System and method for measuring eccentricity of gas turbine casing relative to rotor

A system for determining eccentricity of a casing relative to a rotor of a gas turbine, the system comprising:

• a set of stationary distance detectors installed on the casing at known circumferential positions along a first axial plane, the set of stationary distance detectors comprising a first distance detector, a second distance detector, and a third distance detector;
• the first distance detector comprising a first housing, a first microcontroller contained within the first housing, a first antenna coupled to the first housing, and a first wireless network transceiver coupled to a distal end of the first antenna;
• the second distance detector comprising a second housing, a second microcontroller disposed within the second housing, a second antenna coupled to the second housing, and a second wireless network transceiver coupled to a distal end of the second antenna;
• the third distance detector comprising a third housing, a third microcontroller disposed within the third housing, a third antenna coupled to the third housing, and a third wireless network transceiver coupled to a distal end of the third antenna;
• a rotating distance detector affixed to a rotating component of the gas turbine in or near the first axial plane, the rotating component being one of the rotor, a compressor blade, and a turbine blade, the rotating distance detector comprising a fourth housing, a fourth microcontroller disposed within the fourth housing, and a fourth wireless network transceiver coupled to the fourth microcontroller;
• wherein the first distance detector transmits a first wireless signal to the second distance detector and receives a second wireless signal from the second distance detector to measure a first distance between the first distance detector and the second distance detector;
• wherein the first distance detector transmits a third wireless signal to the third distance detector and receives a fourth wireless signal from the third distance detector to measure a second distance between the first distance detector and the third distance detector;
• wherein, as the rotor spins, the rotating distance detector transmits a series of fifth wireless signals to the first distance detector, the second distance detector, and the third distance detector, thereby defining a series of path lengths indicative of respective third distances between the fourth distance detector and each of the first distance detector, the second distance detector, and the third distance detector;
• wherein one or more of the first distance detector and the rotating distance detector transmits measurements of the first distance, the second distance, and the respective third distances over a wireless local area network;
• and
• a remote computing device for processing the measurements of the first distance, the second distance, and the respective third distances into an eccentricity plot of the casing relative to the rotor at the first axial plane.