Insulation of Turbogenerators by VPI Process PDF
Insulation of Turbogenerators by VPI Process PDF
Insulation of Turbogenerators by VPI Process PDF
coupled to a turbine which can be either steam or gas. These are used for power
production on large-scale basis.
1.1 PRINCIPLE
A generator works on the basic principle of Faradays Law of Electromagnetic
Induction. According to the law, When a conductor is mover in a stationary magnetic
field (or) when the magnetic fields is moved across the stationary conductor, an E.M.F is
induced in the conductor. When the conductor cuts the magnetic flux produced by the
magnetic field, current flows through the load when the circuit is closed.
A magnetic field
DCGenerator
2)
A C G e ne r a t o r
DC GENERATORS
AC GENERATORS
AC Generators are also known as Alternators. Here the field system rotates and
the armature is stationary.
CLASSIFICATION OF DC GENERATORS
DC Generators can be broadly classified into three types.
1. Shut Generators.
2. Series Generators.
3. Compound Generators.
CLASSIFICATION OF AC GENENRATORS
AC Generators can be broadly classified into two types.
1. Asynchronous generators.
2. Synchronous generators.
ASYCHRONOUS GENERATORS
Asynchronous generators are those in which the speed of rotor and flux are not in
synchronism. E.g.: Induction motor.
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATORS
Synchronous generators (or) alternators are those in which the speed of the rotor
and flux are in synchronism. The 3-phase synchronous generators are widely used
machines for power production on large scale basis. These when connected to turbines
are called turbo generators. Gas turbine generators and steam turbine generators are
widely used for power generation. Synchronous generators can be classified into various
types based on the medium used for generation.
They are:
1. Turbo- alternators:
Steam
Gas
2. Hydro Generators.
3. Engine Driven Generators.
Turbo generator mainly consists of 3 parts
1. Stator
2. Rotor
3. Excitation system.
1.3 STATOR
Armature windings are mounted on a stationary element called the stator. The
main parts of a stator are
1. Stator Frame.
2. Stator Core
3. Stator Winding.
3
STATOR FRAME
The stator frame is of horizontally split type and welded construction and supports
the laminated core and the winding. Ventilation holes are provided in the frame itself and
helps in cooling the machine.
STATOR CORE
The stator core is made up of stacked insulated silicon steel laminations. The core
is laminated to minimize loss due to eddy currents. Spaces are provided between the
laminations to allow the cooling air to pass through. The slots for housing the armature
conductors lie along the inner periphery of the core.
STATOR WINDING
The stator winding is a fractional pitch double layer lap winding. The bars are
located in slots which are uniformly distributed on the circumference of the stator core.
1.4 ROTOR
Field windings are mounted on a rotating element called rotor.
The main parts of the rotor are
1. Rotor Shaft.
2. Rotor Winding.
3. Retaining Rings.
4. Field Connections.
5. Bearings.
ROTOR SHAFT
Rotor shaft is a solid forging into which slots for insertion of field winding are
milled using the Heller machine.
circumference so that solid poles are obtained. It is then sent for red gel painting.
ROTOR WINDING
Rotor windings are made up of copper strips. Each individual conductor is placed
over a template and passed under the ventilation punching machine. On both sides of the
conductor 900 bending is carried out. The conductors are then subjected for Annealing,
Hydraulic pressing on both the bends and checking with gauges carried out. On both the
ends of the conductor dovetailed punching is done. Air dry varnish is applied and relief
filing is done on both sides of the conductor. All the bars are assembled on a dummy
rotor and brazed to make one full coil. After red gel painting, the rotor slots are checked
for foreign matter presence and windings are assembled. Footings assembly is carried
out on both sides and diameter is checked. Input lead is assembled into the rotor shaft on
the exciter side. It is enclosed with H G L (Hardened Glass Lamination) insulation and
two D-leads are separated and surrounded with insulation and is checked for H.V. The
output studs are assembled onto the rotor for connections. Wedging is carried out using
high electrical conductivity material which act as damper winding Overhang braces are
assembled in between the conductors to protect from electrical short circuits. HV AC
and Impedance tests are conducted.
RETAINING RINGS
Assembly of retaining rings, the contact surface of which is sprayed with silver, is
carried out on both turbine and exciter side on the overhang part of the rotor body by
heating it to 2500C. Then the snap ring is released into the groove of the retaining ring.
Before assembling the retaining rings ensure the snap ring movement into the rotor
groove and lock it. After cooling the retaining rings, the rotor is subjected for HV and
impedance tests.
FIELD CONNECTIONS
The two output leads which are brought out towards the exciter side are connected
tote excitation system and the field current is supplied to the rotor.
BEARINGS
The rotor is supported in two sleeve bearings. The temperature of the bearings is
maintained with two RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detector) embedded in the lower
bearing sleeve so that the ensuring point is located directly below the Babbitt. All
bearings have provisions to monitor the shaft vibrations. The oil supply to the bearing is
obtained from the turbine oil system.
Hysteresis Losses
Friction losses
Winding losses
These losses dissipate as heat and raise the temperature of the generator which effects the
insulation. Therefore it should be cooled to avoid excessive temperature rise. So the
class of insulation used depends mainly on the cooling system installed. There are
various methods of cooling.
They are:
1). Air cooling
- 60MW
- 100MW
- 500MW
- 1000MW
CHAPTER -2
MANUFACTURING OF STATOR
MANUFACTURING OF STATOR
The different stages involved in the manufacturing of stator are:
1. Lamination Preparation.
2. Stator Core Assembly.
3. Stator Winding.
4. Stator Assembly.
The building up of the core using laminations plays a vital role to minimize the
magnetic losses which are of two types,
Eddy Current Losses occur due to the emf produced in the core.
In order to minimize the Hysteresis losses, silicon alloyed steel sheets are used for
building up of the core. These sheets are 4% Silicon Alloyed COLD ROLLED NON
GRAIN ORIENTED (CRNGO). The sheets have the following composition,
Steel
: 95.8%
Sillicon
: 4%
Impurities
: 0.2%
In order to minimize the Eddy Current losses, the core is built up of 0.5mm thick
laminations which are insulated from each other using class B type oil varnish. The
preparation of the lamination involves the following process.
3. BLANKING
It is the process where the required shape of the lamination is obtained by passing
on the rollers and cutting into required size. The specified dimension sheet obtained from
cutting process is called Blanking and the remaining waste material is called
Perforation.
4. NOTCHING
This is the process where slots are punched into the blanked sheet. There are two
types of notching.
5. DUBURRING
Each lamination is processed for deburring operation i.e. removing the bur level
which prevents from short circuit. The acceptable limit of the bur is 5 microns
6. VARNISHING
This is done to insulate the lamination using ALKYD PHENOL VARNISH.
The laminated sheets are passed through a conveyor which has an arrangement to
9
Checking hardness, the hardness of the varnish coating is checked using a 7H pencil.
Bonding adhesive test: Pour Xylol on the lamination and wait for one minute. The
varnish coating should not dissolve the xylol.
IR Value test: This test is performed using Megger. When twenty laminations are
stacked under a pressure of 26kg/cm2 the IR value should be greater than 1 Mohm.
Uniformity test: It is measured using a mini tester after giving two coats of varnish.
10
11
6. FIRE DETECTORS
On the overhang portion, fire detectors are placed to detect occurrence of fire due
to short circuit.
3. CUTTING
The copper strips are cut according to the given design.
4. TRANSPOSITION
The copper strips are 1800 transposed by applying a pressure of 150kg/cm2.
Transposition is done to equalize the induced emf in all the strands, to minimize I2R
losses and skin effect. Also the heat distribution is equal.
12
5. BUNDLING
The 1800 transposed coils are placed one above the other to form a bundle. Hlaf
insulation is placed between the two transposed coils and the bundle is tied with cotton
tape.
6. PUTTY WORK
The uneven surface formed during transposition are filled with nomex sheets to
prevent inter-half and inter-strip short Mica fleece is placed on the width of the bar and
PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) is wrapped on the straight portion.
8. DIMENSION CHECK:
The dimension i.e. both width and height are checked using a guage.
9. TESTING
The tests performed on the bar are interstrip and inter half. These tests are
performed using a lamp which is connected between a phase and neutral. The two
terminals are connected for:
Inter strip -> between strips.
Inter half -> between two coils of a bundle.
10. BENDING
Bending process is carried out on the bending fixture. After bending, the bar is in
the shape of half diamond and is hence called as half diamond coil.
Resin poor tape is wrapped throughout the bar with 1*1/2 overlap.
Resin poor tape is wrapped on the overhang portion of the bar with 6*1/2 over lap.
Copper foil is placed along the width of the bar and ICP (internal corona protection tape
is wound.
14
Resin poor tape is again wrapped through out the bar with 8*1/2 overlap.
OCP (outer corona protection) tape is wound on the straight part along with split mica
tape on the width of the bar simultaneously so that mica is not over lapped.
15. TESTING
Inter-half testing is carried out before sending the bar to stator assembly.
15
HGL rings are assembled and centered to the core on both the turbine and exciter
sides. All the slots and the RTD (resistance temperature detector) slots are identified with
numbers.
16
9. INSULATION OF EYES
Insert nomex sheets between the two halves of the eye insulate each eye with
3X1/2 layers of semica folium glass plate. Ultimately wrap hyper seal tape.
ROTOR WINDING
17
STATOR WINDING
18
ROTOR
Solid rotors are manufactured from forged alloy steel with suitable alloying
elements to achieve very high mechanical and superior magnetic properties.
Rectangular or trapezoidal rotor slots are accurately machined to close tolerances
on slot milling machine. For indirectly cooled generator rotors, ventilation slots are
machined in the teeth. For directly cooled rotors, sub slots are provided for cooling
Generator rotors of 1500 RPM are of round laminated construction.
Punched and
varnished laminations of high tensile steel are mounted over machined shaft and are
firmly clamped by end clamping plates.
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2.2
ROTOR WINDINGS
The rotor windings consist of several coils inserted into the slots and series
connected such that two coil groups form one pole. Each coil consists of several series
connected turns, each of which consists of two half turns connected by brazing in the end
section. The rotor bearing is made of silver bearing copper ensuring an increased thermal
stability.
The individual turns of coils are insulated against each other by interlayer
insulation. L-shaped strips of laminated epoxy glass fibre fabric with nomex filter are
used for slot insulation.
The slot wedges are made of high electrical conductivity material and thus act as
damper windings. At their ends the slot wedges are short circuited through the rotor
body.
CONSTRUCTION
The field winding consists of several series connected coils inserted into the
longitudinal slots of rotor body. The coils are wound so that two poles are obtained. The
solid conductors have a rectangular cross section and are provided with axial slots for
radial discharge or cooling air. All conductors have identical copper and cooling duct
cross section. The individual bars are bent to obtain half turns. After insertion into the
rotor slots, these turns are brazed to obtain full turns. The series connected turns of one
slot constitute one coil. The individual coils of rotor are connected in a way that one
north and one south pole is obtained.
CONDUCTOR MATERIAL
The conductors are made of copper with a silver content of approximately 0.1%.
As compared to electrolytic copper, silver alloyed copper features high strength
properties at high temperatures so that coil deformations due to thermal stresses are
eliminated.
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INSULATION
The insulation between the individual turns is made of layer of glass fiber
laminate. The coils are insulated from the rotor body with L-shaped strips of glass fiber
laminate with nomex interlines.
To obtain the required leakage paths between the coil and the rotor body thick top
strips of glass fiber laminate are inserted below top wedges. The top strips are provided
with axial slots of the same cross section and spacing as used on the rotor winding.
2.3
retaining rings. Retaining rings are made of non-magnetic high strength steel in order to
reduce stray losses. Each retaining ring with its shrink fitted. Insert ring is shrunk on to
the rotor body in an overhang position. The retaining ring is secured in the axial position
by snap rings.
21
The rotor retaining rings withstand the centrifugal forces due to end windings.
One end of each ring is shrunk fitted on the rotor body while the other end overhangs the
end windings without contact on the rotor shaft. This ensures and unobstructed shaft
deflection at the end winding.
The shrunk on hub on the end of the retaining ring serves to reinforce the
retaining ring and secures the end winding in the axial direction at the same time.
A snap ring is provided against axial displacement of retaining ring. The shrunk
seat of the retaining ring is silver plated, ensuring a low contact resistance for induced
currents. To reduce the stray losses and have high strength, the rings are made of non
magnetic, cold worked materials.
2.4
ROTOR FANS
The cooling air in generator is circulated by two axial flow fans located on the
rotor shaft one at each end. To augment the cooling of the rotor winding, the pressure
established by the fan works in conjunction with the air expelled from the discharge parts
along the rotor.
The blades of the fan have threaded roots for being screwed into the rotor shaft.
The blades are drop forged from an aluminium alloy. Threaded root fastenings permit
angle to be changed. Each blade is secured as its root with a threaded pin.
BEARINGS
The turbo generators are provided with pressure lubricated self-aligning elliptical
type bearings to ensure higher mechanical stability and reduced vibration in operation.
The bearings are provided with suitable temperature element devices to monitor bearing
metal temperature n operation.
The temperature of each bearing is monitored with two RTDs (Resistance Thermo
Detectors) embedded in the lower bearing sleeve such that the measuring point is located
directly below the babitt. These RTDs are monitored a temperature scanner in the
control panel and annunciated if the temperature exceeds the prescribed limits. All
bearings have provisions for fitting vibration pickups to monitor shaft vibrations.
22
To prevent damage to the journals due to shaft currents, bearings and oil piping
on either side of the non drive end bearings are insulated from the foundation frame.
For facilitating and monitoring the healthiness of bearing insulation, split insulation is
provided.
Closed circuit air cooling with water or air coolers mounted in the pit.
Closed circuit hydrogen cooling with water or hydrogen mounted axially on the stator
frame.The fan design usually consists of two axial fans on either made of cast aluminium
with integral fan blades or forged and machined aluminium alloy blades screwed to the
rotor. In case of 1500 RPM generators, fabricated radial fans are provided.
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Rotor of Brushless
Exciter
Armatu
re
Perma
nent
Magne
ts
Diode
Wheel
E/f
Monito
ring
Slip
Rings
Rotatin
g
Diodes
&
Fuses
24
Stator
Cooling
Fan
Armatur
e
25
Diode
Wheel
MEASUREMENT OF D.C.RESISTANCE
27
MEASUREMENT OF IMPEDANCE
1) After bars manufacturing bars are tested at four times the rated voltage.
Ut = 4* Urated
2) Individual bars will be tested for tan d d is the angle between actual current and line
current. When the insulation is perfect and dielectric strength is optimal d is zero. But
due to the presence of impurities there will be a phase angle difference between the two
currents.
This tan d measurement is known as loss angle measurement or dielectric loss
measurement. Tan d values should be within 2%.
3) Outer corona protection resistance is measured and this value should be within the range
of 75-300 0/Sq. cm
4) Inter strip and Inter half shorts are checked.
conductor strips and inter half means between the halves. This shorts are checked by a
series bulb test.
28
BRUSHLESS EXCITER
Suitable for mounting on synchronous generator.
CONSTRUCTION
The exciter is brush-less and takes the form of a stationary field generator. Its
rotor is mounted on the overhang of main machine shaft end. The stator may be fixed
either to be base frame of the main machine or to a separate steel or concrete foundation.
A permanent magnet three phase pilot exciter driven directly by the common shafting or
a static auxiliary excitation unit is used for exciting the field of the stationery field
generator via a voltage regulator.
elsewhere. The three phase current flowing in the rotor winding is rectified by Silicon
diodes in the rotating rectifier and fed into the field winding of main machine via the
excitation leads which pass through the hallow shaft of the main machine.
ROTOR
The rotor is fitted on the shaft extension of the main machine and locked to it in
the circumferential direction by parallel keys which are capable of accepting shock loads
caused by short circuit in the main machine without being over stressed.
The rotor hub is of welded construction and called the laminated core which is
compressed axially by means of a clamping ring welded to the hub. Specially shaped
supporting elements for the rotating rectifier modules are welded between the arms of the
rotor spider within the ring formed by laminated core.
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ROTOR WINDING
The 3-phase rotor winding inserted in the slots of the laminated core is connected
in star. It is a two layer winding to insulation of class F. The end leads of the individual
windings are on the A end and connected to the u,v,w and neutral bus rings arranged at
the same end. Both winding overhangs are bound with heat setting glass fiber tapes to
afford protection against centrifugal forces. The rotor winding is impregnated with
epoxy resin.
RECTIFIER
The rectifier accommodated inside the rotor core and rotor winding comprises six
diode assemblies and the protection circuit. The diode assemblies each consist of a light
metal heat sink with integrally formed cooling fans containing one disc type diode
secured by means of a clamping plate. As the heat sinks are electrically live, they are
insulated from the rotor hub to which they are fixed. A contact face provided on the
inside of each heat sink is connected by meanks of links to the appropriate bus ring on the
3-phase side. The connections to the dc bus rings are established by longitudinally
arranged bus connector, which is connected to the contact bolts protruding from the
clamping plates.
Diode assemblies situated on opposite sides of the rotor spider have opposite
polarities. The sign of polarity, which appears on the front face of the heat sink, should
be observed. The dc bus rings carry the protective varistors are screwed to the B end of
the rotor spider by means of insulating mounts. The two bus rings, each have a terminal
lug for the copper bars which are connected to the excitation cable of the main machine.
The excitation cables are led through the insulated hollow shaft of the main
machine and are provided with special cable lugs at the shaft openings.
VARISTOR
To protect the rectifier bridge against over voltages occurring during starting or
during fault conditions, a non linear resistor is provided.
30
consists of 12 varistor discs in parallel, connected between the positive and negative bus
rings.
The varistor discs are clamped between the bus rings by means of insulated
screws. Electrical contact between the varistor discs and the bus rings is ensured by discs
of annealed copper inserted between them.
MAIN EXCITER
The 3 phase pilot exciter is a 6 pole revolving armature unit. Arranged in the
frame are the poles with the field and damper windings. The field winding is arranged on
the laminated magnetic poles. Each coil is made from individually insulated tube. To
reduce eddy current in the coil, copper strips in each coil is transposed. At the pole shoe,
hair is provided which are connected to form a damper winding. Between the 2 poles of
quadrature axis, a coil is fixed for inductive measurement of field current.
The rotor consists of stacked silicon steel laminations forming the rotor core. The
3 phase winding is inserted in the slots of laminated rotor. The winding conductors are
transposed with in the core length and the end turns of rotor winding are secured with
steel bands.
The stator slots form indentations in the air gap boundary. Therefore as the rotor
flux moves across the stator teeth the change in performance due to the slot opening
introduces median frequency pulsations. These pulsations induce harmonic voltages in
the surface of the stator teeth. But due to the laminated construction, the resultant leaves
are kept to minimum. The winding ends are connected to a burring system to which the 3
phase leads loading to the rectifier wheel are also connected. A journal bearing is
arranged between main the pilot exciters and has forced oil lubrication from the turbine
oil supply; rotor windings and core are air-cooled.
the retaining ring in a 3-phase bridge circuit. The internal arrangement of the diode is
shown in fig. The arrangement of the diode is such that the contact pressure produced by
plate spring assembly is increased by the centrifugal force during rotation. The rotating
rectifier includes 20% standby capacity ensuring continued and restricted operation in the
unlikely event of the diode failure. Anode based diodes are used in positive arms and
cathode based diodes in negative arm of the bridge. Additional components contained in
rectifier wheel are heat sinks, RC networks, fuses, Each diode is mounted in each light
metal heat sink and thus connected in parallel associated with each diode with HRC fuse,
which serves to switch off the diode if it fails.
Rotating rectifier wheel is provided with 6 RC networks each consisting of one
capacitor and one damping resistor, which are connected, in single resin encapsulated
unit.
When high voltage surges occur, the capacitor gets charged until normal
conditions occur When a low voltage surge occurs, the charge through the capacitor is
dissipated through the damping resistor.
Three-phase alternating current is obtained via copper conductors arranged on the
shaft circumference between rectifier wheel and 3 phase main exciter. One 3 phase
conductor originating as a abus ring system of the main exciter is provided for each
diode.
The dc current from the rectifier wheels is fed to the DC leads arranged in the central
bore of the shaft via radial bolts.
PILOT EXCITER
Some of different types of pilot exciters are salient pole, inductor type, and
homopolar and heteropolar designs. Salient pole PMG is a 3-phase medium frequency
machine providing a constant voltage supply to the thyristor converter and AVR circuits.
PMG poles are manufactured from high-energy material such as Alcomax. The
permanent magnet pieces are bolted to a steel hub and held in place in place by pole shoe.
The bolts are made from non-magnetic steel to prevent formation of magnetic shunt. To
improve the waveform of the output voltage and reduce electrical noise, the pole shoes
32
are skewed one pole pitch over the stator length, Stator core is constructed from a stack
of low loss sheet steel laminations assembled within the fabricated steel frame. Radial
and axial cooling ducts are provided at intervals along the core length to allow cooling of
core and windings. The stator windings is a two layered, each conductor consisting of a
number of small diameter copper wires insulated with polyster enamel. The coils are
connected to give rated 3 phase voltage output and insulated with class F epoxy glass
material.
A steel frame is fitted over PMG stator provides mechanical protections and
reduces medium frequency noise emitted from the PMG to an acceptable level. Cooling
of PMG is achieved by drawing air through mesh-convered apertures in the frame.
automatically follows up, so that change over to excitation current control is possible at
any time.
automatically.
The two self-ventilated thyristor sets for voltage control (AUTO) and excitation
current control (MANUAL)
regarding the current and voltage. In case of higher capacity thyristor bridge a separate
fuse protects each thyristor. The individual thyristor fuses of both AUTO and MANUAL
control systems are being monitored using miniature circuit breakers.
The voltage generated by the generator has to be maintained constant. This
constant voltage, taken as reference voltage, is fed to the error detector. The terminal
voltage of the generator is also fed to the error detector. Error signal is amplified in the
error amplifier. The output of the amplifier is fed to the gate pulse generator where the
33
pulsed are generated. These gate pulses are given to the gate terminals of the thyristors in
the bridge circult of either AUTO channel or MANUAL channel, thus triggering the
thyristors at required regular intervals.
The three-phase output of the permanent magnet generator is fed to the thyristor
bridge. The rectified signal from the thyristor bridge is fed to the main exciter field, so
that the pole are excited.
BL EXCITER
Machined34Rotor
PMG
35
FUSE
36
37
38
39
CHAPTER 3
INSULATING MATERIALS
3.0 INSULATING MATERIALS
Electrical insulating materials are defined as those which offer high resistance to
the flow of current. In the electrical machines and transformers, the insulating materials
applied to the conductors are required to be flexible and have high dielectric strength and
ability to withstand unlimited cycles of heating and cooling.
Uniform viscosity.
40
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
INSULATION RESISTANCE
DIELECTRIC STRENGTH
The voltage across the insulating materials is increased slowly, the way in which
the leakage current increase depends upon the nature and condition of material.
POWER FACTOR
Power factor is a measure of the power losses in the insulation. It Should be low.
It increases with the rise in temperature of the insulation. A rapid increase indicates
danger.
DIELECTRIC CONSTANT
The property is defined as the ration of the electric flux density in the material to that
produced in free space by the same electric force.
41
DIELECTRIC LOSS:
The dielectric losses occur in all solid and lidquid dielectrics due to:
a. Conduction Current
b. Hysteresis.
THERMAL PROPERTIES
Thermal plasticity.
Ignitability.
Softening point.
Heat Ageing
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Effect of water.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Density.
Viscosity.
Moisture absorption.
Hardness of surface.
Surface tension.
Uniformity.
42
Thermal property
Chemical property
Electrical property
Physical property
Mechanical property
The factors which affect the insulation resistance(i.e., resistance between two
conductors) are:
43
CHAPTER-4
INTRODUCTION TO INSULATION SYSTEM
4.0 INTRODUCTION TO INSULATION SYSTEM
In Electrical Machines insulation is the basic
voltates.Insulation is the heart of the electrical machines and has enormous resistance to
conductivity i.e., the forbidden gap (or Fermi level) between the valence and the
conduction bands is very large.
4.2 THERMOPLASTIC
Thermoplastic process in that where the resin softens o heating and hardens on
cooling.
44
THERMOSETTING
Thermosetting process is that where the resin once hardened cannot be softened
even on heating. Thermosetting is again divided into two types.
They are
1. Resin Rich System.
2. Resin Poor System
CONTENTS
Resin content is 40%
Binder content.
Glass cloth.
Mica content
Volatiles.
CONTENTS
Resin contnt is 8%
Zine Napthenate
Glass cloth
Volatiles.
45
4.3EPOXY RESINS
These resins are product of alkaline condensed of epichlorohydrin and polyhydric
compounds.
Good mechanical strength, less shrinkage and excellent dimensional stable after casting.
High resistance.
46
CHAPTER-5
VACCUM PRESSURE IMPREGNATION PROCESS
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF VPI PROCESS
VACUUM
PUMP
NITROGEN
SUPPLY
TANK
VACUUM
TRAP
NITROGEN
LINE
VALVE
RESIN
SUPPLY
TANK
VACUUM
PUMP
VALVE
VACUUM
PRESSURE
IMPREGENT
ION TANK
RESIN
SUPPLY
VALUE
process called VPI Process in which first the stator is vacuum dried and then impregnated
in a resin bath under a pressure of Nitrogen gas. Then the stator is curried in an oven. In
olden days Resin Rich System of insulation was used where the stator coils are wound
with Resin Rich tape which contains 40% of resin. But for good dielectric strength 25%
is required. The extra 15% of resin is to be oozed out which is a tedious process and is
carried out in medium. Hence it is not an ideal process is not employed
Now-a-days Resin Poor System is employed where the stator coils are wound
with Resin Poor tape which contains 8% of resin. For good dielectric strength, the extra
17% of resin is to be injected into the pores of the resin poor tape by impregnation and
is done by VPI Process.
RESIN MIXTURE
The resin used in VPI process is ET884, a mixture of Epoxy Resin E1023 and
Hardener H1006 in 1:12 rations by weight and the two components are mixed in 1:1
ratio. The resin tank contains Resin Mixture (Epoxy Resin + Hardener) and catalyst for
good insulation system.
RESIN
Resin is a polymer. The process of polymerization under condensation gives
Resin. The chemical name of resin is DIPHENOL PROPANE and its commercial
name is BISPHNOLA-A.
(C6H50H)2C3H8.
HARDNER
Hardener is used to solidify the resin. Hardener means Anhydride which means
removal of water (i.e. H2O) molecule.
48
CATALYST:
Catalyst is used to accelerate or decelerate the rate of a reaction. The catalyst
used in resin in the VPI process is Zine Napthenate.
HV TEST:
The total wound stator which is brought from the stator assembly is subjected for
HV test before impregnation.
49
The total wound stator is lifted and shifted into a tub. The tub is shifted into the
impregnation chamber and the lid of the tank is closed by a hydraulic mechanism.
VACUUM CYCLE
The total wound stator is lifted and shifted into a tub. The tub is 60+30 C by
circulating hot brine solution through the surface of the impregnation chamber which is
heated up by heat exchangers. The vacuum pumps are switched on and vacuum is
created in the chamber up to 0.2 mbar. Then the total wound stator is subjected for
duration of 17 hours. Vacuum is created in the chamber to remove any moisture present
in the stator core and chamber as it greatly affects the dielectric strength of the insulation.
This is the most important factor considered during the manufacture and operation of the
generator.
50
This test is carried out at the end of vacuum cycle and before the admission of
resin. In this test all the vacuum pumps are switched off for 10 minutes and the vacuum
drop is measured. The vacuum drop should not be greater than 0.06mbar. If the drop is
greater than 0.06mbar, it suggests that there are some impurities present in the pores of
the insulation and the stator is again subjected for vacuum cycle for duration of 8 hours.
HEATING OF RESIN
All the resin tanks including the input pipelines of the resin are heated to 60+30 C.
ADMISSION OF RESIN
The valves of resin tanks are opened one after the other and the resin is filled
within 25-30 minutes into the tub due to difference in pressure i.e., resin in the resin tank
is at atmospheric pressure and the impregnation chamber is at 0.2mbar. During this time
there is a change in pressure inside the chamber and should not be more than 0.06mbar,
the vacuum will be created inside the chamber up to 0.2mbar. The level of resin should
be 100mmmore than the job height.
PRESSURE CYCLE
The impregnation chamber is pressurized to 4kg/cm2 by dry. Nitrogen gas and
then the total wound stator is subjected for 3 hours.
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REFILING OF RESIN
The resin remaining in the tub is filtered an sent back to the resin tanks.
AERATION
Here the pressure inside the impregnation chamber is made equal to that of
atmospheric pressure and the job is brought out.
POST CURING
The job is placed in the gas furnace. All the RTD terminals which are brought out
are connected to the temperature monitor for monitoring the post curing cycle. The total
wound stator is roated a t1rpm up to 1020 C, then the rotation is stopped.
The
temperature is now increased to 140=50C and the stator is subjected for 32 hours.
COOLING
The job is allowed to cool down to 800 C naturally. Now the furnace is opened
and epoxy red gel is sprayed on the overhangs to serve as anti fungus.
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Its maximum
checking of interconnection.
IMPREGNATION PLANT
Horizontal Impregnation Chamber for higher capacity stators of steam turbine or
gas turbine generators and Vertical Impregnation Chamber for small capacity systems
such as Permanent Magnet Generator stators for brushless excitation systems, coil
insulation of small pumps and armature of motors etc. are used.
It is very long procedure.1. Due to fully manual oriented process, the cost is more.
DISADVANTAGES
1. If any short circuit occurs, the repair process in difficult.2. There is need of excess resin
from outside.
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in this
2) This method follows thermosetting process. 2) This method follows thermosetting process.
outside
9) Windings is difficult
CHAPTER-6
PERFORMANCE TESTING
TESTING OF TURBOGENERATORS
conditions as closely as possible to those which apply when the set is finally installed
with a view to demonstrate the customer its satisfactory operation. The tests provide the
experimental data like efficiency, losses, characteristics, temperature, limits etc, both for
confirmation of design forecast and as basic information for the production of future
designs. The machine performance is evaluated from the results of the equivalent tests.
ADVANTAGES OF TESTING
PERFORMANCE TESTS
The performance tests carried out on the turbo generator are classified as:
1.Mechanical run test.
2.Routine tests.
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3.Type tests.
The generator should be run for 24 hours. This test is done to ensure that there
are no losses (friction and windage and the heat generated should be less. Vibrations
occurring in the generator are also detected.
ROUTINE TESTS
These tests are carried out on a generator to ascertain that it is electrically and
mechanically sound. The routine tests are classified as:
a. Static test.
b. Running test.
Megger (1000v/2500v)
ii.
sec IR at 15 sec RMS value should be greater than or equal to 2. IF IR values are high,
the absorption coefficient is not considered because of early saturation.
With dry
windings its value will be somewhere in the vicinity of 2 or more. With damp windings
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it decreases to one. Absorption coefficient of 1.8 & 1.7 may be satisfactory while a value
below 1.5 indicates a damp machine.
The minimum value if insulation Resistance (Rm) At 60 minutes is recommended as;
Rm= (KV=1) ohms where KV is voltage in kilovolts to be applied for test. In practice a
fairly high value is obtained .
The polarization index of stator winding, all the three phases together, is measure
during 2500v megger after HV test. The IR values are noted at one minute and ten
minutes from starting of the measurement. The minimum allowable value of PI is 2.0
The value of Polarization Index is valuated as< P.I = IR value at 10 min IR value at 1
min
High Voltage Test
Equipment
:i. Voltmeter.
ii.Binding 50 HZ AC High voltage transformer and its induction regulator (or) input
autotransformer.
iii.Potential Transformer (35 or 100KV/100V).
Iv. Wire.
v. Ear thing rod and Ear thing Wire (or) cable.
When HV test is done on one phase winding, all other phase windings, rotor
winding , instrumentation cables and stator body are earthed. High voltage is applied to
the winding by gradually increasing to the required values and maintained for 1 min and
reduced gradually. The transformer is switched off and winding is earthed by connecting
into ear thing rod connected to earth wire. The test is conducted on all the phase & rotor
winding separately.
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HV test levels
Stator winding: (2Ut= 1) KV=23 for 11 KV machines Rotor winding: 10Up volts
(with min of 1500V and 3500V) where Ut=Rated Voltage of machine under test Up=
Excitation voltage
Drive motor voltage (Vd) and current (Id) corresponding to stator current.
The machine is run at rated speed and drive motor input voltage and current are
noted and machine is excited
Drive motor voltage (Vd) and current corresponding to stator Voltage. The excitation is
reduced and cutoff, the speed is reduced and the machine is cooled at lower speed. The
temperatures are checked using RTDs. The machine is stopped when it is sufficiently
cooled down (stator core temperature should be less than 600C. From the above data,
characteristic curves are plotted as follows:
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En (vs) if
Tand Test
Voltage regulation.
Break down voltage at which the insulation breaks down. This test is conducted
to check the reliability and life of the insulation.
Tand test
Equipment:
i.
Schering bridge.
ii.
50 HZ HV transformer
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
Earth cable.
vii.
Voltmeter
viii.
Megger (2 KV)
ix.
Null indicator
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The test is conducted to check the presence of impurities in the insulation. Tand value is
significant factor for testing dielectric strength of the insulation. D is loss angle. The
stator body, is isolated from ground by placing insulation package between body and
phase connections to the Schering Bridge. HV Supply is switched on and the bridge 1.0
Un in steps of 0.2 Un. By varying the voltage, Tand value for each phase and also for
combined phases is noted down. Tand value should be generally less than or equal to 2%
Voltage regulation
Voltage regulation is defined as the change in voltage from no load to full load
expressed as the percentage of full load. For generator to be ideal and efficient, voltage
regulation should be less. There are four methods to find voltage regulation.
They are:
i.
EMF method
ii.
MMF method
iii.
ZPF method
iv.
ASA method
This test is conducted to check the rigidity and life of the overhang portions of the
stator windings.
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CONCLUSION
Vacuum Pressure Impregnation technology can be used in a wide range of
applications from insulating electrical coil windings to sealing porous metal castings. It
normally produces better work in less time and at lower cost than other available
procedures. VPI yields superior results with better insulation properties, greater overall
reliability and longer life. VPI reduces coil vibration by serving as an adhesive between
coil wires, coil insulation and by bonding coils to their slots. As todays world is
concentrating on reliability, maintainability, cost reduction and time cycle reduction, the
leading manufacturers in the world are adapting VPI system of insulation for generators
up to 400 MW with hydrogen cooling VPI system of insulation for electrical, mechanical
and chemical properties and is highly reliable.
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