Soma-Turbodiag Is Cepel’s New Bet for Monitoring the Lifespan of Thermal Power Generation Turbines

The Company Cepel Launched a Monitoring System for the Remaining Useful Life of Production Turbines in the Thermal Energy Market. The Soma-Turbodiag Will Ensure More Control in Enterprises, Reducing Logistical Costs.

Investments in new cost reduction technologies and optimization of energy production in the Brazilian market are increasing. The company Cepel has a new equipment that promises to change the course of thermal energy generation in Brazil. This is the Soma-Turbodiag, a device that performs monitoring of the remaining useful life of generation turbines, allowing for greater control over expenses and necessary maintenance downtime in these systems.

Cepel Launches Soma-Turbodiag to Reduce Costs and Optimize Maintenance of Thermal Energy Production Turbines in Brazil

Cepel is launching a cutting-edge monitoring system for forecasting the useful life of thermal energy production turbines in the Brazilian market. 

This is a system that brings together the company’s main experiences in recent years in the field of structural integrity assessment, monitoring, diagnosis, and prognosis of remaining life in thermal power plants.

Additionally, the software development knowledge acquired from the Soma project – Asset Monitoring Oriented System was also incorporated into the creation of Soma-Turbodiag. 

The system includes a series of unprecedented calculations for monitoring the useful life of thermal energy turbines, linked to the Soma system, and a patent application has been filed with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), with the patent already granted.

The methods were developed to estimate the total damage accumulated from creep and fatigue and to estimate the remaining life of critical components of thermal power turbines, such as the high-pressure rotor of a steam turbine.

Researchers Carlos Frederico Trotta Matt and Heloisa Cunha Furtado, from the Bruno Reis Cardoso Center, are the great minds behind Cepel’s project for the national thermal energy market. 

They were completed around the year 2014 at the research center, but still needed to be incorporated into a technological system that would contribute to monitoring. 

Thus, Cepel used Soma technology to create the final product Soma-Turbodiag, which is already in its initial phase of incorporation into the national market. 

Reduction of Logistical Costs and Minimization of Unplanned Downtime in Thermal Energy Production Are Some of the Benefits of Soma-Turbodiag

The main objective of Cepel with Soma-Turbodiag is to allow power plant controllers to monitor in real time the remaining useful life and total accumulated damage to the structures. 

This is because this information ensures more assertive decision-making both in the management of the plant and by the engineers responsible for maintenance downtime in the systems. 

This benefit has attracted the attention of various companies. Currently, Cepel’s main clients for the system are Eletrobras, Eletronorte, Furnas, Chesf, CGT Eletrosul, and Diamante Energia.

In addition, Diamante Energia already has a pilot system of Soma-Turbodiag at the Jorge Lacerda Plant, seeking to advance towards the export of the product. 

Finally, Cepel highlights two other major benefits of using Soma-Turbodiag in thermal energy turbines. 

The first is the increase in the interval between scheduled maintenance downtimes for predictive maintenance, reducing costs associated with this type of service at the facilities. 

The second is the minimization of unplanned maintenance downtimes, as real-time monitoring of the equipment’s useful life will allow for greater control over the condition of the structures.