Identification of a Generator Fault by Model Based Diagnostic Techniques

Model based diagnostic techniques can be used successfully in the health analysis of rotormachinery. Unfortunately, a poor accuracy of the model of the fully assembled machine, as well as noise in the signals and errors in the evaluation of the experimental vibrations that are caused only by the impending fault, can affect the accuracy of the fault identifications. This can make difficult to identify the type of the actual fault as well as to evaluate with care its severity and position. This paper shows some techniques that have been developed by the authors to measure the accuracy of the results obtained with model based identification methods aimed to diagnose faults in rotating machines. In the paper, the results obtained by means of the analysis of experimental data collected in a power plant are described. Finally, the capabilities of the developed methods are shown and discussed.