Powering Electronic Instruments on a Rotating Shaft

  • Image of Reclamation worker monitoring power attached to rotating shaft.

    Launch: September 6, 2018
    Awarded: August 30, 2019

    Reclamation’s hydropower generating units are expected to safely and reliably produce the power that is delivered to the western electric grid. Equipment monitoring via electronic instruments on the generator shaft provide a critical advancement toward keeping these units operational and reducing costly outages. However, these instruments require a continuous power source in order to keep it online and performing its key role. New power source solutions are needed to permanently install low power instruments on the generator’s rotating shaft to collect continuous data pertinent to operation and performance of the machine.

    Reclamation and its collaborators seek novel methods and technologies to reliably provide direct current power for loads of up to twenty watts to instruments on rotating shafts. Proposed solutions must be applicable to rotating shafts that are 18- to 144-inch diameter, whether at rated speed (72 to 550 revolutions per minute), standstill, or when ramping up or down. Small, lightweight solutions are preferred, and could be achieved via multiple methods, including air movement, light, vibration, magnetic induction, kinetic motion, or wireless energy transfer.

Last Updated: 6/22/20