Blogs
Push-Pull Capacitance Sensor Measures Ungrounded Targets
Push-Pull Capacitance Sensor Measures Ungrounded Targets Solar, Semiconductor Measurement of Ungrounded Targets Thickness, Metrology Description [Application Note 50318] Today’s semiconductor and solar industries drive the demand for thinner wafers to conserve silicon and fulfill new IC applications. To meet this demand, wafer fabricators seek greater dimensional control of their silicon products. Non-contacting capacitance sensors offer the precision, accuracy, and speed needed to measure flatness, thickness variation, and other critical dimensions. Typically, the standard capacitance sensor acts as one plate of a classical two-plate capacitive gap measurement scenario. The grounded target [...]
Portable Vibration/Balancing System Simplifies Jet Engine Testing
Portable Vibration/Balancing System Simplifies Jet Engine Testing Aviation/Aerospace, Power Generation Jet Engine Testing Amplitude Description [Application Note 32818-2] Overall gas turbine engine vibration may be considered the summation of vibration contributions from various moving parts within the engine. The ability to correlate vibration magnitude with specific moving parts helps engineers ascertain and correct the sources of vibration. Problem Commercial and military aviation rely on vibration analysis and trim balancing to establish such correlations. Vibration analysis detects discrepancies in rotational machine dynamics; trim balancing is used to reduce vibration amplitudes of [...]
Gap Monitor Keeps Wind Turbines Running
Gap Monitor Keeps Wind Turbines Running Power Generation Wind Turbine Gap Monitoring Distance, Gap, Tolerance Description [Application Note 21218] Wind turbine production has been steadily increasing to meet growing demand for renewable energy. As power outputs and the number of installations climb, maintenance becomes ever more critical. Operators want to minimize downtime and protect against catastrophic failure. The ability to predict when maintenance will be required can go a long way to ensure these goals are met. Gap monitoring sensors from MTI Instruments help wind turbine operators predict impending [...]
NUCLEAR HEAT EXCHANGER VIBRATION
Power plants, particularly nuclear power plants, require heat exchangers to cool down the primary working fluid for the power plant. Excessive vibration can lead to cracking and premature failure of the heat exchanger. Problem: A major power plant company approached MTI looking for a sensor that could measure vibration of a heat exchanger assembly that was immersed under water. Additionally, the water could reach 250 F and up to 220 PSI; the probe had to be sealed with a gland at a bulkhead feed through area. Solution: MTI developed a special fiber optic probe based on the MTI-2125H probe configuration. The [...]
Tolerances of Armature Gaps
Tolerances of Armature Gaps Power Generation Tolerances Of Armature Gaps Tolerances Description Introduction In large motors and generators, the air gap needed to separate the revolving rotor from the stator should be as small as possible as this reduces the magnetizing power requirement. The gap also needs to be large enough to prevent contact between the two, despite manufacturing tolerances on their dimensions or movement resulting from mechanical deflection or looseness in supporting bearings. The gap should also be uniform; a non-uniform gap causes increased noise and vibration. Since large [...]
Blade Tip Clearance
Blade Tip Clearance Power Generation Blade Tip Clearance Tolerances Description Introduction Large turbines are periodically torn down, inspected, and rebuilt. Turbine blade clearance to the case is one of the most critical measurements. Too close and the blades could expand and the turbine could be destroyed, too far away and efficiency is lost and power is sacrificed. This makes it vital to know the actual blade tip clearance. The inquiry A large multinational company approached MTI Instruments to provide a capacitive sensing system that could inspect blade tip clearance through [...]
Vibration / Balancing
Power Generation Vibration / Balancing Amplitude Description
Generator Pole Gap Analysis
Power Generation Generator Pole Gap Analysis Tolerances Description
New Video from MTI! Closed-loop System to Monitor and Control Conductive Film Thickness During Manufacturing
Closed-loop System to Monitor and Control Conductive Film Thickness During Manufacturing This animation demonstrates how Accumeasure with capacitance probes can be used as a solution to measure and control conductive film thickness in a production line where these measurements can be fed back to a controller which adjusts the roller(s) to increase or decrease the gap to keep the film’s thickness within specification. The MTI Instruments Capacitive system has greater than 100 nm resolution and 1um accuracy. This solution is appropriate for measuring the following: EV battery plate thickness Non-woven conductive material thickness Conductive film thickness Roll-to-roll conductive [...]
High Precision Portable Signal Generators and Calibrators: Everything You Need to Know
High precision portable signal generators are portable electronic devices that generate highly precise signals for testing, system calibration, sensor simulation, troubleshooting, and monitoring. Unlike the benchtop signal generators that are used in laboratories, these hand-held portable devices are designed to be used in the field. The best high precision portable signal generators are also rugged and NIST traceable, meaning that their manufacturer calibrates them to standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In terms of cost, high precision portable signal generators are more expensive than less precise, lower-end devices that can be held in the hand; [...]