A smart measurement system with improved low-frequency response to detect moving charged debris

We propose a smart measurement system with improved low-frequency response to detect moving charged debris, to be used for turbomachinery condition monitoring. The proposed solution has been obtained combining theory, analog hardware design, and a digital postprocessing technique. The outputs of the system are a charge pulse detection digital warning signal, and the measurement of the peak and the width of the pulse. We discuss a theoretical framework, aimed to relax the system bandwidth requirements. In detail, we present an analytical approximation of the expression, describing the measured charge signal in the time domain, and we discuss the design of a charge amplifier whose frequency response can be specifically tailored for the considered application. The proposed solution has been evaluated with experimental results.