Hydroelectric Generator In-Line Bearing Wear Sensor
Problem statement
Renewable energy is a critical component of achieving sustainability on a global scale, and will continue to grow in importance as fossil fuel reserves are depleted. Our client, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy (ECRE), owns and operates 86 hydroelectric plants across the U.S., providing the American power grid with 620 megawatts of clean power and avoiding over 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year [1]. However, ECRE can only maintain this power output as long as all the generator units in all the plants are operational. Currently, each of ECRE’s generators requires an oil inspection every six months to check for signs of lubrication failure and bearing wear. Each of these checks necessitates completely turning off the generator, diverting flow of the dam, draining the lubrication oil, and manually inspecting the oil before the unit can be restarted and begin supplying power again, therefore costing the company an average of $3,600 per inspection [2]. As a result, these inspections damage profits and make it more difficult for ECRE to compete against existing fossil fuel energy services. However, without an alternative method to detect bearing wear, these oil checks are essential because undetected bearing wear can result in whole-generator collapse, causing extreme down-time and repair expenses, for a lost revenue value of up to 1.5 million dollars per unit [2]. Inserting a system of in-line wear detection into the existing structure of a generator would prevent the need for these routine inspections, but the few in-line particulate detection systems that currently exist either rely on the worn material to be ferrous (which is not the case for hydroelectric generator bearings), or are far more expensive than the $3,600 manual inspection alternative. Therefore, our goal is to provide an in-line method of detecting bearing wear based on the particulate in the lubrication oil that can be manufactured at an attainable cost for ECRE. Works Cited [1] “Home: Eagle Creek Renewable Energy.” Eaglecreekre. https://www.eaglecreekre.com/.(accessed Feb. 17, 2022). [2] S. Khan, private communication, February 2022.
Team members
Joe Seifert – leader
Brian Foran – communicator
Rob McPherson – accountant
Sid Raman – admin