Generators 101 Slides (W. Howard Moudy)

Generator 101
AOG Meeting February 16, 2022
W. Howard Moudy
Director of Operations
National Electric Coil
[email protected]
724-787-4967
www.National-Electric-Coil.com
Electro-Magnets, Sturgeon & Faraday’s Law
• Generator Rotor is an Electro-Magnet
• Invented in 1823 by William Sturgeon. Current

running through copper wire wound around a
piece of iron generates a magnetic field.
• Magnetic field is spinning at 3600 rpm from

turbine.
• Faraday’s Law (1831) says that a magnet

moving across a copper conductor, will
generate a voltage and current in that
conductor
• Voltage and current is generated in the stator

winding and taken out for distribution
National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 2

Generating Voltage
and Current Stationary Conductor
By Faraday’s Law, an Electro Magnetic Flux
(EMF) is generated. As the excited rotor
spins, its flux cuts across the conductors, and
voltage is induced. When conductors are
connected to a load (the grid), a specific
voltage and current are induced in the Spinning Electro-Magnet
conductors. Sturgens Law - Current
running through copper
wire wound around a
piece of iron generates a
magnetic field

Turbo Generator Stators & Rotors
• Stator (Armature) • Rotor (Field)

• High Voltage 13.8 to 27 • Low Voltage 125 to 500 vdc
kVac • Turbo
• Stationary • 1500 – 3000 rpm – 50 Hz
• 1800 – 3600 rpm – 60 Hz
Generator Cooling
• Importance of Cooling
• Insulation Thermal Ratings
• Cooling Mediums
• Gas
• Air
• Hydrogen
• Liquid
• Oil
• Water
• Cooling Designs
• Indirect
• Direct

Generator Terminology **
* Source of definitions is the IEC’s Electropedia at www.electropedia.org.
• Stator – the portion of a rotating • Excitation System – the equipment

machine that includes the stationary providing the field current of a
magnetic parts with their associated
windings machine, including all regulating and
• Rotor or Field – the rotating portion of control elements, as well as field
a generator discharge or suppression equipment
• Cylindrical Rotor Machine – a machine and protective devices
having a cylindrically shaped rotor, the • Exciter – the source that supplies all or
periphery of which may be provided part of the power to the field winding
with slots which accommodate the coil of an electrical. Exciters may be (1)
sides of a winding direct current (DC) machines, (2)
• Salient Pole Machine – a machine in alternating current machines with
which the field poles project from the rectifiers, or (3) static solid-state
frame yoke or hub towards the air-gap rectifiers. Exciters form part of the
• Alternating Current (AC) Generator – a excitation system.
generator for the production of • Direct Current (DC) Machine – a
alternating current and voltage machine incorporating an armature
• Synchronous Machine – an AC winding connected via a commutator to
machine in which the frequency of the a direct current system and having
generated voltages and the speed of magnetic poles that are excited from a
the machine are in a constant ratio source of direct or undulating current
or which are permanent magnets
6
Generator Stators
• Stator consists of the
frame, core iron and
coils Frame
• Frame holds everything

together
• Core Iron provides a Core

magnetic path for the
flux
• Coils carry the current Coils

generated by the
induced voltage

Generator Frame
• Frame holds
hydrogen coolers
• Supports the bearing

brackets that support Coolers
the bearing, journals,
and rotor Bearing Bracket
Cooler
• Houses the “lead
box” area where the
main terminals exit

Looking Inside A Stator Frame
• Frame supports the core
iron steel laminations
• Circular ribs add stiffness

and rigidity
• Key bars or building

bolts are welded to the
circular ribs
• Core laminations are

“located” by the key bars
or building bolts

Core Lamination Coatings
• C-3 Organic coating
– Lower temperature capability
– Less die wear when punching laminations
– More commonly used when punching lam’s
• C-5 – Ceramic coating

– Higher temperature capability
– High die wear if punched
– Always used when laser cutting

Stator Core Iron
• Stator cores are usually
stacked in vertical position
• Thousands of individually
coated laminations form a
solid iron structure
• Supports the coils
• Magnetic flux path
The “I” beams form

spaces in the stator
core for cooling gas
to pass through and
cool the core

Stator Core Lamination Styles
• Two main types of core Key Bar Slot (GE)
lamination design: key bar and
building bolt
• Core is made up of thousands of

individual laminations
• Each one is coated with

insulation
• M-19, 29 Gage (0.014 inches

thick) is most common
• Low electrical loss steel

Building Bolt Slot (Westinghouse)
Stator Core Clamping
• Frame is also used as a
bracing structure to clamp
the core tight
• Core bolts are tightened,

transmitting clamping
force to pressure plate,
finger plates, and then
core
• Tension screws are

sometimes used to stretch
core bolt

Stator Core
Finger Plate
Pressure Plate

Stator Winding
EE
Connection End
Series
Connections
Cell
Phase Leads
End turns

Generator Terminology **
** Source of definitions is the IEC’s Electropedia at www.electropedia.org.
• Two-layer winding – a distributed winding in • Roebel transposition – a scheme of transposition in which

which there are two coil sides in the depth of strands occupy two height-wise tiers in a half coil, and at
each slot. (Generators have two-layer regular intervals through the core length one top strand and
windings.) one bottom strand cross over to the other tier in such a way
• Coil – a physical assembly of one or more that each strand occupies every radial position in each tier.
electrical coil sections, generally surrounded • Lamination – a metal sheet, generally coated with an
by common insulation . insulating material, used in the construction of parts of the
• Coil or bar insulation – the main insulation, magnetic circuit of the laminated stator or rotor of an
to earth or between phases, surrounding a electrical machine. (Laminations can be die- or laser-cut to
coil or a bar, additional to any conductor or shape.)
turn insulation.
• Multi-turn (or diamond)coil – a complete
coil. All coils making up the winding have the
same shape and coil span.
• Half-coil bar – either of two parts, which
when connected together, would form a
complete coil. A bar consists of coil side and
an appropriate end winding. (Other terms for
‘coil side’ are cell or slot portion of the coil.)
16
Stator Winding
• Stator winding is made of coils or
bars Multi-Turn
• Three main stator coil cooling types: Coil
• Conventional - air or hydrogen
• Inner cooled - air or hydrogen
• Liquid - water or oil cooled
• Cell portion fits in the core iron slots
• End turn portion hangs over the
end, outside the core and is formed Roebel Bars
to an “involute” shape

Bar -vs- Coil
Losses?
Manufacturing Cost?
Winding Time?
Maintenance?
Multi-turn Coil
Twist Transposition
Optimize Coil Design – Lower Losses
• I2R Losses
• inversely proportional to copper area –
more total copper means lower I2R losses
– these losses are the highest percentage
of total winding losses
• Strand/Eddy Current Losses
• proportional to strand thickness – thicker
strand means higher losses – slightly
wider and thicker strand for Argentina –
slightly higher Eddy Current losses but
lower overall losses because of increase in
copper cross sectional area
• Circulating Current Losses
• voltage potential differences between
strands
• Roebel design eliminates
Conventional bar
cross section
TWOPART "PIGGY-BACK" WEDGE
Slot
Cross-Section RIPPLE SPRING
TOP FILLER
• Core lamination CONDUCTOR
• Top coil 4.300
• Bottom Coil VENT TUBES
• Cooling tubes 9.625

GROUND
INSULATION
• Copper Strands SEPARATORORRTD
• Ground insulation
• Top fillers OUTSIDE
TAPE
Side fillers
3.916
•
Bottom breaker
SIDE FILLERS
•
• Top wedge
1.765 BREAKER
1.820
Result Of Inadequate Side Filler – Spark Erosion (SE)
• High energy spark in the stator bar

slot between the coil and the core.
• Intermittent contact of a loose bar
in the slot repeatedly opens and
closes the gap causing frequent
sparking by the high energy in the
core to the slot

Primary Solution To Prevent Spark Erosion (SE)
Side Ripple Filler

Stator Slot Wedges
Slot wedges hold individual coils or bars in place in their slots in the core iron.

End Winding Blocking, Bracing, & Tying
• Blocking and tying
between coils
should be regular,
even and consistent
• Coil end turns are
consolidated into a
homogenous, and
arch-bound
structure

Stator Coil Bracing
• Diagram of simple
bracing system
with bracket and
surge rings
• Decoupling system
can be
incorporated by
allowing surge
rings to slide on
bracket surface

Fault Forces on End Turns
• Surge forces can occur during
a fault, such as single-phase
operation, or a lightning strike
on the bus
• The force is radial and

distributed as shown
• Coil support brackets, or surge

rings must handle

End Winding Stability
• Strength while allowing for thermal
expansion and contraction
• Outside Limits of Resonance Exclusion Zone
Series and Phase Blocking

End Turn Spacer Blocking
Tie Tape
Dacron Felt Spacer Blocks

Coil Phase & Series Connections & Phase Rings

Alstom End Winding Support System

60WX232-109
Main lead
Resonance Failure

Stator Leads / Bushings
Neutral

Generator Stator Questions?

Rotors

Rotor Forging
• Rotor forging machined
from one piece of
NiCrMoV steel
• Withstand torsional,
lateral bending,
vibratory and rotational
stresses
• Torque from turbine is
transmitted through
coupling and shaft

Empty Rotor Slot
• Slots are machined in

the rotor forging to hold
the copper turns of the
winding
• Wedge grooves “fir
tree” or “T” shaped;
allow wedges to hold
copper turns in place
during rotation

Rotor Slot Liners
• Ground insulation for coils in

the rotor forging slot region
• Manufactured from a variety
of materials including Nomex,
Mica, Glass, and various Films
• Typically, liner materials
should not be mixed in a
rotor to keep consistent
thermal transfer properties
36
Rotor Windings

Inner Cooled Rotor Conductors
• Newer, larger
hydrogen cooled
units have inner
cooling in the rotor
conductors
• Cooling gas is in
direct contact with
the copper
• More efficient
cooling

GE Diagonal Cooled Rotor Winding
• On some large
units, GE uses a
diagonal cooled
rotor winding
cooling scheme
• Holes in copper
are slightly offset
with each turn
• Hydrogen gas
travels up and out
in a diagonal path

End Winding Blocking
• End turn blocking:
• supports the windings from distorting or shifting
• Coil to coil blocks
• typically positioned in a diagonal pattern
• generally fit snug between coils, with additional
clearance between the last row of blocks and the
centering ring
• Nomex tabs:
• maintain the block position within the end turn winding
arrangement
• OEM Design –
• Metal rivets have come out and can catch on the
RR liner
• Upgraded Design:
• improved design with a double tab arrangement
fixed in place with a slot and dowel pins
Slide 40All Rights Reserved

National Electric Coil 2022 40
Rotor Slot Wedges
• Restrain the rotor coils in the slot against
centrifugal forces
• Manufactured from magnetic steel,
stainless steel, aluminum or titanium.
Sometimes special brass/Beryllium
copper is used for end wedges.
The wedges can have different geometries:
• Standard
• Pine tree type special •Wedges subject to high
• Vented centrifugal forces due to
rotation at 3600 rpm

Retaining Rings
• Today made from alloy steel non-
magnetic forging ASTM A-289 Class
C (18Mn 18Cr)
• Older Alloy 18Mn 5Cr susceptible
to SCC (picture on right below)
• Older and smaller units are more likely to have
magnetic rings
• Holes are a good tell of magnetic rings especially
on Westinghouse or Electric Machinery OEM’s
• Some non Magnetic can have holes but typically
indicative of a rotor upgrade.
• Holes in non magnetic rings require special
machining / broaching.

Retaining Ring Mounting Types
Body-Mounted Retaining Ring
• Magnetic rings often have holes –
most non-magnetic don’t
Mounting Surface • Non Magnetic typically do not
Spindle-Mounted Retaining Ring
Mounting Surface
Bayonet Style Mounted Retaining

Ring
• Shrink fit and a twist

Retaining Ring Mounting
Body Mounted Spindle Mounted

• Most modern designs
are body mounted to
shaft with a snap ring
at nose of ring
• Cantilevered off the
back end of the ring
• No contact with shaft at
back end

Bayonett Style Retaining Ring

Rotor Ends

Slip Ring Connections
The connection leads from the slip ring to the rotor winding is a semi-
rigid insulated connection running through the through hole and
connected with insulated studs on either end.

Radial Stud and J –Strap Leads

Alstom Pole to Pole Crossover Failure

Coil to Coil Connectors
National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 50 50

Collector Rings
• Size and number can vary
depending upon he
amount of current to be
supplied to the rotor

Rotor Fans / Blowers
Circulate cooling gas, so that the rotor and stator
windings stay at normal operating temperatures.
Squirrel Cage Fan Axial Fan

Rotor Journals & Bearings
• Rotor Journal Damage can occur for several

reasons
• Often caused by lube oil contamination or
starvation
• Major damage can result in forging repairs
• Minor damage may only require honing /
polishing
Polished surfaces for bearings to support the rotor

Rotor High Speed Balance
Flux Probe in Balance Pit

Brushless Excitation

Generator Resources
• Glossary of machine parts and electrical terminology
• Section 411 – Rotating Machinery of the IEC’s Electropedia
(www.electropedia.org) contains those definitions most relevant to
generators.
• The glossary is multilingual. Most terms appear in at least French and
English, but terms may also be shown in German, Spanish and many other
languages.
• International Generator Technical Community
• Online forum discussing a wide range of generator maintenance and
related design issues.
• Members-only, no-cost to join at www.generatortechnicalforum.org.
56
Stator &Rotor
Questions & Discussion
W. Howard Moudy
hmoudy@national-electric-
coil.com
(724) 787- 4967

Bonus Discussion - Generator Maintenance
• Present Day • Purposes of • Become Aware of the
Operational Characteristics of Your
Challenges: Inspection & Generator Model &
• Cycling Testing Your Specific Machine
• Speed • Other Users
• Load & VARS • Monitor
• Industry
• Maintenance • Identify Conferences &
Program Events
• Evaluate
• Frequency • On Line Forums
• Decreased Cost • Qualify & Quantify • Vendors & OEM
• Disassembly • Trend Bulletins

Visual Inspection – Robotic & Borescope
• Visual Inspection is the best overall maintenance value
• Robotic and Borescope Inspections are less intrusive
& can be a price and schedule advantage
• Borescope & robotic technology continues to improve
• getting smaller to gain greater access in tighter areas
• Improved optics yielding improved clarity & insight
• Technology improvements have only increased the
importance of:
• experienced inspection and data gathering personnel
• experienced generator design and engineering personnel
for evaluation and recommendations.

Generator Inspection Robot
• Crawler - 14.75”x 12.5” x 0.9”
Weight – 6.5 lbs
• Visual Cameras - Video & 8x
quality digital stills
• Enhanced LED lighting
• Wedge Tap - Compatible with
Iris SWA
• El-Cid - Compatible with Iris
Digital
• Speed: 1.66” / Second

Robotic Inspection Insight
Digital Stator Wedge Tap Stator Core ELCID

Robotic Inspection
Required Generator Access
• Upper end bell removed
on EE for Visual and
Wedge Tap
• Upper end bell removed
on EE and TE for ElCid
• Excitation loop
• Challenge-
• Air Gap clearance
• Step iron and nose of
retaining ring clearance

Generator Inspection & Testing
Standard Equipment Monitoring
Monitoring Activity Purpose/Findings Frequency
Temperature Over-temperature Continuous

operation
Ground Failure of ground Continuous
insulation
Lube Oil Analysis Contamination, Six Months
bearing babbit
deterioration
Vibration Thermal sensitivity, Continuous
loose component,
imminent failure
National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved

Inspection & Testing
Visual Inspection
Maintenance Activity Purpose/Findings Frequency
Stator Winding Dusting, greasing, Before every minor

oily, broken ties, and major outage to
discoloration, wedge help determine scope
looseness, foreign
object damage
Stator Core Damaged iron, loose Major outages
iron, discoloration,
foreign objects
Rotor Discoloration from Before every minor
overheating, loose or and major outage to
shifted blocks, arcing help determine scope
National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved Slide 64

Electrical Tests - Stator
Insulation Determines Minor and Major

Resistance or presence of Outage
“Megger” with PI contamination
Winding Resistance Integrity of brazed Minor and Major
connections Outage
Hipot Proof test to “stress” Major Outage
insulation
D.C. Ramp Determines Major Outage
insulation condition /
strength

Specialty Stator Tests
ELCID – Electro- Shorted laminations Major outage
magnetic Core
Imperfection Detection
Core Loop Shorted laminations After rewinds or core
repair
Wedge Tightness Loose wedges Major outage
Partial Discharge Insulation deterioration, Yearly
coil tightness in slot
Bump test Detects resonant Major outage
frequencies

Electrical Tests - Rotor
Maintenance Purpose/Findings Frequency
Activity
Insulation Presence of Minor and Major
Resistance or contamination &/or Outage
“Megger” with PI insulation deterioration
Winding Integrity of brazed Minor and Major
Resistance connections Outage
Flux Probe Rotor shorted turns Yearly
(running)
Pole Balance Rotor shorted turns Major Outage
(stationary)

Specialty Rotor Tests
Boresonic Inspection Forging Material Rewind and based on

Integrity past assessment
NDE – Retaining rings Detect cracks, corrosion Major Outage and

and other components and material Rewinds
deterioration
High Speed Balance Qualify rotor After major rotor work

mechanically & and Rewinds
electrically and dynamic
balance
National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved Slide 68

Testing Summary
BE SURE ALL CIRCUITS ARE DE-ENERGIZED)
MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY SHOWS FREQUENCY
Dielectric Absorption Winding cleanliness Major Outage
Polarization Index (PI) Winding cleanliness/moisture Major and Minor Outage Cycles
Power Factor Insulation integrity Major Outage Cycle
Partial Discharge (PD) Coil tightness; insulation integrity On-line or Outage Cycle
Megger Integrity of Insulation Major and Minor Outage Cycles
Blackout Corona suppression integrity Rewind
Resistance Integrity of joints and connections Major and Minor Outage Cycles
Flux Probe Rotor winding shorts On-line, Rewind
Rotor Impedance Rotor winding shorts Rewind
Ground Fault Rotor Ground Continuous
Split Voltage Location of rotor grounds As Needed
Voltage Drop Presence of shorted turns Major Outage Cycle
El Cid Integrity of stator core Major Outage Cycle
Core Loop Integrity of stator core Major Outage Cycle
Bolt Torque Stator core looseness Major Outage Cycle
Ultrasonic Cracks, defects in forgings Major Outage Cycle
Temperature Monitoring Normal/abnormal operation On-line and Continuous
Dye Penetrant Cracks, defects in forgings Major Outage Cycle
Eddy Current Cracks, defects in forgings Major Outage Cycle
Magnetic Particle Cracks, defects in forgings Major Outage Cycle
Wedge Mapping Stator winding tightness Major Outage Cycle
Hi-Pot Insulation integrity Major Outage Cycle
Vibration Rotor imbalance Monthly and On-line
Visual Inspection Normal/Abnormal Performance As Available
Oil Chemistry and Count Bearing oil contamination Twice Yearly

Generator Maintenance Final Remarks
The Importance Of Trending
• Documentation should be a • Outage Reports
conscious intent as part of planning • Should be kept together,
that carries through execution of the organized by date, so they can be
outage, rather than just gathering up easily referenced
the information after the outage is
over. • Electronic and paper files
• Documented information provides • Track recommendations, their
valuable insight about where we completion and the details of
have been and where we are. completion (process, date)
• Trended information provides • Test Results – File by date
invaluable insight about where we • Normalize temperature and
are going. (Not a crystal ball but the next humidity
best thing!) • Trend

Generator Questions
& Discussion
W. Howard Moudy
[email protected]
724-787-4967
www.National-Electric-Coil.com

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Generator 101

AOG Meeting February 16, 2022

• Invented in 1823 by William Sturgeon. Current

• Magnetic field is spinning at 3600 rpm from

• Faraday’s Law (1831) says that a magnet

• Voltage and current is generated in the stator

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 2

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 3

• Stator (Armature) • Rotor (Field)

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 5

• Stator – the portion of a rotating • Excitation System – the equipment

• Frame holds everything

• Core Iron provides a Core

• Coils carry the current Coils

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 7

• Supports the bearing

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 8

• Circular ribs add stiffness

• Key bars or building

• Core laminations are

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 9

• C-5 – Ceramic coating

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 10

The “I” beams form

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 11

• Core is made up of thousands of

• Each one is coated with

• M-19, 29 Gage (0.014 inches

• Low electrical loss steel

• Core bolts are tightened,

• Tension screws are

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 13

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 14

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 15

• Two-layer winding – a distributed winding in • Roebel transposition – a scheme of transposition in which

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 17

• Core lamination CONDUCTOR

• Top coil 4.300

• Bottom Coil VENT TUBES

• Cooling tubes 9.625

• Copper Strands SEPARATORORRTD

• High energy spark in the stator bar

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 21

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 22

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 23

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 24

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 25

• The force is radial and

• Coil support brackets, or surge

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 26

Series and Phase Blocking

Dacron Felt Spacer Blocks

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 28

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 29

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 30

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 31

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 32

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 33

National Electric Coil 2022 All Rights Reserved 34