Alignment and balancing of power generation equipment is essential to reduce vibrations, avoid damage to machinery parts and minimise power losses. Balancing and alignment machines used in power generation applications improve accuracy and reduce balancing time for gas turbines, steam turbines generators, and other motor rotors and components.
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Choosing a balancing or portable alignment machine that offers flexibility is essential to meet a wide range of balancing and alignment needs.
Discover the top suppliers of machine alignment and balancing equipment
Power Technology has listed leading suppliers of balancing machines, alignment machines and portable alignment machines, along with noise reducing systems and vibration reducing components, such as bearings and dampeners.
The list also includes suppliers of carbon and air filters, axial-flow fans, piping systems, oil mist eliminators, wear protection systems, power plant measurement systems, ion exchange resins and elastic support solutions.
The information contained in the download document is designed for power plant operators, developers, engineers, supervisors and maintenance engineers.
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The download also contains detailed information on the suppliers, their product lines, and contact details to aid with purchasing decisions.
The need for balancing machines in power plants
In the power industry, balancing machines ensure that turbines and generator rotors operate smoothly, minimising start-up complications and maintaining the mechanical integrity of rotors. They also reduce the need to perform field balancing after completion of machine assembly.
Using a balancing machine can minimise forced outages, start-up delays and other complications that could lead to loss of generation revenue. Balancing machines can be of various types, including; universal, semi-automatic, and fully automatic.
Uses of alignment machines
The various components of a power plant, including turbines, rotors and pumps, must be aligned properly to ensure optimal machine performance. A correctly aligned power generation system ensures minimal wasted energy, increased component life and decreased possibility of catastrophic failure.
Laser alignment systems are the most used alignment machines for power plant equipment. They can ensure the alignment of a diaphragm in a gas or steam turbine, shaft, or coupling alignment, as well as performing turbine measurement.
Portable alignment machines can also be used to perform 3-D laser alignment and measurements. Portable shaft alignment machines with adaptive user interfaces are compact and can be used in tight alignment situations.
