Advancements in air-cooled generator designs have resulted in increasingly higher power ratings. The higher power densities place significantly greater stresses on materials and structures, making slight decreases in cooling efficiencies much more critical. Probability of overheating in these air-cooled machines becomes greater as designs are pushed closer to their critical limits.
The GCM-A2 warns of an impending failure much faster than RTD’s or thermocouples. Why? Because RTD’s and thermocouples need to be physically near the hotspot, or wait until overheating progresses to the point that the temperature near the RTD or thermocouple rises sufficiently for the sensor to detect it. This results in a significantly larger “fault,” possibly a catastrophic one. The GCM-A2, on the other hand, detects the pyrolysis particles emitted into the cooling air as a result of overheating or arcing virtually anywhere in the machine.
Website: www.eone.com