The health status of turbine bearings is directly related to the safe operation and economic benefits of the entire power plant unit. With its high precision and intelligent characteristics, the vibration sensor VS-2 has become the core tool for bearing health assessment. Through real-time monitoring and data analysis, the fault warning time is shortened from “hours” to “minutes”, bringing revolutionary changes to industrial equipment maintenance.

I. The core role of VS-2: “Multi-dimensional physical examination instrument” for bearing health

Real-time vibration monitoring: Capturing the “vital signs” of bearings

The vibration sensor VS-2 adopts the principle of magnetoelectric induction. It generates a voltage signal proportional to the vibration speed by cutting the magnetic lines of force through the moving coil, and can accurately measure the vibration amplitude, frequency and other key parameters of the turbine bearing. Its frequency response range covers 10-1000Hz, and it can capture the full-band vibration characteristics from low-frequency mechanical imbalance to high-frequency bearing roller failure. By deploying VS-2 sensors, a 300MW unit successfully upgraded the bearing vibration monitoring frequency from “regular inspection” to “millisecond-level continuous monitoring”, providing massive raw data for fault diagnosis.

Intelligent fault diagnosis: from “empirical judgment” to “data-driven”

Combined with the intelligent diagnosis system, the vibration signal collected by the vibration sensor VS-2 can be analyzed in the time domain, frequency domain and envelope demodulation. For example, when the inner ring of the bearing fails, a specific sideband frequency will appear in the spectrum, while the outer ring failure will be manifested as BPFO±n×fs characteristics. A power plant once monitored the emergence of a 2-fold frequency component in the vibration spectrum of a unit bearing through VS-2. Combined with the intelligent system analysis, it was accurately located as rolling element damage, avoiding a major shutdown accident.

Predictive maintenance: a “safety valve” to extend the life cycle of equipment

By establishing a bearing vibration trend curve, the vibration sensor VS-2 helps operation and maintenance personnel identify the wear accumulation process. Studies have shown that for every 3dB increase in bearing vibration amplitude, its remaining life will be shortened by 50%. A 660MW ultra-supercritical unit used VS-2 data to build a PHM system, successfully predicted the early fatigue damage of three bearings, and extended the mean time between failures from 8,000 hours to 12,000 hours.

II. Technological breakthrough: the three core competitiveness of VS-2

High reliability design: industrial-grade “quadruple protection”

The vibration sensor VS-2 adopts a 304 stainless steel shell with a protection level of IP65, which can withstand extreme temperatures from -30℃ to 120℃. Its M10 screw fixing structure and anti-electromagnetic interference shielding design ensure stable operation in the high temperature and high pressure environment of the turbine. Compared with traditional piezoelectric sensors, VS-2 does not require external power supply, and the signal transmission anti-interference ability is improved by 40%.

Intelligent data interface: seamless connection with Industry 4.0

The sensor outputs a 4-20mA standard current signal, which can be directly connected to the PLC and DCS systems, and supports wireless transmission technology. A smart power plant has built an IoT monitoring network covering the entire plant’s bearings by deploying a VS-2 sensor cluster, realizing real-time uploading of vibration data to the cloud analysis platform, and improving diagnostic efficiency by 50%.

Adaptive calibration technology: maintaining long-term measurement accuracy

Using temperature compensation coil and damping ring design, the vibration sensor VS-2 has a measurement error of ≤±3% within the temperature range of ±50℃. Combined with the regular automatic calibration function, its long-term stability is 60% higher than that of traditional sensors, effectively solving the measurement drift problem caused by thermal expansion during the start-up and shutdown of the turbine.

III. Application Practice: From Single-Point Monitoring to Whole-System Health Management

Typical Installation Scheme: Vertical/Horizontal Dual-Mode Adaptation

The vibration sensor VS-2 supports vertical and horizontal installation, and is quickly fixed by magnetic base or M10 thread, shortening the single installation time to 15 minutes. A nuclear power project uses a 45° oblique installation scheme on the turbine bearing seat, successfully capturing the misaligned vibration characteristics of the rotor, and providing key data for unit optimization.

Intelligent Operation and Maintenance System: Closed-Loop Management from Monitoring to Decision-Making

Combined with the LH6011/12 vibration monitoring and protection instrument, the vibration sensor VS-2 can set multi-level alarm thresholds and trigger sound and light alarms and automatic shutdown protection. A thermal power company has shortened the bearing fault warning response time from 12 hours to 2 hours by building a three-level architecture of “sensor-edge computing-cloud analysis”.

Cost-benefit analysis: the significant value of preventive maintenance

According to industry statistics, the average maintenance cost of units monitored by VS-2 is reduced by 45%, and the downtime loss is reduced by 70%. A cement plant deploys VS-2 sensors to detect early wear of fan bearings in a timely manner, and the cost of replacing bearings is only 1/10 of the cost of repairing after an accident.

By integrating multi-dimensional data such as vibration, temperature, and lubricating oil, the system can predict the remaining life of bearings and realize the transformation from “regular maintenance” to “on-demand maintenance”. At the same time, the deep integration of new technologies such as quantum sensing and fiber optic sensing with vibration sensor VS-2 will further improve monitoring accuracy and anti-electromagnetic interference capabilities, injecting new momentum into the intelligent development of steam turbines.

When looking for high-quality, reliable vibration sensors, YOYIK is undoubtedly a choice worth considering. The company specializes in providing a variety of power equipment including steam turbine accessories, and has won wide acclaim for its high-quality products and services. For more information or inquiries, please contact the customer service below:

E-mail: sales@yoyik.com
Tel: +86-838-2226655
WhatsApp: +86-13618105229

Yoyik offers various types of spare parts for steam turbines, generators, boilers in power plants:
ACTUATOR,MOTORIZED 2SA7021-5EE20-4BA4-Z
SPEED SENSOR CS-3M16-L60
Modul Actuator TP400-D-3
Motor management relay WDZ-5232
magnetic position sensor TDZ-1G-31
FOXBORO Card FCP270
Hydraulic motor stroke sensor DEH-LVDT-300-6
Pressure switch 0159-43214-1-001
LVDT sensor 2000TDGN-20-01-01
PULLCORD SWITCH HKLS-1
Speed Sensor D 110 02 01
Pressure switch 880300
Valve position sensor TD-1-0050-10-01-01
Main Control Board Include LCD Display SY-V2-CTRL (Ver 1.20)
Sensor Speed Turbine CS-1G-065-02-01
Differential pressure switch DK-0.15
Eddy current sensor PR6424/010-040
POSITIONER ELECTRO PNEUMATIC DOUBLE 6DR 4004 6J
Actuator AOX-080
Pump casing temperature sensor WZPM2-12-50-G1/2-S
PRESSURE SWITCH TBN JACKING OI RC861CZ090HYR
Fire detection probe 2653-093-03/IR7200A
LVDT FOR IP Governing Valves ZDET100B
speed sensor DSF1210.00SHV
LVDT DFA-LVDT-150-3
Level Transmitter 5301HA2H1N3AM00145BANA M1
Control SystemLVDT 2000TDGNK
load cell STO-600-07
Annunciator CJX-14
magnetic separator PDC12-TA
speed meter MOTOR COAL FEEDER MP37A