IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 3, No.

2, June 1988 409

SHAFT VOLTAGES I N GENERATORS WITH STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS - PROBLEMS AND SOLUTION

.
C Ammann K.Reichert R. Joho Z. Posede 1
Member Member

Swiss F e d e r a l I n s t i t u t e of Technology Brown Boveri Company

Zurich, S w i t z e r l a n d Baden. Switzerland

ABSTRACT t h e b e a r i n g s . making an e a r l y b e a r i n g overhaul neces-

S h a f t v o l t a g e s may cause s e r i o u s damage i n r o t a t i n g sary.
machinery. E s p e c i a l l y i n l a r g e t u r b o s e t s w i t h s t a t i c The mechanisms of t h e occurrence and t r a n s m i s s i o n of
e x c i t a t i o n systems, they have become an i n c r e a s i n g t h e f i r s t t h r e e t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e s a r e r e l a t i v e l y
problem due t o t h e following f a c t s : w e l l known. The s h a f t v o l t a g e s a r i s i n g from s t a t i c ex-
The s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system has added a new type of c i t a t i o n systems, however, p r e s e n t a number of open
s h a f t v o l t a g e w i t h low frequency amplitudes up t o 60V q u e s t i o n s , and no completely e f f e c t i v e countermeasures
and high frequency peaks up t o 30V superimposed on t h e a r e a v a i l a b l e . The p r e s e n t r e p o r t w i l l t h e r e f o r e con-
b a s i c s h a f t v o l t a g e s . High s u r f a c e v e l o c i t i e s on t h e c e r n mostly the occurrence, t r a n s m i s s i o n , and damage
t u r b i n e end of t h e g e n e r a t o r make e x i s t i n g grounding mechanisms of s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n
b r u s h e s o f t e n i n e f f e c t i v e . Experience has shown t h a t systems.
conventional grounding systems cannot e l i m i n a t e h i g h The aim of the p r e s e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s was t o develop
frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e peaks. s u i t a b l e measures f o r the p r e v e n t i o n of damage in t u r -
The paper g i v e s i n t r o d u c t o r y d e t a i l s on a l l four t y p e s b o g e n e r a t o r s having s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n . These measures
of s h a f t v o l t a g e s . I t s main concerns are the should:
occurrence, t r a n s m i s s i o n and damaging mechanisms of - p r e v e n t damage due t o s h a f t v o l t a g e s of a l l types,
s h a f t v o l t a g e s from s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems. A model and
f o r numerical s i m u l a t i o n i s p r e s e n t e d and s i m u l a t i o n - be e f f e c t i v e b o t h w i t h and without the grounding
r e s u l t s a r e compared w i t h t e s t s performed on a s t a t i - b r u s h e s (which a r e a high-maintenance item) a t the
c a l l y e x c i t e d 1200 MVA t u r b o s e t . A program of counter- d r i v e n end of t h e g e n e r a t o r .
measures i s proposed, mainly i n c l u d i n g a new type of
p a s s i v e RC-circuit connected through a grounding b r u s h
on t h e e x c i t e r end o f t h e g e n e r a t o r . T h i s new s e t of 2. SHAFT VOLTAGES DUE To STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS
countermeasures h a s s u c c e s s f u l l y been t e s t e d on two
t u r b o s e t s , one of 190 MVA and one of 1200 MVA. showing
t h e following advantages:
Reduction of s h a f t v o l t a g e s t o a h a n l e s s l e v e l . Good 2.1 Basic Model o f t h e Svstem
a c c e s s (even i n n u c l e a r power p l a n t s ) , low maintenance
c o s t s and long b r u s h l i f e . Operation w i t h o r w i t h o u t S t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems p r e s e n t many advantages i n
grounding b r u s h on t h e t u r b i n e end of t h e g e n e r a t o r i s power g e n e r a t i o n , b u t a r e a l s o a n a d d i t i o n a l source of
p o s s i b l e . Easy monitoring. s h a f t v o l t a g e s . T e s t s made on s t a t i c a l l y e x c i t e d gen-
e r a t o r s w i t h 6-pulse t h y r i s t o r r e c t i f i e r s show t h e
following:
1. INTRODUCTION - With non-grounded s h a f t s , t h e v o l t a g e s which occur
a r e of r e c t a n g u l a r form, w i t h v a l u e s of 10 - 60
In s p i t e of c a r e f u l machine d e s i g n , s h a f t v o l t a g e s V o l t s and f r e q u e n c i e s of t h r e e times t h e fundamen-
have become a s e r i o u s problem i n l a r g e turbogenera- ta 1
t o r s . S t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems have added y e t a n o t h e r - Superimposed on t h i s b a s i c v o l t a g e a r e 6 high
source of s h a f t v o l t a g e s o f c o n s i d e r a b l e magnitude. frequency peaks p e r p e r i o d , having v a l u e s up t o 30
Because of t h e h i g h s u r f a c e v e l o c i t i e s , grounding of Volts
t h e s h a f t a t t h e t u r b i n e end o f t h e g e n e r a t o r i s no - These h i g h frequency peaks occur a t t h e e x c i t e r
longer a r e l i a b l e solution. end of t h e g e n e r a t o r even when t h e r e a r e i n t a c t
Four t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e o c c u r , a s i n d i c a t e d i n grounding b r u s h e s a t t h e t u r b i n e end.
Table I. The f i r s t two a r e i n d u c t i v e i n n a t u r e . I f t h e I n o r d e r t o i l l u s t r a t e and e x p l a i n t h e s e phenomena, 8
i n d u c t i o n p a t h i s c l o s e d w i t h a low r e s i s t a n c e , l a r g e diagram of t h e system t o be i n v e s t i g a t e d i s shown i n
c u r r e n t s w i l l flow and s e r i o u s damage a t the c o n t a c t F i g . 1. The s i g n i f i c a n t elements a r e as f o l l o w s :
s i t e s i n b e a r i n g s and a u x i l i a r y equipment can o c c u r - E x c i t a t i o n transformer and i t s e f f e c t i v e ground-
v e r y r a p i d l y . The second two t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e , capacitance C t
due t o e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge, i n s u l a t i o n dissymmetries - R e c t i f i e r and r e c t i f i e r v o l t a g e s Vd, Vc, V 1 and V2
or s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems, appear between t h e s h a f t - E x c i t a t i o n winding w i t h i t s c a p a c i t a n c e Cw
and ground. They cannot produce l a r g e , low-frequency - S h a f t l i n e and i t s c a p a c i t a n c e t o ground C s which
c u r r e n t s , b u t t h e y can r e a c h h i g h v o l t a g e v a l u e s , such cgmprises mainly t h e c a p a c i t i e s o f t h e b e a r i n g
t h a t over a p e r i o d of s e v e r a l weeks t o s e v e r a l months j o u r n a l s.
the r e s u l t i n g e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n c a u s e s s e r i o u s damage i n The o f f e n d i n g s h a f t v o l t a g e s o c c u r a t t h e b e a r i n g
j o u r n a l s , a c r o s s t h e c a p a c i t a n c e t o ground of t h e
s h a f t l i n e . I n o r d e r t o s t u d y t h e e f f e c t of t h e s t a t i c
e x c i t a t i o n system, t h e v o l t a g e s p l o t t e d i n F i g . 2 were
introduced. These v o l t a g e s a r e :
- The phase v o l t a g e s Vu, Vv and Vw of t h e e x c i t a t i o n
87 SM 403-9 A paper recommended and approved transformer on the 8.c. s i d e of t h e r e c t i f i e r
t b y the IEEE Rotating Machinery Committee o f the - The Voltages V 1 and V2 on t h e d . c . s i d e of t h e
IEEE Power Engineertng Society for presentation at r e c t i f i e r , between t h e p o s i t i v e (A) and n e g a t i v e
the IEEE/PES 1987 Summer Meeting, San Francisco, (B) t e r m i n a l s , r e s p e c t i v e l y , and t h e n e u t r a l p o i n t
California, July 12 -
17, 1987. Manuscript (C)
submitted January 30, 1987; made available for - The d.c. v o l t a g e Vd = Vl-V2. The s i x sawtooth
printing June 1, 1987. peaks p e r p e r i o d , with t h e s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s
d u r i n g commutation, a r e t y p i c a l
0885-8969/88/0600~9$01.0001988IEEE
410

Damage

I. Magnetic Unsy"etries,e.g. due to A variable magnetic ring flux is The induced voltage will cause
-joints in the stator laminations linked with the rotor shaft-bedplate large currents and corresponding
- rotor eccentricity - bearing circuit and induces a damage in any low-resistance loop.
- rotor or stator sagging shaft voltage.
produce variable magnetic flux.
11. Axial Shaft Flux, e.g. due to The rotating flux induces unipolar The induced voltages will cause
- residual magnetization voltages in bearings and parts of large currents and correspnding
- rotor eccentricity the shaft. damage in bearings and shaft seals.
- saturation
- asmetrical rotor windinq.
111. Electrostatic charqe, e.g. due The capacitance of the shaft versus
to steam brushing turbine blades. ground is charged and the shaft is
raised to a potential according to The voltage between the shaft and
the internal insulation. bearinqs (qround) will stress the
IV. External Voltages on Rotor ~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ ~ . d ~ ~
Windinqs, e.g. due to to a potential according to the pitting will damage the surfaces
- static excitation equipment insulation capacitances and of bearings and seals.
- voltage source and/or rotor resistances of the source. the
winding insulation asymmetries winding,and the shaft versus ground.
- active rotor winding protection.

III. m.

1 bedplate 2 bearings 3 rotor shaft 4 stator 5 steam turbine 6 converter 7 rotor winding 8 transformer
Vs shaft voltage magnetic flux k constant n speed
TABLE I TYPES AND MECHANISMS OF SHAFT VOLTAGES IN ROTATING MACHINERY

1 transformer

E 2 transformer to ground capacitance

3 thyristor rectifier 4 rotor shaft
5 excitation winding 6 steam turbines
7 shaft to ground (bearing) capacitances

vd = vdo COS% - 3xId

'Fnrbines - Generator -_ Rectifier 77-
Fig. 1 GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION OF SHAFT VOLTAGES DUE TU STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS

A
,Vl
Vu phase voltages
Vv I o n ac side of
-ot Vw : rectifier
Vc : c m n mode
voltage
d=6 0 vd : direct voltage
U
, : overlap angle
vd=v1-v2 x : camnutation I D

//
reactance ...................................
ct : transformer to For symmetrical excitation circuit and low
ground capacitance frequencies:
C,,, : excitation win-

1, AVmax; 0,75 Vu V,-,,rF&-

ding to rotor
vs
cw - Ct
vc
d-60
I +Vdo
iron capacitance
cs : shaft to ground
=
Cw.CttC . C t + Cs - cw
,vc=vJ
ot
capacitance ct =IO*
Oc : delay angle for Cw = 500 nF
cs = 200 nF
Fig. 2 VOLTAGES OF A 6-PULSE THYRISTOR RECTIFIER Fig. 3 SIMPLIFlED MODEL
 41 1

- The common mode v o l t a g e Vc = (Vl+V2)/2 , t h e r e c t - - t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n from the e x c i t a t i o n winding t o

a n g u l a r wave shape w i t h a frequency of t h r e e times t h e s h a f t i n t h e frequency range of 50 Ez t o 1 MKz
t h e fundamental and t h e s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s d u r i n g i s represented correctly
commutation, a r e t y p i c a l . - t h e e f f e c t s of p o s s i b l e countermeasures (e.g.
According t o F i g . 3 t h e r e c t i f i e r can be r e p r e s e n t e d grounding b r u s h e s , f i l t e r s , e t c . ) can be i n v e s t i -
by t h r e e v o l t a g e s o u r c e s Vc. Vdl2 and Vd12 so t h a t t h e gated.
v o l t a g e s between t e r m i n a l s A, B, and C remain un- For i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n t h e base-
changed. The e x c i t a t i o n and t r a n s m i s s i o n of t h e s h a f t frequency r e g i o n , t h e model was e x c i t e d w i t h t h e com-
v o l t a g e s due t o t h e s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system becomes p l e t e l y modelled r e c t i f i e r , F i g . 1. For t h e h i g h f r e -
obvious. quency v o l t a g e peaks, t h e three-source e q u i v a l e n t r e c -
Under symmetrical c o n d i t i o n s o n l y t h e common mode t i f i e r c i r c u i t of F i g . 3 w i t h t h r e e s t e p v o l t a g e
v o l t a g e Vc c o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e Vs, where- s o u r c e s was used.
b y t h e low frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e i s determined b y a The f i r s t and l a s t c o i l s of t h e e x c i t a t i o n winding
v o l t a g e d i v i d e r g i v e n by t h e c a p a c i t a n c e s i n F i g . 3. were modelled i n d i v i d u a l l y . Each winding b a r was simu-
Thus t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e Vs on a non-grounded s h a f t de- l a t e d by one inductance and two c a p a c i t a n c e s a c t i n g a t
pends on: t h e r o t o r ends. The remaining c o i l s were lumped and
- t h e amplitude of common mode v o l t a g e Vc, hence d i - modelled by one inductance and two c a p a c i t a n c e s f o r
r e c t l y on t h e e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e Vu each c o i l h a l f .
- the capacitance r a t i o s i n the e x c i t a t i o n c i r c u i t . The frequency-dependent l o s s e s of t h e e x c i t a t i o n wind-
Even under f a v o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s (Vs/Vc = 42, low c e i l - ing w i t h i n a c e r t a i n frequency range were approximated
ing v o l t a g e (2 P . u . ) ) , t h e maximum v a l u e of V s can by a p a s s i v e B-L c i r c u i t a s shown i n F i g . 58. These
r e a c h 4% of t h e nominal e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e , i . e . f o r a elements were i n t r o d u c e d behind t h e f i r s t and l a s t
l a r g e u n i t w i t h lOOOV c e i l i n g e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e , we coils.
expect Vs t o b e i n t h e o r d e r of 20V. I n t h e g e n e r a t o r a r e a , t h e frequency-dependent behav-
The phenomenon of t h e high frequency peaks i n t h e i o u r of t h e s h a f t l i n e i s determined by t h e c o n c e n t r i c
s h a f t v o l t a g e cannot b e e x p l a i n e d w i t h t h e s i m p l i f i e d l o c a t i o n of t h e r o t o r i n t h e s t a t o r c o r e , a s i n F i g .
model of F i g . 3 . One can imagine, however, t h a t d u r i n g 5b. Eere, t h e frequency-dependent impedance was a l s o
conmutation t h e t h r e e v o l t a g e s o u r c e s can b e approxi- approximated by a p a s s i v e R-L c i r c u i t i n a c e r t a i n
mated b y v o l t a g e s t e p s and t h a t t h e s e s t e p s e x c i t e frequency range. It becomes obvious t h a t , f o r h i g h
h i g h frequency o s c i l l a t i o n s i n t h e v a r i o u s inductances frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e s ( t y p i c a l l y i n t h e o r d e r of
and c a p a c i t a n c e s i n t h e c i r c u i t . I n o r d e r t o i n v e s t i - 250 kEz), a grounding b r u s h a t one end of t h e genera-
g a t e t h i s t h e o r y , a r e f i n e d model of t h e whole e x c i t a - t o r has n o t much e f f e c t on t h e o t h e r end. because of
t i o n system, i n c l u d i n g t h e s h a f t l i n e , was designed t h i s c o n s i d e r a b l e h i g h r o t o r impedance.
and was simulated w i t h t h e computer, u s i n g a network I n t h e t u r b i n e r e g i o n , the impedance of t h e s h a f t l i n e
a n a l y s i s program. i s determined l a r g e l y by t h e inductance of t h e a i r
space between t h e r o t o r and t h e c a s i n g . Therefore each
t u r b i n e s t a g e may be r e p r e s e n t e d by an inductance.
2.2 Model f o r t h e Numerical S i m u l a t i o n R e s u l t s of t h e s i m u l a t i o n s a r e shown i n F i g . 6. It can
be seen t h a t i n t h e b a s e frequency r e g i o n , w i t h a non-
F o r t h e numerical s i m u l a t i o n of s h a f t v o l t a g e s , t h e grounded s h a f t , t h e common mode v o l t a g e Vc ( 6 a ) i s
f i e l d winding and s h a f t l i n e of a 1200 MVA turbogene- t r a n s m i t t e d u n d i s t o r t e d and reduced according t o t h e
r a t o r were modelled a s shown i n F i g . 4 so t h a t coupling and s h a f t c a p a c i t a n c e s t o t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e

losses of losses of
+,PI
Rfl2 I I

1 st coil
1 st to7th 8th tol4th

M
Rotor shaft
'
low prehure
'-*w
low pressure medium hlgh pressure
turbine turbine pressure turbine
turbine
Parameters of a 1200 WA Turbogenerator
E x c i t a t i o n winding: 14 c o i l s w i t h 9 t u r n s p e r c o i l
C = 2 . 1 IS, Lt = 2.2 pE, C = 18.4 I#, Lc = 20.0 PA, RcO = 13.8-Q. Rcl = 262.552. Lcl = 934 CR.
t
s h a f t : Rio = 1.73n, Ril = 5.8, Ri2 = 364. Lil = 205 pR. Liz = 51pA. Llpt = 1 . 0 pB, Lmpt = 0.5 pH,
L
hP t
= 0.2 pH, Coil = 100 d, Gins = 16.5 nF, = 0.552, R ~ r u s h ( a d d i t i o n a l ) = 500QlllOpF.

Fig. 4 MODEL OF EXCITATION WINDING AND TURBOSEAFT FOR NUMERICAL CALCULATION OF

SEAFT VOLTAGES FOR FREQUENCIES ) 50 Rz
412

V s ( 6 b ) . In t h e commutation r e g i o n i t can be seen t h a t t h e s h a f t and ground were recorded by means of a d i g i -

even w i t h grounding of the t u r b i n e s h a f t end, high t a l storage oscilloscope.
frequency s h a f t - v o l t a g e peaks V s ( 6 c ) a r e produced by F i g . 7a-c show t h e r e s u l t s from a small experimental
the voltage steps. g e n e r a t o r (906 KVA, 3000 rpm, 50 Hz, e x c i t a t i o n phase
Detailed simulation calculations yield the following v o l t a g e Vu = 110 V). In o r d e r t o e l i m i n a t e o t h e r t y p e s
information: of s h a f t v o l t a g e , t h e s e t e s t s were made a t s t a n d s t i l l .
- With a symmetrical e x c i t a t i o n c i r c u i t , only the w i t h t h e s h a f t i n s u l a t e d from t h e b e a r i n g s h e l l s by a
common mode v o l t a g e Vc c o n t r i b u t e s t o s h a f t v o l t - t h i n l a y e r of i n s u l a t i o n . The c a p a c i t a n c e s according
age V s t o F i g . 3 were measured, t h e v a l u e s b e i n g : C t = 8.5nF.
- With any k i n d of dissymmetry i n t h e e x c i t a t i o n Cw = 32nF. C s = 20nF. The s h a f t v o l t a g e w i t h a non-
c i r c u i t , t h e sawtooth-like d.c. v o l t a g e Vd w i l l grounded s h a f t should t h e r e f o r e be about 25% of the
c o n t r i b u t e a d d i t i o n a l l y t o the s h a f t v o l t a g e V s common mode v o l t a g e . A s can be s e e n i n F i g . 7a and b ,
- The amplitude of t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e i s determined t h e t e s t v a l u e s were i n good agreement, and the s h a f t
e s s e n t i a l l y by the amplitude and r a t e of r i s e of v o l t a g e i n t h e b a s i c frequency range f o l l o w s t h e same
t h e v o l t a g e s t e p s i n t h e common mode v o l t a g e Vc. course a s the common mode v o l t a g e .
t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of the e x c i t a t i o n winding, t h e When t h e s h a f t was grounded a t the t u r b i n e end, t h e
ground c a p a c i t a n c e of the e x c i t a t i o n transformer lon-frequency components of the s h a f t v o l t a g e d i s a p -
and t h e s h a f t t o ground c a p a c i t a n c e . peared. Only t h e h i g h frequency peaks d u r i n g commuta-
The frequency and amplitude of t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e a l s o t i o n remained, a s shown i n F i g . 7c.
depend on: F i g . 8a-c show the r e s u l t s from a l a r g e t u r b o s e t (1200
- changes i n t h e d . c . supply l i n e inductances MVA. 3000 rpm, 50 Hz, e x c i t a t i o n phase v o l t a g e Vu =
- a d d i t i o n a l f i l t e r s on the d . c . s i d e of the r e c t i - 825 VI. Here, t h e t e s t s were made d u r i n g normal opera-
fier. t i o n , t h e r e f o r e s h a f t v o l t a g e s from o t h e r sources a r e
superimposed on t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o the s t a t i c
e x c i t a t i o n . F i g . 8b shows t h e v o l t a g e s w i t h non
2.3 F i e l d T e s t s grounded s h a f t , which can be i n t e r p r e t e d a s follows:
- There i s a d.c. component of about 45V. due t o
I n o r d e r t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n prac- e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge i n t h e t u r b i n e and t o dissym-
t i c e , and t o make comparisons w i t h the s i m u l a t i o n s , a metrical insulation resistances
number of f i e l d t e s t s on g e n e r a t o r s w i t h s t a t i c exci- - There i s a n induced a . c . component of about 2.5V.
t a t i o n systems were made. The s h a f t v o l t a g e s were mea- a t the fundamental frequency, due t o e c c e n t r i c i t y
sured by means of pickup b r u s h e s a t t h e t u r b i n e and of t h e r o t o r s h a f t
e x c i t e r ends of the g e n e r a t o r . The Voltages between

a ) Frequency Dependent Excitation Winding Losses b) Frequency Dependent Rotor Iron Losses
Z/Roc

_-

s
tor core

10 I/
Fig. 5 MODELING OF FREQUENCY DEPENDENT EXCITATION WINDING AND ROTOR IRON LOSSES (1200MVA)

a ) Cmmn Mode Voltage Vc b) Low Frequency Shaft Voltages c ) Shaft Voltage Spike with
without Grounding Brush Grounding Brush on TE
1L6 -VEE ---VTE *o

HXT
I5

Ro

-1.5

-3.0
09 5.0 iao 151) 20.0 ZUL 90.0
Vm, Vm : Shaft Voltages on exciter end and turbine end of generator
Fig. 6 RESULTS OF NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS FOR A 1200 MVA "GENERATOR
 413

- There i s a 15V rectangular-wave a.c. component, For t h i s purpose, a l a b o r a t o y t e s t s t a n d was con-

due t o the s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system. This i s r e c - s t r u c t e d , c o n s i s t i n g e s s e n t i a l l y of a rod and a p l a t e
ognized by the s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s and i s compa- e l e c t r o d e immersed i n an o i l b a t h . The rod e l e c t r o d e
r a b l e t o t h e common mode v o l t a g e i n F i g . 8a. has a nose r a d i u s of 2 cm. and i t s p o s i t i o n r e l a t i v e
A d d i t i o n a l l y t h e h i g h frequency v o l t a g e peaks are su- t o t h e p l a t e e l e c t r o d e i s a d j u s t a b l e i n t h e )m range.
perimposed on t h e s e low-frequency a . ~ . v o l t a g e s (see The p l a t e e l e c t r o d e i s of b e a r i n g m e t a l . The e l e c -
a l s o Fig. 13d). t r o d e s a r e immersed i n a t e m p e r a t u r e - c o n t r o l l e d bath
When t h e t u r b i n e end of t h e s h a f t i s grounded, t h e of b e a r i n g o i l . Vigorous c i r c u l a t i o n is provided in
basic-frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e s are e l i m i n a t e d (see a l - t h e e l e c t r o d e r e g i o n . The t e s t c o n d i t i o n s a r e t y p i c a l
so F i g . 13b) and o n l y t h e induced v o l t a g e s i n t h e f o r journal-bearing oil-films:
basic-frequency range remain. The high frequency com- - o i l temperature 8OoC
m u t a t i o n peaks a r e superimposed on t h e s e . As seen i n - o i l f i l m t h i c k n e s s ( e l e c t r o d e s e p a r a t i o n ) 30-80 p
F i g . 8c. t h e v a l u e s exceed 1 5 V a t t h e e x c i t e r end, I n o r d e r t o examine t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between v o l t a g e ,
even though the t u r b i n e end i s grounded. breakdown energy, and e r o s i o n volume, charged capaci-
Comparison of t h e t e s t r e s u l t s (Fig.8.-c) with the t o r s ( r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e s h a f t t o ground c a p a c i t a n c e of
s i m u l a t i o n s (Fig.6a-c) shows good agreement, a l t b o n g h t h e t u r b o s e t ) were d i s c h a r g e d through t h e e l e c t r o d e
i t must be p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e s i m u l a t i o n g i v e s only p a t h , and t h e r e s u l t i n g c r a t e r s i n t h e metal s u r f a c e
t h e v o l t a g e s due t o t h e s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n . were measured under an e l e c t r o n microscope. The r e l a -
t i o n s h i p s a r e shown i n F i g . 9 ( i n l o g s c a l e s ) . The re-
g r e s s i o n l i n e shows a p r a c t i c a l l y l i n e a r r e l a t i o n s h i p
3. ELEC"RO-EROSION DUE To SBAPT VOLTAGES between breakdown e n e r g y and e r o s i o n volume, and shows
t h a t w i t h c o n s t a n t c a p a c i t a n c e t h e breakdown energy
The presence of s h a f t v o l t a g e s can l e a d t o e l e c t r o - r i s e s q u a d r a t i c a l l y w i t h t h e v o l t a g e . The f l a a h o v e r s
ero'sion of t h e b e a r i n g s h e l l s and a h a f t s e a l s . The occur w i t h i n a few microseconds, i n d i c a t i n g t h a t only
l i t e r a t u r e , however, s a k e s l i t t l e r e f e r e n c e t o permis- t h e c a p a c i t i v e l y s t o r e d energy can c o n t r i b u t e t o d i s -
s i b l e v a l u e s of t h e v o l t a g e s , or t o t h e volume of ero- charge and t h a t no r e c h a r g i n g o c c u r s d u r i n g f l a s h o v e r .
s i o n t o be expected. Hence i n p l a i n b e a r i n s s t h e maximum breakdown energy
l e have t h e r e f o r e i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e problem of e l e c t r o - i s determined by t h e i n s t a n t a n e o u s s h a f t v o l t a g e and
e r o s i o n i n p l a i n b e a r i n g s , w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g objec- t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e s h a f t l i n e t o ground.
tives: I n o r d e r t o e s t i m a t e t h e v o l t a g e t h r e s h o l d above which
- t o determine t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s between t h e v o l t - e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n could o c c u r , a number of t e s t s were
age, e r o s i o n energy, and e r o s i o n volume, and made a t v a r i o u a f r e q u e n c i e s ( 0 Ez t o 10 kEz) w i t h var-
- t o f i n d lower bounds of t h e v o l t a g e . above which i o u s t y p e s of e l e c t r o d e and v a r i o u s v a l u e s of e l e c -
e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n can occur. t r o d e s e p a r a t i o n . It became e v i d e n t t h a t t h e breakdown

vc a) Camnn W e Voltage Vs b) Shaft to Ground Voltages V, c ) Shaft to Ground Voltages

A A without Groundinq Brush
80 2
[VJ LV

40 1

0 0

-4 0

-80
4
1Om@
* d b
'

Pig. 7 SHAFT VOLTAGES MEASURED ON A 906 KVA TURBOGENERAToR AT STANDSTILL

V, a) Ca" Mode Voltage Vs b) Shaft to Grout3 Voltages c) Shaft to Ground Voltages

without Grounding Bnish with Grounding Brush 0n.W

1/EE
60

40 ++_.. JE

45 e

E: Exciter End of Generator TE: Turbine hd of Generator

Fig. 8 SHAFT VOLTAGES MEASURED ON A 1200 WA TOBBOGENERATOR
414

- We can s a y w i t h some c e r t a i n t y t h a t s h a f t v o l t a g e s
below 20V cause no e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n
- With r i s i n g v o l t a g e , t h e e r o s i o n p r o b a b i l t y in-
c r e a s e s , and a l s o t h e e r o s i o n volume f o r individu-
a l flashovers
v - I n t h e e a r l y s t a g e s , e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n damage can be
d e t e c t e d only under t h e microscope. With the naked
eye, t h e accumulation of e r o s i o n c r a t e r s appears
o n l y a s a c l o u d i n e s s of t h e s u r f a c e
- The damage due t o e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n by s h a f t v o l t -
ages o c c u r s over a p e r i o d of time, b e i n g t h e sum

loot
of s u c c e s s i v e i n d i v i d u a l breakdowns.
h
%+
, I10-3mm31

jol

5- 5.0 8.6 106.7 38.8

10.0 9.3 140.0 72.0
20.0 16.0 226.0 323.1
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...
...
100 200 300

F i g . 11 CALCULATED VOLUME OF ELECTRO EROSION

AFTER 1000 TESTS

4 . MEASURES AGAINST TEE VARIOUS TYPES OF SHAFT VOLTAGE

P o s s i b l e countermeasures a r e o u t l i n e d i n Table 11. As

can be seen, t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r i n f l u e n c i n g t h e
source and t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n p a t h a r e l i m i t e d . C a r e f u l
d e s i g n can h e l p t o reduce t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s , b u t can-
n o t e l i m i n a t e them. T h e r e f o r e most of t h e countermea-
s u r e s a r e aimed more a t t h e p o i n t of appearance. With
t h e f i r s t two types of s h a f t v o l t a g e , h i g h c u r r e n t s ,
due t o s h o r t i n g of t h e i n d u c t i o n c i r c u i t , must be pre-
vented, i . e . the r e s i s t a n c e of t h e s e c i r c u i t s must be
of the o r d e r of a t l e a s t 30-50 Ohms. T h i s i s achieved
by using h i g h - r e s i s t a n c e i s o l a t i n g l a y e r s i n a l l po-
t e n t i a l c u r r e n t p a t h s . With the s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o
e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge or t o the s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n sys-
tem, v o l t a g e s a c r o s s o i l f i l m s , s h a f t s e a l s , e t c . must
be prevented from exceeding 20V. T h i s i s t h e o n l y way
t o be c e r t a i n of p r e v e n t i n g the occurrence of e l e c t r o -
e r o s i o n . Thin i n s u l a t i n g l a y e r s do n o t o f f e r complete
p r o t e c t i o n , a s they a c t o n l y a s c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e d i -
v i d e r s . The e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge can be e f f e c t i v e l y
d r a i n e d o f f through a ground r e s i s t a n c e of l e s s than 1
kQ. With t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s from s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n
systems, t h e most e f f e c t i v e measure i s t o r a i s e the
c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e s h a f t t o ground t o about 10pF. T h i s
reduces t h e c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e r a t i o (Fig. 3 ) , reduces
t h e frequency of the h i g h frequency v o l t a g e peaks, and
f o r higher frequencies a c t s p r a c t i c a l l y a s a short
circuit .
5 . PROTECTION OF TURBOSETS AGAINST SHAFT VOLTAGES

Because of t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s experienced w i t h grounding

/ - b r u s h e s on t h e t u r b i n e end of g e n e r a t o r s , and i n t h e
2 l i g h t of t h e s t u d i e s r e p o r t e d h e r e , a program of mea-
s u r e s a g a i n s t s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n l a r g e t u r b o s e t s having
s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n i s now proposed, a s o u t l i n e d i n F i g .
50 100 1 2:
- The i n s u l a t i o n of t h e b e a r i n g a t t h e e x c i t e r end
must be r e t a i n e d , a s i t has proven t o be an e f f e c -
F i g . 10 PROBABILITY OF VOLTAGE BREAKDOWN
t i v e p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t c u r r e n t s from induced
I N VERY T H I N OIL FILMS s h a f t voltages.
 415

'rype of shaft voltage Possible measures at Possible measures at the Possible measures at the
the source transmission system point of appearance

Magnetic Asyrnnetries mevent large currents by

of asymnetries inserting insulating layers
Assembly: Avoid -
None in all possible short
eccentricity circuit loops of the
induced voltage
~ ~~

Axial Shaft Flux

I &magnetization of
magnetized parts
Insert thick layers of
material with low
permeability in all
possible flux wths
-
None

Electrostatic Charge None -

None
1 Ground the shaft with a
resistance of less than
IkR.

Static Excitation Keep the c m n mode

System voltage and the voltage
rises as m a l l as possible m e t r i c a l filters on
Keep the transformer to the Dc side of the
ground capacitances as rectifier are helpful.
small as possible.

TABLE I1 PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST DAMAGE CAUSED BY S W T VOLTAGES

Preventive Measures
1)Insulating layers in all possible induced
current circuits on exciter errd of generator

-
2)Grounding brush on turbine end of generator
is possible but not necessary
3)RC-Impedance (e.g.4709/1Op) between shaft
and ground on exciter end of generator
4)Synmetrical filters on E-side of rectifier
lltrbines Generator -Rectifier ~
5)Avoid any additional a d minimize transformer
to ground capacitances on AC-side of rectifier
6)Avoid unsynmetries in the excitation circuit
F i g . 12 NEW PREVENTIVE CONCEPT FOR GENERATORS
WITA STATIC EXCITATION 7)Demagnetize all magnetized parts

Shaft to Ground Voltages of a 1200 MVA Turbogenerator

Without Groundinq Brush With Grounding Brush on TE Only with RC-Impedance on EE

a) ,EE
/TE
0
I m Frequency
20 I
-20 ,TE
2m8
i-, -10
EE

F i g . 13
2oI
0
-10

-20

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT GROUNDING SYSneMS

i -2

-4
EE: Exciter End of Generator TE: Turbine End of Generator
.
L
,
TE
416

- If desired, the grounding brush a t the turbine end reduced to harmless values. The RC grounding circuit
can be retained, providing that i t functions prop- on the exciter end offers good access (even in nuclear
erly. power plants), low maintenance costs and long brush
- At the exciter end, a new, passive R C circuit is life. It can be operated with or without a grounding
connected through a grounding brush. The resis- brush on the turbine end of the generator and can be
tance of 500 Ohm is high enough to limit currents easily monitored.
to some few, harmless mA, and low enough to pre-
vent the build-up of d.c. potential when either
there is no grounding brush at the turbine end or REFERENCES
the brush there i s not functioning properly. The [11 S.P.Verma et al, Problems and Failures Caused by
shunt capacity of 10 P is effective against all Shaft Potentials.., Paper 11-10. CIGRE 1980.
shaft voltages from the static excitation system. 121 O.Haus, Shaft Voltages and Bearing Currents..,
- In addition, RC filters can be added to the d.c. (German), ETZ Vol. 85, Feb. 1964.
side of the rectifier. 131 R.Pohl, Shaft Currents and Voltages.., (German),
- Care should be taken to keep the capacitances of ETZ Vol. 50, March 1929.
the transformer to ground as low a s possible. [41 S.P.Verma. Shaft Potentials in Modern Tnrbbgene-
- Demagnetize all magnetized parts so as to avoid rators... IEE Conf.Pub1. 254, Sept. 1985.
homopolar shaft voltages due to magnetic flux. [51 J.Sohre and P.Nippes, Electromagnetic Shaft
These proposals have already been successfully tested Currents and Demagnetization ..., Proc. of the 7th
on two turbosets, one of 190 MVA and one of 1200MVA. Turbomachinery Symp.. Texas 1978.
Test results are shown in Fig. 13, permitting compari- [61 Z.Posede1 and H.Ziegler. Grounding System for
son of the shaft voltages under the three conditions: Shaft Voltages, German Patent Application
without grounding brushes (8.d). with a conventional, 3511755, 1985.
newly cleaned grounding brush at the turbine end [71 Panel Session on Shaft Currents and Grounding
(b.e), and without grounding brushes but with an R C Brush Applications, Joint Power Generation Conf.,
circuit on the exciter end (c,f). It can be seen, that Portland, Oregon, 22. Oct. 1986.
the new method of RC grounding at the exciter end not
only performs the same function a s the conventional -
Conrad Ammann was born in Switzerland on March 24th.
grounding system, but also has certain additional ad- 1959. He received his Dipl. Ing. degree in Electrical
vantages: Engineeriq from the Swiss Federal Institute of Tech-
- good access, even ir! nuclear power plants nology in 1983. Since then he has been a staff member
- easy maintenance, long brush life of the Institute for Electrical Machines at the Swiss
- elimination of the high frequency voltage peaks Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
- can be easily monitored
- can be operated either with or without a grounding -Konrad
--- Reichert was born in Leutkirch, Germany, on De-
brush at the turbine end of the generator cember 14th, 1930. He received the Dip1.-Ing. and the
- guarantees the proper function of ground fault Dr. Ing. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the
protection relays. University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany, in 1956
and 1962, respectively, and the venia legendi for
electrical machinery in 1969.
6. CONCLUSIONS From 1956 to 1968 he worked a s a Research Fellow at
the University of Stuttgart in the areas of electro-
Shaft voltages due to static excitation systems have a magnetic fields, eddy currents, electrialc machinery,
rectangular wave shape of three times the fundamental magnets , transformers, and electrical machinery with
frequency with high frequency voltage peaks superim- supercooled normal metal or superconducting conduc-
posed. The source of these voltages are the common tors. He was also a consultant to various electrical
mode voltage of the rectifier and the sharp voltage industries. In 1968 he joined Brown Boveri and Compa-
steps during commutation. ny, Limited, Baden. Switzerland, where he has worked
A model for numerical simulation has been presented, on electromagnetic fields and power system control,
which allows investigation of the effects of possible operation and planning problems a s the head of the
countereeasures. Simulations compared with field tests scientific computer applications and power systems en-
show good agreement. The results prove that a conven- gineering department.
tional grounding system on the turbine end of the gen- Since 1980 he has been professor for electromagnetic
erator (even when properly functioning) cannot elimi- energy conversion at the Swiss Federal Institute of
nate high frequency shaft voltage peaks. Due to the Technology and head of the Institute for Electrical
great influence of the shaft to ground capacitance on Hac b ine s.
frequency and amplitude of the shaft voltage, an addi-
tional shaft to ground capacitance of 1 0 JIF is the Reinhard Joho was born in Olten. Switzerland on Janu-
best way to reduce shaft voltages caused by static ex- ary 13th, 1950. Be received his Dipl. Ing. degree in
citation systems. Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Insti-
Laboratory tests show that shaft voltages above 20V tute of Technology in 1975. Be joined Brown Boveri,
may cause electro-erosion in beariEgs and shaft seals. Switzerland in 1975, where he has been working on de-
With increasing amplitude, the volume of erosion in- sign development in the field of large turbogenera-
creases sharply. tors.
To protect large turbogenerators with static excita-
tion systems against all types of shaft voltages, Zlatimir Posedel was born in Split, Jugoslavia, on No-
countermeasures are proposed, mainly consisting of a vember 4, 1933. Be received his Dipl. Ing. degree in
new type of passive RC-circuit connected through a Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb.
grounding brush on the exciter end of the generator. Jugoslavia, in 1958. From 1958 to 1963 he was with the
These countermeasures have successfully been tested on Electric Enterprises, Zagreb, and the University of
two turbosets. one of 190 MVA and one of 1200 MVA. Zagreb. In 1963 he joined the Brown Boveri Company,
showing the following advantages: Baden, Switzerland, where he has worked on a variety
All shaft potentials, even high frequency peaks, are of development projects for electrical machinery.
 417

Discussion been deeply involved with electromagnetic-induced shaft currents-mostly

E. C. Whitney (Consulting Engineer, Large Rotating Apparatus, Pitts- on nonelectrical machinery-since 1970. About 80 percent of the machines
burgh, PA): Your paper is a definite contribution to the practical solution involved are steam turbines, gas turbines, compressors, and gears. These
of shaft voltages from static excitation systems, particularly on large steam machines are mainly used in oil production and refining, and in the
turbine generators with high response and high ceiling voltages. I am chemical and petrochemical industries. Some other applications concern
pleased that you obtained the significant shaft voltage reduction from motor-driven equipment and generating units, up to the largest sizes.
the capacitive connection between exciter leads and ground as well as Others involve grounding of propeller-shafts of large ships.
the exciter end shaft. As the paper repeatedly states, conventional shaft brushes (carbon,
With respect to your table on the top of page 2,I would suggest several graphite, metal-impregnated, copper-braids, etc) are not reliable and they
additions people forget can be causing problems. Under Source 11, axial present problems with accessibility, wear indication, wear rate, ease and
shaft magnetization, both ac and dc, can be caused by improper distribu- safety of replacement, high surface-velocity, oil, chemically aggressive
tion of the leads. This results in net current around the shaft at the environments, high or low temperatures, safety in explosive atmospheres,
connection end of a unit. This includes distribution of brushes around and so on. The basic problem is that solid brushes simply do not function,
the collector rings versus to the leads from the rings to the field winding. i.e., transmit electricity between shaft and ground or, if they function
With ac ampere turns around the shaft from stator connections, at all, there is an unacceptably high voltage-drop across the shaft brush
homopolar type currents exist but at power frequency from axial ac shaft and the contact surface.
magnetization. Under Magnetic Unsymmetries, windings sometimes used Characteristically, this behavior is erratic. A solid brush may function
with an odd number of slots per pole pair and a symmetrical rotor will one minute and the next it is completely dead. It may work again if tapped
produce a double slot frequency shaft voltage. or removed and cleaned, then it is dead again after a couple hours of
Did you investigate the effect of negative sequence current with the operation. Much of this has to do with the extremely thin film which
resultant double frequency currents superimposed on the normal dc field forms on the shaft surface, see the references at the end of this discussion.
currents? This should cause disruptions, both in the thyristor f i i control Our work involves much troubleshooting. When we found it impossible
and in pulsations of field winding average voltage versus the shaft. to get these very destructiveand extremely costly problems under control,
Transmission line normal loads are balanced sufficientlyto limit negative we had to design a type of shaft brush which will perform reliably under
sequence currents to 3 to 5 percent of rated current. Large negative all the adverse conditions mentioned above. At this time, we have supplied
sequence currents are usually present during faults. over 400brushes, approximately 80 percent for export. A relatively large
Is there any chance that the addition of 10 microfarad capacitors on number of these brushes are operating in electric generating plants in
each dc lead to the collectors will seriously affect the thyristor control India. Service in process-plants is far more severe than in power plants,
or hit a resonance and amplify some frequency? I assume these capacitors mainly because of the enormous cost of an unscheduled plant shutdown,
slope the voltage wave fronts during commutation and thus affect the which can easily reach several million dollars. The operating conditions
regulation of the excitation control but not necessarily the generator are much more severe too, because of the high temperatures, explosive
voltage control. atmospheres, and extreme space limitations, etc. Many of the brushes
Most bearing oil films at full speed in steam turbine generators run we have supplied operate in turbine-driven compressors at shaft surface
from 30 to 100 gm and as long as there is no metallic contamination velocities of 500 ft/s (- 150m/s) on shafts having a temperature of about
or minor wiping of the babbitt, the bearings can stand 40 or more volts. 600" F (at the high pressure end of the turbine), sometimes with steam
Hence, your 20-Vlimit is generally safe for this class of machines. Many blowing against the brush. Nevertheless, once the proper brush design
other types of machines with thrust and sleeve bearings operate with much and material have been selected, operation is fully reliable. and brush
smaller oil films and, from a practical standpoint, 2 V is all that can wear rates are one year or better, unless the shaft currents are far in excess
be safely allowed. With antifriction bearings, 0.05 to 0.1 V is about the of the brush design.
maximum that should be considered practical without insulation. These are the extreme examples. Under more favorable conditions
With respect to shaft grounding brushes with high shaft surface speed, results are better. Many gf the plants are now scheduled for continuous
ordinary brushes or bristle type have had poor records on wear and runs of five years and more, and while the brushes are serviceable without
voltage drop and contact reliability. Few people realize that a contact interruption of operation, many of them last through 3- to 5-year runs.
brush 25 mm long in the sliding direction on a 430-mm shaft at 3000 Our patented brush utilizes metal bristles (a silver-gold.combination).
rpm requires the current to build up and break through the steel shaft The brush assembly is rather sophisticated, because all the requirements
surface at the equivalent of a little more than 2700 Hz. The inductance which have been mentioned above must be ammmodated. For generating
of the current passing through the shaft skin greatly deters the current units, simpler arrangements could be used. In fact, the brushes used in
build up and the current decrease at the trailing brush edge. If the brush high-speed compressor units are only of limited suitability in large
makes contact around the entire circumference then even a dc shaft generating units, because of their relatively small size.
current can flow into the brush with only dc contact drop. Even on In my opinion, the main problems encountered with all brushes-
collector rings this same condition exists and is increased by the ac voltage ours included-is that the brush application and installation is not
drop in the ring as the dc current from the brushes alternates circumferen- properly engineered for the individual application. The following areas
tially in the ring traveling to the take-off lead for the field winding. present the most frequent problems.
As a result, especially for shaft grounding brushes with high speed Brush type: a solid brush simply will not work, even at low surface
shafts, a brush from 0.5 to 1 mm wide axially and practically continuous velocities (see above).
around the shaft should be developed. To provide capability for the brush Type of problem: if self-induced electromagnetic currents are the
to follow shaft vibrations, the brushes should be spring mounted with problem, the machine (rotor, stator, piping, foundation, etc.) must
sufficient pressure to follow the vibration frequency. Curved bristles may be demagnetized to get the currents down to a point where brushes
be the answer in this case or silver graphite lubricating material. With can neutralize the currents generated by the remaining residual
such a narrow brush the heat generated by the friction can be dissipated magnetic fields. It is a popular misconception that one can simply
axially along the shaft without causing thermal shaft bending. put a brush on the shaft at any location and all will be fine. Usually
The shaft must not be solidly grounded in more than one place to avoid the brush selected is a carbon-brush. It is necessary to define the
high current flow from other sources (often more than 2000 A in large purpose of the brush:
machines). Hence, any other ground must have a suitable impedance such 1 ) Allow current measurement, so that current cannot build up
that the IX drop in the impedance does not allow current to flow through to self-excitation levels. In my opinion this is by far the most
the bearing or shaft seal oil films and clearances. The impedance must important purpose of a shaft brush.
also be large enough to avoid currents that can magnetize the shaft or 2) To ground reasonable levels of currents from residual
turbine blades or damage the grounding contacts (brushes, etc.) or force magnetism after the machine has been demagnetized.
current through other parts of the total shaft assembly. The brush must be designed to conduct the r e m h i n g currents to
ground with a very low contact resistance. It should be possible to keep
Manuscript received July 2, 1987. the shaft voltage vs. ground to less than 1 V peak-to-peak. This also re-
quires a low inductive resistance of the ground wiring arrangement.
Several brushes may be required, at carefully selected locations. In other
words, a brush must be matched to the equipment and to the current
J. S. Sohre (Turbomachinery Consultant, Ware, MA): I find this paper to be expected.
very interesting and timely but, being a mechanical engineer, I am not In this paper, as in most others, I noted that much emphasis is placed
qualified to comment on the main context of this paper. However, I have on shaft voltage. In my opinion, the actual voltage as measured without
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a brush in operation is not of great significance, because it depends almost The electrical model diagrams of Figs. 3 and 4 are very interesting and
entirely on the internal resistance of the machine. For example, one can should be useful in analyzing ideal situations. I feel that significant altering
often observe a machine running with, say, 180 V peak-to-peak spikes of the circuit will occur if momentary or regular contact occurs, such
on the shaft. After an hour the voltage is zero. Next morning it is up as having a shaft-to-bearing or seal contact develop. Would the authors
to, say, 150 V-and so on (see Ref. [l]). The reason for this is that a please comment on validity of the circuits and the anticipated perfor-
seal, for example, may be touching, then the sparking increases the mance of their recommended solution under these circumstances?
clearance and the voltage increases again until another point starts While we have analyzed damage to bearings and seals stemming from
discharging. This way, the damage can progress through the machine all types of voltage sources, the most illusive ones arise from residual
and the voltage measured at each step will be different. Also, if the spark- magnetic sources. Voltage and current measurements using a storage
ing occurs across the turbine thrust bearing (or any bearing or seal), a oscilloscope and reliable monitoring brushes on the shaft are excellent
change of load or speed will affect the oil f h thickness and temperature, indicators of the source types due to electrical or magnetic causes in a
and thereby the oil film resistance and finally the measured shaft voltage. motor, generator, or exciter. They often may be used to isolate electro-
Similar effects can result from weather conditions, for example, where static (steam) from residual magnetic sources. The latter are most difficult
muggy weather or cold oil causes an increase of water in the oil. These to evaluate on the operating unit.
are just a few examples. In other words, the machine decides the shaft Shaft voltage and current measurements do not necessarily indicate
voltage for us, and the measurement obtained tells us very little, except that current damage is occurring to bearings, seals, gears, etc. In fact,
if it is very high we can expect spark damage. However, the extent of we find that the inception of damage often coincides with a circumstance
the spark damage is not a function of the voltage, but of the current. such as dirty oil, rubs, vibration, thrusting, momentary grounding of
For this reason, it is far more important to measure the currents which the shaft, etc. This is consistent with the author’s statement that “the
the shaft can pass to the stator. This must be done very carefully, using resistance of the oil film is largely determined by contamination.” We
an oscilloscopeto measure the peak-to-peak voltage across a 1 4 , nonin- find that the character, rather than the magnitude of the measured shaft
ductive resistor. This will tell us how much the machine is generating voltage is the most indicative of damage to bearings. This is because the
from day to day, and if this current begins to build up we need to worry voltage level may be depressed due to current discharge through the bear-
about self-excitation and possibly very severe damage. Knowing the cur- ing while its trace takes on a saw-tooth form, either regular or irregular.
rent build-up vs. time, we can schedule a shutdown for demagnetiza- In response to the urgent needs of the turbomachinery users, we have
tion before self-excitation and “meltdown” (i.e.. saturated self-excitation) taken the practical approach of inspecting bearings, making magnetic
of the unit occurs. The above represents strictly practical considerations. surveys, and performing in-the-field demagnetization as required. To do
For research we will have to use an entirely different approach. Never- this, we utilize the AUTO DEGAUSS Model C-240-40-1 which we
theless, I cannot see where a voltage measurement anywhere on a developed and which performs automatic down cycling for removal of
generating unit is valid if there are thousands of potential contact points residual magnetism. Once the unit is fully demagnetized, we recommend
along the shaft of the turbine, and often there is a gear-driven oil pump, installation of bristle type brushes for monitoring remaining residual
governor, or boiler feedwater pump at the shaft end. magnetism activity and in diverting low level currents of the electrostatic
The same reasoning applies, at least in part, to the location of a shaft and excitation types away from the bearings, gears, etc. This has proved
brush. Naturally one would like to put the brushes where they are most to be very successful for turbomachinery in the ranges of up to 50,000
effective from the electrical point of view. But since we do not have con- kW and 11,OOO rpm. Development is about complete in providing a system
trol or even knowledge of the day-to-day pattern of internal contact- for demagnetizing large utility type turbines and generators utilizing the
resistance, how do we know where the best electrical location is? It may AUTO DEGAUSS C-240-40-1 as the controller for power derived from
then be better to place the brushes at the strategically best location-for a 2400- or 4160-V bus.
example, to protect the most critical component in the train, i.e., where
the cost of a failure would be the highest. This could be a gear in the Manuscript received August 7, 1987.
middle of the train, which could cause plant outages of weeks or months,
or the thrust bearing of the turbine, or couplings, or some of the main
bearings. S. P. Verma (University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sask., Canada):
The authors are to be congratulated for the paper dealing with a timely
topic of great interest. The reported investigations and results provide
References further understanding of the phenomenon of shaft potentials due to static
excitation.
[l] J. S . Sohre, “Are Magnetic Currents Destroying Your Machinery?,” The paper discusses the measures to minimize the damage with and
Hydrocarbon Processing, April 1979, pp. 207-212. without grounding brushes at the turbine-end of the generator. The
[2] J. S . Sohre and P. I. Nippes, “Electromagnetic Shaft Currents and important contribution of the paper is the equivalent circuit model for
Demagnetization on Rotors of Turbines and Compressors,” presented the numerical calculations. The paper also provides guidelines regarding
December 1978 at the 7th Turbomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M the breakdown strength of the oil-films.
University, College Station, Texas. Whereas all the measures suggested by the authors may be impossible
[3] ElectromagneticShaft Current Control. Original (unedited) version to achieve (e.g., avoid all magnetic asymmetries), it is possible to incor-
of Panel Discussion, presented December 1981 at the 10th Tur- porate the grounding scheme at the exciter-end of generator at the design
bomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M University, College Station, stage. In existing units where a grounding scheme is provided at the
TX. turbine-end of generator, inserting an impedance in the grounding path
[4] Shaft Currents and Grounding Brush Applications in Rotating complicates the problem according to our experience. Further, providing
Machinery. Panel Discussion, presented October 1986, Joint Power an additional grounding brush at the exciter-end can only be justified
Conference, Portland, Oregon. if the gains are substantial.
[5] Sohre Turbomachinery: Catalogue of Shaft-Riding Brushes for Tur- In spite of the fact that there are some areas of concern, I welcome
bomachinery. 4th printing, 10/86. the added information and results.
t Copies of the above papers are available from J. S . Sohre, One Manuscript received September 21, 1987.
Lakeview Circle, Ware, MA 01082, USA, at nominal cost.
Manuscript received August 4, 1987. C. Am”,
K. Reichert, R. Joho, and Z.Posedel: The authors sincerely
appreciate the valuable comments and questions by Messrs. P. I. Nippes,
J. S . Sohre, S . P. Verma, and E. C. Whitney. The contributions indicate
Paul I. Nippes (Nippes Professional Associates, Inc., Holmdel, NJ): The the wide and sometimes intricate area of shaft voltage problems. The
authors are to be complimented for this most useful contribution in the problems and questions raised reflect, as usual, mainly the specific
modeling and analysis of the circuit shaft voltages and bearing current interests of the discussers. Therefore, we would like to emphasize that
problems in generators with static excitation. Their diagrams showing our main aim was centered around the shaft voltage problem generated
other known sources of shaft voltages are a useful expression that there by static excitation systems. The authors are aware that, especially in
are other sources for shaft voltages and currents as well. I fmd particularly high-speed machinery, other sources of shaft voltages may be dominant.
interesting Fig. 9 which shows electro erosion as a function of energy.
Photographs in our fies of current damage to approximately 50 different Reply to the contribution of Mi. E. C. Whitney: It is true that there
installations may now be correlated as to crater size and energy levels. are a large number of additional sources for axial shaft magnetization
 419

and magnetic dissymmetries; further information may be found in [I]. shaft voltage measurements. It is true that the shaft may be accidentally
As Mr. Whitney describes, large negative sequence currents are usually grounded by seals, etc., but nevertheless, the erratic 180 V he measured
present only during faults. In this paper the effects of fault conditions will surely cause damage if no countermeasuresare taken; therefore, shaft
on shaft voltages are not investigated since shaft voltages which occur voltage measurements are valuable. The proper location of a grounding
during normal operation are the most important ones to be prevented. brush is a difficult issue. For low frequency shaft voltage sources, the
We do not suggest to add large capacitors to the dc leads, this would grounding brush may be located anywhere along the shaft. Other deter-
indeed affect the thyristor control. Additional capacitors in the range mining factors for the right location are maintenance and reliability.
of 10 pF should only be added between shaft and ground, where they
have proven to be very effective to minimize especially high frequency Reply to the contribution of Mr. P. I . Nippes: The authors are glad to
spikes of the shaft voltage. At the dc leads it is possible to add series hear that the results of the paper seem to be useful. Only recently, addi-
filters of approximately 2 pF/1 n between each lead and ground. We tional results to the problem of electro erosion and voltage limits for
appreciate that Mr. Whitney considers our 20-V limit to be safe for the the different types of bearings have been published in [2]. We would
operation of large turbosets with insulated bearings. The authors agree like to add that our computer model allows grounding of the shaft at
with Mr. Whitney that the current transport through grounding brushes any location by introducing an appropriate grounding resistance. It should
is a complicated problem, especially for the applications mentioned. be also emphasized, however, that the above-mentioned model was
If the shaft is grounded in more than one location it is indeed very developed to study the effects of shaft-to-ground voltages and not for
important to limit low-frequency currents due to induced shaft voltages; investigating shaft voltages arising from residual magnetic sources.
the RC-circuit between shaft and ground on the exciter end of the
generator, e.g., limits such currents to a few, harmless milliamperes. The Reply to the contribution of Prof. S.P. Verma: We would like to repeat
trend is to select grounding locations with small shaft diameter, to apply that so far our system has been applied without difficulties to three
monitoring systems and to choose ground systems which are not sensitive existing large turbine generator sets of different designs. The operating
to high brush resistances. experiences gained are very satisfactory and for all three units the shaft
voltages are permanently reduced much below dangerous levels. AU quan-
Reply to the contribution of Mr. J. S.Sohre: It is not possible to discuss tities are permanently monitored by a new device developed especially
Mr. Sohre’s comments in detail. In Tables I and I1 we have classified for this purpose.
the different types of shaft voltages and the possible countermeasures:
grounding brushes are no remedy against induced (due to magnetic
dissymmetries or axial shaft flux) shaft voltages. Other countermeasures, References
such as insulating layers, demagnetization,etc., must be applied to prevent
large currents. Shaft-to-ground voltages (due to electrostatic charge or [I] S . P. Verma et al., “Problems and Failures caused by Shaft Poten-
static excitation system) can be considerably reduced by suitable grounding .
tials . .,” Paper 11-10, CIGRE 1980.
brushes. We have limited experience with the grounding brushes men- [2] R. Kreutzer et al., “Gefugeumwandlung in Lagern durch Stromuber-
tioned by Mr. Sohre and have some doubts on their reliability; our past tragung,” Der Maschinenschaden 60 (1987) Heft 3.
experience with bristle type brushes has been as bad as with ordinary
carbon brushes. The authors do not follow Mr. Sohre’s comments on Manuscript received September 21, 1987.