Need help on how to rectify faults in GE Reuter Stokes Flame scanners

F

Thread Starter

flamesy

Hi,

ppl i need ur help. i've bn having problems with the flame scanners (Make:GE Reuter Stokes, Model:Flame Tracker).

i have 2 installed at the GT's at my plant. usually one starts to dip in intensity. the problem disappears when i swap the flame scanners with each other. please guide as to how to rectify this prob.

also v r out of flame scanners for our GT's, plus they cost a lot of money. i have a couple of faulty scanners tht are laying about. can anyone give me guidance as to how to repair these seal type scanners?

i know no one ever wants to repair seal type equipement but still if any one can help out tht would be grT!!!

Thankx,
Flamesy.
 
Anytime while describing a problem, it is always advisable to provide the maximum number of inputs to arrive at a solution. I mean, what are the associated other parameters, whether the machine is on load or is under start-up, what is the lowest intensity level encountered, etc.

Problem description is more like an event record writing. If the logging is not proper, may be six months down the line you yourself would not be able to comprehend the entire issue and would eventually get confused.

Write at length for a proper problem analysis.
 
I agree with MOB; the original post was very lacking in information and details.

Having said that, the most common cause of Flame Trakker failures is heat, and from what little can be understood from the original post, it seems that if the sensors are "switched" they seem to work better. (?)

These are pretty simple two-wire, 4-20 mA devices, and if the wiring is not faulty (grounds shorts) and the connectors are clean and properly connected (firm and snug without overtightening; connector contacts are kept clean and corrosion-free), they usually last for years and years.

Unless they are subject to high heat which can cause permanent failure.

You haven't said if the Flame Trakkers have cooling coils or not. We don't know if they are mounted external to the turbine compartment enclosure or inside the turbine compartment enclosure. There's lots we don't know and can't because as much as GE-design heavy duty gas turbines are alike, they are also different, and most of the differences are in auxiliaries and instrumentation layout and configuration (the "package"). So while a Frame 5 is a Frame 5, a Frame packaged and supplied by BHEL is not the same as a Frame 5 packged and supplied by Alsthom or GE or John Brown or Thomason or any of the other GE-licensed packagers (most of whom no longer exist, but their turbine packages are still around).

Heat is the enemy of most electronic devices, and the Flame Trakkers are no exception. Some applications use cooling coils to try to protect the Flame Trakkers, but we don't know if your sensors have cooling coils because you didn't tell us.

One caution with using cooling coils: Too much cooling can cause humidity to condense on the lens which can prevent the Flame Trakker from sensing the UV energy of the flame. Excessive cooling could also be a problem for you if the sensors at your site have cooling coils, and, again, you haven't provided us with much of any information to be really helpful.

Excessive cooling doesn't usually cause failure, just a reduced ability to sense UV energy when running, which kind of seems to be what you're describing, but it's still very unclear. Once the condensation is gone, they usually work very well, until the next condensation event.

As MOB says, if you want a quick and concise "answer" or suggestions for your problem, you need to provide as much information as possible. Things you might not think are relevant may be, so don't forget to include them. If you want to avoid as much back and forth as possible when posting a question or a problem to a forum such as this, provide as much information as you can, even if that means you have to take a few hours to write your post. You can compose your post in any text editor, and then cut-and-paste it later into the box provided in control.com.

To my knowledge, Flame Trakkers are not repairable, but you may ask Reuter-Stokes if they have some kind of repair-and-return program. Someone in some part of the world has probably figured out how to disassemble and repair the sensor; maybe they'll write in and let us know.

So, to sum up: Heat is the likely culprit for failure. Excessive cooling is the likely culprit for reduced flame sensitivity when operating, resulting in seemingly intermittent operation.

You want more help; you gotta provide more details. Just like MOB says.

 
Thankx alot MOB & CSA for ur remarks. i'l try to post the observations asap.

but in the mean time can u plz focus on teling me how can the flame scanner be repaired? i have dismantled 1 of the faulty ones and taken out the tube. its part # is 91159. i need to replace tht in order to make it work again (the tube has lost the intensity).

i need to get my hands on the tube!

any1 have any ideas?
 
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