Turbine alignment using laser displacement sensors

Engineers at the Rock Island Hydroelectric Facility in Wenatchee, WA needed a precise, non-contact method for aligning the turbine blades in the system's housing.

They selected an AR700 laser displacement sensor to measure the distance from a known location on the turbine to the sidewall. The generator was slowly rotated to ensure consistent and acceptable clearance around the entire unit.

Without encoders, they used magnetically-attached AR4000 laser rangefinders to detect the position of stationary wicket gates. At each gate position, they would trigger a measurement of the clearance.