Investigation of Empirical Start-Up Strategy for Industrial Generator Through Vibration Monitoring

In industrial environments, all machine components (rotor, stator, bearings, shaft), work under less-than-ideal conditions and, as a result, are subjected to degradation and eventual failure. Bearings are typically associated with more frequent faults, while being relatively easy to replace. Most bearing-related faults produce distinct vibrations and noise, thus facilitate local detection. This work investigates intense vibrations produced during a large synchronous generator start-up, while normal load operation remains in safe limits. Data from warm start-up of a power station is examined, and conclusions are drawn based on relative and absolute vibration patterns, produced during three different start-up modes. The results indicate the correct start-up procedure of this particular generator and how the operation inside the critical speed zones affects the alarms and trips.