Steam turbine blade vibration monitor backpressure limiting system and method

A system for monitoring and controlling power plant steam turbine blade vibration within a designated safe operation range, limiting backpressure on the blades by altering the turbine output load, comprising:

• a plurality of types of sensors coupled to steam power plant equipment for respectively sampling in real time a plurality of types of operation states that impact steam turbine blade vibration, including among others steam turbine blade vibration amplitude and backpressure on the blades;
• a blade vibration monitoring backpressure limiting system (BVMBLS) in communication with the plurality of types of sensors, the BVMBLS including a processor in communication with a first automated data storage device, and a second automated data storage device having therein previously stored information associating operation states with steam turbine blade vibration, the processor capable of executing instructions stored in an accessible memory device, that when executing said instructions the BVMBLS processor:
• sampling in real time the plurality of types of sensors;
• storing in the first automated data storage device at least one sampled data reading for each respective type of operation state;
• determining in real time a likelihood of whether one or a combination of the respective at least one sampled operation state data readings is indicative of steam turbine blade vibration safe operation by:
• referencing in the second automated data storage device the previously stored information associating operation states with steam turbine blade vibration;
• comparing at least one stored operation state sample reading from each respective type of sampled operation state with respective stored association information relevant thereto and making respective turbine blade vibration safe operation first confidence level determinations;
• comparing a combination of the at least one stored sample reading from each respective type of sampled operation state with respective stored association information relevant thereto, if such combination information is available, and making respective turbine blade vibration safe operation second confidence level determinations;
• and
• combining all prior sequentially determined confidence levels information to derive a turbine blade vibration safe operation overall confidence level;
• and
• a steam turbine control system coupled to the steam turbine for causing the steam turbine to vary output load, and coupled to the BVMBLS, the steam turbine control system causing the steam turbine to:
• lower turbine load incrementally when any of the BVMBLS sequentially determined confidence levels is below a desired margin of safe operation and
• increase turbine load incrementally when the BVMBLS overall confidence level determination is indicative of turbine blade vibration safe operation.

A system for monitoring and controlling power plant steam turbine blade vibration within a designated safe operation range, limiting backpressure on the blades by altering the turbine output load, comprising:

• a plurality of types of sensors coupled to steam power plant equipment for respectively sampling in real time a plurality of types of operation states that impact steam turbine blade vibration, including among others steam turbine blade vibration amplitude and backpressure on the blades;
• a blade vibration monitoring backpressure limiting system (BVMBLS) in communication with the plurality of types of sensors, a first automated data storage device, and a second automated data storage device having therein previously stored information associating operation states with steam turbine blade vibration, the BVMBLS including:
• means for sampling in real time the plurality of types of sensors;
• means for storing in the first automated data storage device at least one sampled data reading for each respective type of operation state;
• means for determining in real time a likelihood of whether one or a combination of the respective at least one sampled operation state data readings is indicative of steam turbine blade vibration safe operation, including:
• means for referencing in the second automated data storage device the previously stored information associating operation states with steam turbine blade vibration;
• means for comparing at least one stored operation state sample reading from each respective type of sampled operation state with respective stored association information relevant thereto and making respective turbine blade vibration safe operation first confidence level determinations;
• means for comparing a combination of the at least one stored sample reading from each respective type of sampled operation state with respective stored association information relevant thereto, if such combination information is available, and making respective turbine blade vibration safe operation second confidence level determinations;
• and
• means for combining all prior sequentially determined confidence levels information to derive a turbine blade vibration safe operation overall confidence level;
• and
• a steam turbine control system coupled to the steam turbine for causing the steam turbine to vary output load, and coupled to the BVMBLS, the steam turbine control system causing the steam turbine to:
• lower turbine load incrementally when any of the BVMBLS sequentially determined confidence levels is below a desired margin of safe operation;
• and
• increase turbine load incrementally when the BVMBLS overall confidence level determination is indicative of turbine blade vibration safe operation.