sbRIO-Based Turbine Monitoring Enables Remote Support
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Global power services provider eliminated technical debt and gained remote configuration capabilities with turbine monitoring built on NI sbRIO and Cyth CircaFlex.
Project Summary
Global power services provider eliminated technical debt and gained remote configuration capabilities with turbine monitoring built on NI sbRIO and Cyth CircaFlex.
System Features & Components
FPGA-based frequency measurement for deterministic turbine speed monitoring from gear tooth pulse trains
Hardware watchdog on FPGA for independent overspeed alarm triggering without microcontroller intervention
Web-based configuration interface replacing serial command-line access for remote support
Four configurable probe channels accepting active or passive sensors with Boolean alarm logic
Form-fit-function replacement maintaining DIN rail mounting compatibility with legacy system
Outcomes
Eliminated component obsolescence through COTS platform with improved long-term availability
Enhanced service team efficiency through web-based remote configuration
Provided firmware transparency with custom FPGA logic in-house team could maintain
Enabled scalable deployment supporting 50+ monitoring units annually
Technology at-a-glance
LabVIEW FPGA Module
Custom web interface (HTML/CSS/JavaScript)
Active and passive magnetic/Hall effect sensors
Rockwell PLC communication protocol
Gas and steam turbine monitoring
Gas and steam turbines are critical parts of the energy infrastructure that provide backup power when renewable energy sources fall short of meeting base load demand.
To ensure the safe operation of these backup turbines, monitoring systems prevent overspeed conditions by measuring turbine blade velocity and triggering emergency shutdowns when dangerous speeds are detected. Monitoring system lifecycle challenges present substantial risks for energy service providers, as it's critical to ensure grid stability while mitigating upgrade costs and timelines.
Obsolescence Challenges
A global power services provider faced obsolescence challenges with their turbine overspeed monitoring systems. Deprecated semiconductor components forced the end-of-life of their existing measurement systems and introduced a critical sustainment risk that could impact the systems deployed to their clients' assets.
Considering that the IP of the existing measurement solution was owned by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the powr services provider was left with a "black box" solution they couldn't modify. They decided to find a partner that could help them reverse engineer their solution and deliver:
Form, fit, function replacement: New hardware must be DIN rail mountable and the same or smaller in footprint to avoid cabinet modifications across hundreds of installations
Replication of proven functionality: Speed measurement accuracy and overspeed detection identical to legacy system
Remote configuration capabilities: Addition of a web interface to modernize distributed power plant support capabilities
Firmware transparency: Ownership of IP and deep familiarity with system functionality to ensure sustainability well into the future
PLC compatibility: Seamless integration with existing Rockwell PLCs
FPGA-Based Monitoring
The global power services provider decided to work with Cyth Systems to reverse engineer and improve upon their existing monitoring solution because of their proven expertise delivering reliable, high-performance measurement systems into challenging environments.
Working from only user manuals and schematics, Cyth engineered a mechanical test rig to replicate turbine gear tooth patterns and validate measurement accuracy against legacy system specifications. Parallel testing at the customer's facility enabled iterative firmware refinement throughout development, ensuring the FPGA implementation matched proven performance while adding modern capabilities.
The resulting architecture delivered real-time RPM monitoring, overspeed threshold adjustment, and measurement breakpoint configuration—transforming field service requirements into remote support capabilities across distributed power plant installations. Cyth built the turbine speed and overspeed monitoring system on the NI sbRIO-9608 with Cyth's CircaFlex technology, a rapid prototyping solution that delivers connectivity and signal conditioning in a compact footprint.
System Architecture & Capabilities
FPGA-based turbine speed measurement: LabVIEW FPGA Module provides deterministic edge counting logic for gear tooth pulse trains, replacing four CPLD chips with unified FPGA implementation
Configurable overspeed alarm logic: LabVIEW FPGA implements four probe channels routing to alarm outputs through user-defined Boolean conditions
Real-time hardware watchdog protection: NI sbRIO FPGA monitors turbine speed continuously and triggers digital outputs to Rockwell PLCs without microcontroller intervention
Remote web-based configuration: Custom application developed with HTML/CSS/JavaScript interface enabling remote RPM monitoring, overspeed limit adjustment, and measurement breakpoint configuration
Multi-sensor probe compatibility: NI sbRIO digital I/O accepts both passive magnetic and active Hall effect sensors across four independent channels
PLC communication compatibility: Backward-compatible protocol maintains seamless integration with existing Rockwell PLC infrastructure for drop-in replacement
Commercial off-the-shelf platform: NI sbRIO consolidates bill of materials, reducing custom manufacturing requirements and improving long-term component availability
Sustainable COTS Platform
The NI sbRIO-based monitoring solution dramatically enhanced the sustainability of the platform by building on a robust, high-performance COTS hardware foundation while the custom application developed by Cyth gave the service provider complete ownership of system IP to eliminate vendor dependency.
The power services provider experienced several operational improvements:
Improved service team utilization: Web-based configuration enabled remote customer support, decreased average service response times, and greatly reduced required field service visits
Reduced installation complexity: Form-fit-function design allowed rapid hardware swaps in existing cabinets without PLC system modifications
Enhanced long-term supportability: BOM consolidation onto COTS hardware platform and ownership of software IP eliminated vendor dependency
The ability to remotely configure and maintain firmware differentiated the provider's turbine monitoring offerings. Full ownership of software IP enabled the global services provider to develop system support expertise internally and greatly mitigate long-term sustainability concerns.