Turbine Pedestals and Machine Foundations
Foundations subjected to dynamic loads are widely used, especially in the power industry for both nuclear and fossil power generation plants. Examples of foundations that support machines are boiler-feed-pump foundations and turbo-generator machine foundations. Both foundations are used to support machines used in the power generation industry. The engNoveX team has over a decade of established experience in analysis and design of the foundation systems for different types of machines, including larger turbo-machinery used in the power industry.
engNoveX provides services that include the analysis and design of different types of foundations for steam turbine generators, combustion turbine generators, and foundations for pumps and
compressors as well as the following:
Foundation concrete sizing check and pile analysis and design
Development of three-dimensional finite element models of machine foundations to study foundation behavior under machine operational and accidental loads, and to check the vendor MTM matrix
Perform free vibration analysis of foundations using a three-dimensional brick element model to determine fundamental frequencies of the foundation, and conduct resonance studies
Perform harmonic analysis of foundations under the machine's rotor unbalanced load during the startup and coast down conditions
Perform steady state analysis of foundations under the machine's rotor unbalance loads at the operation stage of the machine (50Hz) and comparing the resulting amplitude to the machine vendor and code limitations
Concrete section analysis and design of the foundation, including rebar design and detail drawings of the foundation mat and the generator walls under the applied load combinations
As computer technology continues to advance, the dynamic analysis of complicated structures using computer numerical analysis is becoming more common. The response of structures, (deflection, internal stresses, member force, etc.) under the effect of time varying loads (dynamic loads) is time dependent in nature and thus many situations in which full dynamic analysis must be considered. These machine foundations are subjected to time and frequency varying loads due to an oscillating machine. Under these types of loading, either the entire structure or a certain component of the structure is vibrating. In such loading cases, the effect of the dynamic loading is severe and the application of the dynamic principals in evaluating the response of the structure is important.
Due to the effect of time varying loads, such as earthquakes, or frequency varying loads, such as the response of machine foundations, the structure response is influenced by the element types selected in the numerical idealization of the structure, the modeling techniques adopted, and the effects of assumed boundary conditions. The engNoveX team has a broad range of experience in the dynamic analysis and design of large turbo-machinery foundations subjected to dynamic loadings. The engNoveX team has specific experience in the analysis and design of Steam Turbine Generator (STG) and Combustion Turbine Generator (CTG) foundations for Siemens, Alstom, GE, Hitachi and Mitsubishi machines.
Soil-Structure Analysis Services
Soil static and dynamic stiffness for machine foundation analysis
Pile static and dynamic stiffness for machine foundation analysis
Static and dynamic interactions factors
Development of pile capacities for static and dynamic applications