2013 ARIPPA Technical Symposium

Turbine Generator Testing

and
On-Site Repairs

David Branton, CEO

Turbine Generator Maintenance, Inc.
 Generator Assessments

There has been a lot of attention on the importance of periodic generator

maintenance inspections, but how can a plant anticipate and plan for repairs to
minimize the impact of correcting a problem during a maintenance outage?

This presentation discusses the following:

Designing a long-term generator maintenance program

Why Should a Generator Be Assessed

What Parts of a Generator Should Be Assessed
When Should a Generator Be Assessed
How Should a Generator Be Assessed

Common Generator Aging Mechanisms

Performing Successful Generator Rotor Repairs On-Site
 Designing a Long-Term Maintenance Plan

Requirements:
Maximum Unit Availability
No Unplanned Outages
Predictable Maintenance Costs

Qualitative Tools:
Running Assessments
Periodic Minor Inspections Based on Outage Window
Objective Based Major Inspections

Power plant operations are usually more aware of boiler, BOP, and turbine
maintenance and largely ignore the generator. By developing a multi-year
assessment and maintenance program, unplanned outages can be mostly prevented.
Critical Areas for Inspection
and Monitoring - Stator
Critical Areas for Inspection
and Monitoring - Rotor
 Why Should a Generator Be Assessed

Aging Mechanisms: Insulation in service is exposed to high temperature, high voltage, vibration,
and other mechanical forces as well as some adverse environmental conditions. These various factors
act together and individually to wear out or age the insulation.

Thermal Aging: Electrical Aging: Mechanical Aging: Environmental Aging:

Core Insulation:
Inadequate Cooling
General Over-Heating
Localized Over-Heating
Burnout at High Temp
Stator/Rotor Insulation:
Continuous High Temp
Differential Expansion
Thermal Cycling
Girth Cracking
Scarf-Joint
Loosening of End Winding
Loosening of Coils in Slots
Core Insulation:
Under-Excitation
Over-Excitation
Manufacturing Defects
Ground Fault in Core Slots
Stator Insulation:
Electrical Discharges
Surface Tracking
Moisture Absorption
System Surge Voltages
Unbalanced Supply Voltages
Rotor Insulation:
Transient Over-Voltages
Static Excitation Transients
Surface Tracking
Moisture Absorption
Core Insulation: Core Insulation:
Core Looseness & Fretting Water Absorption
Back Iron Over-Heating Chemical Contamination
Stator Insulation: Stator/Rotor Insulation:
120 Hz Bar Vibration Forces Water Absorption
Electromagnetic Forces on End Chemical Contamination
Windings
Abrasive Materials
Rotor Insulation:
Centrifugal Forces
Abrasive Materials
Operation on Turning Gear

Handbook To Assess The Insulation Condition Of Large Rotating Machines

Authors I.M. Culbert, H. Dhirani, G.C. Stone
 Generator Maintenance Issues

Common Issues
Low insulation resistance (rotor and stator) caused by
moisture/dirt
Partial Discharge and Spark Gap

Bar vibration caused by loose wedges

Rotor winding ground and turn shorts

Stator end winding and circuit ring looseness

Collector ring and brush issues

 Generator Maintenance Issues

Less Common resulting in Major Unavailability

Stator winding ground faults caused by vibration,
ground wall failure
Stator core failures

Multi-Turn rotor shorts or grounds

Bushing failures

Iso-Phase failures
 Generator Assessments

Running Assessments:
Observe Changes in Electrical/Mechanical Noise, RTD Temperatures, H2 Purity
and Usage, Voltage and Current Levels and Balance, Bearing Oil Usage, arcing.
Monitor Stator RTD Temperature, Generator Vibration, End Winding
Resonance, Partial Discharge Activity, Flux Probe Readings, Field Ground System,
etc
Trend Partial Discharges, Temperatures, Excitation Current,Vibration Levels,
etc

Outage Assessments:
Inspect Visual, Borescopic, Boresonic, Measure, .
Test Stator Winding, Stator Core, Rotor, and Exciter Insulation Systems
Examine Non-Destructive Examination of Critical Components
Trend All Available Historical Assessment Data Against Current Findings
 Generator Assessments

Minor Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with Turbine Borescope, Auxiliary Inspection.

Plan for a Maximum 1-2 Day Outage
Unit Condition: Generator Assembled but Inspection Access Covers Removed
Inspections/tests performed:
Borescope Inspection of Turbine Generator Stator Windings, Turbine Generator Rotor Windings and Blocking,
Stator Core Step Iron and Fingerplates (All as Accessible)
Turbine Generator Stator Winding Assessment: IR, PI, and Copper Resistance
Turbine Generator Rotor Winding Assessment: IR, PI, Copper Resistance, and Impedance
Turbine Generator Exciter Assessment: Visual Inspection, Insulation Resistance Tests
Benefits
Reveals pending faults in winding of the rotor and armature
Reveals deterioration of coil insulation caused by corona and/or end winding vibration
Establishes a base line for evaluating future inspections and input for establishing planned major maintenance
activities
Final Report
Standardized format provided electronically (cd or electronic mail)
Photographs of critical areas in the stator and rotor
Dielectric absorption graph and analysis of insulation integrity
Summary of all insulation and winding resistance measurements taken
 Generator Assessments

Moderate Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with Turbine Valve and Bearing Inspection.
Plan for a Maximum 3 Day Outage
Unit Condition: Turbine Generator Rotor Installed But Top Half of End Brackets Removed
Inspections/tests performed:
Visual and Borescope Inspection of Turbine Generator Stator Windings, Turbine Generator Rotor Windings and Blocking,
Stator Core Step Iron, Main Iron, and Fingerplates (all as accessible)
Resistance Thermal Detector and Heater Tests
Turbine Generator Stator Assessment:
o Insulation Resistance and Polarization Index
o Copper Resistance
o Power Factor and Tip-up
o Visual Corona Inspection, as Accessible, to Determine Areas and Severity of Corona Activity
o Step Voltage Test (D.C. Step Voltage / Dielectric Absorption and/or High Potential) to Determine Insulation
Integrity of Armature Windings
o End Winding Vibration Test (End Winding Basket Frequency Examination)
o Core Tightness Examination
Turbine Generator Rotor Assessment:
o Insulation Resistance and Polarization Index
o Copper Resistance
o Impedance
Turbine Generator Exciter Assessment:
o Visual Inspection
o Insulation Resistance Tests
o Collector Ring Integrity
 Generator Assessments

Moderate Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with Turbine Valve and Bearing Inspection.
Plan for a Maximum 3 Day Outage

Unit Condition: Turbine Generator Rotor Installed But Top Half of End Brackets Removed

Benefits
Reveals pending faults in winding of the rotor and armature
Reveals deterioration of coil insulation caused by corona or end winding vibration
Establishes a base line for evaluating future inspections and input for establishing planned major maintenance activities
Additional data on armature winding insulation integrity to more accurately access life and future maintenance requirements
Assessment of end winding stability (resonance conditions can be immediately corrected to avoid premature winding deterioration)
Record of core tightness

Final Report
Standardized format provided electronically (cd or electronic mail)
Photographs of critical areas in the stator winding, core, and rotor
Dielectric absorption graph and analysis of insulation integrity
Summary of all insulation and winding resistance measurements taken
Data sheets showing location and levels of corona activity
Plots showing frequency distribution of end winding basket core tightness record
Any anomalies reported immediately with the Final Report submitted within 10 days of inspection
 Generator Assessments

Major Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with a Major Turbine Outage.

Plan for a Maximum 7 Day Outage
Unit Condition: Turbine Generator Completely Dismantled with the Rotor Removed

Inspections/tests performed:
Visual Inspection of Turbine Generator Stator Windings, Turbine Generator Rotor Windings and Blocking, Stator Core
Borescope inspection of rotor winding and blocking (as accessible)
Resistance Thermal Detector and Heater Tests
Turbine Generator Stator Assessment:
Insulation Resistance and Polarization Index
Copper Resistance
Power Factor and Tip-up
Visual Corona Inspection, as Accessible, to Determine Areas and Severity of Corona Activity
Step Voltage Test (D.C. Step Voltage / Dielectric Absorption and/or High Potential) to Determine
Insulation Integrity of Armature Windings
End Winding Vibration test (End Winding Basket Frequency Examination)
Core Tightness Examination
El CID Core Test
Wedge Tightness Detection Mapping
 Generator Assessments

Major Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with a Major Turbine Outage.

Plan for a Maximum 7 Day Outage

Unit Condition: Turbine Generator Completely Dismantled with the Rotor Removed

Inspections/Tests Performed:
Turbine Generator Rotor Assessment:
Insulation Resistance and Polarization Index Test
Copper Resistance Measurement
AC Impedance Test
Pole Balance Test
Retaining Ring NDE inspection (based on OEM requirements)

Turbine Generator Exciter Assessment:

Visual Inspection
Insulation Resistance Tests
Collector Ring Integrity
 Generator Assessments

Major Inspection: Performed in Conjunction with a Major Turbine Outage.

Plan for a Maximum 7 Day Outage
Unit Condition: Turbine Generator Completely Dismantled with the Rotor Removed

Benefits
Reveals pending faults in winding of the rotor and armature
Reveals deterioration of coil insulation caused by corona or end winding vibration
Establishes a base line for evaluating future inspections and input for establishing planned major maintenance activities
Additional data on armature winding insulation integrity to more accurately access life and future maintenance requirements
Assessment of end winding stability (resonance conditions can be immediately corrected to avoid premature winding deterioration)
Record of core tightness and stator lamination condition
Record of rotor retaining ring, wedges, and rotor body condition

Final Report
Standardized format provided electronically (cd or electronic mail)
Photographs of critical areas in the stator winding, core, and rotor
Dielectric absorption graph and analysis of insulation integrity
Summary of all insulation and winding resistance measurements taken
Data sheets showing location and levels of corona activity
Plots showing frequency distribution of end winding basket core tightness record
Core tightness record
 Generator Life Expectancy

General Electric

Mitsubishi uses an operating hours

versus start-stop cycle relationship
to estimate the remaining life in a
stator winding. Once the estimated
life reaches 40% or less, they
recommend a stator rewind.

GER 4223
 Generator Running Assessments

Generator maintenance & reliability

issues can be largely predicted by
monitoring and trending these
parameters:

Partial Discharge Levels

Flux Probe Data
Over or Under Excitation Excursions
Generator Rotor and End Winding
Vibration
Stator RTD Temperatures
 Running Assessments
Generator Rotor Windings

Shorted Turns in Pole A - Coil 5, Pole B - Coils 6 and 7

Magnetic Wedges in Coil 1 note small signal
Repairs that can be done with rotor installed
during a turbine valve & bearing inspection

Outage Inspection
Repairs that can be done with rotor installed
during a turbine valve & bearing inspection

Outage Inspection
Repairs that can be done with rotor installed
during a turbine valve & bearing inspection

A bump test can be used to assure that

the end winding is out of resonance
Outage Inspection
Repairs that can be performed in
conjunction with turbine major inspection

Stator Rewedge

Outage Inspection
Repairs that can be performed in
conjunction with turbine major inspection

Rotor retaining ring removal

Outage Inspection
Repairs that can be performed in
conjunction with turbine major inspection

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
Rotor Rewind at the Customers Facility

Outage Inspection
 Summary & Conclusions

The same Running Condition Assessment principles apply to generators as turbines

Turbine Generator insulation systems are susceptible to various degrees of aging

based upon Electrical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Environmental mechanisms, which
work individually and/or in concert to reduce machine reliability .

Using RCA and performing Minor, Moderate, and/or Major Inspections, most forced
outages can be avoided with maintenance costs predicted and planned.

Turbine Generator Rotor rewinds can be performed at the power plant without
sacrificing safety or quality while minimizing outage schedule impact.

With respect to all on-site generator work, remember the TAP3: Tooling, Attitude,
People, Processes, Planning
Thermal Aging: Thermal cycling,
especially with respect to the main
field windings of peaking units, can
lead to significant physical
deformation of the associated coils.
Environmental Aging: Oil is both a
solvent as well as a lubricant. Internal oil
contamination can breakdown insulation, and
loosen the frictional-force blocks, ties, and
packing throughout a generator.
Mechanical / Electrical Aging: Loose stator
winding will vibrate within the stator slots. Fretting
against the stator core iron, corona suppression
materials will abrade, increasing PD activity.