Identification of mechanical faults in rotating machinery for power generation

Nowadays energy market requires flexibility in power production. This lead to operate power units in a discontinuous way and also machine types that are not normally designed to operate in such way, like steam and some gas turbo-generators, are forced to start and stop often during the day. Mechanical faults can increase and their quick identification plays a fundamental role in reducing fixing costs and off-line times. In particular this paper summarizes author experience about model based identification of faults that can affect rotating machinery employed in power generation.