Turbo generator cooling

An efficient cooling and ventilating system is

needed to keep the temperature of the windings
and other components of the generator resulting
due to various losses, below certain limits
depending on the insulation.

Cooling in ac generator
Dissipation in generators appears as heat which
must be removed. This heat appears in the
armature conductors, field-winding conductors,
stator core, rotor surface, and other structural
elements of the
machine. Cooling of armature and field
conductors may be direct or indirect; the
difference is direct
contact of the cooling medium with the conductor
or contact through electrical insulation.
Dissipationa loss of energy from a dynamic
system.
Dynamic - !otion

"osses in an ac generator
The three losses found in an AC generator are -
#.$nternal voltage drops due to the internal
resistance and impedance of the generator
%.&ysteresis losses

'.!echanical losses

Cooling methods of turbogenerators
#.(tator winding-indirectly air cooled
)otor winding-directly air cooled
%.stator winding-indirectly hydrogen cooled
)otor winding-directly hydrogen cooled
'.stator winding-directly water cooled
)otor winding-directly hydrogen cooled

Air cooled turbo generator
$n this,stator winding is indirectly air cooled
whereas the rotor winding and stator core is
directly air cooled.This type of cooling is
applicable for rating of '* !+ to ,* !+
generators.

&ydrogen cooled turbogenerator
A hydrogen-cooled turbo generator is a turbo
generator with gaseous hydrogen as a coolant.
Advantages
#.)eduction in si-e of machine
%.$ncrease in life of machine
Coolant-An agent that produces cooling.

&ydrogen cooling system
Although hydrogen is a very useful medium for
cooling the generator internal com-
ponents, it is very dangerous if not handled
correctly. A dedicated system to handle the
supply and control of the hydrogen atmosphere
inside the generator is re.uired. (ince
hydrogen is used at generator casing pressures
up to /* psig, the generator is also con-
sidered a pressure vessel. This re.uires various
sealing arrangements to keep the hy-
drogen inside the machine.

(upply of the hydrogen to the generator is
generally provided by an on-site hydro-
gen manufacturing plant, or purchased in a
pressure container and replenished periodically.
Degas-to remove gas
0urge-to clean thoroughly

$n addition to the hydrogen, a separate supply
system is re.uired for C1% to purge
the generator of hydrogen during filling and
degassing. C1% is used because it is inert
and will not react with the hydrogen. $f the
hydrogen in the generator were to be
purged with air, this would encroach upon both
the upper and lower e2plosive limits
due to the combustible nature of a
hydrogen3o2ygen mi2ture.

&ydrogen at high purity 4above /*56 will not
support combustion, and at this level there is no
danger of e2plosion since the e2plosive range of a
hydrogen3o2ygen mi2ture is 7 to 895 hydrogen in
air. To prevent the possibility of an e2plosive
mi2ture when filling the generator with
hydrogen for operation, air is first purged from the
generator by C1%, and the C1% is
then purged by hydrogen. +hen degassing the
generator for shutdown, hydrogen is
first displaced by C1% and then the C1% is
purged by air. This way, no e2plosive mi2-
ture of hydrogen and o2ygen can occur. $n some
rare cases, other inert gases have been
used, such as argon.

During operation, a gas pressure regulator
automatically maintains the generator
casing hydrogen pressure at a preset 4rated6
value. $f hydrogen leaks occur, the pres-
sure regulator admits additional hydrogen from
the supply system until the predeter-
mined pressure is restored. There is always a
certain amount of e2pected leakage into
the seal oil, through minute leaks, permeation
through the stator winding hoses, and so
forth, but most generators should be capable of
continuous operation below 9** cubic
feet per day loss. $f the loss increases to #9**
cubic feet per day, the source of the leak
should be investigated immediately and corrected.

A hydrogen gas analy-er is usually present to
monitor the hydrogen purity, which
should be maintained above /85. Dew-point
monitoring is sometimes provided to
control the level of moisture inside the generator.
The dew point is generally maintained below :
#*;C and should not be allowed to rise above *;C
at generator casing 0ressure.

Dew pointThe dew point is the temperature at
which the air will become completely saturated.
Dew 0oint
the temperature at which air becomes saturated
by water vapor when cooled at a given moisture
content and a constant pressure.
(aturation is the point at which a solution of a
substance can dissolve no more of that substance
and additional amounts of it will appear as a
separate phase

$nside the generator, the hydrogen picks up heat
from the various components as it
flows over and through such components as the
stator core vents and rotor winding.
Then it is routed to pass through heat e2changers
inside the generator, where the hy-
drogen leaving the cooler outlet side has been
reduced in temperature to complete an-
other cycle of heat pickup as it goes through the
same generator components again.

(eal oil system
(eal-to close completely
<uncture-a place where things =oin
)ating-A number, letter, or other mark that refers
to the ability of something
#.To keep the hydrogen inside the generator,
various places in the generator must be sealed to
prevent hydrogen leakage to atmosphere.
%.1ne of the most difficult seals to make is the
=uncture between the stator and the rotating shaft
of the rotor. This is done by a set of hydrogen
seals at both ends of the machine.

'.The seals may be of the =ournal 4ring6 type or
the thrust-collar type, one thing both
arrangements have in common is the re.uirement
of high-pressure oil in the seal to do the actual
sealing. The e.uipment that provides
the oil to do this is called the seal-oil system.

(tator cooling water system
The stator cooling water system 4(C+6 is used to
provide a source of deminerali-ed
water to the generator stator winding for direct
cooling of the stator winding and asso-
ciated components. The (C+ is generally used in
machines rated at or above '**
!>A. !ost (C+ systems are provided as
package units, mounted on a single platform,
which includes all of the (C+ system
components. All components of the sys-
tem are generally made from stainless steel or
copper materials.