CIGR 1996 : 11-103
STATIC STARTING OF GAS TURBINE DRIVEN GENERATORS
MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Authors : R. Fenton*, G. Ghanime, E. Kazmierczak, R. Nold
General Electric
United States
Summary
Starting of gas turbine-generators through
the use of variable frequency load
commutated inverters has been increasing in
popularity with power generation suppli ers
as they realize the benefits of improved
reliability and reduced power plant costs.
This starting means is referred to as static
start.
Static start is being applied to increasingly
larger generator sizes due to the output of
gas turbines becoming larger and the
application of static start to single-shaft
combined-cycle machines.
Application of static start technology to
large generator sizes increases the risk of
duty to the turbine-generator from
electromagnetic heating, transfer of induced
current between components and harmonic
torque pulsations.
This paper will describe the operation of the
generator in the static start mode. The
mechanisms involved that could potentially
damage the generator are discussed. Key
elements of the systematic development
process are described. They include an
analytically-based analysis phase,
component bench testing, generator/LCI
factory testing and a confirmation test at a
power plant.
The paper shows the importance of
evaluation of the electromagnetic and
thermal performance of the generator
windings and rotor components during all
phases of static start operation. This is
particularly important for operation at low
speeds due to reduced ventilation and low
rotor component contact pressures. If
provisions in the rotor design are not
*Robert E. Fenton, General Electric Company , 1 River Road, Building 273-460, Schenectady,
NY 12345
O
introduced to keep contact pressures high
between certain components there is
potential for heating damage as currents
pass between lightly loaded contacts during
static start operation.
The testing and analysis shows that the
combined gas turbine-generator rotor train
has a very light damping to torsional
modes. The importance of avoiding
resonant speeds and, in turn, the associated
responses, is clear as presented in the
power station response runs. The starting of
gas turbine-generators has historically been
done through the use of mechanical starting
devices. These include diesel engines and
electric motors which are temporarily
coupled to the main rotor train through a
hydraulic speed increasing gear .
Keywords: GeneratorGas Turbine -
Electromagnetic - Induced - Torsional
These systems are inherently mechanical in
design and can play an important factor in
the overall availability of the turbine-
generator system. Mechanical starting
systems also are required to be installed
directly in line with the main turbine-
generator rotor train. As a result, the
power plant deck, foundation and buildings
must be sized to handle this equipment.
In the last few years an alternative starting
system has been gaining popularity with
power plant operators. This is an electrical
starting system which utilizes the inherent
torque producing ability of the main
generator to bring the rotor train to
synchronous speed. This system is
commonly referred to as static start.
A typical static start system uses a remotely
located load commutated inverter (LCI) to
supply variable frequency power to the
generator terminals. The remote location of
the LCI ensures that foundations and
buildings are kept to an absolute minimum
length, saving substantial cost.
Simultaneously, a DC field current is
injected into the generator field winding.
The interaction of these two fields produces
a torque on the rotor train. This torque can
be sized to overcome the various system
losses and accelerate the rotor train to
synchronous speed.
The LCI is a computer controlled power
electronics device which converts 50/60 Hz
auxiliary bus power into controlled variable
frequency power. The frequency range is
typically from 0.002 Hz to 50/60 Hz. The
variable frequency power is controlled
through voltage commutation.
Computer control of the frequency allows
for smooth acceleration, in addition to stable
control at required turbine/generator
maintenance points or speed hold points.
Gas turbine systems require steady state,
low speed operation for turbine cooling,
cleaning, warm-up and pur ging, The
static start system is ideal for meeting these
unique needs.
Static starters have been applied to power
generation equipment for a number of
years. These applications started with
relatively low polar moment of inertia
Figure 1
Rotor Train Polar Moment of Inertia
systems that required modest ener gy levels
to reach synchronous speed.
As equipment owners began to recognize
the benefits associated with shorter
foundations, reduction in mechanical parts
count and improved availability , they have
asked for static starters on lar ger and lar ger
rotor trains. Figure 1 shows the increasing
rotor train polar moment of inertia in (Kg-
m-m) based on the year of introduction, for
one turbine-generator supplier.
The higher energy levels associated with
these lar ger systems has focused increased
concern on the ef fects this starting system
has on the generator hardware. This
concern is driven by two facets of the LCI
operation. First is the harmonic content of
the armature current. Second is the reduced
heat transfer associated with low speed
operation.
Operation of the generator at low speeds
results in poorer ventilation. Careful
consideration must be given to the
evaluation and control of the thermal duty
on the machine windings and other
components. For most static start
applications, generator stator winding
current levels are low enough that stator
winding heating is not usually limiting.
Field winding heating and rotor surface
heating, however, are important
considerations for low speed operation.
Collector and brush heating also need to be
considered for low speed operation.
Rotor surface, stator winding and field
winding current magnitudes are influenced
by the output torque required at any given
speed and by the LCI system voltage
selection and operating strategy , i.e. how
voltage and current inputs are controlled as
a function of speed. Typically there are
conflicting requirements in that, for a given
torque and speed, operation at a lower field
winding current magnitude results in lar ger
stator winding and rotor surface current
magnitudes. Therefore, specification and
control strategy of the LCI system are based
on a reasonable solution to meet competing
requirements.
Harmonic distortion resulting from power
electronics is well known. LCIs produce
harmonic distortion as a result of their
normal operation. This harmonic content
negatively af fects the generator in three
ways: Rotor surface currents, rotor surface
heating and pulsating shaft torques.
Rotor Surface Currents & Heating
The interaction of the LCI and the
synchronous machine is such that the stator
current profile is approximately sinusoidal.
Depending on the actual operating
frequency the current waveform may look
like a square wave at best, or a notched
square wave at worst. A Fourier Series of
the current waveform shows that it is
comprised of a fundamental with significant
harmonics of the order 6n+/-1 where n= 1,
2, 3. Harmonics for n greater than 3 do
exist but are quite small in magnitude and
do not have a major ef fect on the operation
of the generator.
The presence of stator current harmonics
from LCI operation results in the induction
of currents of various magnitudes,
wavelengths and frequencies on the surface
of the rotor . These currents flow in series-
parallel paths comprised of rotor iron, rotor
wedges, amortisseur and retaining rings and
distribute according to the impedance of the
paths. Ohmic losses and subsequent
heating are generated in the various
components of the rotor due to the induced
rotor surface currents.
Many of the current paths involve a
transition of currents from one or more
components to another by means of
overlapping contacts. Contact resistance
results from roughness, and oxidation of
the faying surfaces resulting in areas of
localized heating. Examples of overlapping
contacts are between the coil slot
amortisseur and rotor wedges, rotor wedges
and rotor iron, rotor iron and retaining ring,
end amortisseur and coil slot amortisseur
and end amortisseur and retaining ring.
Other areas of localized heating occur on the
rotor surface due to physical constriction of
the current such as at the iron ligaments in
the rotor poles formed between the ends of
the transverse pole fac
e cross slots and first axial rotor coil slots.
It is these areas of localized heating that are
of the most interest for static start
application.
Most turbine-generator designs rely on the
lar ge centrifugal force present at rated
speed to provide high pressures on the
overlapping rotor component joints and
correspondingly low contact resistances.
However , static start requires operation at
low speeds where centrifugal force is
smaller which may result in inadequate
contact pressures. Localized heating
damage can occur if current density is too
high. At very low speeds, contact may
actually be intermittent, opening and closing
depending on the rotor position.
To address overlapping contact issues, two-
dimensional finite element tools were used
to analyze a transverse bindcross-section of
a generator rotor. More detailed work has
been done to include the ef fects of the axi-
periodic nature of the end region fields.
The finite element analysis was used to
establish the magnitudes and distribution of
currents and losses on the rotor surface for
subsequent use in laboratory tests. The ef
fects of variables such as rotor induction
frequency , material properties and stator
current loading are easily explored with
finite element tools.
Pulsating Shaft Torques
The harmonic content of the stator current
not only causes rotor heating but it also
impacts the rotor by driving a series of
torsional torque pulsations. The flux fields
resulting from the current harmonics interact
with the DC flux field due to rotor current to
cause air gap torques. These torques have
the frequencies of 6n where n = 1, 2, 3.
Since the torque pulsations are proportional
to the magnitude of the stator current
harmonics, torques with frequencies above
n = 4 are insignificant.
Turbine-generator rotors have a number of
torsional natural frequencies below the rated
synchronous speed.
Due to the geometry of the rotor and
associated bearings these natural
frequencies are lightly damped, and will
resonate if ener gized. As a result, the
torsional response becomes an important
consideration in defining the operational
reliability of machine.
Accurate response prediction requires
analysis techniques which include
consideration of all forcing functions in
addition to the mass-elastic properties of the
shaft system. The severity of the torsional
oscillations and stresses depends upon the
relationship between the frequency of
harmonic torques and the torsional natural
frequencies of the shaft system.
To analytically determine the effect of static-
start torque on the torsional shaft response,
the full train mass-elastic model was made.
A torsional frequency analysis was
performed on the turbine-generator train
model to determine the natural frequencies,
corresponding mode shapes and the
Campbell diagram. The forcing function
used for the calculation was a Fourier Series
of the air gap torque and its associated
harmonic coef ficients. The construction of
the Campbell diagram was an absolute
requirement since it showed the speed hold
points with respect to the resonant shaft
frequencies.
The forcing function and the full train model
were then used to calculate the transient
torsional response. This calculation was
repeated for each resonant frequency so a
complete picture of the shaft response could
be generated. This provided part of the
technical design criteria for the shaft
system.
A second necessary analysis included the
steady state shaft response at each of the
resonant frequencies. This analysis was
done to determine the severity of the
response at the speed hold points. Since
torsional damping is known to be very low,
an accurate analytical model was necessary
to prevent damaging rotor oscillations from
occurring.
Reliable Design Through Analysis,
Verification
Significant system and component design
went into the development of generators for
use with LCIs. Proper analysis was
required to ensure that improvements made
to handle the short term starting issues did
not adversely af fect the long term generator
availability and reliability .
An important part of a development plan is
to test or verify the analytical methods.
This development program used a four
phase test program to verify design
integrity of the components and analysis
systems discussed already.
Phase 1 included laboratory bench testing to
determine the nature of contact resistances.
This information was used to ensure that
local heating would not damage
components.
Detailed models were constructed for
extensive laboratory contact testing.
Overlapping contacts were tested with
variable pressure, current loading and
materials. Tests were also made on
components with dif ferent surface
roughness, silver plating and surface films
resulting from oxidation or application of
lubricants. Contact voltages and temperature
were recorded as a function of time for each
test condition. The contact parts were
disassembled and inspected for damage
after each test.
A conservative design approach based upon
the laboratory test results was employed for
static start applications. A patented arch
spring arrangement was developed to
maintain suf ficient pressure on the
overlapping component joints at very low
speeds. This arrangement is shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 2
Rotor Slot Arch Spring Construction
Phase 2 of the testing included verification
of new components. For static start
applications the only new generator
component is the metallic arch spring. The
arch spring loads the coil slot amortisseur
against the wedge and the wedge against the
rotor iron. In the end region the spring
loads the coil amortisseur against the end
amortisseur and the end amortisseur against
the retaining ring. It is of interest to note
that full length coil slot amortisseur bars are
used on generators with segmented rotor
coil slot wedges to provide an additional
low impedance current path at the axial
wedge gaps.
Prior to the first commercial application, the
arch spring design was subjected to
numerous mechanical acceptability tests.
These tests included wedge assembly tests,
spring low cycle fatigue and static deflection
tests, thermal and load cycling tests, and
hydrogen atmosphere tests.
Local heating at the rotor pole face cross
slot ligaments was reduced by increasing
the size of the ligament. Cross slots are
used to minimize rotor bending stif fness
dissymmetry at running speeds to control
Figure 3
The 3-D Waterfall Spectrum
two per rev . vibrations. This was
accomplished by decreasing the depth of the
cross slot while increasing the number of
cross slots and putting them on a shorter
axial pitch to maintain their functionality .
Where possible, it is desirable to not allow
wedge joints to be axially aligned with cross
slots to further reduce local heating.
Phase 3 of the testing involved verification
of analytical methods with regard to rotor
train torsional responses. To verify the
issues involving torsional response torques
a field test was performed on a simple cycle
gas turbine-generator train with the purpose
of identifying the magnitude of the response
torque and the damping as well as the
location of the harmonic resonances. The
coupling that connects the generator flange
to the gas turbine flange was instrumented
with strain gauges. The gauge location was
based on the torsional vibration analyses
which showed the maximum strain
occurring in the load coupling. The signal
was transmitted through a telemetry collar to
a monitoring device and a tape recorder .
The train was brought up to the gas turbine
pur ge speed and then to firing speed. The
3-D waterfall spectrum, Figure 3, clearly
shows the 6/rev and the 12/rev resonance of
the first natural frequency of the shaft
system along with the shaft strain
amplitude.
The field test confirmed the results of the
analyses in showing that continuous
operation or dwelling at or very near a
resonant speed will result in high oscillatory
torque and will therefore yield to component
fatigue failure. The analysis indeed showed
that the steady state torque response could
be 28 times as great as the transient torque
response. Due to the fact that the torsional
response peaks are narrow-banded with a
very small logarithmic decrement, the speed
control should be tuned to avoid prolonged
operation at resonant points as the build-up
of response is limited only by damping and
the vibratory stress would quickly exceed
the endurance limit of the shaft material.
Phase 4 of the test program involves a full
scale synchronous machine test, operating
under static start conditions. The purpose
of this test was to measure temperature rises
and qualify the design concepts. This test
was run within the factory under controlled
conditions using a 229 MV A hydrogen-
cooled generator. An actual LCI system
was used during the testing. The
synchronous machine was directly coupled
to a motor and cycloconverter and
electrically coupled to the LCI. Both the
LCI and cycloconverter were tied to a 13.8
kV bus. The resulting pumpback system
allowed for the LCI and synchronous motor
to develop significant torque at varying
speeds. This closely matches many of the
low speed operating conditions that users
will experience in their power stations. The
rotor was also extensively instrumented in
order to gain information on component
heating while running at various speeds
and current loading. Figure 4 shows the
levels of output torque achieved during the
test as compared to the designed output
starting torque for this size machine. The
machine was tested well above the design
points, in the low speed regime, to ensure
that all issues of contact resistances, rotor
surface heating and field winding ventilation
were verified.

Figure 4
Design Torque vs. Tested Torque
Heat runs were done at low speed to
evaluate generator field winding transient
thermal performance. Figure 5 shows the
field hot spot temperature rise as a function
of time once field current is applied. This
data provides valuable information
regarding resistive heat generation and the
removal of that heat at low operating
speeds. It confirms that if the rotor is
transitioning through the low speed region
quickly enough, the thermal time constant
provides suf ficient mar gin to operate at
near rated flux.
Figure 5
Field Winding Transient Performance at
Rated Flux
In addition to the transient field heating
discussed above, Figure 5 provides
important insights to the selection of field
current for low speed hold points. It
confirms that the steady state temperature
rise is predominately driven by the square
root of the speed in this low range
spectrum. The data shown in Figure 5 is
taken from a field current setting equivalent
to full magnetic flux. At speed 1, this level
of flux would result in long term insulation
damage due to the temperature rises. If
operation at speed 1 is required, defluxing
of the machine would be necessary to
prevent excessive temperatures.
Upon completion of the factory test, the
generator rotor was disassembled to inspect
the components for any indications of
excessive duty . The factory testing lasted
for 1 10 hours. This equates to 220 start
cycles based on an average customer start
cycle of 30 minutes.
The rotor surface was free of discoloration
associated with the overheating of materials
due to surface currents. Further
disassembly of the rotor wedges showed
that there was no discoloration or pitting
damage on the mating surfaces of the rotor
components. The springs worked well to
hold all the components tightly .
Conclusion
Static starting of medium sized turbine-
generators driven by gas turbines is quite
common. This paper described the use of
generators as a synchronous starting motor
using a variable frequency load commutated
inverter . Static start is now being applied
to increasingly lar ge generator sizes due to
the output of gas turbines becoming lar ger
and applications of static start to single-shaft
combined-cycle machines.
Application of static start technology to lar
ge generator sizes increases the risk of duty
to the turbine-generator from
electromagnetic heating, transfer of induced
current between components and harmonic
torque pulsations.
This paper has described the operation of
the generator in the static start mode. It has
described the mechanisms involved that
could potentially damage the generator.
Key elements of the systematic development
process have been described. They include
an analytically based analysis phase,
component bench testing, generator/LCI
factory testing and a confirmation test at a
power plant. The paper has shown the
importance of evaluation of the
electromagnetic and thermal performance of
the generator windings and rotor
components during all phases of static start
operation. This is particularly important
for operation at low speeds due to reduced
ventilation and low rotor component contact
pressures. If provisions in the rotor design
are not introduced to keep contact pressures
high between certain components there is
potential for heating damage as currents
pass between lightly loaded contacts during
static start operation.
The testing and analysis have shown that
the combined gas turbine-generator rotor
train has very light damping of its torsional
modes. The importance of avoiding
resonant speeds and in turn the associated
responses is clear as presented in the power
station response runs.
There are many cases where technology
advances in equipment design and analysis
methods can be used to increase the
capability and flexibility of utility owned
equipment without ef fecting overall system
reliability . The desire of many utilities to
eliminate mechanical starting systems in
place of variable frequency LCI starting
systems is an example of this.
The generator has been asked to perform the
additional duty of producing starting torque
without adversely af fecting its inherent ef
ficiency and reliability as the supplier of
electric power.
Through a well structured development
program which includes analysis, bench
testing, full scale factory testing and field
testing, we have been able to eliminate the
risk associated with the additional starting
duty .