John R. Fraley

Development and Testing of Harsh Environment, Wireless Sensor Systems for Industrial Gas Turbines

The potential for savings provided to worldwide operators of industrial gas turbines, by transitioning from the current standard of interval-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance may be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition, the operational flexibility that may be obtained by knowing the historical and current condition of life-limiting components will enable more efficient use of industrial gas turbine resources, with less risk of unplanned outages as a result of off-parameter operations. To date, it has been impossible to apply true condition-based maintenance to industrial gas turbines because the extremely harsh operating conditions in the heart of a gas turbine preclude using the necessary advanced sensor systems to monitor the machine’s condition continuously. Siemens, Rove Technical Services, and Arkansas Power Electronics International are working together to develop a potentially industry-changing technology to build smart, self-aware engine components that incorporate embedded, harsh-environment-capable sensors and high temperature capable wireless telemetry systems for continuously monitoring component condition in the hot gas path turbine sections. The approach involves embedding sensors on complex shapes, such as turbine blades, embedding wireless telemetry systems in regions with temperatures that preclude the use of conventional silicon-based electronics, and successfully transmitting the sensor information from an environment very hostile to wireless signals. The results presented will include those from advanced, harsh environment sensor and wireless telemetry component development activities. In addition, results from laboratory and high temperature rig and spin testing will be discussed.© 2009 ASME

Development and F-Class Industrial Gas Turbine Engine Testing of Smart Components With Direct-Write Embedded Sensors and High Temperature Wireless Telemetry

The potential for savings provided to worldwide operators of industrial gas turbines, by transitioning from the current standard of interval-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance may be in the tens of millions of dollars per year. Knowledge of the historical and current condition of life-limiting components will enable more efficient use of industrial gas turbine resources via increased operational flexibility, with less risk of unplanned outages as a result of off-parameter operations. To date, it has been impossible to apply true condition-based maintenance to industrial gas turbines because the extremely harsh operating conditions in the heart of a gas turbine preclude using the necessary advanced sensor systems to monitor the machine’s condition continuously. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology – Advanced Technology Program (NIST-ATP) awarded the Joint Venture team of Siemens Power Generation, Inc. and MesoScribe Technologies, Inc. a four-year,

Energy storage utilizing advanced CVD nanodiamond technology

5.4 million program in November, 2004, titled Conformal, Direct-Write-Technology-Enabled, Wireless, Smart Turbine Components. The target was to develop a potentially industry-changing technology to build smart, self-aware engine components that incorporate embedded, harsh-environment-capable sensors and high temperature capable wireless telemetry systems for continuously monitoring component condition in both the compressor and turbine sections. The approach involves several difficult engineering challenges, including the need to embed sensors on complex shapes, such as turbine blades, embedding wireless telemetry systems in regions with temperatures that preclude the use of conventional silicon-based electronics, protecting both sensors and wireless devices from the extreme temperatures and environments of an operating gas turbine, and successfully transmitting the sensor information from an environment very hostile to wireless signals. The program included full-scale, F-class industrial gas turbine engine test demonstrations with smart components in both the compressor and turbine sections. The results of the development program and engine testing to date will be discussed.Copyright

HIGH TEMPERATURE HYBRID NANODIAMOND SENSOR SYSTEMS

Advanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) nanodiamond films are being explored as a new dielectric for high voltage, high energy density capacitors, capable of operating at temperatures greater than 200 °C. CVD diamond is considered to be a superior dielectric material for advanced capacitor technology, based on its extraordinary electrical and mechanical characteristics. Specifically, diamond has the highest dielectric breakdown strength (30MW/cm) and thermal conductivity (2000 W/m*K) of any known material. These characteristics, along with the ability to deposit high quality electrically isolating layers in a variety of thicknesses, enable the fabrication of high voltage, high energy density capacitors. APEI and International FemtoScience (FemtoSci) have created single-layer nanodiamond film capacitor test coupons and are currently investigating their capacitor characteristics to optimize the dielectric performance.

Advanced Applications of High Temperature Magnetics

In recent years, high temperature semiconductors have been utilized in wireless telemetry systems for use in military and commercial applications, wherein a high temperature environment combined with other factors such as rotating machinery or weight-constraints preclude the use of conventional silicon based wireless telemetry or wired sensor solutions. Present systems include those which can measure temperatures, pressures, vibrations, and strains. By combining the advanced electronics developed for these systems with novel sensor elements created using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) nanodiamond technology, a wide range of other high temperature sensing systems can be enabled. The unique properties of the diamond sensors have proven in principle the capability to sense, with quantifiable signal, a wide variety of parameters under extreme conditions including very high temperatures and pressures. It has been clear for some time that diamond would be the ideal material of choice for solid-state sensors, b...

Wireless Telemetry Electronic Circuit Board for High Temperature Environments

In recent years, high temperature magnetic structures have been developed and used for inductors and transformers in high temperature applications ranging from power electronics to wireless telemetry systems. Research in the high temperature magnetics field has led to the development of more advanced magnetic structures that can enable diverse applications ranging from regulators to amplifiers, with far reaching implications for the high temperature electronics community. Current high temperature electronics have shown potential in lab and rig tests, but high temperature electronics systems suffer from the relatively limited lifetime of the semiconductor devices themselves. The advanced magnetics discussed in this paper can be designed to have extreme lifetime capabilities even at elevated temperatures, and as such can have an immediate impact on the implementation of true field deployable high temperature electronic systems. Aerospace, power generation, and automotive industries may especially benefit fr...