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Key Phaser Function

A key phasor is used in vibration analysis to provide a timing reference signal for determining the phase angle of vibration components measured by probes on rotating machinery. It allows analysts to determine where imbalance or bow is located on a rotating shaft by comparing the phase angles of vibration signals relative to the timing of the key phasor signal, which typically comes from a notch on the shaft. While imbalance can sometimes be identified without a key phasor, it provides important phase reference data that makes it easier for analysts to accurately diagnose machinery issues and direct balancing or alignment efforts.

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468 views

Key Phaser Function

A key phasor is used in vibration analysis to provide a timing reference signal for determining the phase angle of vibration components measured by probes on rotating machinery. It allows analysts to determine where imbalance or bow is located on a rotating shaft by comparing the phase angles of vibration signals relative to the timing of the key phasor signal, which typically comes from a notch on the shaft. While imbalance can sometimes be identified without a key phasor, it provides important phase reference data that makes it easier for analysts to accurately diagnose machinery issues and direct balancing or alignment efforts.

Uploaded by

586301
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Key Phaser Function

"Most vibration analysis instruments today utilize a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) which is a special case of the generalized Discrete Fourier Transform and converts the vibration signal from its time domain representation to its equivalent frequency domain representation. However, frequency analysis (sometimes called Spectral Analysis or Vibration Signature Analysis) is only one aspect of interpreting the information contained in a vibration signal. Frequency analysis tends to be most useful on machines that employ rolling element bearings and whose main failure modes tend to be the degradation of those bearings, which typically exhibit an increase in characteristic frequencies associated with the bearing geometries and constructions. In contrast, depending on the type of machine, its typical malfunctions, the bearing types employed, rotational speeds, and other factors, the skilled analyst will often need to utilize additional diagnostic tools, such as examining the time domain signal, the phase relationship between vibration components and a timing mark on the machine shaft (often known as a keyphasor), historical trends of vibration levels, the shape of vibration, and numerous other aspects of the signal along with other information from the process such as load, bearing temperatures, flow rates, valve positions and pressures to provide an accurate diagnosis. This is particularly true of machines that use fluid bearings rather than rolling-element bearings. To enable them to look at this data in a more simplified form vibration analysts or machinery diagnostic engineers have adopted a number of mathematical plots to show machine problems and running characteristics, these plots include the bode plot, the waterfall plot, the polar plot and the orbit time base plot amongst others."

Key phaser in turbomachines are necessary to find phase angle of unbalance mass at the time of dynamic balancing. Balancing of turbine rotor is essential. Manufacturers at there shop can balance the rotors with some other means even if key phaser is not present. But when rotor is to be balanced at user's site, key phaser is required.

A key phasor does not work to remove bow of a shaft. A Keyphasor is simply a eddy current transducer that reads a notch on the shaft in order to give a once per rev voltage pulse. Used in conjunction with eddy current transducers at the bearings, one can measure the phase angle of the bearing signals relative to the keyphasor. As the shaft makes its closesest approach to the bearing sensors, this part of the shaft corrolates with the direction of the bow in the shaft. This can then be physically marked by the phase angle relative to the keyphasor, since the notch is a known location. This is also how balancing is done. A keyphasor is not necessary to identify a bowed rotor, but it is helpful in determining the direction of the bow. I refer you to the Bently Nevada Orbit Magazine web site which has lots of articles on this sort of thing....

I agree with Steve S(He has some real good credentials) the key phasor is a reference point that is used in conjunction with vibration probes to determine where the "bow" or "high spots" are located on the shaft.Normally there will be two vibration probes looking at the shaft.If the shaft is vibrating you can figured out which of the vibration probes is "seeing" the vibration at the time the notch is in front of the key phasor or close to it then you can be determine where the "high spot or bow" may be in relation to the notch on the rotor. I hope this helps and is not too confusing... the nuts and bolts man

First of all let's look at the real defination of the key phasor as below; "The keyphasor is an electric pulse, or trigger, which is derived from a point on a rotating shaft. It serves as a zero phase reference for determining where imbalance is on a rotor." Keyphasor is a trademark owned by the Bentley Nevada Company, but has almost become a generic term by popular usage. The usage of key phasor is for online vibration analysis. Let's take your example wherein key phasor is used for turbine machine monitoring system. You can monitor the machine health with vibration probes alone but if you want to analyse the cause of failuer of the machin you need three dimesional graph showing/analysing the vibrations at any point of time when machine is running. If you dont install the key phasor you will come to know that there are vibrations in the machin but you will not point out at what direction, at what point, at what angle. When you are providing MMS for any rotating machin with key phasor means; you will have one notch on the shaft which will be referance point for analysis & with respect to that point vibrations will be measured (by knowing the displacment, velocity or acceleration). The key phasor will interact with the accelerometer type vibration probes & will plot 3 dimensional graph. Every reply is mostly correct and I'll add my two cents. The Keyphaser is used as a reference point of the shaft, 0 to 360 degrees. When analysis are performed via handheld, BN system or other, the viewing of the 1X and 2X signals are important, X is defined as the running speed of the machine. The monitors read overall vibration signals at all frequencies, the Keyphaser is used to determine the speed. Lets say your BFP is running at 5,000 RPM, with a Keyphasor, the instrument can filter the frequency to 5,000 rpm or 83.33 Hz. With this signal, one can view the

shaft behavior or orbit inside the bearing. The phase is calculated as from the time the Keyphasor triggers to the first positive peak of the vibration signal. My recommendation, leave it installed in the event someone needs to analyze data whether inhouse or outside vendor. Ken Hoellger

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