EGAT FLEET CAPABILITY ON GENERATOR ROTOR REPAIR

Mr. Nattapong Suppakomonan

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT),
Tel. 66-2-436-6253, E-mail: nattapong.su@egat.co.th

Mr. Chainarong Surinkon

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT),
Tel. 66-2-436-6253, E-mail: chainarong.su@egat.co.th

ABSTRACT

The power generator repairing and improvement are highly needed to be done by skilled expert and OEMs
supervisory. The generator rotor is a rotating part, which is critical to dismantle and assembly. Most case of
generator rotor repair is needed to be inspected under OEM supervisory.
However, the Electrical Maintenance Division (EMD) is the service provider which can support tools,
facilities, and staffs with knowledge and experience in generator repairs. In the past, many repairing projects
had been efficiently accomplished either by OEM cooperation or EGAT experienced team. The OEM and EGAT
team experiences cooperation can enhance EGAT work capabilities on the generator rotor repair without OEM
supervisory.
This paper presents a capability of EGAT fleet experience on generator rotor repair accomplished by
experienced team. The generator rotor coil end spacer & hydrogen seal part replacement in 325MVA hydrogen
cooled two poles generator rotor is the selected case. Integrated systematic approaches which are presented in
this paper, show EGAT capability to improve and enhance techniques on generator rotor repairing without
OEM supervisory support.

Key word: Generator rotor repairs, Generator rotor coil end spacer, Generator rotor hydrogen seal part

1. INTRODUCTION

The EGAT maintenance team is capable of maintenance and repairing services to all EGAT customers who
operate more than 160 generators. These services are performed by experienced team covering several scopes
required by customers, such as: minor inspection, major overhaul, on-line & off-line partial discharge test, on-
line flux probe test, thermal sensitivity test, partial & full rewinding of stator and rotor, etc.

2. CAPABILITY STATEMENT ON GENERATOR ROTOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES

2.1 Equipment capabilities

Several tools are specially provided for generator rotor inspection and repair as follows:

AC and DC high potential test sets Video probe

Surge comparison test sets High frequency induction brazing
Ultrasonic test sets High frequency induction heater
Contact resistance test sets Electric brazing machines
Temporary flux probe test sets Dry ice blasting machines
Robotic inspection vehicle completed with Movable electric air compressors
video camera system Various special tools for retaining ring disassembling

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2.2 Workshop capabilities

Several activities regarding the maintenance and repairing services are inquired to be done on-site.
Some repairing works, however, are required to be performed in workshop for better facilities and higher
quality control. Electrical workshop services are available for carrying out the large motor and large
generator rotor with following facilities.

Overhead crane 32 tons and 100 tons

Air conditioning clean room sized 4.8 x 14.4 x 2.8 m3
Rolling supports
Low speed balance 3 tons/500 rpm and 100 tons/300 rpm
Oven and burn-off oven

Figure 2 Electrical workshops available for large motor and generator rotor services

2.3 Relevant experiences on generator rotor repair

The EGAT maintenance team has more than 30 years of experiences in generator maintenance services
and many projects had been accomplished either by OEM cooperation or EGAT team themself. Some
examples of generator rotor repairing works in the past decade include:

Rotor full rewinding: phase-to-phase fault in stator winding of 415 MVA H2 inner cooled
generator at South Bangkok Power Plant Unit 5. This project was cooperated with MELCO
between 1996 and 1997
Rotor full rewinding: rotor ground wall insulation failure in 80 MVA air cooled generator of
Bangpakong Combined Cycle Power Plant Block 2. This project was solely accomplished by
EGAT maintenance team in 1999.
Rotor full rewinding: thermal sensitivity problem caused by cooling holes blockage in 291 MVA
H2 cooled generator. This project was cooperated with GE in 2003 including modification of leaf
spring and damper bar assembly.
Rotor partial rewinding: ground fault due to inadvertent energizing of 30 MVA air cooled steam
turbine driven generator in a paper mill. This work was done in a scope of partial rewinding by
EGAT maintenance in 2006.
Rotor partial rewinding: thermal sensitivity problem initiated from inter-turn short circuit in 128
MVA H2 cooled generator at Bangpakong Combined Cycle Power Plant Block 3. This work was
accomplished covering the scope of on-line data investigation between 2007 and 2008, and partial
rewinding was done by EGAT maintenance team in 2008.
Rotor full rewinding: thermal sensitivity problem caused by inter-turn short circuit and cooling
holes blockage in 291 MVA H2 cooled generator. This project was cooperated with GE in 2012
including modification of leaf spring and damper bar assembly.
Rotor full rewinding: thermal sensitivity problem initiated from inter-turn short circuit performed
on three units of 128 MVA H2 cooled generator at Bangpakong Combined Cycle Power Plant
Block 3 and 4. This work was accomplished covering the scope of on-line data investigation
between 2009 and 2012, and full rewinding was entirely done by EGAT maintenance team in 2012
and 2013 respectively.

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 Figure 3 several cases on rotor repair of turbo-generator

3. CASE STUDY ON GENERATOR ROTOR COIL END SPACER & H2 SEAL REPLACEMENT

The case study was selected from the recent experience on repairing two poles H2 cooled generator
rotor coil end spacer & H2 seal replacement according to the rotor coil end spacer which was broken in
2014.

3.1 Historical data

The 325 MVA two poles H2 cooled generator, pieces of rotor end winding spacer were found on the
bottom of the stator bore at the turbine end during the major overhaul inspection on May 2014. As the
result of visual inspection & bore scope inspection of rotor, the defected spacer was found between rotor
coil No.1 and No.2 on N pole at turbine side. For this countermeasure retaining rings were disassembled,
detailed inspection and repair work of the generator rotor were carried out.

Figure 4 Pieces of rotor coil end spacer were dropped on stator end winding area & inside the stator bore

Figure 5 Found 3 pieces of rotor coil end spacer were remained inside the rotor end winding area after bore scope inspection

3.2 Generator rotor coil end spacer & hydrogen seal part replacement

The defective investigation and recondition are needed to disassembly retaining ring due to rotor coil
end spacer broken out problem, Therefore the OEM suggests to transport rotor to workshop for replacement
of rotor coil end spacer. However, in order to keep the planned outage schedule on time, EGAT
maintenance team can provide the rotor repairing service on site by facility mobilization to site and
fabricated special tools on site.
Meanwhile, in order to enhancing power plant availability, the customer is decided to perform
generator rotor coil end spacer & hydrogen seal part replacement for all of nine generator rotors in this
power plant.
For the 1st generator rotor, the repairing project has been accomplished by OEM cooperation with

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EGAT maintenance team. Then, the next generator rotor was entirely repaired by EGATs maintenance
team. The processes of generator rotor coil end spacer & hydrogen seal part replacement work are described
as the following.

Preparation

Run out check of the rotor

AC voltage drop test (impedance check)

Remove retaining rings

Remove damper ring and retaining ring insulation

Visual inspection and replacement of rotor coil end spacer

Replacement of Hydrogen seal parts

Rotor center bore leak test

Cleaning and polishing

Heating of rotor end coil

AC voltage drop test (impedance check)

Re-assembling of retaining ring insulation and damper ring

AC voltage drop test (impedance check)

Re-assembling of retaining rings

Baking (Dry-out)

Electrical test

Run out check of the rotor

Final visual inspection

All of rotor repair activities were completely done on site by facility mobilization to site, and then
special tools and facilities fabricated on site. Figure 6 shows EGATs mobility tools set for rotor repair on
site services. Moreover varieties of special tools and facilities were fabricated on site. Meanwhile,
replacement spare parts were fully supplied by OEM.

Figure 6 Mobility tools set for generator repairing on site services.

AC voltage drop test

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 Not only insulation resistance test was applied to confirm insulation condition, but also A.C.
voltage drop was tested to ascertain, that no evidence of rotor turn insulation short circuit.

Remove retaining ring

The retaining ring are rotor component for handling the end winding copper of the rotor winding
against centrifugal loading during operation. The induction heating machine was mobilized on site to
remove retaining ring. Therefore, retaining ring was removed by heating up, then pushing out by
using hydraulic jack while it was still hot due to retaining ring is slightly expanded when it was
heated up.

Figure 10 The retaining ring was removed for rotor coil end spacer replacement.

Visual inspection and replacement of rotor coil end spacer

Result of inspection on rotor end winding and spacer revealed a part of spacer block broken out,
Moreover, OEM recommended to replace the original which are 3 component spacer blocks by one
component spacer block. Therefore, the coil end spacer blocks were removed and replaced by a new
design of spacer blocks.

Figure 12 The rotor coil end spacer block broken out (Left, Middle), spacer block removal (Right).

Figure 13 Comparing between existing and new designed spacer block (Left), assembling new spacer block

Replacement of hydrogen seal parts

The hydrogen seal parts which consist of nuts, washers and rubber gaskets of rotor radial lead are
preventing hydrogen leakage from inside generator of hydrogen cooled type. OEM was
recommended to replace hydrogen seal gaskets after 10 years of operation. The hydrogen seal gasket
can be replaced by remove nuts and washers for seal packing component, then re-assembled parts of
hydrogen seal. However, all of hydrogen seal parts were thoroughly cleaned before re-assembling.

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 Figure 14 The hydrogen seal parts (collector ring side) were disassembled for replacement of rubber gasket

Figure 15 The hydrogen seal parts (rotor body side) were disassembled for replacement of rubber gasket

Rotor center bore leak test

The nitrogen gas was applied to pressurize rotor center bore to ascertain, that no gas leakage.

Heating of rotor end coil

As epoxy resin impregnated felt was applied for tightness spacer block in position while spacer
blocks assembly, Therefore heating is necessary to cure impregnate felt.

Re-assembling of retaining ring.

Retaining ring was heated up with the induction heating machine. After confirming the
temperature, the retaining ring was lifted immediately with overhead crane before pushing it with
two hydraulic jacks symmetrically. When retaining ring cooled down, the electrical test and final
inspection were performed, then the rotor was ready to install back.

Figure 19 Re-assembling of retaining ring.

4. CONCLUSION
The experience on generator rotor repairs has been cumulated either by OEM or EGAT itself. The
OEMs collaboration was very helpful to enhance EGAT capabilities in generator rotor repairing. EGAT
maintenance capability can help customer reducing the cost of rotor transportation, OEMs technical
advisor and in-house repairing work. Technical skills, modern tools, and facilities have been improved in
this project.
The EGAT generator maintenance service is designed to provide effective performance to make
generator satisfied owners in every aspect and moving forward to continuous improvement in the
maintenance and repairing process.

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REFERENCES

[1] Chainarong Surinkon (2014), EGATs Capability Enhancement on Generator Maintenance Services,
Electrical Maintenance Division, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
[2] Nattapong Suppakomonan (2015), Generator rotor coil end spacer & hydrogen seal part replacement,
Electrical Maintenance Division, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).