HIGH VIBRATION AT MAIN GEAR BOX OF GASTURBINE

1. General information

- The gas turbine have rated power of 27MW, model MS5001PA of GE,
Control System Mark VI.

- The gas turbine through gear box (input shaft: 5100rpm, 32 teeths, out put shaft
1500rpm) is used to drive the generator in order to supply the electricity for all plant.
In normal, the gas turbine is operated stably at premix mode (75% rate power) with
all parameters in spec. /acceptance region.

- The coupling between Turbine and gear box is diaphram coupling, between LSS and
generator is hard coupling (flange to flange connected by both).

- From 26/05/15 to 12/06/15, we conducted the major overhaul for all plant but
no work was done with this machine (as the machine is conducted a maintenance as
interval of CI and MI and in March 2016 the machine will be made a MI).

- For this machine, we have two protection monitoring systems, one is the
proximity probe system which is used to observe shaft movement and another is
seismic transducer (Velocity type) which observed the casing vibration (refer to the
diagram attached).
The diagram interface of seismic tranducers

The diagram interface of proximity probes.

2. Problem

- Before the major overhaul, the vibration value (monitoring on both systems) is
normal in acceptance region. In there, the vibration at probe 10VE9205 (seismic
transducer) is around 3.54mm/s and 10VE9204A/B (seismic transducer) is around
10.45 -11mm/s (next to the set point alarm of 13mm/s).

12.00

10.00

8.00 VE9203A
VE9204A
VE9203B
6.00
VE9204B
VE9206
4.00
VE9207
VE9205
2.00 VE9208

0.00
13:26.7

38:05.1

49:17.1
00:00.3
02:14.8
04:29.1
06:43.3
08:58.0
11:12.3

15:41.2
17:55.5
20:09.9
22:24.4
24:38.8
26:53.1
29:07.5
31:21.9
33:36.3
35:50.7

40:19.5
42:33.9
44:48.3
47:02.7

51:31.5
53:45.9
56:00.3
58:14.7

VE9203A VE9204A VE9203B VE9204B VE9206 VE9207 VE9205 VE9208

MIN 4.08 9.41 3.96 8.99 0.87 0.92 2.19 1.55
MAX 4.58 10.58 4.28 10.25 1.18 1.04 3.29 3.00
Difference 0.50 1.17 0.32 1.26 0.31 0.11 1.10 1.44

- In protection logic of this machine, if the vibration of any one probe get to
high high alarm (trip value) and at that time, any one probe in the rest get to high
value (alarm), the machine will stop to protect the machine.

- Unfortunately, after major overhaul, the gas turbine is restarted and the
vibration at probe 10VE9205 (observe casing vibration at HSS of gear box) gets high
suddenly up to set point value (11mm/s), fluctuates from 2.64 to 12.00mm/s (before
M.O the vibration is from 2.36 – 3.54mm/s). By this, I am afraid that if the vibration
 measured by seismic tranducers at turbine and generator get to high alarm  the gas
turbine could be tripped and make the plant trip.

3. What findings

a. Time of change:

- 28/05/2015, the gas turbine operated in lean lean mode around 4MW, after that
shutdown to wait for finishing the Major overhaul for another equipment and
restarting again on 13/05/15, at the time, I note that the vibration at 10VE9205
begin increasing.

Before CI 06/ Before MO on After MO on

After CI 06/2014
2014 25/05/2015 25/05/2015
(Min-Max)mm/s
(Min-Max)mm/s (Min-Max)mm/s (Min-Max)mm/s
VE9203A 2.7-3.2 4.08 – 4.58 3.88-4.42 3.53-4.63
VE9203B 2.71-3.18 3.96 – 4.28 3.78-4.10 3.27-4.38
VE9204A 7.02 – 9.59 9.41-10.58 8.54-9.23 8.48-9.63
VE9204B 8.5 – 10.36 8.99-10.25 9.98-12.78 8.85-10.47
VE9205 2.24-2.69 2.19-3.29 2.36-3.54 2.64-12.03
VE9208 1.58 – 2.08 1.55-3.00 1.54-2.67 1.46-3.18
VE9206 1.21-1.51 0.87-1.18 1.09-1.45 0.98-1.37
VE9207 0.79-1.13 0.92-1.04 0.82-1.07 0.70-0.95

The vibration was taken at 17MW of rated power.

b. How about the other probes?

- At the time the vibration of probe 10VE9205 fluctuate to 12mm/s, the vibration
at probe 10VE9208 which observes casing vibration of the same gear box at Low
speed shaft is change respectively, but the vibration fluctuates smaller than that
with value from 1.46 -3.18mm/s (before M.O 1.55-3mm/s) and all of the vibration
at the rest probes 10VE9204AB, 10VE9203AB, 10VE9206, 10VE9207
fluctuates with the amount similar to the recorded before M.O;
 12.00

10.00

VE9203A
8.00
VE9204A
VE9203B
6.00
VE9204B

4.00 VE9206
VE9207

2.00 VE9205
VE9208
0.00
00:00.7
02:15.0
04:29.5
06:43.9
08:58.2
11:12.7
13:27.1
15:41.4
17:55.9
20:10.3
22:24.6
24:39.1
26:53.5
29:07.8
31:22.3
33:36.7
35:51.0
38:05.5
40:19.9
42:34.2
44:48.6
47:03.0
49:17.4
51:31.8
53:46.2
56:00.6
58:15.0
VE9203A VE9204A VE9203B VE9204B VE9206 VE9207 VE9205 VE9208
MIN 3.53 8.48 3.27 8.85 0.98 0.70 2.64 1.46
MAX 4.63 9.63 4.38 10.47 1.37 0.95 10.26 3.18
SAI LỆCH 1.09 1.15 1.11 1.63 0.39 0.25 7.62 1.72

- Also, the vibration from the proximity probes observes at the same place
(10XE9215XY & 10XE9218XY) is still normal (15-18um) with no abnormal
change recorded. The value of
The vibration recorded from proximity probe.
- I also check what works done in the major overhaul time and the result is nothing
done with this gas turbine except for that the seismic probes was test for signal
and connection. But when the high vibration happen, we replaced the VE9205
with a new probe and try to exchange the wire between VE9205 and VE9208 to
check and the result is still the same  the vibration is true and the question is
why is that?
- I also check the alignment condition by analyzing the shaft centerline plot but no
thing shows that it is a problem is by alignment error (the alignment parameter
still the same with the time of vibration still stable).
 Shaft centerline show that nothing related to alignment problem.

- I also make a cascade, spectrum, orbit to analyze and the result would be normal
with mainly 1X.
- The vibration change respectively with the load, when load increase the vibration
also increase and vice versa.

5.5-5.6MW 5.5 -6.5 MW 7.5-8 15

VE9203A 4.07-4.70 3.97-4.68 3.95-4.57 3.53-4.63

VE9203B 3.83-4.46 3.75-4.42 3.75-4.37 3.27-4.38
VE9204A 8.78-9.55 8.58-9.42 9.11-9.92 8.48-9.63
VE9204B 8.43-9.88 8.16-9.28 8.28-9.41 8.85-10.47
VE9205 1.79-3.99 1.77-4.35 1.93-7.08 2.64-10.26
VE9208 1.03-1.91 1.05-1.81 1.14-2.51 1.46-3.18
VE9206 1.03-1.34 1.05-1.36 1.06-1.38 0.98-1.37
VE9207 0.69-0.85 0.68-0.86 0.69-0.9 0.70-0.95

The vibration at VE9205 increase with load.

- I also use hand vibration analyzer to check at the position of VE9205 but the value is just
0.8mm/s and still the same. But I think that this value is not right. Because the signal of hand
vibration analyzer is caculated as RMS and signal of VE9205 is Peak – Peak, and range of hand
vibration analyzer just from 10hz to 1kHz but VE9205 is from 15Hz to 2 kHz.

- I also see that the range of VE9205 is just from 15Hz to 2kHz but the gear mesh frequency of
gear is around 2572Hz. So it is out of the range  I am afraid that the vibration signal of
10VE9205 does not reflect acurately the gear condition.
3. Question

- What would be the cause in the case? Why just the vibration at VE9205 is increase to high
high set point but the rest probe is not?

- Why we need to observe the both casing vibration and shaft movement parallel? In both of
them, if we would like to choose one for main observation and set trip for protection system,
which one we should prefer to use, taking from the proximity probes system or seismic
transducers system ?

- I also see that the range of VE9205 is just from 15Hz to 2kHz but the gear mesh frequency of
gear is around 2572Hz. So it is out of the range  I am afraid that the vibration signal of
10VE9205 does not reflect acurately the gear condition.