Sensors and Transducers

Sensors and Transducers

50 Years of Machine Knowledge Goes into Every Product We Build

Sensors are installed in or on the machine to make appropriate measurements such as vibration, position, speed, pressure, power, and others. GE offers a very wide variety of sensors, each designed to handle the rigors of industrial environments and many capable of being installed in hazardous areas when appropriate I.S. barriers, galvanic isolation, or other means are used. When your needs fall outside our standard product offering, our custom products engineering capabilities may be able to modify an existing product, or develop an entirely new one, to meet your needs.

 

Product Directory

Proximity Probes

These transducers allow direct observation of shaft or target displacement for a variety of vibration, position, speed, and timing (i.e., phase) measurements. Various tip diameters and thread sizes/configurations are offered to allow measurement ranges as small as 200 micro inches (used with our REBAM® measurements), as large as 1.1 inch (typically used for differential expansion measurements on large steam turbines), and everything in between, including the popular 80 mil range used for the majority of machinery measurements.

Acceleration & Velocity

Unlike proximity probes which observe the machine’s shaft directly, casing vibration transducers measure the vibration of the surface to which they are attached - usually a bearing housing. Devices in this category include both accelerometers and velocity transducers. GE supplies a wide range of accelerometers and velocity transducers in a variety of mounting configurations, temperature ranges, and frequency response capabilities.

Pressure Transducers

GE supplies special-purpose pressure transducer solutions for use in applications such as combustor instability ("humming") detection on gas turbines, cylinder performance characteristics (P-V curves, rod compression/tension, suction/discharge pressure, etc.) on reciprocating compressors, and early warning of seal failures on process pumps by monitoring pressure across the seal face. Each of these applications requires a transducer specifically designed for the application to address the pressures, temperatures, and cyclic stresses encountered in these harsh environments while delivering reliable machinery information.

Case Expansion and Valve Position Transducers

The transducers in this category measure changes in machine case positions as they expand or contract, rotary or linear position of control valves, or wicket gate position on hydroelectric turbines. They are typically used in conjunction with other transducers as part of a Turbine Supervisory Instrumentation (TSI) package, designed to monitor all critical machinery parameters on large steam, gas, or hydraulic turbines used in power generation applications.

Vibration and Thrust Transmitters

Transmitters provide a 4-20 mA output of the direct vibration or target displacement of the shaft, bearing housing, or machine casing. They allow customers to utilize our Bently Nevada™ vibration sensor expertise on smaller, non-critical machinery. A variety of approvals options are available for vibration and thrust transmitters such as hazardous area (including ATEX) and maritime approvals.

Optical
This portable, temporary-mount optical transducer is ideal for establishing Keyphasor® phase reference events when a permanently mounted Keyphasor® transducer is not available.
Custom Applications
Cryogenic or extreme temperatures? Hard-to-fit mounting locations? Special ranges or scale factors? When our standard transducer offerings are not able to address your application requirements, contact your local sales professional. We'll work with our custom products engineering department to explore an innovative, quality solution to your particular sensing needs.