NVMS Talk the Torque – Static & Dynamic Torque Measurement

Fundamentally, any rotating shaft has the function of transferring power, i.e. the product of the rotational speed by the transferred torque. Paradoxically, most rotating equipment installed in Oceania have at least one (1) sensor to measure the rotating speed but zero (0) sensor to measure the torque.

Transferred power is therefore not measured and hardly known, and so is efficiency. Consumed power is at best estimated when the driver is a motor, from current and voltage measurements, but without accounting for motor or gearbox losses. When a gas turbine drives a generator, sources of inefficiencies can hardly be pinpointed and when a steam turbine drives a pump, a fan, a compressor, or a blower, the efficiency of the train is often completely unknown.

The rare instances when torque, power and efficiency are accurately measured is either on test benches or on dynamometers. But the focus to reduce carbon footprint and energy wastage will intensify. The desire to measure torque, power and efficiency of rotating machinery trains should therefore increase.

NVMS and HBK offer torque sensors from 0.5 N·m to 1,500,000 N·m.

To convert into units engineers are more familiar with, 1,500,000 N·m at 3,000 RPM is 471 MW…

Detailed technical information on how to do this can be found here or contact our team at NVMS now.

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Author: Christian Ebel (MEng, MBA, MIEAust) – Business Manager, Test & Measurement