Power Plant: protect generation availability
A unit trip or derating starts with the auxiliaries: feed pumps, draft fans, cooling water pumps and the transformers that power them. edgeSV monitors these balance-of-plant assets from the switchgear and gives operators early warning before availability is lost.
The situation
Thermal, combined-cycle and hydro plants run large rotating auxiliaries around the clock, and an unplanned shutdown costs far more than the repair itself once lost generation and restart are counted. Many critical motors are medium-voltage and physically hard to reach, and outage windows for inspection are short and fixed years in advance.
What edgeSV monitors here
Value for your operation
Early warning on balance-of-plant assets
Trips and derating often start in the auxiliaries. edgeSV gives operators early warning on feed pumps, fans and transformers before availability is lost.
Outage scope set by measured condition
With trends from before the outage, the team can decide what to open and what to leave alone within short, fixed maintenance windows.
Medium-voltage motors without added sensors
Diagnostics use the existing PT and CT secondaries in the switchgear, so hard-to-reach medium-voltage motors can be monitored without touching them.
Challenges
- Trips and derating caused by auxiliaries
- Medium-voltage motors hard to fit with sensors
- Short, fixed outage windows
- Aging assets and shrinking expert staff
How edgeSV helps
- Monitoring through existing PT and CT secondaries in the switchgear
- Motor, VFD and transformer diagnostics from one device
- Transformer stress, winding and tap changer indicators
- Modbus data into the plant DCS and monitoring systems
Outcomes
- Higher unit availability
- Outage scope set by measured condition
- Documented asset history for aging-plant management
Equipment and use cases
Boiler feed pumps
Large feed pump motors are followed for bearing and load changes that threaten availability.
Condensate pumps
Duty and standby condensate pumps are evaluated so a failing one is found early.
ID, FD and PA fans
Fan motor condition is tracked, such as rising bearing defect indicators ahead of an outage.
Coal mills
Mill drive motors are monitored for abnormal load that can limit output.
Circulating water pumps
Cooling water pump motors are monitored to protect condenser performance.
Cooling tower fans
Fan motors and VFDs are watched for degradation that reduces cooling margin.
Station service and unit transformers
Transformer stress, winding and tap changer indicators help judge remaining margin on aging assets.
Excitation transformers
Excitation transformer condition is followed because its failure can take a unit offline.
Environmental plant auxiliaries
FGD slurry pumps, ESP and baghouse fans and SCR auxiliaries are covered alongside the main plant.
Example scenario
- An induced-draft fan motor shows rising bearing defect frequencies two months before the planned outage.
- edgeSV raises a caution and tracks the trend weekly so the team can judge the remaining margin.
- The bearing is added to the outage work list and replaced without a forced derating.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from online vibration monitoring?
Vibration systems need sensors on each machine. edgeSV works from electrical signals in the switchgear, so it adds coverage for medium-voltage motors and transformers where sensors are impractical, and it complements rather than replaces vibration monitoring.
Which plant equipment can be monitored?
Electrically driven auxiliaries such as feed, condensate and circulating water pumps, fans, mills, plus station transformers and medium-voltage feeders.
Can it use existing PT and CT connections?
Yes, monitoring is designed to work from existing secondaries in the switchgear. Site conditions and ratings should be confirmed during the pilot.
How does it help with planned outages?
Trend history from before the outage supports decisions on scope and timing, so work focuses on assets whose condition calls for it.
Can it connect to the plant DCS?
Data can be passed to the DCS and monitoring systems over Modbus. Network and security requirements are agreed with the plant.
Is it useful for aging plants?
Yes. It builds a documented condition history for each asset, which supports life-extension and replacement decisions as expert staff become fewer.
Related applications
Talk to an engineer about your site
Send us your single-line diagram and critical asset list. We will propose monitoring points and a pilot scope.