ALTERNATORS

MAINTENANCE

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Preparation
Before commencing maintenance, always
ensure that
The generator prime mover is shut down
A Do Not Operate tally / board placed,.
Generators supply breaker is off,
Auto-start circuits are disabled
Generator electric heaters are isolated.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
General
If an alternator is not in use, ensure windings
are suitably heated in order to prevent
internal condensation forming on its
insulation.
After maintenance, carry out
No-load running checks
Synchronizing and loading.
On load, check for excess temperature rise
load-sharing stability

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
Terminal Box & Cooling
All terminal boxes and wiring to the generator
should be inspected for
damage or frayed insulation
tightness of terminal connections.
ingress of oil and water.
Check that the cooling air-ducting, air intake and
exhaust openings and are not blocked and are
free of dirt and dust.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
Rotors with Sliprings
Check Rotor slip rings for even wear ,spring pressure by using a pull-type
spring balance
A pull of around 2-3 lbs. Or 1-1.5 kg is usual
Minimum brush lengths (2cm)
To bed the brushes
1. Placing a thin strip of glass paper over the slip ring with its cutting
surface facing upwards and under the carbon brushes .
2. Pull the glass paper around the slip ring / commutator until the brush
surface has the same contour as the slip ring / commutator
3. The last few passes of the glass paper should be made in the normal
rotor direction.
4. Remove all traces of carbon dust with a vacuum cleaner.
Check to ensure that the air gap between the rotor and stator is
satisfactory . This will determine the state of the bearings. Record these
values.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
Stator & Rotor Windings
Inspect and clean the generator rotor and
stator windings by removing dust with a dry,
lint-free cloth or Low-pressure dry
compressed air or vacuum cleaner
Check alternator windings for
signs of oil or water contamination
any damage.
Minor abrasions to winding insulation
Discoloring of insulation

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
Stator & Rotor Windings
Compare these with the previous test result. A
minimum insulation resistance value is usually taken
to the 1M .
Generators with very low insulation resistance values
(<0.5M) should be given a thorough cleaning and
then dried out.
If insulation resistance comes up after dried out ,
windings should be covered with high-quality air-
drying insulating varnish.
If insulation resistance value remain low during a
dry-out, the machine insulation needs to be
completely re-impregnated or re-wound .

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Maintenance
Exciter - AVR
Check Generator excitation components viz.
transformers, AVR components, rotating
diodes, etc, must be kept free of dirt, oil and
dampness and contacts for tightness
Remember to disconnect / short out any
electronic circuit components before
insulation resistances testing.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -