The following test rigs are included among laboratory equipment:

1. Test rig for testing rotors supported by slide or rolling bearings (Fig. 1),
2. Test rig for testing small-volume rotors with rolling bearings,
3. Test rig for testing high-speed foil bearings (Fig. 2),
4. Universal test rig used to determine the friction torque and power of rotating systems.

The test rigs make it possible to perform tests on various types of rotating systems within quite a wide range, from tests carried out for undamaged state (the so-called base case), through tests carried out after the introduction of different kinds of defects (e.g. misalignment, unbalance, rubbing, bearing failures, rotor bend).

Fig. 1. Test rig for testing rotors supported by slide or rolling bearings.

Fig. 2. Test rig for testing high-speed foil bearings.

The Machine Vibrodiagnostics Laboratory is equipped with the following test apparatus:

1.  multi-channel data acquisition hardware LMS SCADAS Mobile with a set of sensors and Test.Lab software, an effective tool that can be applied to carry out experimental investigations of rotor dynamics or modal analysis,
2. wide frequency range vibration exciters and impulse hammer,
3. a very accurate, two-plane balancing machine for rotors (of weight up to 15 kg and length up to 500 mm),
4. four-channel, portable machinery health analyzer  Emerson CSI 2140,
5. two-channel vibration meter and analyzer allowing for field balancing Diamond 401AXT,
6. sound and vibration analyzer Norsonic Nor140,
7. Laser-based shaft alignment device Pruftechnik Shaftalign OS3,
8. thermal imaging camera Flir E50 with wide-angle lens, reflected ambient temperature & emissivity correction and  moisture meter, produced by Extech.

In addition to the above-mentioned test apparatus, the department has at its disposal several multiprocessor workstations together with CAD/CAE software (e.g. Autodesk Inventor, Abaqus, Ansys, Madyn 2000, Matlab).

The Department’s employees were involved in building the Micro CHP Power Plant Laboratory, that was co-financed from the EU funds as part of the Innovative Economy Operational Programme. The laboratory carries out research on small cogenerative systems and various types of fluid-flow machinery, including steam microturbines and expanders.

The following test rigs are included among laboratory equipment:

1. Prototypical ORC-based CHP micro power plant (Fig. 3),
2. Test rig for testing heat exchangers (Fig. 4),
3. Test rig for testing ORC-based turbo-generators (Fig. 4),
4. Test rig for testing pumps handling low-boiling media,
5. Test rig for testing different variants of steam micro-turbines or expanders (Fig. 5).

The laboratory possesses a modern equipment base taking advantage of such measurement & control instruments as: multi-channel data acquisition hardware built on the NI PXI and CompactRIO platforms; portable thermal imaging camera FLIR 650sc; Protec P3000 – an instrument for detecting leaks at a considerable distance from the pipeline.

Fig. 3: Prototypical ORC-based micro CHP power plant.

Fig. 4: Test rig – heat exchangers coupled with ORC turbo-generators.

Fig. 5: Hermetically sealed, high-speed steam micro-turbine with electric power of 3 kWe.

In addition to the above-mentioned test apparatus, the department has at its disposal several multiprocessor workstations The Rapid Prototyping Laboratory was established in the institute’s building, and presently functions within the Department of Turbine Dynamics and Diagnostics. It plays an important role in the development of commercially usable prototypes of both single components and the machine as a whole. We own two 3D printers: ProJet HD 3500 Max (Fig. 6) and CubeX.together with CAD/CAE software (e.g. Autodesk Inventor, Abaqus, Ansys, Madyn 2000, Matlab).

Fig. 6: 3D printers

The first one allows to make functional models of machine components, operating with layers as thick as 16 μm. Owing to this, it is possible to attain the performance of machine components (e.g. blade system of a micro-turbine) allowing their further tests, for example, on test rigs, in wind tunnels or even as replacements for machine elements.

The main elements of the laboratory equipment are as follows:

1. Test rig for testing gas microturbines
2. Test rig for testing Stirling engines
3. Test rig for testing steam microturbines
4. Test rig for testing electric power generators
5. Universal test rig for testing rotating systems
6. Accurate balancing machines for rotors, especially designed for high-speed balancing
7. Multi-channel measurement system, built on NI CompactRIO platform
8. Digital high-speed camera (up to 1.0 million frames per second), together with the software capable of advanced image processing and performing motion analysis
9. Portable devices to carry out technical condition assessments of machinery
10. Laser-based shaft alignment device