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Relu Ilie, Israel Electric Company

Handbook of Large Turbo-Generator Operation and Maintenance

Third Edition

Geoff Klempner

Isidor Kerszenbaum

Wiley Logo

To our families:
Susan Klempner,
Jackie, Livnat, and Yigal Kerszenbaum
.

 

and in loving memory of Karen Anne Maranda (Dowler)

Preface

It is not uncommon for a large utility to have units of disparate size, origin, and vintage in its fleet of generators. Among its dozens of generators, there might still be some from the 1950s or 1960s and some with their original asphalt or thermoplastic windings. These, and later units, may be operating with or without magnetic retaining rings. Some may have thermosetting epoxy-mica windings of all sorts—with or without asbestos. Machine types will vary from air-cooled, hydrogen-cooled stators with water-cooled windings to some with water-cooled rotors. The prime mover for any machine may also be very different, such as steam-driven or combustion-driven. And the excitation systems will also vary in the form of self-excited or static excitation and so on. The list is endless for the different machine types and configurations one will find in the power industry, but it does not end there. There is also diversity in grid systems around the world. One will find two basic operating frequencies at 50 and 60 Hz, depending on which continent or country you are in. And therefore, machines built by Western, Asian, and Eastern European manufacturers are done so to different standards. This is what you may find with some of the independent, deregulated power producers around the world. In addition, some will be building new plants and/or have purchased entire fleets of older units in several countries around the globe.

The reasons why one may find so many “old” units still in operation are not difficult to discern. First of all, a typical generator is made with an intent to last no less than 30 years, or more. Second, replacing an operating unit is very capital intensive, and thus done only when a catastrophic failure has occurred, or some other major failure of the machine that renders continuous operation not economically viable. Third, although expected to last 30 years, large turbo-generators are known to have their lives extended far beyond that, if well maintained and operated. Sometimes that also requires replacing a major component, such as the armature winding and/or a rotor winding (or the entire stator or rotor!). Significant changes in design tend to occur every few years, for different components. For instance, a history of the insulation systems encountered in generators shows that every few years there is some big change resulting in increased ratings. These changes typically derive from the adoption of new materials such as the change from magnetic to nonmagnetic material for retaining rings. Not all changes are always positive. Some new designs end up being reversed or revised after experience unmasks significant holes in them.

There are countless scraps of information about the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of large turbo-generators in many publications. All vendors at one stage or another have produced and published interesting literature about the operation of their generators. In particular, the technical information letters put out by some manufacturers (called by different names by different vendors) offer a wealth of detailed O&M topics. Institutions such as EPRI in the United States, CIGRE, IEC, ANSI, IEEE, and other national standards cover various aspects of the operation and maintenance of generators in general, but no specifics that may help troubleshoot a particular unit. It is difficult to obtain from those sources a condensed and operational set of insights useful to the solution of a given problem with a specific machine. It is no wonder then that with so many dissimilar units in operation and such a variegated experience, we are often forced to call the “experts,” who tend to be folks almost as old as the oldest units in operation. These are individuals who have crawled, inspected, tested, and maintained many diverse generators over the years. In doing so, they have retained knowledge about the different design, material, and manufacturing characteristics, typical problems, and most effective solutions. This type of expertise cannot be learned in a classroom.

Unfortunately, not every company retains an individual with the breadth and depth of expertise required for troubleshooting all its units. In fact, with the advent of deregulation, many small nonutility (third-party) power producers operate small fleets of generators without the benefit of in-house expertise. In lieu of that, they depend heavily on the OEMs and independent consultants. Large utilities in many places have also seen their expertise dissipate, not to a small extent because of a refocus of management priorities. All these developments are occurring at the same time that these units are called to operate in a more onerous environment. Economic dispatch in a deregulated or semideregulated world results in an increased use of double-shifting and load-cycling.

Some effort has been made over the years to capture the expert's knowledge and make it readily available to any operator. This effort took the form of expert systems. However, adaptation of these computer programs to the many different types of generators and associated equipment in existence has proved to be the Achilles tendon of this technology.

This book is designed to partially fill the gap by offering a comprehensive view of the many issues related to the operation, inspection, maintenance, and troubleshooting of large turbine generators. The contents of this third edition have been significantly enhanced and many new additional topics included. All of the information in the book is the result of many years of combined hands-on experience of the authors. It was written with the machine's operator and inspector in mind, as well as providing a guide to uprating and life enhancement of large generators. Although not designed to provide a step-by-step guide for the troubleshooting of large generators, it serves as a valuable source of information that may prove to be useful during troubleshooting activities. The topics covered are also cross-referenced to other sources. Many such references are included to facilitate those readers so interested to enlarge their knowledge on a specific issue under discussion. For the most part, detailed theoretical equations have been left out, as there are several exceptionally good books on the theory of operation of synchronous machines. Those readers who so desire can readily access those books. Several references are cited. This book, however, is about the practical aspects that characterize the design, operation, and maintenance of large turbine-driven generators and a significant number of practical calculations used commonly in maintenance and testing situations have been included.

Chapter 1 (Principles of Operation of Synchronous Machines) provides a basis of theory for electricity and electromagnetism upon which the machines covered in this book are based. In addition, the fundamentals of synchronous machine construction and operation are also discussed. This is for the benefit of generator operators who have a mechanics background and are inclined to attain a modicum of proficiency in understanding the basic principles of operation of the generator. It also comes handy for those professors who would like to adopt this book as a reference source for a course on large rotating electric machinery.

Chapter 2 (Generator Design and Construction) and Chapter 3 (Generator Auxiliary Systems) contain a very detailed and informative description of all the components found in a typical generator and its associated auxiliary systems. Described herein are the functions that the components perform, as well as all relevant design and operational constraints. Some additional insights into design methods and calculations are also provided.

Chapter 4 (Operation and Control) introduces the layperson to the many operational variables that describe a generator. Most generator–grid interaction issues and their effects on the machine components and operation are covered in great detail.

Chapter 5 (Monitoring and Diagnostics) and Chapter 6 (Generator Protection) serve to introduce all aspects related to the online monitoring and the protection of a large turbo-generator. Although not intended to serve as a guideline for designing and setting the protection systems of a generator, they provide a wealth of background information and pointers to additional literature.

Chapter 7 (Inspection Practices and Methodology) leads off the second part of the book with a look at preparing for a hands-on inspection of large generators. The chapter discusses the issues of concern for safety of both personnel and the equipment as well the types of tools and approaches used in inspecting large generators. This chapter also contains a collection of most inspection forms typically used for inspecting turbo-generators. These forms are very useful and can be readily adapted to any machine and plant.

Chapter 8 (Stator Inspection), Chapter 9 (Rotor Inspection), and Chapter 10 (Auxiliaries Inspection) constitute the core of this book. They describe all components presented in Chapters 2 and 3, but within the context of their behavior under real operational constraints, modes of failure, and typical troubleshooting activities. These chapters provide detailed information on what to look for and how to recognize problems in the machine during inspection. Chapters 8 and 9 also contain some basic formulas and procedures for some of the various activities that occur during inspection, maintenance, and testing of large generators.

Chapter 11 (Generator Maintenance Testing) contains a comprehensive summary of the many techniques used to test the various components and systems comprising a generator. The purpose of the descriptions is not to serve as a guide to performing the tests—There are well-established guides and standards for that. Rather, they are intended to illustrate the palette of possible tests to choose from. Provided as well is a succinct explanation of the character of each test and explanations of how they are carried out.

Chapter 12 (Maintenance) is included to provide some perspective to the reader on the many choices and approaches that can be taken in generator and auxiliary systems maintenance. Often there are difficult decisions on how far to take maintenance. In some cases only basic maintenance may be required, and on other occasions it may be appropriate to carry out extensive rehabilitation of existing equipment or even replacement of components. This chapter discusses some of the issues that need to be considered when deciding on what, how much, and where to do it. Along with the regular maintenance aspects, other important issues like uprating and long-term storage are also addressed.

Chapter 13 (New Grid Codes) is altogether a new chapter in the book. It deals with the ongoing changes to the regulations affecting generation components of grids in developed countries, as well as current work looking into how these regulations and changing grids may require changes into the standards controlling turbo-generator design, construction, and application.

Since the publishing of the second edition, the printing of books with color figures, graphs, and even fonts has seen a giant leap forward. It is not uncommon now for technical books to have most of their graphics printed in color. And so, the IEEE Press and the publishers of this book have kindly agreed to print the photos and art included in this new edition in color. Photos, graphs, and art in color make a drastic improvement over black and white for a technical book like this one, where the maxim “a picture is worth a thousand words” really applies.

The contents have been updated and enlarged based on additional experience acquired by the authors over the last 10 years, as well as generous feedback from many colleagues. Every chapter has been rejuvenated. Subjects covered in the previous editions are expanded with some additional details, and new topics that we felt were left out from the earlier editions have been added.

In the same spirit as with the previous editions, the authors strived with this new edition to maintain the essential character of this book, as one that avoids deep theoretical discourse, but rather focuses on the practical aspects of the design, construction, testing, and operation of large turbo-generators. The feedback to the authors from countless readers of the previous editions clearly indicates that this approach has been the proper one.

We hope that this book will be useful not only to the operator in the power plant but also to the design engineer and the systems operations engineer. We have provided a wealth of information obtained in the field about the behavior of such machines, including typical problems and conditions of operation. The book should also be useful to the student of electrical rotating machines as a complementary reference to the books on machine's theory.

Although we have tried our best to cover each topic as comprehensively as possible, the book should not be seen as a guide to troubleshooting. In each case a real problem is approached, a whole number of very specific issues only relevant to that very unique machine come into play. These can never be anticipated or known and thus described in a book. Thus, we recommend the use of this book as a general reference source, but the reader will always obtain adequate on-the-spot expertise when approaching a particular problem.

We remain intent on updating the contents of this book from time to time, from our own experience as well as from that of others. Therefore, we would welcome from the readers their comments, which they can submit to the publisher, for incorporation in future editions.

Geoff Klempner

Isidor Kerszenbaum

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Irvine, California

Acknowledgments

The contents of this book are impossible to learn in a class. They are the result of personal experience accumulated over years of working with large turbine-driven generators. Most of all, they are the result of the invaluable long-term contribution of coworkers and associates. Each author was motivated by an important individual at an early stage of their career, and by many outstanding individuals in the profession over subsequent years. Attempting to mention all these people would inexorably leave some out by unintended omission.

The authors are most indebted to the IEEE Press for agreeing to publish a third edition to this book, and moreover to do it in color, making it much more appealing to the reader. They also wish to express their sincere gratitude to the technical reviewer, Relu Ilie, for painstakingly reviewing the final manuscript and making numerous useful remarks. Relu Ilie has done much more than review this and previous manuscripts, he has been exceedingly generous by providing the authors with some of the new art in Chapter 2, as well as significant feedback on a number of topics discussed in the book. The authors are deeply indebted to Mr. Ilie.

The authors would also like to thank the members of the editorial department of the IEEE Press, reviewers, printers, and all other employees of the IEEE Press involved in the publication of this book, for their support in making its publication possible.

Finally, but certainly most intensively, the authors wish to thank their immediate families for their continuous support and encouragement.

Geoff Klempner

Isidor Kerszenbaum

I
Theory, Construction, and Operation