On-Site Machining: Power Plant Project List
September 15, 2020
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When you consider the demands that turbine components in power plants are exposed to, it comes as no surprise that eventually many components will wear out and operate less efficiently. With steam turbine temperatures being of over 500°C, pressures of 4000psi and components rotating at speeds of over 3000rpm, the importance of a well-managed and robust maintenance programme cannot be overstated.
What are the potential problems?
With turbines, the danger signals to watch out for include unusual vibration, noisy or unusually hot bearings, gland leakage, governor hunting, and lubrication problems such as low oil pressure, discolored oil, or a broken lubricator.
Fixing the above can involve the use of portable machining tools and to help you select the right machine for your next project we’ve listed machining applications and matched these to the relevant machine type from the Mirage range.
View the table below, or if you prefer you can download a Pdf version here.
| POWER PLANT MAINTENANCE PROJECT | ON-SITE MACHINE TO USE |
| BEARING PEDESTALS | |
| Machining the flat base of bearing pedestals | Milling Machine |
| Machining the inside diameter of bearing pedestals | Small Line Boring Machine |
| TURBINE CASINGS | |
| Machining of surfaces in large-diameter turbine casings (LP casing) | Large Line Boring Machine or Mirage WB1500 |
| Casing split line surfaces (steam turbines, LP, MP, HP) | Milling Machine |
| Creating sealing groves on turbine casings | Milling Machine |
| Machining of internal grooves in turbine casings | Flange Facing Machine |
| Machining surfaces for glands in the turbine casing | Small Line Boring Machine |
| TURBINE BLADES | |
| Drill out turbine blade retainer pins | PD760 Pin Drill (bespoke product) |
| Cutting worn and damaged turbine blade tips | BLS760 Blade saw (bespoke product) |
| DIFFUSORS | |
| Machining valve chambers (diffusors) | Small Line Boring Machine |
| Machining of large diffusors | Large Line Boring Machine |
| Machining of valve chambers (upper surface) | Flange Facing Machine |
| SHAFT MACHINING | |
| Turbine shaft | Mid Shaft Turning Machine |
| Generator Shaft | Mid Shaft Turning Machine |
| COUPLINGS AND HOLE BORING | |
| Wicket gate bearing hole boring | Large Line Boring Machine |
| Boring of generator couplings | Large Line Boring Machine |
| Machining of coupling holes | Small Line Boring Machine |
| HEAT EXCHANGERS | |
| Face Machining | Flange Facing Machine |
| Back Face machining | Flange Facing machine (with Back Facing Kit) |
| Division Slot Machining | 2 axis milling machine |
| HYDRO PLANTS | |
| Machining of large turbine casings in hydropower plants (turbine face plate & seal ring machining) | Large Line Boring Machine |
| Stay vane machining | Portable milling machine |
| Downhole repair (Machining turbine unit in-situ) | Flange Facing Machine |
| DIAPHRAGMS | |
| Machining of the internal grooves for small diaphragms | Small Line Boring Machine |
| Machining for diaphragms | Flange Facing Machine |
| PIPELINES | |
| Cutting pipes | Split Frame Clamshell Cutters |
| Pipe bevelling | Split Frame Clamshell Cutters |
| Counter-boring | Split Frame Clamshell Cutters |
| Flange removal | Split Frame Clamshell Cutters |
The above is just a selection of potential applications. If you need equipment for an on-site machining project get in touch with us here.
Thank for the tips!