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SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNAT
INTRODUCTION 2
SURFACE FILM 4
Oxide 8
Graphite 9
Humidity 10
SLIPRING MATERIALS 15
HELICAL GROOVING 16
ELECTRICAL CONTACT 19
GHOSTING 21
BRUSH WEAR 23
1
INTRODUCTION
2
SURFACE FILM
carbon brush
tunnel
graphite/water
oxide
slipring
3
SURFACE FILM (continued)
4
Graphite
Studies show that the graphite layer
plays the major role in reducing friction
and wear in addition to improving
contact.
rotation
graphite
graphitenear
nearsliding surface
sliding surface
5
SURFACE FILM (continued)
Humidity
The absolute humidity can be found
Another important ingredient in using the following chart.
the film is water, which lowers
friction. The humidity in the air HUMIDITY
normally provides this water which is and
needed to reduce the friction to an
acceptable low level.
Brush Life
120 50
In very low temperature conditions 45
110
the absolute humidity of the air will 100
40
be too low. 90
SAFE ZONE 35
for brush 30
Operation
This will cause high brush wear and 80 25
increase ring temperature. 70 20
60 15
If the absolute humidity drops below 50 10
4.5 g/m3 (grams/cubic metre) 40 DANGER ZONE 5
6
POLARITY EFFECT ON THE FILM
current
negative brush
7
POLARITY EFFECT ON THE FILM (continued)
oxide
brush
electronic
slipring field across
the film
current
graphite/water
If the oxide layer is thin, the voltage In the case of a ring with one polarity,
drop is low which has negative effects such as in turbo alternators, the metal
on the commutation properties. will continuously form ions and electrons
Too thick an oxide layer will make the under the negative brush.
formation of conducting spots difficult, For steel this means:
resulting in violent current flow, film
Fe Fe2+ + 2e or
stripping and high friction.
Fe2+ Fe3+ + 1e
On a slipring, ideally the oxide layer
should be thin and the graphite part The electric field under the negative
of the film should be dominant (no brush will cause the positive Fe2+ or Fe3+
commutation properties required). ions to move from the collector surface
into the film where they will form FeO or
This is because graphite reduces Fe203 with the moisture in the film.
the friction and is a better current
conductor than oxide.
8
The electrons are pushed in the other The positive brushes riding on a low
direction. carbon steel slipring deposit carbon,
which, at point contact temperature,
brush lowers the melting point of steel. This
results in minute pools of molten steel
existing over an extremely short time
Fe2+ + H20 FeO + H2 span, but ever changing under the
2Fe3+ + 3H20 Fe2O3 + 3H2 brush, producing a rougher surface
than normal, a lower voltage drop and
a higher friction.
slipring
Fe Fe2+ + 2e
current A low carbon content steel normally
Fe2+ Fe3+ + 1e
contains 0.15 to 0.20% carbon. The
negative brush melting point of low carbon steel is
approx. 400C lower than normal when
For the positive brush the electric field an additive carbon content has reached
is in the opposite direction. Under the 4.3%. Thus as the carbon content
brush no metal ions are pulled into increases from original 0.20% to 4.3%,
the film and therefore there will be no the melting point gradually. reduces
additlonal oxidation under this brush. over the 400C drop.
9
POLARITY EFFECT ON THE FILM (continued)
10
SLIPRING MATERIALS
Some of the materials used for sliprings The alloyed steel used for turbo
in general are: alternators usually contains:
11
HELICAL GROOVING OF SLIPRINGS
PRESSURE N-m
operating in parallel at high speed an 3.000
air cushion is formed underneath the
brush affecting the current distribution.
2.000
It was established about 1924 that a
definite improvement could be obtained
1.000
in cases of uneven current distribution,
or selective action, by cutting axial
slots across the contact face of each 10 20 30
brush. The success of this arrangement
was attributed to the removal of the BRUSH WIDTH
gas layer between brush and ring which slotted brushface
slotted brushfacereduces
reduces
can give rise to unstable conditions pressuretoto1/2
pressure
and a variable contact voltage drop.
With the removal of this gas layer the
contact voltage drop becomes much
1.5
more uniform and a great improvement
BRUSH WEAR
4(-)
is obtained in the distribution of the 3(-)
current between brushes operating on 1.0
the one ring.
12
selective action condition will persist as apparent contact area between brush
there is no forced shedding of current. and ring, i.e., the crosssectional area
of the brush less the area of the groove
The presence of helical grooving gives under the brush. However, the second
the added advantage of precluding a effect of the grooving must be taken
gas layer under the contact surface into account, i.e, the absence of a gas
of the brushes and thereby gives the layer between brush and ring. As a
same beneficial effect as that of cutting result of the absence of this gas layer,
axial slots in the contact surface of the brush seats down more closely to
each brush. the ring surface to give a lower contact
There is no general consensus of voltage drop but a higher coefficient of
opinion as to the optimum dimensions friction.
and spacing of the grooving, but In general the lower electrical heat loss
grooves in use have widths ringing counterbalances the higher mechanical
between 2 and 4.3 mm and depths heat loss and therefore the contact
approximately equal to the widths. force on the brush should be calculated
Pitches of the grooves vary from a on the full crosssectional area of brush.
single-start groove of about 9.5mm Furthermore, it is preferable to apply
pitch to a 4-start groove having a pitch the full contact force to give more
equal to the width of the ring, i.e. 4 mechanical stability to the brush.
equally spaced grooves each making a
single complete circuit of the ring. Conversely for slower speed, non-
turbo applications where the pitch
It is desirable, however, that the area of a helically grooved Slipring can
of the brush in contact with the ring effectively remove up to 40% of the
should not fluctuate widely during the brush face area, a reduction in spring
traverse of the groove under the brush. pressure maybe beneficial in preserving
This suggests that the pitch of the brush or Slipring longevity. In these
groove should be related to the brush lower surface speed applications
a (axial) dimension rather than to there is likely to be no air cushion and
the width of the ring, i.e. the brush a therefore the losses remain the same.
dimension should be an exact multiple The reduction in effective area can
of the groove pitch. sometimes lead to an increase in brush
When a ring is helically grooved, pressure to levels in excess of carbon
there is an apparent reduction in the brush manufacturers specifications.
contact area between brush and ring
and therefore it would be reasonable
to calculate the contact force on the
13
ELECTRICAL CONTACT
Brush holder
2.5
The brush pocket of the holders must
be square and smooth, enabling the
brush to move freely in the radial
direction.
14
Brush pressure Other electrical connections
Brush pressure plays an important All electrical connections between main
role in the brush performance of turbo busbar and brush body must have a
alternators. low resistivity and should be equal for
parallel conductors.
In order to keep the current distribution
between the brushes as equal as A critical electrical connection is the
possible all brushes should have equal one between brush and cable.
and correct pressure.
Two of the most common connection
Too low brush pressure will increase technologies are rivetted connections
the electrical wear (sparking) whilst too or tamped connections.
high pressure increases the friction and
therefore the mechanical wear. Studies have shown that a modern
tamped connection is thermically more
stable than the riveted one.
BRUSH WEAR
total wear
mechanical
electrical
BRUSH PRESSURE
15
GHOSTING
One effect frequently seen on There has been a short circuit in the
sliprings of turbo alternators AC system.
16
BRUSHWEAR
current load
surface speed
brush pressure
temperature
It is therefore recommended that, when
a machine is stopped for a longer period contamination
of time, brushes are removed from the condition of the ring
holders or lifted away from the Slipring
Surface. As a general rule we can say that:
In most cases turbo alternators, when <5 mm/1000 hrs is very good
not in use, are turned at very low speed. 5-10 mm/1000 hrs is good
In this case brushes do not have to be
11-20 mm/1000 hrs is acceptable
removed.
>20 mm/l000 hrs needs attention
When ghostmarks have developed on a
slipring they tend to develop into larger Optimum operating conditions for grade
rough spots because of spark erosion. 634 are:
Every time the spot passes a brush
Current density: 5.5 - 8 A/cm2
some sparking will be seen.
Surface speed: 45 - 80 m/sec
This phenomena will not automatically
Abs humidity: 8 - 13 g/m3
improve and the slipring has to be
reground to restore performance. Slipring temp.: 60 - 90C
Brush pressure: 160 - 200 g/cm2
Beginning of Ghostmark
direction of
rotation
tion of rotatio
rec
di n
slipring slipring
17
INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE
18
Holders designed for on-load brush Slipring compartment
changing need extra attention. The Inspect the whole compartment,
connection surfaces must be very clean looking for traces of oil.
and undamaged.
If oil, leaking from a bearing gets into
Note: Brush holders should never be the slipring film, a highly polished layer
cleaned using sand blasting or similar is formed, causing high friction and
methods. high brush wear and possible jamming
Sand blasting creates a rough surface of the brushes in the brush holders.
inside the brush pocket which has a Grey streaky spots on the slipring are a
negative effect on the free movement of sign of this.
the brush.
Carbon brushes are porous and will
Brush springs therefore soak up oil. If an oil leak
Check the springs periodically and developed and the brush gear was
replace those which deviate more than exposed to it, it is recommended to
10% fromthe correct force. replace all brushes, and to thoroughly
clean down all brush holders, springs
Distance between holder pocket
and connection points.
and slipring
Brush holders should ideally be set Signs of sparking
at 2-3mm from the Slipring surface. Heavy sparking could result in a
Distances greater than this could flashover between different polarity.
lead to brush instability and possible
damage. Signs of heavy sparking can be found
on brush holders, brush gear or other
Sliprings places in the slipring compartment,
Frequently check for any type of then further checks should be made to
damage which could affect the determine and correct the cause.
electrical contact. Dust
When the machine is running this could Carbon dust is a good conductor of
be done with a stroboscope adjusted electricity.
to a frequency not exactly the same as
Excessive buildup of carbon dust could
the turbine speed.
lead to a flashover between rings of
This makes it easier for the human eye different polarity.
to inspect.
19
INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE (continued)
Modern infra red thermometers are Both manual devices such as dial
accurate and quite safe to operate. indicators, as well as electronic
slipring profiling units are capable of
Humidity providing accurate indications of ring
Especially in areas where low humidity concentricity.
can be expected such as a higher
altitude or at places with cold winters, A sensor is placed in the brush
humidity must be checked regularly. pocket which is connected to the
If low humidity (below 4.5 g/m3) and microprocessor based meter.
high friction is found, excitation power After the shaft is turned, a print-out can
and therefore the output power of be made of the slipring profile.
the alternator has to be reduced to
compensate for the high friction heat If the slipring is more than 0.05 mm out
build-up. of round the ring should be ground.
20
21
LOCATIONS
& CONTACT DETAILS
SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNATORS | SLIPRINGS AND CARBON BRUSHES ON TURBO-ALTERNAT
Australia
Sydney 21 Amour Street Melbourne 5/23-25 Bunney Road
Head Office Revesby NSW 2212 South Oakleigh VIC 3167
T : 0061 2 9772 5600 T : 03 9551 2377
F : 0061 2 9774 5677 F : 03 9551 2177
E : sales@morgancarbon.com.au E : mel@morgancarbon.com.au
New Zealand
Auckland 5c Clemway Place
PO Box 21195
Henderson Auckland 1231
New Zealand
T : 09 836 9220 / 0800 CARBON (0800 227 266)
F : 09 836 9129 / 0800 4 BRUSH (0800 427 874)
E : sales@morgancarbon.co.nz