Auto news on Youtube Aug 29 2018

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Jason: Behind me you can see the rotating element from a 165-megawatt generating unit,

but when it's spinning at over 150 rpm and weighing over one million pounds the physical

forces on it can be extreme.

The better we can understand the vibrations and electrical forces that are on this unit

the longer we can keep it in service.

Nathan: When we're looking at our units and how they're operating, we're looking

at vibration, cavitation, possible temperature measurements.

Erin: That power to the instrumentation on the shaft, there is a direct link between

the shaft, the turbine runner and the generator.

Nathan: Without having the continuous power for these devices we're limiting the amount

of data that we can capture.

Basically, we are limited to temporary installations and we're unable to permanently install

these sensors to receive real-time information while the equipment is operating.

Jason: Because outages are so rare on the equipment that we maintain, the ability to

have direct current available continuously to a rotating element like a rotor can really

save us downtime and allow us to provide reliable water and power deliveries year-round.

Nathan: Presently when we're looking at powering these sensors on a rotating shaft,

typically we're using battery systems but those batteries are limited in size and the

weight of the battery as it gets heavier puts constraints onto the banding that we're

using to attach it.

If we were to go to slip-rings or other induced voltage methods, the set-up time prohibitive;

so, it's not very easy to set up it takes multiple outages.

Erin: There is an issue with safety; these shaft spin at high-speed, there are G-forces

with anything with mass attached to that shaft.

Jason: So, the ideal solution for this challenge would be something that is compact,

robust and easy to install and maintain but that provides reliable data collection for

our sensitive equipment.

Nathan: Allowing for continuous power on a rotating shaft, our units could be better

maintained and making it possible to predict failures before they occur.

An unscheduled outage can cost Reclamation up to $700,000 per day.

Erin: I think a prize challenge really taps into different skillset and different people.

Nathan: Partnering with the Army Corp of Engineers, we feel that we're able to put forth a Prize

Competition that is broad enough that would be able to be utilized within the hydropower

community, not only within the United States but also around the world.