Sensors & Transducers


Steam turbine control

November 2018 Sensors & Transducers

In coal-fired power plants, steam is produced by pumping highly purified water through boiler tubes. The water is heated to a high temperature and pressure, and then flows through several orifices into the steam turbine. Once past the orifice, the water pressure drops and it immediately flashes into superheated steam, which is directed toward the turbine blades at high velocity. Due to the high velocity of the superheated steam, the turbine blades start to rotate and turn the turbine shaft, which is connected to the generator through reduction gears, and thereby ultimately generates electricity.

Valve position, pressure and temperature measurements are all necessary to ensure stability in this process. A solution for this application is a setup with a potentiometer for valve position measurement, a 2-wire style pressure transmitter and a 4-wire RTD for precise temperature measurements. All three signals are connected to individual PR Electronics PR 4114 universal transmitters, which output 0-10 VDC signals to the PLC.

The 4501 display/programming front allows local readout of both input and output signal and the process calibration function in the advanced menu provides easy and precise calibration of the open and closed valve positions.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

High-precision automated inspection
Sensors & Transducers
Delivering advanced inline metrology to an expanding range of challenging industries, SmartRay is launching the smallest field-of-view 3D sensor of its cutting-edge ECCO X series.

Read more...
Long-range laser distance measuring sensor
Vepac Electronics Sensors & Transducers
The MS-100A is a long-range laser distance measuring sensor with a range of 150 to 1000 mm. This sensor excels in applications requiring extended measurement capabilities, such as quality control and logistics.

Read more...
The power of smart maintenance for securing water supply
Omron Electronics Sensors & Transducers
The water industry plays an essential role in delivering safe drinking water and effective wastewater services to society and various industries. A lack of maintenance could have severe consequences, as even the failure of a single component can significantly impact operations, and maintenance expenses represent a substantial part of the overall costs of water and pumping systems.

Read more...
Rotary atomisers for efficient paint spraying
Instrotech Sensors & Transducers
Painting the bodywork is an integral component of vehicle manufacturing. Keller supplied intrinsically safe pressure transmitters and intrinsically safe temperature sensors to a client producing paint robots for the car industry.

Read more...
The smallest most powerful infrared sensor in the world
Sensors & Transducers
The superior performance and robustness of Telco’s infrared sensors ensures that there are no limits to any mining and industrial applications.

Read more...
Easy parameter setting of vision sensors
ifm - South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Contour verification and object inspection are two of the most important functionalities in industrial imaging. With the new O2D5xx series, ifm now offers a solution that perfectly masters both functionalities

Read more...
Rapid, precise pressure control for industrial applications
WIKA Instruments Pressure Measurement & Control
The CPC3050 high-speed pressure controller delivers rapid, precise pressure control for industrial applications, achieving three-point verification in ten seconds.

Read more...
New range of vision units
Beckhoff Automation Sensors & Transducers
Beckhoff has added four new vision units to its VUI2000 series. They integrate a camera, illumination and liquid lens technology for simplified installation.

Read more...
Condition monitoring sensor
Sensors & Transducers
The Balluff BCM Gen2 Condition Monitoring Sensor is an advanced IIoT-ready device designed for real-time machine health monitoring.

Read more...
Inductive IO-Link sensors
Turck Banner Southern Africa Sensors & Transducers
Turck Banner is expanding its sensor range, with inductive measuring sensors with IO-Link and an analogue output for flush and non-flush mounting.

Read more...