Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Manufacturing (RM), Life Management & In-service Experiences (RM), Failures Cases, Investigations and Repair Procedures (RM)
Presentations
11:00am - 11:30am
Review of activities of IEEE PES EMC Materials Subcommittee
N. Frost1, A. Simard2, R. Draper3, S. Sitler4
1Frosty's Zap Lab, LLC, United States of America; 2Hydro Quebec, Canada; 3Andritz, Canada; 4GE Vernova, United States of America
IEEE PES EMC standards are well-known in the industry for guiding work on generators and motors. The EMC is the Electric Machines Committee. The authors of this paper are the present leadership for IEEE PES EMC Materials Subcommittee (MaSC). The focus of this paper is to review the general topics of the standards in this committee, with a particular focus on the new standards of the last 5 years, as well as a couple that will be going to ballot in the next year or two. The paper will include a grouping of the IEEE PES EMC MaSC standards as to general use. In addition, an overview of the hierarchy of the IEEE PES EMC will be discussed. The goal of this paper is to provide the novice with a general education of this area of IEEE Standards activities, hopefully, to generate interest to participate. For those more knowledgeable about IEEE standards, this paper plans to provide a review of new standards and activities on the existing works.
11:30am - 12:00pm
Comparison of New and Old High Voltage Diamond Coil Electrical Insulation Performance for Hydroelectric Generators
A. Thomas1, M. Widdowson1, B. Maynard1, S. Muthukumaran1, R. So2, J. Floyd2, K. Hargreaves2
1Preformed Windings, United Kingdom; 2U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
This paper compares high-voltage electrical coils from hydroelectric generators after approximately 36 years of service with newly manufactured replacement coils. The original coils are part of the US Army Corps of Engineers' renovation of the Chief Joseph Dam in Washington State, where 16 generator units (92,920 kVA, 13,800 V) will be rewound. Preformed Windings will supply the new coils, designed to sustain decades of renewable energy production. With the average age of hydroelectric power station in the U.S. approaching 50 years, this paper is to create a reference for the industry of the expected benefits that can be achieved in the rewinding of the fleet using resin rich coils manufactured with modern techniques.
Four coils removed from generator Unit 10 were inspected for signs of operational degradation, measured using 3D laser scanning technology and tested for key electrical insulation parameters, including insulation resistance (IR), Tan Delta, and Partial Discharge (PD). Additionally, the coils were dissected to evaluate the condition of the insulation system at various points along their cross-sectional areas.
The paper will present the results of these tests, quantifying the many effects of prolonged operation on insulation integrity by comparing the in-service coils with coils stored since their original manufacture. Further comparisons are made with newly fabricated coils, highlighting advancements in insulation materials and manufacturing techniques. Improvements in insulation performance, as evidenced by the enhanced Tan Delta, PD, and Phase-Resolved Partial Discharge (PRPD) measurements, are discussed in detail.
This paper aims to inform the industry on the impact of generator operation on electrical insulation, discuss what are good indicators of quality for high voltage coils and finally, the benefits of rewinding hydroelectric generators with modern resin rich insulation systems and improved manufacturing methods, which offer better control of main wall insulation quality.
