Whether you’re operating a fossil fuel, nuclear, hydroelectric, or wind power facility, one thing remains constant: machine reliability is critical to maintaining safe, efficient, and continuous energy production. Misaligned rotating equipment, like turbines, pumps, motors, and compressors, can lead to excessive vibration, bearing wear, seal failure, and even catastrophic breakdowns.
Hamar Laser Instruments’ X-Series™ Laser Shaft Alignment Systems are built to meet the extreme precision, durability, and reliability requirements of the power generation sector. With our patented Dual-Beam™ Technology, rugged IP67-rated hardware, and intuitive software, you can reduce downtime, extend equipment life, and improve plant performance.
Problem: A combined-cycle natural gas power plant experienced frequent bearing failures and excessive vibration on a critical feedwater pump motor, causing unexpected outages and safety risks.
Solution: The maintenance team implemented the X-660 X-Series™ 3-Axis Laser Shaft Alignment System to align the motor with the pump during scheduled downtime.
Reduced alignment time by
over 60%
Increased machine uptime by
22%
Extended bearing life from 9 months to
over 2 years
Improved vibration levels by
37%
Reduced
maintenance costs by
$28,000 annually
Power plants operate under high heat, pressure, and precision. X-Series™ provides a rugged, repeatable solution that handles these environments while delivering the micrometer-level accuracy needed to keep rotating machinery aligned and online.
Downtime in power generation can be catastrophic. X-Series™ ensures reliable alignment of turbines, generators, and pumps, helping maintenance teams prevent costly outages and keep energy flowing without disruption.
Assumptions for this example: You have a 480 volt motor drawing 40 amps and operating 8400 hours/year. The Power Factor is .85. Electricity costs $0.06/kWhr. Also assume that the amp draw is measured before and after the alignment and it is found that there is a 1 amp difference.
kW =V* A*PF*1.732/1000
kW =480V* 1A*.85*1.732/1000
kW =.706 = power savings
Savings ($) = operating hours * kW savings * kW cost
Savings ($) = 8400 * .706 * $0.06/kWhr
Savings ($) = 8400 * .706 * $0.06/kWhr
Savings ($) = 355.82
If your plant has 80 similar motors, and if only half of them had the same amount of savings, it would total $355.82 * .5 = $14,232!
The coupling icons next to the data displays show the direction of the misalignment at the coupling and update as you move or shim the motor! You can also zoom in on the coupling to show them in the live display area of the screen.
