PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS ON A 350MW TURBO-ALTERNATOR STATOR

David C H Tarrant BSc. Eng. (Elec), Pr. Eng, MSAIEE Rotek Engineering, Power Generation Services Johannesburg, South Africa

1. ABSTRACT
The purpose of the paper is to share experience gained during repair work on a 350MW generator stator and to briefly describe the tests carried out to determine its condition, as well as the condition monitoring equipment installed. A secondary purpose is to point out that there may be cheaper and quicker alternatives to just rewinding machines with new windings, and that proper condition monitoring can make these alternatives acceptably safe. Following an out-of-phase synchronization, large cracks were found in the overhang section of the top bars and the decision was made for Rotek to remove, repair, and rewind the bars (against the recommendation of the OEM and for less than the price quoted for a new rewind). After the top bars were removed, cracks were found in the bottom bars, and they were also removed for repair. In the workshop, it was found that the bars also had slot cell delamination. A few bars had to be completely stripped, re-insulated and the slot section pressed. Over 150 hot spots were found on the core and repaired, and the core clamping plate was found to be cracked. The latter is extremely dangerous to the machine; despite this the decision was taken (for mainly commercial reasons) to grind out the cracks, complete the rewind and operate the generator for 3000 hours or 20 cold starts and then strip and rewind it with new clamping plates. An extensive condition-monitoring package installed on the machine made this a calculated risk. The repair was completed 3 years and more than 20 000 operating hours ago, and is still running without any problems. Condition monitoring makes it possible to take such extended risks.

2. INTRODUCTION
The Power Station in question consists of 6 units, with CEM 350MW hydrogen-cooled generators with watercooled stator windings. In September 1990, Unit 6, commissioned in 1975, was accidentally synchronised out of phase, which resulted in severe damage being done to the generator transformer, generator and associated plant. The generator was opened for inspection, and it was found that several of the stator bars had cracks in the overhang section just outside of the core. Due to operational pressures, it was decided to apply only a quick fix, which involved the application of resin to the affected areas and then returning the machine to service. After 20 months operation, in June 1992, the unit was mothballed. During routine mothballing checks, an Insulation Resistance (IR) test showed the Blue phase to be down to earth. The unit was then opened and inspected, and the top bar in slot 46 was found to have damaged insulation near the end of the core in the slot section. The damaged bar and 5 other top bars were removed and closely inspected. It was found that all had hairline cracks in the overhang section, on or just before the first bend after exit from the core. The remainder of the bars still in the stator were then inspected, and similar cracks in the same position were found (see fig. 1). Top Bar Core Overhang Section

Cracks

Fig. 1 Location of Cracks

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An analysis of the forces in the endwinding of a generator during out-of-phase synchronisation shows that the bars will attempt to straighten to some extent. This is confirmed by the position of the cracks, as the insulation on the inside of the bend will have been in tension during the incident and the insulation on the outside of the bend will have been in compression. This paper describes the possible repair options, as well as the repair process, tests carried out and the further problems with the machine discovered during the repair.

3. REPAIR OPTIONS
3.1 Complete Rewind Technically the best solution would have been to carry out a complete rewind of the stator, using new stator bars and a re-designed endwinding support system. However, the engineering design work, gearing up for and manufacture of new bars, acquiring of spares, etc. would have taken the best part of a year, and the cost would have been prohibitive. The station had neither the time nor the money to seriously consider this option. 3.2 Partial Rewind Replacement of Top Bars only This solution involved the ordering of a complete set of new top bars to replace the existing top bars. This would have the advantage of requiring no engineering design work, of leaving the bottom bars undisturbed and using the same endwinding support system, thus saving substantial amounts of time. The cost would also be considerably less than for a full rewind. The disadvantages, however, were that the condition of the bottom bars was unknown, and that the remnant life of the machine is determined only by its oldest/weakest component. Comprehensive testing would have to be carried out to determine the condition of the bottom bars, but should they fail, or be found to be in a similar condition to the top bars, this option would obviously become unacceptable. If they should pass the testing, the situation would be a stator consisting of new bars mixed with bars, which are 23 years old. Should a bottom bar fail (considerably higher risk than a top bar due to their age), to replace it requires the removal of approximately 25 top bars, disturbing their integrity. This would invalidate any benefits of having new top bars. Despite the fact that there were no initial indications of problems with the bottom bars (mainly because they could not be accessed for inspection), this solution was decided against for the above-mentioned reason. As it turned out, this was a good decision, as in fact the bottom bars were all damaged similarly to the top bars, and could not be returned to service as is. 3.3 Repair of Stator Bars Due to financial and time constraints, the location of the cracks a considerable distance outside the core in a relatively low-risk area, and the fact that the machine had run for 20 months with the cracks, the possibility of effecting a repair on the bars was considered and in the end decided on for implementation. Another factor, which influenced the decision, was that advanced condition monitoring and testing is available, so that the effectiveness of any repair and its performance in service could be accurately monitored. Rotek Power Generation Services, who were originally contracted to perform a GO on the unit prior to it being returned to service, were requested to carry out the stator bar repair.

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4.

SCOPE OF WORK
Set up stringent Clean Conditions.

The main aspects of the Scope of Work for the Bar Repair were originally as follows:

Rotek Power Generation Services has stringent clean condition controls and procedures (as described in a paper presented by the author at the IRMC 2001, The Problem with Clean Conditions and What Can Go Wrong Without Them).

Photo 1. Clean Condition Area Remove the Top Bars and Transport them to the Works. Comprehensive Testing of the Top Bars. Repair and Testing of a Sample Bar. Repair Top Bars as necessary. Test Repaired Bars. Inspect and Test Bottom Bars. Test Core. Transport Top Bars to Site, Refit in Stator and Rewedge Stator. Install Condition Monitoring Equipment. Final Tests on Stator.

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5. TESTING
5.1 Top Bars Before Repair a) Visual inspection This included inspecting the slot section for signs of wearing of the conductive coating and the start of pitting damage, inspecting the overhang section for any signs of discharge activity and checking the slot section for delamination of the groundwall insulation. Delamination of the groundwall insulation from the copper surface is a dangerous source of partial discharges, possibly caused by overheating, thermal or load cycling or manufacturing deficiencies. It can be detected by the simple method of tapping the slot section of the bar with a coin or similar object. A hollow sound can clearly be heard if there is delamination present. b) Insulation Resistance (IRE) Testing A 5kV Megger was used to check the IR of the bars before applying the high voltage necessary for the TVA test. c) Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Test This is a simple off-line test to determine if partial discharges are occurring in the bar insulation, which uses a Peak Pulse Meter and a tuned coil to pick up discharges on the winding charged to phase voltage. TVA readings for good insulation are generally below 20mA, although given the age of the bars, up to 100mA would probably have been still acceptable. The TVA readings over the endwindings of the bars exceeded 500mA. 5.2 Stator Core a) Visual Inspection b) ELCID Test Using the Adwel Digital ELCID test equipment, looking for failure of the interlaminar insulation which results in circulating currents in the iron circuit and overheating (hot spots). The ELCID test detected a number of suspect areas with readings in excess of 100mA. 5.3 Top Bars After Repair a) Visual Inspection Checking for smoothness of the finishes and even application of the conductive and stress grading coatings. b) IR c) TVA d) High Voltage (HV) Test On the individual bars, an earth plane (earthed copper shims clamped along the side of the slot section to simulate the core) were put in place and a voltage of 1.5 x machine rated voltage (Un) was applied. With new bars, a considerably higher voltage would be applied, but as these bars are old, 1.5 x Un was considered the maximum safe voltage for an HV test. e) Water Flow, Pressure and Vacuum Tests The water flow test consisted of pumping a volume of water at a specific pressure through the individual bar for a minute, measuring how much came out and from this calculating the flow rate in litres per minute. Although a minimum acceptable rate is set out, the most effective acceptance criterion is deviation from the average. The pressure test involved simply pumping the bars with Nitrogen to slightly above the operating pressure of the gas system, placing the waterboxes at the ends of the bar in water and looking for bubbles.

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The vacuum test involved pulling a vacuum of 70kPa for half an hour and checking if there was any loss of vacuum over the half hour. This test was specified, but is considered unnecessary if the flow and pressure tests are satisfactory. 5.4 Bottom Bars in the Stator As in 5.3 above, with the addition of a Corona Shield (conductive coating in slot section) test. This test involved measuring the contact resistance with a specially made up probe (to ensure good contact with the surface of the bar and with the iron circuit) and a multimeter. 5.5 Complete Stator After Repair As in 5.3 above, with the addition of an ELCID test and with the exception of the Water Flow test.

6.

CONDITION MONITORING INSTALLED

6.1Bus Couplers 80pF (3pF) capacitive couplers were mounted on all three phases, one set in the VT cubicles and one set in the CT cubicles, to monitor Partial Discharges on-line. The main advantages are that they monitor the machine under operating conditions, and that they give a global indication of the condition of the insulation. 6.2 Stator Slot Couplers The one disadvantage of the capacitive or bus couplers is that they cannot localise PD activity. They can indicate that it is present, but not where it is occurring (apart from slot section or endwinding, and where in the insulation (next to the copper, in the middle or on the surface)). Stator Slot Couplers (SSCs) are effectively radio frequency antennae mounted in the actual slots between the bars and the slot closing wedges. Thus they give bar specific information on where the PD is coming from. Six SSCs were installed, on the connection bars. Their main disadvantage is that as they monitor only the slot they are mounted in, they may miss a problem if PD is occurring on a non-connection bar, so it is recommended that they be used as a supplementary monitoring tool in conjunction with the capacitive couplers, not as stand-alone monitoring (unless a specific problem is being monitored). 6.3 Stray Flux Probe The stray flux test is a simple and effective test to pick up any discontinuities in the rotor winding. The probe installed was mounted on a wedge inside the stator, and measures radial flux. 6.4 Generator Core Monitor There are a number of possible causes of overheating inside a generator, including core insulation failure, winding insulation failure (in the stator or rotor), blocked vent ducts (in the stator or rotor), blocked bars, etc. During the initial stages of the onset of overheating, before high temperatures are actually reached, low boiling point pyrolytic particles are released into the gas stream by the material experiencing the overheating. These particles can be detected by the use of an ion chamber in the Generator Core Monitor (GCM), and can be used to raise an alarm before serious damage is incurred. Once an alarm is generated by the GCM, various techniques can be quickly applied to verify it, and once verified, the machine must be shut down immediately. The GCM is installed outside the generator and connected such that a steady stream of hydrogen from inside the generator casing flows through the unit.

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6.5 Generator Tagging Compounds The one problem with the GCM is that should an alarm be raised, there is no way to locate where the overheating is occurring without disassembly of the generator. Even then, if there is a deep-seated core fault or a problem with the stator winding below the wedges, for example, the location of the overheating will not easily be identified. Various tagging compounds, which give off pyrolytic particles with identifiable compositions, can be applied to different parts of the machine, and used to determine where the overheating is taking place. The core, stator endwindings, and rotor, for example, can be tagged with different compounds. Should a GCM alarm be received, a sample of the gas can be taken and analysed, and the area where the overheating is occurring can then be identified by the presence of the particles given off by the specific compound applied to that area. This will greatly reduce the time taken and the extent of stripdown of the machine required to locate the fault.

7.

BAR REPAIR PROCEDURE

The method used by Rotek Power Generation Services to repair the cracked bars was as follows: - the bars were carefully mapped and a template made up to show critical locations (e.g. where the conductive coating and stress grading overlapped); - the protective layer over the overlap area (known as the cornox layer) was removed; - the cracked area was identified on both ends of the bar; - the insulation on the overhang section was cleaned up and smoothed with sandpaper; - the conductive coating on the slot section was removed with sandpaper for a certain length so that no conductive graphite would be mixed in with the insulation due to handling on re-taping the bars; - the insulation was cut back on either side of the cracks down to the copper; - a set length taper for the scarf joint was introduced on both cuts; - the copper and tapered areas were thoroughly cleaned; - the exposed area was carefully re-insulated and allowed to cure; - conductive coating and stress grading material were applied to the bars; - the cornox protection was re-applied to the bars; - stress grading paint was applied to the cornox protection. Tests on the repaired bars showed a 100% improvement over the previous results, and were in fact better than tests carried out on spare bars from the stores. All tests and inspections showed the repaired bars to be suitable for return to service.

Photo 2a. Stripped Section, with one taper

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Photo 2b. Re-taping

Photo 2c. Nearly Complete Bars with Cornox Protection

8.

FURTHER PROBLEMS DETECTED

8.1 Slot Cell (Groundwall) Delamination The tap test described in 5.1 above revealed that 23 plain top bars and 3 phase top bars had major slot cell delamination. All the delamination was on the one side of the bars, so it was concluded that the cause was most likely inadequate side packing of the bars. During winding of the stator, the bars are inserted in the slots and then wedged with side packers on one side of the bar so that the other side of the bar is firmly in contact with the iron circuit. If this is not done evenly along the length of the bar, then it is possible that uneven thermal expansion is allowed during operation, causing the groundwall or slot cell insulation to move away from the copper.

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The problem with this as far as Rotek Power Generation Services were concerned was that any work on the slot section of the bars requires complete re-insulation of the slot section. For a stator bar ready for installation, the slot section insulation must be one solid cell. To achieve this, a proper full-length press is required. As Rotek Power Generation Services are not bar manufacturers, no press was available, and this work had to be sub-contracted to ABB Botton Works in Zimbabwe. 8.2 Bottom Bars A visual inspection on site showed the bottom bars to have the same cracks in the same positions as the top bars. A TVA test on the stator confirmed this, with very similar readings to the top bars in the area of the cracks.

Photo 3. Cracks in Bottom Bar All the bottom bars were then removed and brought back to the Workshop, where a full inspection showed that 1 phase and 22 plain bars had delaminated slot cells. An inventory of the stations stores found that there were 22 bottom and 20 top spare bars available for the rewind. 8.3 Final Decision on the Bars A bar placed in the winding next to or near the neutral end will obviously experience far less electrical stress than a bar near the line end. This results in fewer discharges and slower deterioration of the insulation. That is why during a rewind using the original bars, they are usually swapped around so that bars, which were at the line connections, are at the neutral and vice versa. Based on this, it was proposed that using the spare bars and putting the delaminated bars, which were in the best condition at the neutral, the machine could be returned to service. However, the more cautious line was eventually taken, and the following were the final decisions on the bar repairs: - Rotek refurbished the overhang sections of 25 top and 23 bottom bars; - these were placed at the neutral side of the winding; - ABB Botton Works (Zimbabwe) completely refurbished 11 top and 9 bottom bars; - 5 of these tops and 3 bottoms were used, the rest are spares; - the 20 top and 22 bottom bars from the Stores were used and placed on the line side of the winding.

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8.4 Core Hotspots One fortunate aspect of completely stripping the stator was that it allowed access to the core for dry ice cleaning and inspection. Once the core had been cleaned, an inspection was carried out. This was essential, as the ELCID test had indicated a number of core faults. A large number of areas (more than 150) of overheating, or hot spots, were found. These were found in four distinct positions in the core - in the stepped sections on each end of the machine and at each end of the duct section in the middle. These stators do not have vent ducts the length of the core, rather there is a section approximately a metre in length in the middle of the core, which is vented. All the hot spots were at the bottom of the slot, which is unusual in that the flux density at the tooth tips is higher than at the slot bottom, and so hot spots usually develop at the tooth tips first.

Area of overheating

Photo 4. Hot spot in Ducted Section

There are a number of possible explanations for the hot spots, including the ingress of magnetic debris at the ends of the core, the lack of a purpose built flux shield, looseness of the core at the ends and manufacturing defects in the middle.

All the hot spots were ground out and cleaned up, and coated with a penetrating insulating varnish. The ELCID test was repeated, which showed a significant improvement, although a few slightly high readings were still noted in the middle of the core (most likely due to the vent ducts). As a proving test, it was decided to carry out a power flux test. For this, the core was excited with 80% of rated flux for half an hour, and a thermovision (infra-red) camera used to search for hot spots. Note that normally this test is not recommended in large generators other than after a core restack or for a new machine, as it can result in damage to the core. However, in this case, as the ELCID had indicated no deep-seated faults and the known damage was superficial, it was considered safe to proceed with the test. Only one hot spot was found, on the tooth tip where the original earth fault had occurred. This was easily ground out. All the other spots were found to be not serious. The condition-monitoring package installed on the unit was designed to be able to monitor the development of any hot spots.

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8.5 Cracked Core Clamping Plate During cleaning of the core, blistered and peeling paint was noticed on the core clamping plates (or press plates). These are large, solid austenitic steel rings with fingers corresponding to the core teeth at each end of the core which clamp the core in place. Closer inspection revealed major cracking on the surface of the plates, axially between some of the fingers and radially at the outer end of the fingers. Crack Crack

Press Plate

Photo 5a. Stator Core

Photo 5b. Axial Crack in Plate

As no movement or loosening of the core was seen during inspection it is unlikely that the cracks were caused by stress from the core. Taken in conjunction with the overheating in the area of the cracks, it is most likely that they were casting defects made worse by localised overheating. In addition, despite the fact that the material was supposed to be non-magnetic, the plate was found to have more than 5% magnetism, confirming the theory of manufacturing problems. The OEM recommendation was that the machine cannot be run with the clamping plates in the condition they are in. The biggest danger, apart from complete failure of the rings, which is unlikely, is that chunks of the plate may come loose and cause extensive damage to the stator and rotor. However, due to contractual obligations on the boiler and turbine contracts, and the fact that the lead-time on a new clamping plate is approximately one year, the station decided to take a managed risk. The rewind was completed, and the machine was initially going to run for only 3000 hours or 20 cold starts, whichever came first, in order to fulfill contractual obligations, and they were then going to replace the plates and rewind the machine. That was in 1998. Three years and close on 25 000 operating hours later, and the machine is still running. The cracks were ground out (some to a depth of 25mm) and profiled, but they have clearly re-appeared. The risk is considered manageable due mainly to the fact of the extensive condition monitoring installed on the unit. The winding repair has shown no deterioration at all over the 3 years, despite the fact that it was completed as a patch repair, which didnt have to run for more than a few months.

9.

CONCLUSIONS

1. It is only because of the comprehensive Condition Monitoring installed that the machine has been run for 8 times its original estimated running life. 2. The right Condition Monitoring properly used gives plant owners the confidence to take calculated risks, and can save multi-million rand plant from catastrophic failure. 3. The cost of the project was one quarter the cost of a full rewind, and took one quarter the time. As the press plates are the life limiting factor on this machine, there would have been no benefit from a reliability point of view in having a new winding. Iris Rotating Machine Conference June 2002, San Antonio, TX Page 10 of 11

4. When a machine has a number of problems, and time and money are of concern, then options such as refurbishment and monitoring should be carefully considered. Rushing in and rewinding may not be the most cost effective or even reliable solution. 5. If the rest of the unit (boiler, turbine, auxiliaries, etc.) has realistically only 10 to 15 years life left, then spending a fortune on a new generator or a complete rewind with an estimated 25 to 30 year lifespan may not be cost effective. As in point 4 above, refurbishment and monitoring may prove more cost effective.

10.

REFERENCES

1. Experience Feedback on Problems Experienced on a 350MW Turbo Alternator, Tarrant, David, ERA/EASA International Conference, Mmabatho, 1998. 2. Returning Generator 6 to a Serviceable Condition Feasibility Study, Coetzee, Gert, Tarrant, David, et al. Eskom Generation Electrical Engineering, 26 May 1997

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