Bolt loosening detection is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of equipment. This paper presents a vision-based real-time detection method that identifies bolt loosening by recognizing anti-loosening line markers at bolt connections. The method employs the YOLOv10-S deep learning model for high-precision, real-time bolt detection, followed by a two-step Fast-SCNN image segmentation technique. This approach effectively isolates the bolt and nut regions, enabling accurate extraction of the anti-loosening line markers. Key intersection points are calculated using ellipse and line fitting techniques, and the loosening angle is determined through spatial projection transformation. The experimental results demonstrate that, for high-resolution images of 2048 × 1024 pixels, the proposed method achieves an average angle detection error of 1.145° with a detection speed of 32 FPS. Compared to traditional methods and other vision-based approaches, this method offers non-contact measurement, real-time detection capabilities, reduced detection error, and general adaptability to various bolt types and configurations, indicating significant application potential.

In this paper, solving the problem of the noise covariance matrix parameters tuning of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter algorithms (UKF) is difficult. A speed estimation strategy for a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) optimized Kalman filter (KF) series algorithms is proposed. By using MATLAB/Simulink, in this paper, 20 effective simulation experiments on the noise covariance matrix parameter optimization process are conducted to obtain the optimal covariance matrix parameters of the extended Kalman filter and unscented Kalman filter. Moreover, EKF, PSO-EKF, UKF, and PSO-UKF are also compared to verify the effectiveness of the particle swarm optimization algorithm in optimizing the systems using the extended Kalman filter and unscented Kalman filter. For the error of speed estimation, taking 4000 rpm as a reference, the system using PSO-EKF has improved by 2.125% compared to that using EKF, and the system applying PSO-UKF has improved by 0.55% compared to the system applying UKF. For the error of electrical angle estimation, taking the system errors of original algorithms as references, the system adopting PSO-EKF has decreased by 60% compared to that adopting EKF, and the system using PSO-UKF has decreased by 47% compared to the system using UKF.

Turbine rotors are susceptible to bolt loosening and detachment due to factors such as vibration, stress concentration, and material degradation during the prolonged operation of hydropower units. These issues can result in significant safety incidents and economic losses. This article presents a novel vision-based automatic detection method for identifying loose bolts in turbine rotors by analyzing the angle between marking lines on the top surfaces of studs and nuts. The proposed method integrates enhanced you only look once version 8 (YOLOv8) for object detection, DeepSORT for multitarget tracking, DeepLabV3+ for image segmentation, and Theil-Sen estimation for line fitting. This approach effectively locates loose bolts on the rotor and determines the loosening angle. Experiments were conducted during the commissioning of a large hydroelectric unit, yielding results that demonstrate an average loosening angle calculation error 0.633°. With a loosening threshold established at 2°, the method achieves a detection accuracy of 98.88%. The proposed method does not depend on the historical states of the bolts and provides precise identification of bolt loosening angle up to 180°, thereby making it suitable for application to operating turbine rotors.

The safe and stable operation of hydropower units, as core equipment in clean energy systems, is crucial for power system security. However, anomaly detection under complex operating conditions remains a technical challenge in this field. This paper proposes a hydropower unit anomaly detection method based on K-means seeded quadratic discriminant clustering and an adaptive density-aware ensemble anomaly detection algorithm (KSQDC-ADEAD). The method first employs the KSQDC algorithm to identify different operating conditions of hydropower units. By combining K-means clustering’s initial partitioning capability with quadratic discriminant analysis’s nonlinear decision boundary construction ability, it achieves the high-precision identification of complex nonlinear condition boundaries. Then, an ADEAD algorithm is designed, which incorporates local density information and improves anomaly detection accuracy and stability through multi-model ensemble and density-adaptive strategies. Validation experiments using 14-month actual operational data from a 550 MW unit at a hydropower station in Southwest China show that the KSQDC algorithm achieves a silhouette coefficient of 0.64 in condition recognition, significantly outperforming traditional methods, and the KSQDC-ADEAD algorithm achieves comprehensive scores of 0.30, 0.34, and 0.23 for anomaly detection at three key monitoring points, effectively improving the accuracy and reliability of anomaly detection. This method provides a systematic technical solution for hydropower unit condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.