Diagnosis of Thermal Efficiency of Combined Cycle Power Plants Using Optical Torque Sensors(<Special Issue>Experimental Mechanics in Heat and Fluid Flow)

A new optical torque measurement method is proposed for diagnosis of thermal efficiency of combined cycle power plants. In the case that the plant comprises a steam turbine and a gas turbine, both of which are connected to the same generator, it is difficult to identify which turbine causes deterioration of performance when the plant efficiency is reduced. Therefore, an optical torque sensor has been developed to measure the output of each turbine, which are important data to analyze performance of each machineries in a plant. The sensor measures axial distortion caused by power transmission by use of He-Ne laser beams, small stainless steel reflectors having bar-code patterns, and a technique of signal processing featuring high frequency. It was applied to TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO) commercial plants. Following system improvements, it is concluded that error factors can be eliminated and sensor performance can reach a practical use level.