Solving a Problem Related to Shear Pin Failure

The 506.4 MW Peixe Angical hydroelectric plant, on the Tocantins River in central Bra il, contains three vertical !6"." MW #aplan t$r%ines. &n March '", '0!0, all '4 (ic)et gate shear pins in *nit ! +ailed. Plant ,echanics deter,ined that this +ail$re %egan (ith r$pt$re o+ an oil pipe in the hydra$lic circ$it o+ inta)e gate !, (hich ca$sed the $nit to sh$t do(n and %rea) all the shear pins. The entire t$r%ine shi+ted do(nstrea,, scratching o$t the cha,%er ri, and then displacing the $nit $p(ard. -n addition to repairing the da,age to this $nit ca$sed %y the sh$t do(n, o(ner .nerpeixe, a s$%sidiary o+ $tility .letro%ras /$rnas, too) ,$ltiple actions to prevent a si,ilar pro%le, +ro, occ$rring again. These +ive actions incl$ded0 installing a (ic)et gate ,onitoring syste,, adding a co,pressed air syste, to detect shear pin +ail$re, changing the ,echanical closing r$le +or the distri%$tor, increasing the tor1$e o+ the distri%$tor2s sa+ety device and installing a stop pin in the (ic)et gate lever.

Two of the bolts (shown) used to connect the hydraulic commanding pipe to the cylinder block of the servomotor system for intake gate 1 failed due to misalignment problems during assembly of the unit, ultimately resulting in shut down of the unit. Peixe Angical plant personnel needed !35 days to co,plete the a%ove ,odi+ications and repair the da,age to the $nit. *nit ! (as ret$rned to service on A$g$st !0, '0!0, and the other t(o $nits have %een ,odi+ied as (ell.

Event description

*nit ! at the Peixe Angical plant %egan operating in 4$ne '006. The +ive5%laded r$nner has a dia,eter o+ ".6 ,eters. &n March '", '0!0, the restoring hydra$lic syste, +or the *nit ! (ic)et gates +ailed. -n less than +ive ,in$tes a+ter the +irst indication o+ a pro%le,, the $nit had stopped. The se1$ence o+ events is as +ollo(s0 At !60060'", an alar, indicated the t$r%ine inta)e gate had +allen, e,ergency tripping o+ the $nit, and a loc)o$t relay. Three seconds later, another alar, indicated (ic)et gate disalign,ent. Three seconds a+ter that, at !6006034, rotor $pli+t occ$rred, and one second later an overspeed ,echanical device alar, so$nded. &ne second a+ter that, the $nit (as operating at speed no load. 6even seconds later, at !6006043, the (ic)et gates closed. More than '.5 ,in$tes a+ter this event 7at !60080'59, inta)e gate ! closed, +ollo(ed %y inta)e gate 3 closing !8 seconds later and inta)e gate ' :$st ! second a+ter that 7at !60080459. The $nit stopped at !60!!0!6.

Assessing the situation

-,,ediately a+ter the +ail$re, Peixe Angical plant personnel %egan disasse,%ling the $nit and per+or,ed a vis$al inspection to help deter,ine the ca$se o+ the incident and the extent o+ the da,age to the $nit. T(o %olts $sed to connect the hydra$lic co,,anding pipe to the cylinder %loc) o+ the servo,otor syste, +or inta)e gate ! +ailed d$e to ,isalign,ent pro%le,s d$ring initial asse,%ly o+ the $nit. Plant personnel deter,ine this (as the inciting incident in this +ail$re. The hydra$lic circ$it %egan to lea), and the restoring syste, co$ld not s$pply eno$gh oil to )eep $p (ith the lea)age. Th$s, the inta)e gate level lo(ered, leading to activation o+ the loc)o$t relay. The s$%se1$ent disalign,ent o+ the (ic)et gates $n%alanced the t$r%ine. The oscillation val$es (ere not recorded, %$t the ,ar)s on the cha,%er ri, give an indication o+ the extent o+ the i,%alance. This dist$r%ance ca$sed the $nit to rise a%ove the 3 ,, li,it i,posed %y the axial anti5thr$st %earing. As a res$lt o+ the ,al+$nction and the res$lting red$ction in the do(nstrea, t$r%ine gap, the $nit ,ade contact (ith the cha,%er ri,, %$t there (as no apparent da,age to the t$r%ine r$nner.

-n addition, the high level o+ oscillation ca$sed the overspeed ,echanical device to i,properly operate at !30; o+ t$r%ine ,axi,$, speed. The no,inal level is set at a%o$t !65;. The distri%$tor sh$t do(n !5 seconds a+ter the trip, and the re,aining t(o inta)e gates closed (ithin '0 seconds a+ter closing o+ gate !. Parts o+ the $nit s$++ering da,age d$ring this incident incl$ded the t$r%ine g$ide %earing, inta)e gate, cha,%er ri,, shear pins and (ic)et gate. /o$r o+ the '4 +ixing %olts +or the t$r%ine g$ide %earing cover (ere %ro)en. The %earing is designed in t(o parts, and these %olts are placed near the contact s$r+ace o+ each hal+ part. All !0 seg,ents o+ the g$ide %earing (ere scratched. -n addition, the axial anti5thr$st %earing in the lo(er part o+ the t$r%ine g$ide %earing (as da,aged %y the $pli+t o+ the $nit d$ring the accident. The no,inal axial +reedo, 7clearance9 to $pli+t the rotating parts is 3 ,,. The gap ,eas$red a+ter the accident (as 6 ,,. The axial gap (as raised %y the plastic de+or,ation o+ the inner head cover prod$ced %y the accident. The scraping signs o%served at the s$pport o+ the radial ,onitoring sensor ca$sed %y the choc) o+ the +ixing %olts o+ the se,i5axes o+ the #aplan t$r%ine head sho(s that the $nit raised as ,$ch as !5 ,,. The energy involved in this accident dre( all (ic)et gates to torsional plastic de+or,ation ca$sed %y its i,pact (ith the closing stops placed in the o$ter headcover. The shear pin and +riction syste, o+ all the (ic)et gates +ailed. All '4 shear pins (ere +o$nd to %e %ro)en. And all the closing stops (ere ,ar)ed %y the i,pact. The t(o slotted %$shings in each (ic)et gate responsi%le +or tor1$e trans,ission %et(een the (ic)et gate and its gate lever (ere also de+or,ed.

Analy ing the data gathered

An analysis did not point to any one speci+ic ele,ent as the ,ain ca$se o+ the +ail$re %eca$se the oil lea)age (as not the root ca$se. Plant personnel selected t(o shear pins to $ndergo nondestr$ctive exa,ination o+ the ,icrostr$ct$re o+ the +ract$re. The pins chosen (ere (or)ing on opposite sides o+ the $nit 7positions 5 and !'9 and had oxidation signs that co$ld %e ,icroscopically analy ed to

previe( the ca$se o+ the +ract$re. The res$lts o+ this analysis indicated that the pins did not sho( +atig$e %$t rather s$++ered a s$dden +ragile r$pt$re. Another i,portant +act is the closing desynchroni ation o+ the inta)e gates. &ne o+ the three inta)e gates 7n$,%er !9 started closing earlier. <o(ever, the ,an$+act$rer deter,ined that this +act (o$ld not geo,etrically in+l$ence the +$rther insta%ility. The data collected %y the ,onitoring syste,s (ere synchroni ed (ith the data +ro, the 6=6> 7s$pervision syste,9, leading to the +ollo(ing concl$sions0 The $nit changed to a load re:ection condition activated %y the e,ergency act$ation. The gap %et(een the rotor %lade and cha,%er ri, %egan its red$ction 3 seconds a+ter the (ic)et gate disalign,ent occ$rred. /$rther,ore, 6 seconds a+ter load re:ection, the rotor reached an $p(ard displace,ent level o+ ".5 ,,. =$ring the incident the %lade o+ the #aplan t$r%ine to$ched the cha,%er ri, at ,axi,$, overspeed. At that ,o,ent, the rotor %lades, (hich had :$st %een opened, closed rapidly and then ret$rned to ,axi,$, open position a +e( seconds later.

!epair work
?oith <ydro Brasil co,pleted the repair (or) on this $nit. This involved, a,ong other things, replacing the da,aged t$r%ine g$ide %earing. The axial anti5thr$st %earing (as replaced, and the inner head cover (elds (ere tested $sing die chec)ing. All thr$st and g$ide seg,ents (ere s$%,itted to @=. $sing an $ltraso$nd. Repairs to the hydra$lic circ$it (ere li,ited to correction o+ the ,isalign,ent pro%le,s. The cha,%er ri, o+ this $nit did not re1$ire any repair. -n addition, all o+ the slotted %$shings in the (ic)et gates (ere replaced, (ith an increase o+ ' ,, in dia,eter 7+ro, A0 to A' ,,9 %eca$se o+ de+or,ations in the %$shing holes.

"mprovements
Plant personnel deter,ined that +ive actions (ere necessary to %e $nderta)en +or all three $nits to prevent +$t$re si,ilar accidents at the Peixe Angical hydro installation0 B -nstall an online (ic)et gate ,onitoring syste,. Th$s, a progra,,a%le logic controller no( is responsi%le +or identi+ying %ro)en shear pins.

B -nstall a co,pressed air syste, to detect shear pin +ail$re, even (ith no ,isalign,ent a,ong the levers. A pne$,atic series circ$it connected to all shear pins s$pervises the occ$rrence o+ any crac)ing in a shear pin %y ,onitoring the air press$re. B >hange the ,echanical closing r$le o+ the distri%$tor to a d$al rate syste, to red$ce the tendency o+ the $nit to ,ove $p(ard d$ring e,ergency clos$re or load re:ection. *nder this syste,, the distri%$tor (ill decrease +ro, !00; to '0; o+ speed in ".4 seconds and +ro, '0; o+ speed to +$ll stop in !'.A seconds. The initial closing ti,e (as a%o$t 8.5 seconds. This ,odi+ication pro,otes a s,oother closing (ith conse1$ent decrease in li+ting o+ the $nit d$ring closing proced$res. B -ncrease the tor1$e o+ the distri%$tor2s sa+ety device. The +riction tor1$e (as increased to 85 )@, +ro, A5 )@,, the shear tor1$e to !3" )@, +ro, !!5 )@, and the total tor1$e to '33 )@, +ro, !80 )@,. The increase in these val$es (as li,ited %y the yielding li,its o+ the ,aterials involved. B -nstall a stop pin in the (ic)et gate lever to avoid its closing ,ove,ent in case o+ a shear pin r$pt$re. This is one ,ore sa+ety syste, in case o+ a possi%le loosening o+ the original one, (hich consists o+ the shear pin and +riction device. This stop pin is strong eno$gh to s$pport a resistant sa+ety e1$al to the original syste, tor1$e. The total e1$ivalent resistant tor1$e res$lts in 466 )@,.

#erformance improved
Repairs (ere co,pleted on this $nit in A$g$st '0!0. 6ince that ti,e, the $nit has operated relia%ly. -n addition, the +ive i,prove,ent actions disc$ssed a%ove have since %een i,ple,ented +or all three $nits. >o,,issioning tests (ere repeated (hen each $nit (as ret$rned to service, (ith partic$lar e,phasis on the d$al rate syste, ,entioned earlier. -,ple,enting this syste, res$lted in a signi+icant red$ction 753;9 in the axial displace,ent o+ the $nits. By Amauri Alvarez, formerly operations director for Enerpeixe, now with Santo Antonio Energia; Jose enri!ue "ilela