut these parts to the numbers.
The accurate measurements eliminate trial-and-error machining.
Powerinspect also works well with the plant's wireless network.
After a measuring job, in the time it takes to pack up the Romer Cimcore arm and bring it back to the office, the network has sent the data back to the laptop in the office and formatted the measurements into a formal report.
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