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TITLE PAGE
BONAFIED CERTIFICATE
ABSTRACT

Abstract
In developing countries like India, power generation is a major break through to meet
the present demands of the nation. Power generation of several types are on forefront, the dominant
component of power generation is TURBO-GENERATOR which produces large capacity, the word
“TURBO” stands for turbine drive. Generally the turbines used to drive these turbo-generators are of
reaction type.
In large-scale industries manufacturing generators, insulation design plays a vital role.
Insulation is known to be the heart of the generator. If insulation fails, generator fails which leads to
the loss of crores of rupees. The latest technology for insulation in the world and adopted by BHEL,
(Hyderabad) unit is “VACUUM PRESSURE IMPREGNATION “which is of resin poor
thermosetting type. This type is preferred as it is highly reliable and possesses good mechanical,
thermal properties and di-electric strength. As the quantity of resin used is less, hence the over all cost
of insulation is reduced.
In our project we have made a detailed study of the VPI system of insulation. This
system is employed by BHEL first in the country and second in the world next to Germany.

Project Associates:
G.Venkatesh Babu (04A21A0258)
M.K.Chaitanya Sarma (04A21A0216)
M.V.Satya Teja (04A21A0254)
L.Praneeth Chaitanya (03A21A0226)

Project Guide External: Project Guide Internal:

R.K.Manohar., Sr.D.G.M, T.Ravi. M.E..,

Quality Control (E.M), Asst prof.
B.H.E.L. R.C.Puram. Swarnandhra College
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APPROVED BY HOD OF EEE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF SYMBOLS ABBREVATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE
CHAPTERS
PROFILE OF B.H.E.L.
Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) is today the largest engineering enterprise of India
with an excellent track record of performance. Its first plant was set up at Bhopal in 1956 under
technical collaboration with M/s. AEI, UK followed by three more major plants at Haridwar,
Hyderabad and Tiruchirapalli with Russian and Czechoslovak assistance.
These plants have been at the core of BHEL’s efforts to grow and diversify and become
India’s leading engineering company. The company now has 14 manufacturing divisions, 8 service
centres and 4 power sector regional centres, besides project sites spread all over India and abroad and
also regional operations divisions in various state capitals in India for providing quick service to
customers.
BHEL manufactures over 180 products and meets the needs of core-sectors like power,
industry, transmission, transportation (including railways), defence, telecommunications, oil business,
etc. Products of BHEL make have established an enviable reputation for high quality and reliability.
BHEL has installed equipment for over 62,000 MW of power generation-for Utilities, Captive
and Industrial users. Supplied 2,00,000 MVA transformer capacity and sustained equipment operating
in Transmission & Distribution network up to 400kV – AC & DC, Supplied over 25,000 Motors with
Drive Control System Power projects. Petrochemicals, Refineries, Steel, Aluminium, Fertiliser,
Cement plants etc., supplied Traction electric and AC/DC Locos to power over 12,000 Km Railway
network.
Supplied over one million Valves to Power Plants and other Industries. This is due to the
emphasis placed all along on designing, engineering and manufacturing to international standards by
acquiring and assimilating some of the best technologies in the world from leading companies in
USA, Europe and Japan, together with technologies from its-own R & D centres BHEL has acquired
ISO 9000 certification for its operations and has also adopted the concepts of Total Quality
Management (TQM).
BHEL presently has manufactured Turbo-Generators of ratings up to 560 MW and is in the
process of going up to 660 MW. It has also the capability to take up the manufacture of ratings unto
1000 MW suitable for thermal power generation, gas based and combined cycle power generation
as-well-as for diverse industrial applications like Paper, Sugar, Cement, Petrochemical, Fertilisers,
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Rayon Industries, etc. Based on proven designs and know-how backed by over three decades of
experience and accreditation of ISO 9001. The Turbo-generator is a product of high-class
workmanship and quality. Adherence to stringent quality-checks at each stage has helped BHEL to
secure prestigious global orders in the recent past from Malaysia, Malta, Cyprus, Oman, Iraq,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. The successful completion of the various export projects in
a record time is a testimony of BHEL’s performance.
Established in the late 50’s, Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) is, today, a name to
reckon with in the industrial world. It is the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprises of its
kind in India and is one of the leading international companies in the power field. BHEL offers over
180 products and provides systems and services to meet the needs of core sections like: power,
transmission, industry, transportation, oil & gas, non-conventional energy sources and
telecommunication. A wide-spread network of 14 manufacturing divisions, 8 service centres and 4
regional offices besides a large number of project sites spread all over India and abroad, enables
BHEL to be close to its customers and cater to their specialised needs with total solutions-efficiently
and economically. An ISO 9000 certification has given the company international recognition for its
commitment towards quality. With an export presence in more than 50 countries BHEL is truely
India’s industrial ambassador to the world.
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Introduction
Electrical insulating materials are defined as materials that offer a large resistance to
the flow of current and for that reason they are used to keep the current in its proper path i.e. along
the conductor. Insulation is the heart of the generator. Since generator principle is based on the
induction of e.m.f in a conductor when placed in a varying magnetic field. There should be proper
insulation between the magnetic field and the conductors. For smaller capacities of few KW, the
insulation may not affect more on the performance of the generator but for larger capacities of few
MW (>100MW) the optimisation of insulation is an inevitable task, moreover the thickness of
insulation should be on par with the level of the voltage, also non homogenic insulation provisions
may lead to deterioration where it is thin and prone to hazardous short circuits, also the insulating
materials applied to the conductors are required to be flexible and have high specific (dielectric)
strength and ability to withstand unlimited cycles of heating and cooling.
Keeping this in view among other insulating materials like solids gases etc liquid
dielectrics are playing a major role in heavy electrical equipment where they can embedded deep into
the micro pores and provide better insulating properties. Where as solid di-electrics provide better
insulation with lower thickness and with greater mechanical strength. So the process of insulation
design which has the added advantage of both solid and liquid dielectrics would be a superior process
of insulation design. One such process which has all the above qualities is the VPI (vacuum
pressurised impregnation) process and has proven to be the best process till date.
Drawbacks of Early VPI Process:
DR. MEYER brought the VPI system with the collaboration of WESTING HOUSE in the
year 1956. It has been used for many years as a basic process for thorough filling of all interstices in
insulated components, especially high voltage stator coils and bars. Prior to development of
thermosetting resins, the widely used insulation system for 6.6kv and higher voltages was a VPI
system in which, Bitumen Bonded Mica Flake Tape is used as main ground insulation. The bitumen
is heated up to about 180°C to obtain low viscosity which aids thorough impregnation.
To assist penetration, the pressure in the autoclave was raised to 5 or 6 atmospheres. After
appropriate curing and calibration, the coils or bars were wound and connected up in the normal
manner. These systems performed satisfactorily in service provided they were used in their thermal
limitations.
In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, however, many large units, principally turbine generators,
failed due to inherently weak thermoplastic nature of bitumen compound.
Failures were due to two types of problems:

1. Tape separation
2. Excessive relaxation of the main ground insulation.
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Much development work was carried out to try to produce new insulation systems, which
didn’t exhibit these weaknesses.
The first major new system to overcome these difficulties was basically a fundamental
improvement to the classic Vacuum Pressure Impregnation process: Coils and bars were
insulated with dry mica flake tapes, lightly bonded with synthetic resin and backed by a thin layer of
fibrous material. After taping, the bars or coils were vacuum dried and pressure impregnated in
polyester resin. Subsequently, the resin was converted by chemical action from a liquid to a solid
compound by curing at an appropriate temperature, e.g. 150°C. this so called thermosetting process
enable coils and bars to be made which didn’t relax subsequently when operating at full service
temperature. By building in some permanently flexible tapings at the evolutes of diamond shaped
coils, it was practicable to wind them without difficulty. Thereafter, normal slot packing, wedging,
connecting up and bracing procedures were carried out. Many manufacturers for producing their large
coils and bars have used various versions of this Vacuum Pressure Impregnation procedure for almost
30 years.
The main differences between systems have been used is in the type of micaceous tapes used
for main ground insulation and the composition of the impregnated resins. Although the first system
available was styrenated polyester, many developments have taken place during the last two decades.
Today, there are several different types of epoxy, epoxy-polyester and polyester resin in common use.
Choice of resin system and associated micaceous tape is a complex problem for the machine
manufacturer.
Although the classic Vacuum Pressure Impregnation technique has improved to a significant
extent, it is a modification to the basic process, which has brought about the greatest change in the
design and manufacture of medium-sized a.c. industrial machines. This is the global impregnation
process. Using this system, significant increases in reliability, reduction in manufacturing costs and
improved output can be achieved.

Advantage of present resin poor VPI process:

VPI is a process, which is a step above the conventional vacuum system. VPI includes
pressure in addition to vacuum, thus assuring good penetration of the varnish in the coil. The result is
improved mechanical strength and electrical properties. With the improved penetration, a void free
coil is achieved as well as giving greater mechanical strength. With the superior varnish distribution,
the temperature gradient is also reduced and therefore, there is a lower hot spot rise compared to the
average rise.

In order to minimise the overall cost of the machine & to reduce the time cycle of the
insulation system vacuum pressure Impregnated System is used. The stator coils are taped with
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porous resin poor mica tapes before inserting in the slots of cage stator, subsequently wounded stator
is subjected to VPI process, in which first the stator is vacuum dried and then impregnated in resin
bath under pressure of Nitrogen gas.
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Introduction to various parts of a Generator:

The manufacturing of a generator involves in manufacturing of all the parts of the
generator separately as per the design requirements and assembling them for the operation. It is worth
knowing the parts of the Turbo Generator. Usually for larger generators the assembling is done at the
generator installation area in order to avoid the damage due to mechanical stresses during
transportation, also this facilitates easy transportation. Let us have a view about various parts of a
turbo generator. Parts of a turbo generator:
1. Stator
2. Rotor
3. Excitation system
4. Cooling system
5. Insulation system
6. Bearings

I. STATOR:

1. STATOR FRAME:
1.1 STATOR FRAME
The stator frame is of welded steel single piece construction. It supports the laminated core
and winding. It has radial and axial ribs having adequate strength and rigidity to minimise core
vibrations and suitably designed to ensure efficient cooling. Guide bards are welded or bolted inside
the stator frame over which the core is assembled. Footings are provided to support the stator
foundation.
1.2 STATOR CORE
The stator core is made of silicon steel sheets with high permeability and low hysteresis and
eddy current losses. The sheets are suspended in the stator frame from insulated guide bars.
Stator laminations are coated with synthetic varnish; are stacked and held between sturdy steel
clamping plates with non-magnetic pressing fingers, which are fastened or welded to the stator frame.
In order to minimise eddy current losses of rotating magnetic flux which interacts with the
core, the entire core is built of thin laminations. Each lamination layer is made of individual
segments.
The segments are punched in one operation from electrical sheet steel lamination having high
silicon content and are carefully deburred. The stator laminations are assembled as separate cage
core without the stator frame. The segments are staggered from layer to layer so that a core of high
mechanical strength and uniform permeability to magnetic flux is obtained. On the outer
circumference the segments are stacked on insulated rectangular bars, which hold them in position.
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To obtain optimum compression and eliminate looseness during operation the laminations are
hydraulically compressed and heated during the stacking procedure. To remove the heat, spaced
segments are placed at intervals along the core length, which divide the core into sections to provide
wide radial passages for cooling air to flow.
The purpose of stator core is

1. To support the stator winding.

2. To carry the electromagnetic flux generated by rotor winding.
So selection of material for building up of core plays a vital role.
1.3 STATOR WINDING:
The stator winding is a fractional pitch two layer type, it consisting of
individual bars. The bars are located in slots of rectangular cross section which are
uniformly distributed on the circumference of the stator core.
In order to minimize losses, the bars are compared of separately insulated
strands which are exposed to 360.degrees transposing
To minimize the stator losses in the winding, the strands of the top and
bottom bars are separately brazed and insulated from each other.

II. ROTOR:
1. ROTOR SHAFT:
Rotor shaft is a single piece solid forging manufactured from a vacuum
casting. Slots for insertion of field winding are milled into the rotor body. The
longitudinal slots are distributed over the circumference. So that solids poles are
obtained. To ensure that only high quality forgings are used, strengthen test, material
analysis and ultrasonic tests are performed during manufacture of the rotor. After
completion, the rotor is based in various planes at different speeds and then subjected
to an over speed test at 120% of rated speed for two minutes.
2. ROTOR WINDING AND RETAINING RINGS:
The rotor winding consisting of several coils, which are inserted into the
slots and series connected such that two coils groups from one pole. Each coil consists
of several connected turns, each of which consists of two half turns which are
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connected by brazing in the end section. The individual turns of the coils are insulated
against each other, the layer insulation L-shaped strips of lamination epoxy glass fiber
with nomax filler are used for slot insulation. The slot wedges are made of high
electrical conductivity material and thus act as damper winding. At their ends the slots
wedges are short circuited through the rotor body.
The centrifugal forces of the rotor end winding are contained by single
piece of non magnetic high strengthen steel in order to reduce stray losses, each
retaining rings with its shrinks fitted insert ring is shrunk into the rotor body in an
overhang position. The retaining rings are secured in the axial position by a snap ring.

Figure 1: Photograph of a small round rotor. The retaining rings are at the each end of the rotor.

3. FIELD CONNECTION AND MULTICONTACTS:

The field current is supplied to the rotor through multi contact system arranged
at the exciter side shaft end.
III BEARINGS:
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The generator rotor is supported in two sleeve bearings. To eliminate shaft

current the exciter and bearing is insulated from foundation plate and oil piping.

The temperature of each bearing is maintained with two RTD’s (Resistance

Temperature Detector) embedded in the lower bearing sleeve so that the ensuring point
is located directly below the Babbitt. All bearings have provisions for fitting vibration
pick up to monitor shaft vibrations.
The oil supply of bearings is obtained from the turbine oil system.

EXCITATION SYSTEM:

In all industrial applications, the electrical power demand is ever increasing.

This automatically demands for the design, development and construction of
increasingly large capacity Synchronous generators. These generators should be highly
reliable in operation to meet the demand. This calls for a reliable and sophisticated
mode of excitation system.
When the first a.c generators were introducing a natural choice for the supply of
field systems was the DC exciter. DC exciter has the capability for equal voltage
output of either polarity, which helps in improving the generator transient performance.
DC exciters, how ever, could not be adopted for large ratings because of the problems
in the design commutator and brush gear, which is economically unattractive. Of –
course, the problems are not uncommon in power stations but Of the environment with
sulphur vapours, acidic fumes as in the cases of petrochemical and fertilizer industries,
exposure of DC exciter. This adds to the problem of design.
Types of a.c exciters are:
(1) High frequency excitation
(2) Brush less excitation
(3) Static excitation
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The high frequency D.C exciter is a specially designed “inductor type alternator”
with no winding on its rotor. It is designed to operate at high frequency to reduce the
size of the rotor; the a.c exciter was very reliable in operation. Though this system
eliminates all problems associated with commutator, it is not free from problems
attributable to slip rings and its brush gear. Thus brushless excitation system was
introduced.
The BL exciter consists of field winding on the stator. This system proved to be
highly reliable and required less maintenance. Absence of power cables and external ac
power supplies males the system extremely reliable. The problem associated with
brushes like fast wear out of brush, sparkling etc, are eliminated.
This suffers from the disadvantage of lack of facility for field suppression in the
case of an internal fault in generator.
The system comprises shaft driven AC exciter with rotating diodes.

PERMANENT MAGNET GENERATOR AND AVR:

This system is highly reliable with least maintenance and is ideally suitable for
gas driven generators.
The static excitation system was developed contemporarily as an alternative to
brush less excitation system. This system was successfully adapted to medium and
large capacity Turbo generators. Though the system offers very good transient
performance, the problems associated with slip rings and brush gear system are still
present.
This system consists of rectifier transformer, thyristor converts, field breaker and
AVR. This system is ideally suitable where fast response is called for. The system is
flexible in operation and needs very little maintenance.
Thus, each excitation system has its own advantages and disadvantages. The
selection of system is influenced by the transient response required, nature of pollution
and pollution level in the power plant and cost of equipment.
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Exciters are those components, which are used for giving high voltage to the
generator during the start up conditions. The main parts that are included in the exciter
assembly are:
(1) Rectifier wheels
(2) Three phase main exciter
(3) Three phase pilot exciter
(4) Metering and supervisory equipment

RECTIFIER WHEELS:
The main components of the rectifier wheels are Silicon Diodes, which are
arranged in the rectifier wheels in a three-phase bridge circuit. The internal
arrangement of diode is such that the contact pressure is increased by centrifugal force
during rotation.
There are some additional components contained in the rectified wheels. One
diode each is mounted in each light metal heat sink and then connected in parallel. For
the suppression of momentary voltage peaks arising from commutation, RC blocks are
provided in each bridge in parallel with one set of diodes. The rings from the positive
shrunk on to the shaft. This makes the circuit connections minimum and ensures
accessibility of all the elements.

THREE PHASE PILOT EXCITER:

The three phase pilot exciter is a six-pole revolving field unit; the frame
accommodates the laminated core with the three-phase winding. The rotor consists of a
hub with poles mounted on it. Each pole consists of separate permanent magnets,
which are housed, in non-metallic enclosures. The magnets are placed between the hub
and the external pole shoe with bolts. The rotor hub is shrunk on to the free shaft end.

THREE PHASE MAIN EXCITER:

Three phases main exciter is a six-pole armature unit, the poles are arranged in
the frame with the field and damper winding. The field winding is arranged on
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laminated magnetic poles. At the pole shoe, bars are provided which are connected to
form a damper winding.
The rotor consists of stacked lamination, which are compressed through bolts
over compression rings. The three- phase winding is inserted in the slots of the
laminated rotor. The winding conductors are transposed with in the core length and end
turns of the rotor windings are secure with the steel bands. The connections are made
on the side facing of the rectifier wheels. After full impregnation with the synthetic
resin and curing, the complete rotor is shrunk on to the shaft.
AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR:
The general automatic voltage regulator is fast working solid thyristor controlled
equipment. It has two channels, one is auto channel and the other is manual. The auto
channel is used for the voltage regulation and manual channel.
Is used for the current regulation. Each channel will have its own firing for
reliable operation.
The main features of AVR are:
(1) It has an automatic circuit to control outputs of auto channel and manual
channel and reduces disturbances at the generator terminals during
transfer from auto regulation to manual regulation.
(2) It is also having limiters for the stator current for the optimum utilization
of lagging and leading reactive capabilities of turbo generator.
(3) There will be automatic transfer from auto regulation to manual regulation
in case do measuring PT fuse failure or some internal faults in the
auto channel.
(4) The generator voltage in both channels that is in the auto channel and the
manual channel can be controlled automatically.

COOLING SYSTEM:
Cooling is one of the basic requirements of any generator. The effective working
of generator considerably depends on the cooling system. The insulation used and
cooling employed is inter-related.
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The losses in the generator dissipates as the heat, it raises the temperature of the
generator. Due to high temperature, the insulation will be affected greatly. So the heat
developed should be cooled to avoid excessive temperature raise. So the class of
insulation used depends mainly on cooling system installed.
There are various methods of cooling, they are:
a. Air cooling- 60MW
b. Hydrogen cooling-100MW
c. Water cooling –500MW
d. H 2 & Water cooling – 1000MW
Hydrogen cooling has the following advantages over Air-cooling:
1. Hydrogen has 7 times more heat dissipating capacity.
2. Higher specific heat
3. Since Hydrogen is 1/14th of air weight. It has higher compressibility
4. It does not support combustion.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. It is an explosive when mixes with oxygen.
2. Cost of running is higher.
Higher capacity generators need better cooling system.
Various losses in a Generator:

In generators, as in most electrical devices, certain forces act to decrease the efficiency. These
forces, as they affect the generator, are considered as losses and may be defined as follows:

1. Copper loss in the winding.

2. Magnetic Losses.

3. Mechanical Losses

Copper loss:

The power lost in the form of heat in the armature winding of a generator is known as Copper
loss. Heat is generated any time current flows in a conductor.
I2R loss is the Copper loss, which increases as current increases. The amount of heat generated
is also proportional to the resistance of the conductor. The resistance of the conductor varies directly
with its length and inversely with its cross- sectional area. Copper loss is minimized in armature
windings by using large diameter wire. These includes rotor copper losses and Stator copper losses
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Magnetic Losses (also known as iron or core losses)

(i) Hysteresis loss (Wh)
Hysteresis loss is a heat loss caused by the magnetic properties of the armature. When an
armature core is in a magnetic field the magnetic particles of the core tend to line up with the
magnetic field. When the armature core is rotating, its magnetic field keeps changing direction. The
continuous movement of the magnetic particles, as they try to align themselves with the magnetic
field, produces molecular friction. This, in turn, produces heat. This heat is transmitted to the
armature windings. The heat causes armature resistances to increase. To compensate for hysteresis
losses, heat-treated Silicon steel laminations are used in most dc generator armatures. After the steel
has been formed to the proper shape, the laminations are heated and allowed to cool. This annealing
process reduces the hysteresis loss to a low value.

(ii) Eddy Current Loss (We):

The core of a generator armature is made from soft iron, which is a conducting material with
desirable magnetic characteristics. Any conductor will have currents induced in it when it is rotated in
a magnetic field. These currents that are induced in the generator armature core are called EDDY
CURRENTS. The power dissipated in the form of heat, as a result of the eddy currents, is considered
a loss.

Eddy currents, just like any other electrical currents, are affected by the resistance of the material in
which the currents flow. The resistance of any material is inversely proportional to its cross-sectional
area. Figure, view A, shows the eddy currents induced in an armature core that is a solid piece of soft
iron. Figure, view B, shows a soft iron core of the same size, but made up of several small pieces
insulated from each other. This process is called lamination. The currents in each piece of the
laminated core are considerably less than in the solid core because the resistance of the pieces is
much higher. (Resistance is inversely proportional to cross-sectional area.) The currents in the
individual pieces of the laminated core are so small that the sum of the individual currents is much
less than the total of eddy currents in the solid iron core.

As you can see, eddy current losses are kept low when the core material is made up of many thin
sheets of metal. Laminations in a small generator armature may be as thin as 1/64 inch. The
laminations are insulated from each other by a thin coat of lacquer or, in some instances, simply by
the oxidation of the surfaces. Oxidation is caused by contact with the air while the laminations are
being annealed. The insulation value need not be high because the voltages induced are very small.
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Most generators use armatures with laminated cores to reduce eddy current losses.

These magnetic losses are practically constant for shunt and compound-wound generators, because in
their case, field current is constant.
Mechanical or Rotational Losses:
These consist of
(i) friction loss at bearings.
(ii) Air-friction or windage loss of rotating rotor armature.
These are about 10 to 20% of F.L losses.
Careful maintenance can be instrumental in keeping bearing friction to a minimum. Clean
bearings and proper lubrication are essential to the reduction of bearing friction. Brush friction is
reduced by assuring proper brush seating, using proper brushes, and maintaining proper brush
tension.
Usually, magnetic and mechanical losses are collectively known as Stray Losses. These are also
known as rotational losses for obvious reasons.
As mentioned above, these losses are responsible for the rise in temperature of the generator
body hence an appropriate insulation should be used. Also the insulation should withstand the
generator voltage and currents. So an insulation whose breakdown voltage is of 5 to 6 times the
normal voltage is taken as Safety factor.

In our project we have a detail study of only stator, rotor and the insulation system
used for it. The parts excitation system, cooling system and bearings are external to the generator and
are treated as a completed one and is out of scope of our record. Now, generator manufacturing can
be broadly divided into three main parts:
1. Stator manufacture.
2. Rotor manufacture and
3. Excitation System.

The various stages involved in the generator manufacture and their sub processes are shown in the
flow diagram given below.
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Figure 2: flow diagram showing various stages involved in generator manufacture.

Now these sub processes are explained in detail below. Let us start with Stator.
To facilitate manufacture erection and transport the stator consists of following parts.

Now let us see the detailed study of stator manufacturing process.

STATOR MANUFACTURE PROCESS:
This stator manufacturing is a combination of two individual sub processes, namely
Stator core construction and
Coil construction and their assembly

STATOR CORE CONSTRUCTION:

PREPARATION OF STATOR LAMINATIONS
a. Reception of silicon steel rolls:
The silicon steel rolls received are checked for their physical, chemical, mechanical and
magnetic properties as per the specifications mentioned above.
In order to reduce the Hysterisis loss, silicon alloyed steel, which has low Hysterisis
constant is used for the manufacture of core. The composition of silicon steel is
Steel - 95.8 %
Silicon - 4.0 %
Impurities- 0.2 %
From the formula for eddy current loss it is seen that eddy current loss depends on the
thickness of the laminations. Hence to reduce the eddy current loss core is made up of thin
laminations which are insulated from each other. The thickness of the laminations is about 0.5
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mm. The silicon steel sheets used are of COLD ROLLED NON-GRAIN ORIENTED
(CRANGO) type as it provides the distribution of flux throughout the laminated sheet.
b. Shearing:
The cold rolled non grained oriented (CRNGO) steel sheets are cut to their outer
periphery to the required shapes by feeding the sheet into shearing press. For high rating
machines each lamination is build of 6 sectors (stampings), each of 60 cut according to the
specifications.
c. Blanking and notching:
Press tools are used in making the core bolt holes and other notches for the laminations.
Press tools are mainly of two types.
i. Compound notching tools.
ii. Individual notching tools.

i. COMPOUND OPERATION:
In this method the stamping with all the core bolt holes, guiding slots and winding
slots is manufactured in single operation known as Compound operation and the press tool
used is known as Compounding tool. Compounding tools are used for the machines rated
above 40 MW. Nearly 500 tons crank press is used for this purpose.
ii. INDIVIDUAL OPERATIONS:
In case of smaller machines the stampings are manufactured in two operations. In the
first operation the core bolt holes and guiding slots are only made. This operation is known as
Blanking and the tools used are known as Blanking tools. In the second operation the
winding slots are punched using another tool known as Notching tool and the operation is
called Notching.
d. Deburring operation :
In this operation the burrs in the sheet due to punching are deburred. There are chances
of short circuit within the laminations if the burrs are not removed. The permissible is about 5
micrometer. For deburring punched sheets are passed under rollers to remove the sharp burs
of edges.
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Figure 2: Figure showing the shape of laminations after the completion of notching
and deburring operations.

e. Varnishing :
Depending on the temperature withstand ability of the machine the laminations are
coated by varnish which acts as insulation. The lamination sheets are passed through
conveyor, which has an arrangement to sprinkle the varnish, and a coat of varnish is obtained.
The sheets are dried by a series of heaters at a temperature of around 260 – 350 oC. Two
coatings of varnish are provided in the above manner till 12-18 micrometer thickness of coat
is obtained. Here instead of pure varnish a mixture of Tin and Varnish is used such that the
mixture takes 44sec to empty a DIN4 CUP.

The prepared laminations are subjected to following tests.

i) Xylol test - To measure the chemical resistance.

ii) Mandrel test - When wound around mandrel there should not be any cracks.
iii) Hardness test - Minimum 7H pencil hardness.
iv) IR value test - For 20 layers of laminations insulation resistance should not be less than
1MΩ.
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STATOR CORE ASSEMBLY:

TRAIL PACKET ASSEMBLY:

Clamping plate is placed over the assembly pit; stumbling blocks are placed between the
clamping plates and the assembly pit. Clamping plate is made parallel to the ground by checking with
the spirit level. One packet comprising of 0.5 mm thickness silicon steel laminations is assembled
over the clamping plates by using mandrels and assembly pit .after assembling one packet thickness
of silicon laminations, inner diameter of the core is checked as per the drawing also the slot freeness
is checked with inspection drift .There should not be any projections inside or outside the slot. If all
the conditions are satisfied the normal core assembly is carried out by dismantling the trial packets.

NORMAL CORE ASSEMBLY

A. Stepped packed assembly:
Steeped packets are assembled from the clamping plate isolating each packet with ventilation
laminations up to 4 to 5 packets of thickness 10cms for an air cooled turbo generator of 120MW.

B. Normal packet assembly:

Normal packet assembly is carried out using 0.5 mm silicon steel laminations up to
required thickness of 30mm by using mandrills and inspection drift after normal packet assembly
completion 1 layer of HGL laminations are placed and one layer of ventilation lamination are placed
and again normal packet assembly is carried as above. The thickness of each lamination is 0.5 mm
and the thickness of lamination separating the packets is about 1 mm. The lamination separating each
packet has strips of nonmagnetic material that are welded to provide radial ducts. The segments are
staggered from layer to layer so that a core of high mechanical strength and uniform permeability to
magnetic flux is obtained. Stacking mandrels and bolts are inserted into the windings slot bores
during stacking provide smooth slot walls.

In process pressings
To obtain the maximum compression and eliminate under setting during operation, the
laminations are hydraulically compressed and heated during the stacking procedure when certain
heights of stacks are reached.
The packets are assembled as above up to 800mm as above and 1 st pressing is carried
using hydraulic jacks up to 150kg/cm2 and the pressing is carried out for every 800mm and a pre final
pressing is done before the core length almost reach the actual core. Now the core is tested for the
design specifications and the compensation is done by adding or removing the packets.

Fitting of clamping bolts:

The complete stack is kept under pressure and locked in the frame by means of clamping
bolts and pressure plates. The clamping bolts running through the core are made of nonmagnetic steel
 15

and are insulated from the core and the pressure plates to prevent them from short circuiting the
laminations and allowing the flow of eddy currents.
The pressure is transmitted from the clamping plates to the core by clamping fingers. The
clamping fingers extend up to the ends of the teeth thus, ensuring a firm compression in the area of
the teeth. The stepped arrangement of the laminations at the core ends provides an efficient support
to tooth portion and in addition contributes to the reduction of stray load losses and local heating in
that area due to end leakage flux.
The clamping fingers are also made of non-magnetic steel to avoid eddy-current losses. After
compression and clamping of core the rectangular core key bars are inserted into the slots provided in
the back of the core and welded to the pressure plates. All key bars, except one, are insulated from
the core to provide the grounding of the core.

WINDING:
The next important consideration is winding. The stator winding and rotor winding consist of several
components, each with their own function. Furthermore, different types of machines have different
components. Stator windings are discussed separately below.
1.2.1 Stator Winding
There are three main components in a stator, they are
1. copper conductors (although aluminum is sometimes used)
2. The stator core
3. Insulation.
1. Conducting material used in coil manufacturing:
Copper material is used to make the coils. This is because
i) Copper has high electrical conductivity with excellent mechanical properties
ii) Immunity from oxidation and corrosion
iii) It is highly malleable and ductile metal.
TYPES OF CONDUCTOR COILS:
Basically there are three types of stator winding structures employed over the range from 1 KW to
1000 MW.
1. Random wound stators.
2. Form-wound stators using multi turn coils.
3. Form-wound stators using Roebel bars.
Out of these, two types of coils are manufactured and used in BHEL, Hyderabad.
1) Diamond pulled multi-turn coil (full coiled).
2) Roebel bar (half-coil).

Add here diag of roebel and diamond pulled coils

 16

In general, random-wound stators are typically used for machines less than several hundred
KW. Form-wound coil windings are used in most large motors and many generators rated up to 50 to
100 MVA. Roebel bar windings are used for large generators. Although each type of construction is
described below, some machine manufacturers have made hybrids that do not fit easily into any of the
above categories; these are not discussed in the project.
Generally in large capacity machines ROEBEL bars are used. These coils were constructed
after considering the skin effect losses. In the straight slot portion, the conductors or strips are
transposed by 360 degrees.
The transposition is done to ensure that all the strips occupy equal length under similar
conditions of the flux. The transposition provides for a mutual neutralisation of the voltages induced
in the individual strips due to the slot cross field and ensures that no or only small circulating currents
exists in the bar interior. Transposition also reduced eddy current losses and helps in obtaining
uniform e.m.f. More about transposition is discussed later in the section with diagrammatic quote.
The copper is a conduit for the stator winding current. In a generator, the stator output current
is induced to flow in the copper conductors as a reaction to the rotating magnetic field from the rotor.
In a motor, a current is introduced into the stator, creating a rotating magnetic field that forces the
rotor to move. The copper conductors must have a cross section large enough to carry all the current
required without overheating.
Figure 1.4 is the circuit diagram of a typical three-phase motor or generator stator winding.

Figure 1.4 schematic diagram for a three –phase Y-connected stator winding with two parallel
circuits per phase

The diagram shows that each phase has one or more parallel paths for current flow. Multiple
parallels are often necessary since a copper cross section large enough to carry the entire phase
current may result in an uneconomic stator slot size. Each parallel consists of a number of coils
 17

connected in series. For most motors and small generators, each coil consists of a number of turns of
copper conductors formed into a loop. The rationale for selecting the number of parallels, the number
of coils in series, and the number of turns per coil in any particular machine is beyond the scope of
our project.
The stator core in a generator concentrates the magnetic field from the rotor on the copper
conductors in the coils. The stator core consists of thin sheets of magnetic steel (referred to as
laminations). The magnetic steel acts as a low-reluctance (low magnetic impedance) path for the
magnetic fields from the rotor to the stator, or vice versa for a motor. The steel core also prevents
most of the stator winding magnetic field from escaping the ends of the stator core, which would
cause currents to flow in adjacent conductive material.

Electrical Insulation:
The final major component of a stator winding is the electrical insulation. Unlike copper
conductors and magnetic steel, which are active components in making a motor or generator function,
the insulation is passive. That is, it does not help to produce a magnetic field or guide its path.
Generator and motor designers would like nothing better than to eliminate the electrical insulation,
since the insulation increases machine size and cost, and reduces efficiency, without helping to create
any torque or current. Insulation is “overhead,” with a primary purpose of preventing short circuits
between the conductors or to ground. However, without the insulation, copper conductors would
come in contact with one another or with the grounded stator core, causing the current to flow in
undesired paths and preventing the proper operation of the machine. In addition, indirectly cooled
machines require the insulation to be a thermal conductor, so that the copper conductors do not
overheat.
The insulation system must also hold the copper conductors tightly in place to prevent
movement. The stator winding insulation system contains organic materials as a primary constituent.
In general, organic materials soften at a much lower temperature and have a much lower mechanical
strength than copper or steel. Thus, the life of a stator winding is limited most often by the electrical
insulation rather than by the conductors or the steel core. Furthermore, stator winding maintenance
and testing almost always refers to testing and maintenance of the electrical insulation.
18
 19

High purity (99%) copper conductors/strips are used to make the coils. This results in high
strength properties at higher temperatures so that deformations due to the thermal stresses are
eliminated.
 20

1.4 STATOR WINDING INSULATION SYSTEM FEATURES

The stator winding insulation system contains several different components and features
which together ensure that electrical shorts do not occur, that the heat from the conductor I 2R losses
are transmitted to a heat sink, and that the conductors do not vibrate in spite of the magnetic forces.
The basic stator insulation system components are the:
1. Strand (or sub conductor) insulation
2. Turn insulation
3. Ground wall (or ground or earth) insulation
Figures 1.8 and 1.9 show cross sections of random-wound and form-wound coils in a stator slot, and
identify the above components. Note that the form-wound stator has two coils per slot; this is typical.
Figure 1.10 is a photograph of the cross section of a multi-turn coil. In addition to the main insulation
components, the insulation system sometimes has high-voltage stress-relief coatings and end-winding
support components.
The following sections describe the purpose of each of these components. The mechanical, thermal,
electrical, and environmental stresses that the components are subjected to are also described.

1.4.1 Strand Insulation

In random-wound stators, the strand insulation can function as the turn insulation, although extra
sleeving is sometimes applied to boost the turn insulation strength in key areas. Many form-wound
machines employ separate strand and turn insulation. The following mainly addresses the strand
insulation in form-wound coils and bars. Strand insulation in random wound machines will be
discussed as turn insulation. Section 1.4.8 discusses strand insulation in its role as transposition
insulation.
There are both electrical and mechanical reasons for stranding a conductor in a form wound coil or
bar.
From a mechanical point of view, a conductor that is big enough to carry the current needed in the
coil or bar for a large machine will have a relatively large cross-sectional area. That is, a large
conductor cross section is needed to achieve the desired ampacity. Such a large conductor is difficult
to bend and form into the required coil/bar shape. A conductor formed from smaller strands (also
called sub-conductors) is easier to bend into the required shape than one large conductor.
 21

From an electrical point of view, there are reasons to make strands and insulate them from one
another. It is well known from electromagnetic theory that if a copper conductor has a large enough
cross-sectional area, the current will tend to flow on the periphery of the conductor. This is known as
the skin effect. The skin effect gives rise to a skin depth through which most of the current flows.
The skin depth of copper is 8.5 mm at 60 Hz. If the conductor has a cross section such that the
thickness is greater than 8.5 mm, there is a tendency for the current not to flow through the center of
the conductor, which implies that the current is not making use of all the available cross section. This
is reflected as an effective AC resistance that is higher than the DC resistance. The higher AC
resistance gives rise to a larger I2R loss than if the same cross section had been made from strands
that are insulated from one another to prevent the skin effect from occurring. That is, by making the
required cross section from strands that are insulated from one another, all the copper cross section is
used for current flow, the skin effect is negated, and the losses are reduced.
In addition, Eddy current losses occur in solid conductors of too large a cross section. In the slots, the
main magnetic field is primarily radial, that is, perpendicular to the axial direction. There is also a
small circumferential (slot leakage) flux that can induce eddy currents to flow. In the end-winding, an
axial magnetic field is caused by the abrupt end of the rotor and stator core. This axial magnetic field
can be substantial in synchronous machines that are under-excited.
By Ampere’s Law, or the ‘right hand rule’, this axial magnetic field will tend to
cause a current to circulate within the cross section of the conductor (Figure 1.11). The larger the
cross sectional area, the greater the magnetic flux that can be encircled by a path on the periphery of
the conductor, and the larger the induced current. The result is a greater I 2R loss from this circulating
current. By reducing the size of the conductors, there is a reduction in stray magnetic field losses,
improving efficiency.
 22

The electrical reasons for stranding require the strands to be insulated from one another. The voltage
across the strands is less than a few tens of volts; therefore, the strand insulation can be very thin. The
strand insulation is subject to damage during the coil manufacturing process, so it must have good
mechanical properties. Since the strand insulation is immediately adjacent to the copper conductors
that are carrying the main stator current, which produces the I2R loss, the strand insulation is exposed
to the highest temperatures in the stator. Therefore, the strand insulation must have good thermal
properties. Section 3.8 describes in detail the strand insulation materials that are in use. Although
manufacturers ensure that strand shorts are not present in a new coil, they may occur during service
due to thermal or mechanical aging (see Chapter 8). A few strand shorts in form-wound coils/bars
will not cause winding failure, but will increase the stator winding losses and cause local temperature
increases due to circulating currents.
23
 24

Turn Insulation
The purpose of the turn insulation in both random- and form-wound stators is to prevent shorts
between the turns in a coil. If a turn short occurs, the shorted turn will appear as the secondary
winding of an autotransformer. If, for example, the winding has 100 turns between the phase terminal
and neutral (the “primary winding”), and if a dead short appears across one turn (the “secondary”),
then 100 times normal current will flow in the shorted turn. This follows from the transformer law:
npIp = nsIs (1.1)
Where n refers to the number of turns in the primary or secondary, and I is the current in the
primary or secondary. Consequently, a huge circulating current will flow in the faulted turn, rapidly
overheating it. Usually, this high current will be followed quickly by a ground fault due to melted
copper burning through any ground-wall insulation. Clearly, effective turn insulation is needed for
long stator winding life.
The power frequency voltage across the turn insulation in a random-wound machine can range up
to the rated phase-to-phase voltage of the stator because, by definition, the turns are randomly placed
in the slot and thus may be adjacent to a phase-end turn in another phase, although many motor
manufacturers may insert extra insulating barriers between coils in the same slot but in different
phases and between coils in different phases in the end-windings. Since random winding is rarely
used on machines rated more than 600 V (phase-to-phase), the turn insulation can be fairly thin.
However, if a motor is subject to high-voltage pulses, especially from modern inverter-fed drives
(IFDs), inter-turn voltage stresses that far exceed the normal maximum of 600 Vac can result. These
high-voltage pulses give rise to failure mechanisms, as discussed in Section 8.7.
The power frequency voltage across adjacent turns in a form-wound multi-turn coil is well defined.
Essentially, one can take the number of turns between the phase terminal and the neutral and divide it
into the phase–ground voltage to get the voltage across each turn. For example, if a motor is rated
4160 Vrms (phase–phase), the phase–ground voltage is 2400V.
This will result in about 24 Vrms across each turn, if there are 100 turns between the phase end and
neutral. This occurs because coil manufacturers take considerable trouble to ensure that the
inductance of each coil is the same, and that the inductance of each turn within a coil is the same.
Since the inductive impedance (XL) in ohms is:
XL = 2_fL (1.2)
Where f is the frequency of the AC voltage and L is the coil or turn inductance, the turns appear as
impedances in a voltage divider, where the coil series impedances are equal. In general, the voltage
across each turn will be between about 10 Vac (small form-wound motors) to 250 Vac (for large
generator multi turn coils).
The turn insulation in form-wound coils can be exposed to very high transient voltages associated
with motor starts, IFD operation, or lightning strikes. Such transient voltages may age or puncture the
turn insulation. This will be discussed in Section 8.7. As described below, the turn insulation around
 25

the periphery of the copper conductors is also exposed to the rated AC phase–ground stress, as well as
the turn–turn AC voltage and the phase coil-to-coil voltage.
Before about 1970, the strand and the turn insulation were separate components in multi turn coils.
Since that time, many stator manufacturers have combined the strand and turn insulation. Figure 1.12
shows the strand insulation is upgraded (usually with more thickness) to serve as both the strand and
the turn insulation. This eliminates a manufacturing step (i.e., the turn taping process) and increases
the fraction of the slot cross section that can be filled with copper. However, some machine owners
have found that in-service failures occur sooner in stators without a separate turn insulation
component [1.11].
Both form-wound coils and random-wound stators are also exposed to mechanical and thermal
stresses. The highest mechanical stresses tend to occur in the coil forming process, which requires the
insulation-covered turns to be bent through large angles, which can stretch and crack the insulation.
Steady-state, magnetically induced mechanical vibration forces (at twice the power frequency) act on
the turns during normal machine operation. In addition, very large transient magnetic forces act on
the turns during motor starting or out-of-phase synchronization in generators. These are discussed in
detail in Chapter 8. The result is the turn insulation requires good mechanical strength.
The thermal stresses on the turn insulation are essentially the same as those described above for the
strand insulation. The turn insulation is adjacent to the copper conductors, which are hot from the I2R
losses in the winding. The higher the melting or decomposition temperature of the turn insulation ,
the greater the design current that can flow through the stator.
In a Roebel bar winding, no turn insulation is used and there is only strand insulation.
Thus, as will be discussed in Chapter 8, some failure mechanisms that can occur with multi turn coils
will not occur with Roebel bar stators.

1.4.3 Ground wall Insulation

Ground wall insulation is the component that separates the copper conductors from the grounded
stator core. Ground wall insulation failure usually triggers a ground fault relay, taking the motor or
generator off-line.* Thus the stator ground wall insulation is critical to the proper operation of a
motor or generator. For a long service life, the ground wall must meet the rigors of the electrical,
thermal, and mechanical stresses that it is subject to.
 26

Slot Discharges:

U can add some told by goa

Slot discharges occur if there are gaps within the slot between the surface of the insulation and
that of the core. This may cause ionisation of the air in the gap, due to breakdown of the air at the
instances of voltage distribution between the copper conductor and the iron.
Within the slots, the outer surface of the conductor insulation is at earth potential, in the
overhanging it will approach more nearly to the potential of the enclosed copper. Surface discharge
will take place if the potential gradient at the transition from slot to overhang is excessive, and it is
usually necessary to introduce voltage grading by means of a semi-conducting (graphite) surface
layer, extending a short distance outward from the slot ends.
So insulation of these stator bars is an inevitable task. It is worth now to know about
insulation.

Till now we have discussed the manufacturing process, but the

manufacture is incomplete without insulation design.
INSULATING MATERIALS:
Insulating materials or insulators are extremely diverse in origin and properties. They are
essentially non-metallic, are organic or inorganic, uniform or heterogeneous in composition, natural
or synthetic. Many of them are of natural origin as, for example, paper, cloth, paraffin wax and
natural resins. Wide use is made of many inorganic insulating materials such as glass, ceramics and
mica. Many of the insulating materials are man-made products and manufactured in the form of
resins, insulating films etc., in recent years wide use is made of new materials whose composition and
organic substances. These are the synthetic Organo-silicon compounds, generally termed as silicones.
 27

Properties of a good Insulating Materials:

The basic function of insulation is to provide insulation live wire to live wire or to the earth. A
good insulating material needs the following physical and electrical properties.
1. It should be good conductor to heat and bad conductor to electricity.
2. It should withstand the designed mechanical stress.
3. It should have good chemical and thermal resistively and environmental resistively.
4. High dielectric strength sustained at elevated temperatures.
5. High resistivity or specific resistance
6. Low dielectric Hysterisis.
7. Good thermal conductivity.
8. High degree of thermal stability i.e. it should not deteriorate at high temperatures.
9. Low dissipation factor.
10. Should be resistant to oils and liquid, gas flames, acids and alkalis.
11. Should be resistant to thermal and chemical deterioration.
CLASSIFICATION OF INSULATING MATERIAL:
The insulating material can be classified in the following two ways.
I. Classification according to substance and materials.
II. Classification according to temperature.

Classification according to substance and materials:

1. Solids (Inorganic and organic)
EX: Mica, wood slate, glass, porcelain, rubber, cotton, silks, rayon, ethylene, paper and cellulose
materials etc.
2. Liquids (oils and varnishes)
EX: linseed oil, refined hydrocarbon minerals oils sprits and synthetic varnishes etc.
3. Gases
EX: Dry air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen etc.

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO TEMPERATURE:

Class Permissible Materials
temperature
Y 90° Cotton, silk, paper, cellulose, wood etc neither impregnated
nor immersed in oil. These are unsuitable for electrical
machine and apparatus as they deteriorate rapidly and are
extremely hygroscopic.
A 105° Cotton, silk & paper, natural resins, cellulose esters,
laminated wool, varnished paper.
E 120° Synthetic material of cellulose base
B 130° Mica, asbestos, glass fibre with suitable bonding substance
 28

F 155° Material of class B with binding material of higher thermal

stability.
H 180° Glass fibre and asbestos material and built up mica with
silicon resins.
C Above Mica, porcelain, quartz, glass (without any bonding agent)
180° with silicon resins of higher thermal stability.

INSULATING MATERIALS FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES:

Shelf life
Name of Insulation (In months) Application
Material Class At At
20 oC 5oc
1. Samicatherm calmica F 6 12 Main insulation of
glass-n, mimica, domica, stator bars
folium, filamic
novobond-s, epoxy
therm laxman isola
calmicaflex
2. Samica flex H 4 8 Overhang insulation of
motor coils, at 3rd
bends of multi turn coil
3. Vectro asbestos B/F 2 8 Main pole coils of
(365.02/365.32) synchronous machines
4. (used in resin rich)
5. Epoxide impregnated F 6 12 Winding holders and
glass cloth inter-half insulation
6. Polyester resin mat & 6 Bar to winding holder
rope & stiffener groove of
support segment of
clamping plate
7. Glassoflex F 6 12 Inter-turn insulation of
Turbo laminate rotor winding
8. Hyper seal tape F 6 12 As finishing layer in
overhangs of motor
coils
9. SIB775 or 4302 varnish F 6 12 Stack Consolidation of
stator bars
10. SIB475 or 4301 varnish F 6 12 Base coat varnish
before taping of stator
 29

bars
11. SIB 643 or8003 Varnish 4 8 Conductive coat in
or K8886 varnish straight portion of
stator bars
12. SIB 642 or 8001 varnish 4 8 At slot emerge portion
on stator bars

FEW DEFINITIONS OF ELECTRIAL PROPERTIES OF AN INSULATION:

1. INSULATON RESISTANCE:
It may be defined as the resistance between two conductors usually separated by insulating
materials. It is the total resistance in respect of two parallel paths, one through the body and
other over the surface of the body.
Insulation Resistance is influenced by the following factors.

1) It falls with every increase in temperature.

2) The sensitivity of the insulation is considerable in the presence of moisture.

3) Insulation resistance decrease with increase in applied voltage.

2. DIELECTRIC STRENGTH:
The voltage across the insulating material is increased slowly the way in which the leakage
current increases depend upon the nature and condition material.
3. POWER FACTOR:
Power factor is a measure of the power losses in the insulation and should be low. It varies
with the temperature of the insulation. A rapid increase indicates danger.
4. DIELECTRIC CONSTANT:
This property is defined as the ratio of the electric flux density in the material .To that
produced in free space by the same electric force.
5. DIELECTRIC LOSS:
The dielectric losses occur in all solid and liquid dielectric due to
(b) Conduction current
(c) Hysterisis.

Additional to the Electrical properties there are many factors such as thermal, chemical etc.., they are
tabulated as below.
S.No Thermal Properties Chemical Properties Mechanical Properties
 30

1. Specific heat Resistance to external chemical Density

2. Thermal conductivity. effects. Viscosity
3. Thermal plasticity Resistance to chemical in soils. Moisture absorption
4. Ignitability Hardness of surface
5. Softening point Effect of moisture and water. Surface tension
6. Heat Aging Uniformity.
7. Thermal expansion.

Resin Impregnation:
Resin impregnation fills the porosity of a part with a resin to create a pressure-tight part for
hydraulic applications which can withstand several thousand psi, to improve machine ability, or to
allow electroplating. The parts are placed in a mesh basket and loaded into a vacuum tank. This is
then submerged in a bath of Anaerobic resin. A vacuum is pulled to remove all air from the porosity
of the parts. This vacuum is released to and the tank is pressurised, causing the resin to be drawn into
the porosity of the parts. Parts that typically undergo resin impregnation include hydraulic fittings for
pressure tightness and plating, covers and plated for pressure tightness, as well as machined
components.
The previous method of sealing parts was a furnace treatment, which formed a hard oxide layer on
the internal and external surfaces of a part, filling the porosity. Most machining operations were
performed prior to sealing the part because the hard oxide layer adversely affected mach inability.
Residue left by traditional cutting fluids tended to inhibit the formation of an oxide layer. With resin
impregnation, conventional cutting fluids can be used because the furnace treatment is eliminated
resulting in improved mach inability. These fluids efficiently remove heat from the cutting tool,
extending the tool life. Machining a porous part effectively creates a continuous interrupted cut.
Each time the tool impacts metal after passing through a pore, it may chip and become dull. Resin
impregnation reduces that effect and may also provide added lubrication to the cutting tool. Before
resin impregnation, many parts were mechanically plated. Resin impregnation allows the use of
electroplating.
EPOXY RESINS:
Epoxy resins are poly ethers derived from epi-chloro hydrin and Bis-phenol monomers
through condensation polymerization process.These resins are product of alkaline condensed of epi-
chloro hydrin and product of alkaline condensed of epi-chloro hydrin and poly-hydric compounds.
In epoxy resins cross-linking is produced by cure reactions. The liquid polymer has reactive
functional group like oil etc, otherwise vacuum as pre polymer. The pre polymer of epoxy resins
allowed to react curing agents of low inductor weights such as poly-amines, poly-amides, poly-
 31

sulphides, phenol, urea, formaldehyde, acids anhydrides etc, to produce the three dimensional cross
linked structures.
Hence epoxy resins exhibit outstanding toughness, chemical inertness and excellent
mechanical and thermal shock resistance. They also possess good adhesion property. Epoxy resins
can be used continuously up to 300°F, but with special additions, the capability can be increased up to
a temperature of 500°F.

Epoxy resins are made use as an efficient coating material. This includes coating of tanks
containing chemicals, coating for corrosion and abrasion resistant containers. Epoxy resins are made
up of as attractive corrosion and wear resistant floor ware finishes.

These are also used as industrial flooring material. They are also used as highways Surfacing
and patching material. Moulding compounds of epoxy resins such as pipe fitting electrical
components bobbins for coil winding and components of tooling industrial finds greater application
in industries.

The epoxy resins similar to polyester resins can be laminated and Fibre Reinforced (FPR) and
used in glass fibre boats, lightweight helicopters and aeroplanes parts.
In the modern electronic industry, the application of epoxy resins is great. Potting and
encapsulation (coating with plastic resin) is used for electronic parts. Most of the printed circuits
bodies are made of laminated epoxy resin which is light but strong and tough.

PROPERTIES:

1) Epoxy resins have good mechanical strength less shrinkage and excellent dimensional stable
after casting.

2) Chemical resistance is high.

3) Good adhesion to metals.

4) To impact hardness certain organic acid anhydrides and alphabetic amines are mixed.

APPLICATIONS:

1) They are used in the manufacture of laminated insulating boards.

2) Dimensional stability prevents crack formation in castings.
3) They are also used as insulating varnishes.

INSULATING MATERIAL FOR LAMINATIONS: -

 32

The core stacks in modem machines are subjected to high pressers during assembly and there
fore to avoid metal-to-metal contact, laminations must be well insulated. The main requirements of
good lamination insulation are homogeneously in thin layers toughness and high receptivity.
We use varnish as insulating material for laminations.

VARNISH
This is most effective type of insulation now available. It makes the laminations nest proofs
and is not affected by the temperature produced in electrical machines varnish is usually applied to
both sides of lamination to a thickness of about 0.006mm. On plates of 0.35mm thickness varnish
gives a stacking factor about 0.95.In order to achieve good insulation properties the following
processes are in BHEL.
• THERMOPLASTIC PROCESS OF INSULATION
• THERMOSETTING PROCESS OF INSULATION

BHEL is practicing only thermosetting process of insulation so

Thermosetting types of insulation are of two types:
• RESIN RICH SYSTEM OF INSULATION
• RESIN POOR SYSTEM OF INSULATION

The various types of materials used in the resin rich and resin poor process are given below.
Let us have an overview.
Materials used in resin poor system:

S.NO. Material Size Composition supplier

1. Epoxy glass cloth Isola
2. Nomex fleece Isola
3. Fine mica polyester Isola
glass cloth
4. Nomex Isola
5. Fom micanite Isola
6. Fine mica tape Isola
40*0.15mm
(KUN 561.44)
7. Copper foil Isola
8. Polyester fleece tape Isola
with graphite for ICP
9. Polyester fleece tape Isola
with graphite for OCP
10. Polyester fleece tape Isola
with Silicon Carbide
11. Mica splitting tape 0.18mm*40mm* Isola
50m
12. Polyester glass tape Isola
 33

MATERIAL FOR RESIN POOR

DIAMOND COILS HALF BARS

• Treated trivoltherm • EPOXY glass cloth
• Impregnated polyester fleece • Nomex glass fleece
• Glass mat with accelerator • Fine mica polyester glass cloth
• Hostofon folium • Nomex
• Synthetic fibre tape • Form micanite
• Resin poor mica tape • Form mica tape
• Polyester fleece tape with graphite • Copper foil
• Semiconductor asbestos tape • Polyester fleece tape with
• Polyester glass tape graphite for ICP
• Polyester fleece tape • Polyester fleece for OCP
• Nomex polyamide adhesive tape • Polyester fleece tape with silicon carbi
• Mica splitting tape
VARNISH
• Polyester glass tape
• Rutapox
• Hardener (H-90)

MATERIAL FOR RESIN RICH BARS:

• Preprag
• Nomex
• Epoxy resin rich mica tape
• Glass tape
• PTFE tape
VARNISH
• Mica powder
• Graphite powder
• Conductive varnish
• Semiconductor varnish

RESIN RICH SYSTEM:

 34

In olden days, Resin Rich system of insulation is used for all Electrical Machines. In
insulator contains nearly 40% of EPOXY RESIN, so it gives good thermal stability Resin Rich
Insulation consists of the following materials in percentage
1. MICA PAPER TAPE -40-50%
2. GLASS PAPER TAPE-20%
3. EPOXY RESIN-40%
The bars are insulated (or) taped with RESIN RICH TAPE and place in the Pre-assembled
stator core including stator frame.
In resin rich system of insulation Mica paper will give a good dielectric strength and Glass fiber tape
will give a good mechanical strength and Epoxy resin can withstand up to 155 degree Centigrade so it
gives a good thermal properties. Resin rich and Resin poor insulating materials are
characterized by the contact of the Epoxy Resin. In Resin rich system the content of Epoxy Resin
tape is 40% so it is named as RESIN RICH SYSTEM, and in Resin poor system the content of Resin
tape is 8%. By VIP impregnation process, the required amount is added to then conductor bars after
assembling the core and placing the winding in the core. In resin rich system before placing of coils
in the stator slots the rich tape will be wrapped over the bars. Nevertheless, this system has the
following disadvantages:
1. This system is very time consuming and very long procedure.
2. Total cost of the system is more.

In order to minimize the over all cost of the machine and to reduce the time cycle of the system, the
VACUUM PRESSURE IMPREGNATION SYSTEM is being widely used. This process is very
simple, less time consuming and lower cost.
BHEL, HYDERABAD is equipped with the state of the art technology of VACUUM
PRESSURE IMPREGNATION.

The core or coil building and assembling method depends on the insulation system used. The
difference in core building is
1. For Resin rich insulation system the laminations are stacked in the frame itself.
2. For Resin poor insulation system (VPI) cage core of open core design is employed.
The manufacturing of coils also differs for both as explained above for core.
1. For resin poor process
2. For resin rich process
 35

MANUFACTURE OF STATOR COILS:

Manufacturing of stator coils depends on the type of the insulation process used for the stator.
I.e. the process is different for resin rich and resin poor process although few of the sub processes are
same for both.
A.) For resin poor process:
In this process the high voltage insulation is provided according to the resin poor mica base of
thermosetting epoxy system. Several half overlapped continuous layers of resin poor mica tape
are applied over the bars. The thickness of the tape depends on the machine voltage.
i. Reception of copper conductors:
The copper conductors rolls are received is checked for physical and mechanical properties. First
piece is checked for specifications such as length and if found satisfactory, mass cutting to desired
length is carried out by feeding into the cutting mills.

ii. Transposition:
Conductors are adjusted one over another for a given template and the bundles are
transposed by 360 degrees by setting the press for “Roebel Transposition”. Now they are bundled and
consolidated by tying with cutter tape
at various places.
Similarly all the bundles are
processed. Thus each stator bundle has
a transposed coils in each phase such
that the flux distribution is equal and
hence the induced e.m.f.

Figure 4: Side View showing one way of transposing insulated strands in stator bar.
iii. Putty operation:
All the transposed bars are shifted to putty operation. Here a single bar is taken for putty
operation by filling up the uneven surfaces on the width face by filling with NOMAX. I.e., NOMAX
sheets are inserted in the crossovers on the width face to the both ends. Form mica net is placed over
the width face of the bar on both sides & wrapped with PTFE (poly tetra flamo ethane) tape.

iv. Stack consolidation:

Now 2 to 3 bars are inserted into hydraulic presser and they are pressed horizontally and
vertically to a pressure up to 150kg/cm2. At the same time the bars are subjected o heating from 140
to 160 degrees for duration of 2-3 hrs. Then the bars are unloaded and clamped perfectly. Now inter
half and inter strip testing is carried out and the dimensions are checked using a gauge.
 36

v. Bending:
Each of the samples is placed over the universal former & the universal former is aligned to
the specifications. The bar is bent on both the sides i.e. on turbine side (TS) and exciter side
(ES).the 1st bend and the 2nd bend is carried out and continued by over hang formation. Now the
3rd bend is carried by inserting nomax sheet from the end of straight part to the end of 3 rd bend and
the bars are clamped tightly. Now the clamps are heated to 60 degrees for 30mins. Inter half and
inter strip tests follows.
vi. Final taping:
The taping may be machine or manual taping and the taping is done according to
the type of insulation used. In case of resin poor system, resin poor tape is wrapped by 9*1/2 over
lap in the straight portion up to overhang and 6*1/2 over lap layers in the intermittent layers. The
intermittent layers are follows….
1st intermittent layer is ICP (internal corona protection) tape. This is wrapped by
butting only in straight portion.
2nd is split mica tape. One layer of split mica is wrapped by butting & using
conductive tape at the bottom so that split mica is not overlapped.
Next layer is O.C.P (outer corona protection). OCP tape is wrapped final in straight
portion by but joint up to end of straight portion on both the sides.
Next intermittent layer is ECP (end corona protection). ECP tape is wrapped from
the end of straight portion up to over hang over a length of 90-110mm.
Now the bars are wrapped finally with hyper seal tape from straight portion to the
end of 3rd bend in overlapping layers for protecting the layers from anti fingering. The IH & IS
tests follows and the bars are discharged to the stator winding.
 37

2. For Resin rich system:

The coil manufacture is same as in case of resin poor but differ in a few stages. The
Conductor cutting and material used is same as resin poor system. Transposition is done same as that
of resin poor system. Stacking of coils is done. In this case high resin glass cloth is used for
preventing inter half shorts. There is a difference in putty work.
Putty work:
 38

Nomex is used in between transposition pieces. 775 varnish is applied over the straight portion of bar
and mica putty is applied on the width faces of the bars.
Mica Putty mixture is a composition of SIB 775 Varnish, mica powder and china clay in the ratio of
100:50:25.
Straight part baking is done for 1hour at a temperature of 160°C and a pressure of 150kg/sq.cm.Then
bending and forming is done. Half taping with resin rich tape is done for over hangs and reshaping is
done. To ensure no short circuits half testing of coils is done.
Final taping:
Initial taping and final tapings is done with resin rich tape (semica therm tape) to about 13-14
layers. The main insulation layers are 12*1/2 overlap in the straight portion and 9 layers in the
overhang.

Figure 3: Layout of a mould used in baking of stator by Resin rich process

Final baking:
Final baking is done for 3hrs at a temperature of 160°C in cone furnace. The bar is fed into the
baking mould.
• The bar is heated for 1 hr at 90 degree to get gelling state.
 39

• The temperature of the mould is increased to 110 degrees in 30 mins and simultaneously the
moulds are tightened. Now in this process 155 of the resin is oozed out only 25% will be
remain. Now the bar is unloaded and checked for final dimensions, sharp corners,
depressions, charring, hollow sounds etc.,
• Gauge suiting is done. I.e. the dimensions are made to compromising with the design.
• Conductive/graphite coating (643) is applied on the straight portion and semi-conductive
coating 642 from end of straight portion to 3rd bend to pre transition coating on both sides.1st
coating for 90mm, 2nd coating for 100mm and 3rd coating for 120mm on both sides.
• The bar is allowed for drying and epoxy red gel is applied from the end of straight portion to
the 3rd bend on both sides and allow for drying.
• High voltage testing is done at 4 times that of rated voltage and tanδ testing, inter strip, inter
half testing are done. Tanδ values must be less than 2%.

ADVANTAGES OF RESIN POOR SYSTEM OF INSULATION:

 It has better dielectric strength
 Heat transfer coefficient is much better
 Maintenance free and core and frame are independent
 It gives better capacitance resulting in less dielectric losses due to which the insulation life will be
more
 The cost will be less and it is latest technology
 Reduction in time cycle and consumption for MW also less and it gives high quality

DISADVANTAGES OF RESIN POOR SYSTEM OF INSULATION:

• If any short circuit is noticed, the repairing process is difficult and need of excess resin from
outside.
• Dependability for basic insulating material on foreign supply

ADVANTAGES OF RESIN RICH SYSTEM OF INSULATION:

 Better quality and reliability is obtained
 In case of any fault (phase - ground/ phase – phase short) carrying the repair process is very easy.
 Addition of excess resin will be avoided because of using resin rich mica tape

DISADVANTAGES OF RESIN RICH SYSTEM OF INSULATION:

• It is a very long procedure
 40

• Due to fully manual oriented process, the cost is more

• It is possible to process stator bars only.
Even though the advantages and disadvantages of both the process are explained above, resin
poor process is the best of all, as the resin content used is almost only 35% compared to resin poor

process and also show good insulation properties justified later.

2. Assembly of stator:
The completed core and the copper bars are brought to the assembly shop for
assembly.
Reception of stator core:
Stator core after the core assembly is checked for the availability of foreign matter, so coil
projections are checked in each slot. HGL gauge is passed in each and every slot to detect bottom
core projections.

Winding holder’s assembly:

Assemble all the winding holders on both sides by adapting to the required design size.
Check all the wedge holders by a template and they are assembled as per the design requirement.
Tighten all the bolts relevant to winding holders and lock them by tag welding. Assemble HGL rings
on both the sides by centring with respect to core. Subject each individual for pressing in pressing
fixture at a pressure of 60 kg/cm2 for 30 minutes. Inter half test is conducted for each individual bar
before assembling into the stator.
Now stator bar assembling is carried out by centring to the core and check for proper
seating of bottom bars with T-gauge and checked for third bend matching, over hang seating etc..,
rein force the overhang portion of stator bars by inserting glass mat in between the bars and tying
them with neoprene glass sleeve. This process is carried out for all respective bottom bars .now the
pitch matching is checked on both sides both the generator and the exciter side.
Now high voltage testing is carried out on the stator.

Stiffeners assembly:
Stiffeners are assembled on both sides and then checked for physical feasibility of top bar
by laying into the respective slot. Check for uniform gap in the over hang and top bar matching to the
bottom bar pitch on both sides. Assemble all the top bars by inserting inner layer inserts and also
assemble relevant RTD’s (Resistance Temperature detectors) where ever they are required as per the
design.
After completion of top bars, reinforce overhangs by inserting Glass-mat and tying with
Neoprene glass sleeve and also check for the third bend matching on both the sides. Then the core is
subjected to high voltage DC test and inter half short circuit tests.
 41

Eye formation:
Join bottom conductors and top conductors forming an eye, by brazing the conductors with
silver foil. Segregate eyes into two halves on both sides and test for inter half shorts. Insert Nomax
into two halves and close them.
Brazing makes the electrical connection between the top and bottom bars. One top bars strand
each is brazed to one strand of associated bottom bar so that beginning of the strand is connected with
out any electrical contact with the remaining strand. This connection offers the advantage of
minimising three circulating currents.

Connecting rings assembly:

The connecting rings are assembled on exciter side as per the drawing and connect all the
connectors to the phase groovers by joining and brazing with silver foil. Clean each individual phase
groove, insert nomax sheet and tape with semica folium. Subject the whole stator for HVDC test.
Terminate the three RTD’s in the straight portion and the 3-RTD’s in the over hang portion on both
turbine and exciter side except one for earthing requirement.

Phase connectors:
The phase connectors consist of flat copper sections, the cross section of which results in a low
specific current loading. The connections to the stator winding are of riveted and soldered tape and
like wise wrapped with dry mica/glass fabric tapes. The phase connectors are firmly mounted on the
winding support using clamping pieces and glass fabric tapes.

Thus the complete stator completed is sent for VPI process. The VPI process is a new technology
introduced in ……….. and the best for ever

INTRODUCTION TO VACUUM PRESSURE IMPREGNATION

SYSTEM (VPI)

HISTORY
DR. MEYER brought the VPI system with the collaboration of WESTING HOUSE in the year
1956. Vacuum Pressure Impregnation has been used for many years as a basic process for thorough
filling of all interstices in insulated components, especially high voltage stator coils and bars. Prior to
development of thermosetting resins, a widely used insulation system for 6.6kv and higher voltages
was a Vacuum Pressure Impregnation system based on bitumen bonded Mica flake tape is used as
 42

main ground insulation. After applying the insulation coils or bars were placed in an autoclave,
vacuum dried and then impregnated with a high melting point bitumen compound. To allow thorough
impregnation, a low viscosity was essential. This was achieved by heating the bitumen to about 180°
C at which temperature it was sufficiently liquid to pass through the layers of tape and fill the
interstices around the conductor stack. To assist penetration, the pressure in the autoclave was raised
to 5 or 6 atmospheres. After appropriate curing and calibration, the coils or bars were wound and
connected up in the normal manner. These systems performed satisfactorily in service provided they
were used in their thermal limitations. In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, however, many large units,
principally turbine generators, failed due to inherently weak thermoplastic nature of bitumen
compound.
Failures were due to two types of problems:

3. Tape separation
4. Excessive relaxation of the main ground insulation.

Much development work was carried out to try to produce new insulation systems, which
didn’t exhibit these weaknesses. The first major new system to overcome these difficulties was
basically a fundamental improvement to the classic Vacuum Pressure Impregnation process. Coils and
bars were insulated with dry mica flake tapes, lightly bonded with synthetic resin and backed by a
thin layer of fibrous material. After taping, the bars or coils were vacuum dried and pressure
impregnated in polyester resin. Subsequently, the resin was converted by chemical action from a
liquid to a solid compound by curing at an appropriate temperature, e.g. 150°C. this so called
thermosetting process enable coils and bars to be made which didn’t relax subsequently when
operating at full service temperature. By building in some permanently flexible tapings at the
evolutes of diamond shaped coils, it was practicable to wind them without difficulty. Thereafter,
normal slot packing, wedging, connecting up and bracing procedures were carried out. Many
manufacturers for producing their large coils and bars have used various versions of this Vacuum
Pressure Impregnation procedure for almost 30 years. The main differences between systems have
been in the types of micaceous tapes used for main ground insulation and the composition of the
impregnated resins. Although the first system available was styrenated polyester, many developments
have taken place during the last two decades. Today, there are several different types of epoxy, epoxy-
polyester and polyester resin in common use. Choice of resin system and associated micaceous tape is
a complex problem for the machine manufacturer.
Although the classic Vacuum Pressure Impregnation technique has improved to a significant
extent, it is a modification to the basic process, which has brought about the greatest change in the
design and manufacture of medium-sized a.c. industrial machines. This is the global impregnation
 43

process. Using this system, significant increases in reliability, reduction in manufacturing costs and
improved output can be achieved. Manufacture of coils follows the normal process except that the
ground insulation consists of low-bond micaceous tape. High-voltage coils have corona shields and
stress grading applied in the same way as for resin-rich coils, except that the materials must be
compatible with the Vacuum Pressure Impregnation process. Individual coils are inter turn and high-
potential-tested at voltages below those normally used for resin-rich coils because, at the un-
impregnated stage, the intrinsic electric strength is less than that which will be attained after
processing. Coils are wound into slots lined with firm but flexible sheet material. Care has to be taken
to ensure that the main ground insulation, which is relatively fragile, is not damaged. After inter-turn
testing of individual coils, the series joints are made and coils connected up into phase groups. All
insulation used in low-bond material, which will soak up resin during the impregnation process. End-
winding bracing is carried out with dry, or lightly treated, glass-and/or polyester-based tapes, cords
and ropes. On completion, the wound stator is placed in the Vacuum Pressure Impregnation tank,
vacuum-dried and pressure-impregnated with solvent less synthetic resin. Finally, the completed unit
is stoved to thermo set all the resin in the coils and the associated bracing system.
After curing, stator windings are high-potential-tested to the same standard. Loss-tangent
measurements at voltage intervals up to line voltage are normally made on all stators for over 1kv. A
major difference between resin-rich and vacuum pressure impregnation lies in the importance of this
final loss-tangent test; it is an essential quality-control check to conform how well the impregnation
has been carried out. To interpret the results, the manufacturer needs to have a precise understanding
of the effect of the stress-grading system applied to the coils. Stress grading causes an increase in the
loss-tangent values. To calculate the real values of the ground insulation loss-tangent, it is necessary
to supply from the readings the effect of the stress grading. For grading materials based on the
materials such as silicon carbide loaded tape or varnish, this additional loss depends, to a large extent
upon the stator core length and machine voltage.

VPI is a process, which is a step above the conventional vacuum system. VPI includes
pressure in addition to vacuum, thus assuring good penetration of the varnish in the coil. The result is
improved mechanical strength and electrical properties. With the improved penetration, a void free
coil is achieved as well as giving greater mechanical strength. With the superior varnish distribution,
the temperature gradient is also reduced and therefore, there is a lower hot spot rise compared to the
average rise.

In order to minimise the overall cost of the machine & to reduce the time cycle of the
insulation system vacuum pressure Impregnated System is used. The stator coils are taped with
porous resin poor mica tapes before inserting in the slots of cage stator, subsequently wounded stator
 44

is subjected to VPI process, in which first the stator is vacuum dried and then impregnated in resin
bath under pressure of Nitrogen gas.

Araldite Impregnating Resin System :

System: A B
Araldite MY 790-1 100 100pbw
Hardener HY 1102 90 90pbw
Accelerator DY 9577 0.16 --pbw
Accelerator DY 073 0.04 --pbw

Liquid, hot-curing impregnating system based on distilled Bis phenol-A resin and Anhydride
hardener with long pot life, high class transition temperature and excellent electrical and mechanical
end properties.
 Applications:
Full-bath impregnation of motors and generators with medium and high power ratings and
impregnation of single conductors (Roebel bars) in combination with porous mica-tapes.
 Processing method:
Vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI-process)
 Properties:
 Low viscosity and good impregnation capability
 Solvent free system
 Long pot-life due to high latency (in absence of tape catalyst)
 Excellent mechanical and electrical end properties
 Liquid, solvent-free, distilled Bis-A epoxy resin
 Araldite MY 790-1:
Viscosity at 25°C: 4000-6400mpa s
Epoxy content: 5.60-5.90equiv/kg
Chlorine content, hydrolysable: ≤ 0.05%
Density at 25°C: 1.15-1.20g/cu.cm
Flash point: >200°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: < 1mpa
At 180°C: 0.133pa
 45

Liquid, unmodified anhydride-curing agent

 Hardener HY 1102:
Viscosity at 20°C: 0.70mpa s
Density at 20°C: 1.13-1.17g/cu.cm
Flash point: 145°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <0.3pa
Latent accelerator based on BCl3 (solid or liquid state)
 Accelerator DY 9577:
Melting range: 26-35°C
Density at 20°C: 1.12-1.15g/cu.cm
Flash point: >118°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <0.01 pa
Latent accelerator based on amine complex
 Accelerator DY 073:
Viscosity at 25°C: 10-30mpa s
Density at 20°C: 0.93-0.97g/cu.cm
Flash point: 82°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <6pa
 Storage:
Store the components at 18-25°C, in tightly sealed and dry, if possible, in original containers.
Under these conditions, the shelf life will correspond to the expiration date stated on the label. After
this date, the product may be processed only following reanalyses. Partly emptied containers should
be closed tightly immediately after use. For information on waste disposal and hazardous products of
decomposition in the event of fire refer to material data sheet.

Vpi process is done in theVPI camber. For higher capacity stators of steam turbine or gas turbine
generator stators, horizontal chamber is used where as vertical chamber is used for smaller capacity
systems such as permanent magnet generator, coil insulation of small pumps and armature of motors
etc..,
 46

Vacuum Pressure Impregnation of resin poor insulated jobs:

Vpi process for a stator involves the following stages.
1. preheating
2. lifting and shifting
3. vacuum cycle
4. vacuum drop test
5. heating the resin
6. Resin admission.
7. resin settling
8. pressure cycle
9. aereation
10. post curing cycle
11. cleaning
General:

The jobs that are entering tank for Vacuum Pressurised Impregnation shall not have any oil based
coatings. Any such, rust preventive/ corrosion preventive viz., red oxide etc., shall be eliminated into
the tank. jobs shall be protected with polyethylene sheet for preventing dust or dirt on jobs, till it is
The taken up for impregnation. Resin in the storage tank shall be stored at 10 to 12°C and measured
for its viscosity, viscosity rise. Proper functioning of the impregnation plant and curing oven are to be
checked by production and cleared for taking up of job for impregnation
1 Pre heating: the foremost stage of VPI ,the completed stator is placed in the impregnation vessel
and kept in an oven for a period of 12 hours at a temperature of 60 deg. Six thermocouples are inserted at the
back of the core to measure the temperature. The temperature should not exceed to 85 deg .smaller stator can
be inserted directly into the impregnation chamber. The job is to be loaded in the curing oven and heated.
The temperature is to be monitored by the RTD elements placed on the job and the readings are
logged by production. The time of entry into the oven, time of taking out and the temperature
maintained are to be noted. Depending on convenience of production the jobs can be preheated in
impregnation tank by placing them in tubs.
The impregnation tubs used for impregnation of jobs are to be heated in the impregnated tank itself,
when the jobs are preheated in the curing oven
2 Insertion of tub with job into the impregnation tank
:The wound stator is lifted and shifted into the tub, By the time, the preheating of job is
completed, it is to be planned in such a way that the heating of tub and tank heating matches with the
job. This is applicable when the job is heated in the curing oven separately. The preheated job is to be
transferred into the tub by crane handling the job safely and carefully with out damage to the green
 47

hot insulation the tub is then pushed in the 140 tank furnace or also called as vacuum tank, after
which the lid is closed and the tank furnace was heated to 60 +/- 3 deg The warm tub with job is
inserted into impregnation tank by sliding on railing, in case of horizontal tank. The thermometer
elements are to be placed at different places on the job. The connection for inlet resin is to be made
for collection of resin into tub. After ensuring all these lid of the impregnation tank is closed. In case
of vertical tank the job along with tub is slinged and inserted carefully into impregnation tank without
damage to insulation
3 Vacuum cycle: the pre heated job will be placed in the impregnation chamber by a
hydraulic mechanism. The vessels are kept clean, resin available in the vessel is wiped out.
Methylene and traces of resin are not be allowed on the inner side of the tank the vacuum pumps are
all switched on and a vacuum pressure of about 0.2 mb. This pressure is maintained for about 17
HRS .after which the wound stator is subject to vacuum drop test

Vacuum Pressure Impregnation of resin poor insulated jobs:

Variant Description

01 Brushless exciter armature, PMG stators and

Laminated rotors

02 Stator wound with diamond pulled coils.

3 Stator with half coils

Variant-01 Variant-02 Variant-03 Any other

information
Preheating 60±5°C for 60±5°C for 12hrs 60±3°C for
3hrs 12hrs

Vacuum to be 0.4mbar 0.2mbar/0.4mbar <0.2mbar

maintained (both together
shall not
exceed 50hrs
including
rising time)
Vacuum heating 0.2mbar for 9hrs Stopping
time 3hrs 0.4mbar for 17hrs vacuum
pumps for
10min shall
check 17hrs
vacuum drop.
The vacuum
drop shall not
exceed by
 48

0.06mbar for
10min
Increase in 40min 80min 80min
pressure
Maximum 3bar 4bar 4bar
pressure
Pressure 3hrs 3hrs 3hrs
holding
Post curing At140±5°C for At140±5°C for At140±5°C
14hrs 32hrs for 32hrs

4 Vacuum drop test : this drop test is important phase ,all the vacuum pumps are switched
off for about 10 mins, and the vacuum drop is measured and it is checked whether it exceeds 0.06mb,
if it exceeds 0.06mb then it is subject to repetition of vacuum cycle for another 6 to 8 hrs ,else it is
sent to the next cycle
.Drying the job in vacuum
The job is to be dried under vacuum. Drain out the condensed moisture/ water at the exhausts
of vacuum pumps for efficient and fast vacuum creation. Also check for oil replacement at pumps in
case of delay in achieving desired vacuum.

5 Heating the resin in the storage tank

The completion of operations of drying and the heating of the resin in the storage tank
are to be synchronised. The heating of resin in the tank and pipeline is to be maintained as at
preheating temperature .ie the temperature is maintained at 60+/- 3 deg ,including pipeline
6 Admission of resin into impregnation tank
The resin is allowed into the impregnation tank tub if required from various storage tanks
one after the other, such that the difference in pressure fills the tank, up to a level of 100mm above
the job generally, after which the resin admission is stopped. After 10mins of resin settling the tank is
to be pressurised by nitrogen. While admitting resin from storage tanks pressurise to minimum so that
nitrogen will not affect resin to spill over in tank.
7 Resin settling: the resin is allowed to settle for about 4mins in such a way that bubble
formation ceases
8 Pressurising/gelling
After the resin has settled the job is subject to pressure cycle of 4 kg/ cm 2 of dry nitrogen into
the vacuum tank after obtaining 4 kg/cm2,this is subject for 2 hrs. in this stage the resin is
impregnated into the micro pores of the stator and is very firmly embedded into the crevices of the
stator ,so thus acting as a tough layer of insulation for the stator ,being indestructible in the long run.
9 Withdrawal of resin from impregnation tank to storage tank
 49

The resin that is pressurised as per pressure cycle by which the opening of relevant valves will
allow the resin to come back to the storage tank. The job also shall be allowed for dripping of residue
of resin for about 10min. After dripping, withdrawal of resin in various storage tanks is to be carried
out. this necessary because resin is a very costly material.
10 Taking out the tub with job from impregnation tank
The lid is then opened after taking precautions of wearing mask and gloves for the operating
personnel as a protection from fumes. The job is withdrawn from impregnation tank by sliding on
railing for horizontal and slinging on to crane for vertical impregnation tanks.
11 Post curing: The job is post heated. The time for rising from job temperature to this
temperature as per relevant annexure. The time at which the heating is started, achieved and
maintained is to be logged .the wound stator is subject to 140 +/- 5 deg .after obtaining 140 deg the
stator is subject for 32 hrs. the stator is then made to rotate at 1 rpm up to 120 deg. It is then allowed
for cooling without opening the doors till the temperature reaches 80 deg, after attaining the
temperature of 80 deg , the doors are opened and wound stator is sprayed with epoxy gel
On the overhangs and is allowed for drying
12 Cleaning : entire wound stator is cleaned for resin drips ,after which its subjected to
h v and tan delta tests

Electrical testing:
All jobs that are impregnated till above process are to be tested for electrical tests. After
ensuring that all the temperature/vacuum conditions stipulated for drying, impregnation and curing
operations have been properly followed, the job is to be released for this operation.
 50

 Global processing:
Processing details depends very much
on the machine type, on customer’s
defined parameters and type of mica
tapes.
Generally the VPI system is used
in impregnation vessels up to 30T
where the rotor/stator are
impregnated at elevated temperatures. Machine parts usually are preheated (also under vacuum) in
order to remove moisture and to reduce viscosity during impregnation.

Resin management:
After impregnation the VPI bath is pumped into storage tanks and cooled down to 5-10°C and
should be stored in dry conditions in order to obtain a long bath life. Actual bath life depends on
additional parameters, e.g., impregnation temperature and duration of impregnation, impurities in the
bath, wash-out of catalyst from mica tapes into the un- accelerated resin system (B), replenishment
rate, moisture exposure etc,. The viscosity of the bath should be checked periodically in order to
maintain a suitable viscosity for impregnation.
Impregnated, yet uncured machine parts in unconditioned atmosphere may pickup moisture.
Therefore curing directly after impregnation or storage in moisture controlled area is recommended.
Generally machine parts are rotated when removed from the bath and during the first part of curing in
order to avoid drip off.
 51

Evaporation of hardener during the vacuum cycle leads to a change in the resin/hardener ratio in the
bath and has to be compensated. Therefore replenishment is mixing ratios of 100-120pbw of hardener
HY 1102 per 100pbw MY 790-1 are generally used. Replenishment mixing ratios depend on actual
processing parameters and conditions and have to be evaluated at the customer site.
Due to excellent latency of the system (A) MY 790-1/HY 1102/DY 9577/DY073 the replenishment
volume to maintain a constant viscosity is comparatively small, even if impregnation is performed at
40-50°C.
On single coils and roebel-bars the mica insulation is normally covered with a tight glass tape to
prevent drainage of the impregnation resin.

 Specific Instructions:
Depending on the insulation materials and the accelerating agent in use, a ramped curing
schedule is recommended.
In systems with high reactivity, where the accelerator can be include in the mica-tape, a fast
gelation can be obtain with a temperature-shock, and draining can so be reduced or avoided.
Standard curing with the standard accelerated mixture (system A) is:
12 h at 90°C plus 18 h at 140°C
 Precaution:
To determine whether cross linking has been carried to completion and the final properties are
optimal, it is necessary to carry out relevant measurements on the actual object or to measure
the glass transition temperature. Different gelling and cure cycles in the manufacturing
process could lead to a different cross linking and glass transition temperature respectively.

Features and Benefits:

• State-of-the-art process for completely penetrating air pockets in winding insulation.
• Increases voltage breakdown level. (Even under water!)
• Proven submergence duty system
• Improved heat transfer- windings are cooler, efficiency is improved.
• Improves resistance to moisture and chemicals.
• Increases mechanical resistance to winding surges.
 52

FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN VPI PLANT IN BHEL:

The major facilities available in VPI plant are:
 Steam furnace for preheating
Size of chamber: 2 * 2 * 6.5 M
Maximum temperature: 160°C
Electrical power consumption: 75KW
Work place: 1425
Work centre: 3215
Stream inlet: 200-250°C
 Impregnated tubs for keeping jobs
For vertical impregnation: As per respective tech. Document.
For horizontal impregnation: As per respective tech. Document.
 Specifications of plant:
• Impregnation medium
(a) Epoxy resin (class F solvent free) and hardener mix in 1:1 ratio as per TG34967
(b) Epoxy resin (class F solvent free) and hardener mix in 1:1 ratio as per TG34931
• Horizontal impregnation chamber
Diameter: 4000mm
Cylindrical length: 9000 mm
Operating over pressure: 6 bar
Operating vacuum: 0.15 mbar
Operating temperature: 90°C
Loading weight of impregnation object: maximum of 120 tonnes
Maximum leakage rate: less than 1mbar/lit/sec.
Moving load: 140 tonnes.
Static load: 170 tonnes
• Pressure medium for impregnation
Pressure medium: dry nitrogen
Operating pressure: 6 bar.
 53

Nitrogen storage capacity: 52cubic meter at 25 bar.

• Resin storage capacity

Total storage: 5*9000L+1*3000L
• Operating parameters of each tank
Operating vacuum: 0.5mbar
Operating over pressure: 0.5bar
Operating temperature: 80°C
• Resin filters(stainless steel washable)
Filter fineness: 150microns
Output (maximum): 1000lits/min
• Vacuum system
Root pumps: 2No.s, 5.5KW each
Suction capacity: 2000cubic meter/hr
• Vacuum pumps(4No.s, 7.5KW each)
Suction capacity: 250 cubic meter/hr
This system is provided with separator filter with activated carbon filters, to protect the vacuum
pumps from resin and hardener vapours.
• Refrigeration system
The resin inside the tanks has to be stored at 10±2°C. this can be stored for indefinite period with
a brine chilling/refrigeration system.
The brine storage capacity: 1*25000L+1*26000L
Composition of brine: 40%Mono Ethylene glycol and 60%water
• Heating and cooling system
The heating of resin in the storage tanks and the impregnation chamber is by circulating the
heated brine through the heat exchangers, to heat by saturated steam. The hot brine is cooled to
about 40°C by circulating water through coolers and then the brine is chilled to -10°C and stored
in the tanks.
 Post heating of job
(a) Explosion proof steam drier and electrical heating superposed.
Size: 7*4.5*4.5M
Maximum weight of job: 80 tonnes
Maximum temperature: 150°C
(b) Indirectly heated hot air circulating oven (gas fired)
Size: 9*4.5*4.5M
 54

Maximum weight of job: 170 T/120T with facility for rotation.

Maximum temperature: 150°C

ABOUT RESIN TYPE, MAINTANENCE AND STORAGE FACILITIES

Araldite Impregnating Resin System :

System: A B
Araldite MY 790-1 100 100pbw
Hardener HY 1102 90 90pbw
Accelerator DY 9577 0.16 --pbw
Accelerator DY 073 0.04 --pbw

Liquid, hot-curing impregnating system based on distilled Bis phenol-A resin and Anhydride
hardener with long pot life, high class transition temperature and excellent electrical and mechanical
end properties.
 Applications:
Full-bath impregnation of motors and generators with medium and high power ratings and
impregnation of single conductors (Roebel bars) in combination with porous mica-tapes.
 Processing method:
Vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI-process)
 Properties:
 Low viscosity and good impregnation capability
 Solvent free system
 Long pot-life due to high latency (in absence of tape catalyst)
 Excellent mechanical and electrical end properties
 Liquid, solvent-free, distilled Bis-A epoxy resin
 Araldite MY 790-1:
Viscosity at 25°C: 4000-6400mpa s
Epoxy content: 5.60-5.90equiv/kg
Chlorine content, hydrolysable: ≤ 0.05%
Density at 25°C: 1.15-1.20g/cu.cm
 55

Flash point: >200°C

Vapour pressure at 20°C: < 1mpa
At 180°C: 0.133pa
Liquid, unmodified anhydride-curing agent
 Hardener HY 1102:
Viscosity at 20°C: 0.70mpa s
Density at 20°C: 1.13-1.17g/cu.cm
Flash point: 145°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <0.3pa
Latent accelerator based on BCl3 (solid or liquid state)
 Accelerator DY 9577:
Melting range: 26-35°C
Density at 20°C: 1.12-1.15g/cu.cm
Flash point: >118°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <0.01 pa
Latent accelerator based on amine complex
 Accelerator DY 073:
Viscosity at 25°C: 10-30mpa s
Density at 20°C: 0.93-0.97g/cu.cm
Flash point: 82°C
Vapour pressure at 20°C: <6pa
 Storage:
Store the components at 18-25°C, in tightly sealed and dry, if possible, in original containers.
Under these conditions, the shelf life will correspond to the expiration date stated on the label. After
this date, the product may be processed only following reanalyses. Partly emptied containers should
be closed tightly immediately after use. For information on waste disposal and hazardous products of
decomposition in the event of fire refer to material data sheet.
 56

DATA COLLECTION OF SAMPLES

During the project two jobs have been impregnated in VPI Plant, the data has been collected and
recorded in the project report.
INDO-BHARAT-II ROTOR
Preheating:
Indo Bharat II rotor is loaded for preheating in steam furnace on 30-5-2003 at 18:00hrs.
Date and Time RTD-I(°C) RTD-II(°C) Furnace air Remarks
temperature
Rotor
temperature is
reached to 60±3
°C at 2:00hrs
30.5.2003 19:00 32.0 30.0 45.6 on 31.5.2003
and it is
maintained for
4 hrs i.e., up to
6:00 on
31.5.2003
30.5.2003 20:00 45.4 48.6 57.9
30.5.2003 21:00 49.9 50.9 63.4
30.5.2003 22:00 52.5 54.3 70.5
30.5.2003 23:00 53.3 55.1 73.4
Rotor is
switched to vac
30.5.2003 24:00 56.6 57.3 75.6 140 tank at 7:00
hrs on
31.5.2003
31.5.2003 1:00 59.9 60.2 75.1
31.5.2003 2:00 62.4 63.9 77.0
31.5.2003 3:00 62.3 64.7 77.0
31.5.2003 4:00 63.3 64.1 75.0
31.5.2003 5:00 63.3 64.0 75.6
31.5.2003 6:00 63.1 63.7 75.6
 57

Vacuum cycle:
Vacuum in Vacuum in Job
Date and time graph (mbar) meter temperature (° Remarks
(mbar) C)
31.5.2003 7:00 -- -- 62.2
31.5.2003 8:00 -- 3.0 61.5
31.5.2003 9:00 0.85 0.86 61.3 Vacuum pump
31.5.2003 10:00 0.54 0.55 61.1 started at 7:30
31.5.2003 11:00 0.39 0.4 61.1 hrs on
31.5.2003 12:00 0.38 0.4 61.1 31.5.2003.
31.5.2003 13:00 0.37 0.4 61.0
31.5.2003 14:00 0.36 0.39 61.0

RESIN CYCLE AND POST CURING CYCLE:

Room
Date and time RTDI(°C) RTDII(°C) temperature Remarks
(°C)
31.5.2003 19:30 62.0 62.0 36.0 Resin tank 025 is heated
for impregnation
31.5.2003 21:30 70.1 69.2 36.7
31.5.2003 23:30 86.2 81.6 36.7
 58

1.6.2003 1:30 101.5 97.6 35.6 Resin admission started

at 14:10 hrs on
31.5.2003
1.6.2003 3:30 116.2 113.1 34.8 Resin admission
completed at 14:25 hrs
on 31.5.2003
1.6.2003 5:30 129.6 125.7 33.8 Pressurisation started at
14:45 hrs on 31.5.2003
1.6.2003 7:30 137.6 133.2 33.2 Pressurisation
completed at 15:30hrs
on 31.5.2003
1.6.2003 9:30 145.7 140.2 36.5 Pressurisation hod up
completed at 18:30hrs
on 31.5.2003
1.6.2003 11:30 145.7 141.6 38 Resin withdrawal to
storage tanks is from
18:30 to 18:45hrs on
31.5.2003
1.6.2003 13:30 144.7 143.4 42.8 Rotor loaded in gas
furnace at 19:15hrs on
31.5.2003
1.6.2003 15:30 144.1 143.0 43.8 Rotor temperature is
reached to 131.6 to
145.7°C at 8:30hrs on
1.6.2003 and it is
maintained for 14hrs
i.e., up to 22:30hrs on
1.6.2003
1.6.2003 17:30 144.0 144.5 42.8
1.6.2003 19:30 143.0 143.0 41.0 Furnace is switched at
22:30hrs on 1.6.2003
and circulation fans are
kept running till the job
temperature is reached
to 70°C to 75°C.
1.6.2003 21:30 142.8 142.6 40.8

INDO-BHARAT-II STATOR:
Preheating:
Indo-Bharat-II stator is loaded for preheating in steam furnace on 7-5-2003 at 23:30hrs.
Date and Time RTD-I(°C) RTD-II(°C) Furnace air Remarks
temperature(°C)
7.5.2003 23:30 36.3 36.1 Stator temperature is
reached to 60.5°C to
 59

62.9°C(60±3°C) at
7:30hrs on 8.5.2003
and it is maintained
for 12hrs i.e., up to
19:30hrs on 8.5.2003
8.5.2003 1:30 43.6 42.9
8.5.2003 3:30 52.0 51.74
8.5.2003 5:30 55.9 56.0
8.5.2003 7:30 60.5 62.9 Stator is loaded in
vac(140) tank at
21:00hrs on
8.5.2003
8.5.2003 9:30 61.3 62.9
8.5.2003 11:30 60.3 62.4
8.5.2003 13:30 60.3 62.6 Vac. Pump is started
at 2:30hrs on
9.5.2003
8.5.2003 15:30 62.5 62.9
8.5.2003 17:30 62.9 62.66
8.5.2003 19:30 62.4 62.1

Vacuum cycle:
Date and Time Vacuum in Vacuum in Job Resin cycle
graph (mbar) meter (mbar) temperature (°
C)
8.5.2003 22:00 -- -- 54.37 Resin tanks 025,102 are
heated for impregnation
8.5.2003 0:00 -- -- 54.89 Viscosity of resin at 60°C
is 33CP
9.5.2003 2:00 -- -- 59.02 Viscosity after aging is
36.10CP
9.5.2003 3:30 0.65 0.65 61.6 9.5.2003 and 10.5.2003
9.5.2003 5:30 0.41 0.40 63.59 Resin admission started at
 60

19:45hrs
9.5.2003 7:30 0.28 0.29 64.2 Resin admission
completed at 19:55hrs
9.5.2003 9:30 0.22 0.22 63.2 Pressurisation started at
20:00hrs
9.5.2003 11:30 0.19 0.19 62.3 Pressurisation of
4kg/sq.cm reached at
21:20hrs
9.5.2003 13:30 0.18 0.18 62.1 Pressurisation hold up for
3hrs is at 0:20hrs
9.5.2003 15:30 0.17 0.17 62.0 Resin withdrawn to
storage tanks is from
0:30hrs –1:00hrs
9.5.2003 17:30 0.14 0.14 61.8 Stator loaded in hot air
furnace from 1:00hrs –
1:30hrs on 10.5.2003
9.5.2003 19:30 0.14 0.14 61.3

Post curing:

ESOH TSOH ESW TSW Room

Date and Time Core Remarks
15T 06B 02 13 temperature
10.5.2003
70.0 76.4 62.4 62.5 63.4 33.1
1:30hrs
10.5.2003
126.7 131.4 94.7 102.3 98.8 31.7
4:30hrs
10.5.2003
144.3 154.1 125.4 134.5 126.1 31.6
7:30hrs
10.5.2003
147.7 154.9 139.9 145.1 140.6 34.8
10:30hrs
10.5.2003
137.6 144.4 139.3 141.6 140.7 38.0
13:30hrs
10.5.2003
136.9 144.2 140.0 140.9 140.6 38.4
16:30hrs
10.5.2003
140.2 143.6 140.1 140.7 140.2 37.2
19:30hrs
Job temp. is reached to
140±5°C i.e., from 136.2°
 61

C to 145.6°C at 9:30hrs
on 10.5.2003 and it is
maintained for 32hrs i.e.
10.5.2003
144.4 151.3 143.7 145.1 144.1 35.9 up to 17:30hrs on
22:30hrs
11.5.2003.
11.5.2003
143.1 146.7 145.2 145.1 145.2 33.8
1:30hrs
11.5.2003
144.3 151.0 143.6 144.0 144.7 31.1
4:30hrs
11.5.2003
135.7 142.1 144.3 145.1 145.0 31.3
7:30hrs
11.5.2003
135.0 135.7 135.1 135.0 135.8 34.8
10:30hrs
11.5.2003
135.6 141.4 135.4 135.6 135.9 38.3
13:30hrs
Furnace is switched off at
17:30hrs on 11.5.2003 and
circulation fans kept
running till the job
11.5.2003 temperature is reached
148.0 149.2 142.8 142.2 142.1 39.8
17:30hrs from 70°C- 75°C

High voltage levels of stator/rotor windings for multi turn machines:

S.No. Description HV level HV in kv remarks

Stator winding

1. After laying 18.9/1’ RTD,IT test

and wedging of
coils
2. After OH 18.03/3’ RTD,IT test
spacers and
forming eyes
3. Before 17.5/1’ R, RTD test
impregnation
4. After 26.0/1’ R, RTD, Tanδ,
impregnation leakage
reactance test
5. Customer 25.0/1’ Rotor winding
acceptance

Rotor winding

1. After laying UT+1400 2.9 Pole drops

first coil
 62

2. After laying UT+1250 2.75 Pole drops

second coil
3. After laying UT+1100 2.6 Pole drops
third coil
4. After laying UT+950 2.45 Pole drops
fourth coil
5. After laying UT+800 2.3 Pole drops
fifth coil
6. After laying UT+650 -- Pole drops
sixth coil
7. After all -- -- R, Pole drops
connections
8. After tech. -- 2.15
rings assembly
9. After bandage -- 2.0 R, Pole drops
10. After -- 1.9 R, Pole drops
impregnation
11. After excitation -- 1.8 R, Pole drops
cable assembly
12. After balancing UT+200 1.7 R,Z with 50Hz

TESTING RESULTS OF INDO-BHARAT-II ROTOR

Customer name: INDO-BHARAT-II ROTOR

M/c rating: 10.8MW, 12kv, 1500rpm.

Test: Z, R and H.V test.

Stage: after impregnation.

Ambient temperature: 35°C

Ohmic resistance: 0.264Ω (rotor temperature was more)

Voltage( volts) Current(amps)

215.0 0.5
367.5 1.0
523.0 1.5

High voltage test:

 63

IR value before H.V. test at 15”/60” -- 200/300 MΩ

H.V. applied at 1.9kv /1’ – withstood
IR value after H.V. test at 15”/60” -- 200/300 MΩ

INDO-BHARAT-II STATOR:

Customer name: INDO-BHARAT-II STATOR

M/c rating: 10.0MW, 12kv, 0.8pf, 650A, 1500rpm.

Test: H.V test.

Stage: after impregnation.

Ambient temperature: 36°C

A PHASE: IR value at 2.5kv

IR value before H.V. test -- 1000/2000 MΩ

H.V. applied at 26-25kv /1’ – withstood
IR value after H.V. test -- 1000/2000MΩ

B PHASE: IR value at 2.5kv

IR value before H.V. test -- 1000/2000 MΩ

H.V. applied at 26-25kv /1’ – withstood
IR value after H.V. test -- 1000/2000MΩ

C PHASE: IR value at 2.5kv

IR value before H.V. test -- 1000/2000 MΩ

H.V. applied at 26-25kv /1’ – withstood
IR value after H.V. test -- 1000/2000MΩ

INDO-BHARAT-II STATOR:

Customer name: INDO-BHARAT-II STATOR

M/c rating: 10.0MW, 12kv, 0.8pf, 650A, 1500rpm.

Test: H.V test-RTD measurement, resistance measurement.

Stage: After impregnation.

Ambient temperature: 36°C

 64

Excitation Side:

26 113.8Ω
10 114.0Ω
62 113.8Ω
50 113.8Ω
20 113.8Ω
38 113.9Ω
14 113.8Ω

Turbine Side:

49 125.0Ω
13 113.8Ω
25 113.9Ω
21 113.8Ω
61 113.8Ω
37 113.9Ω
1 113.8Ω

A-Aο --29.4mΩ
B-Bο -- 29.3mΩ
C-Cο -- 29.4mΩ
In order to prove that vacuum pressure impregnation using resin poor system is superior to resin rich
and the best process till date, the next section validates this statement.

Justification
The validation of the insulation can be better justified by its tanδ and HV test
And we have presented here the tests and the results of which are clearly seen in the graphs.

After impregnation of the stator core by VPI process the following tests are conducted:

1. TAN δ TEST.
2. HIGH VOLTAGE Tests.

TAN δ TEST:

After impregnation and curing of the winding a dissipation factor Vs voltage

measurement as stipulated in the application national and international standard specification is
performed for each bar between all-individual phase winding to ground.

Guiding values for the deception factor and its rice with the voltage merely. Given in the
KEMA specification the maximum value shell not exceed 0.001 at 20% of rated voltage and rise
shell not be greater than 0.006 per 20% of rated voltage up to 60% of rated voltage and 0.08 per
20% of rated voltage up to a rated voltage.
 65

Winding manufacture by the Vacuum Pressure Impregnation Process comply with these limits.

The above test results are specified in the following graphs. First graph shows that voltage Vs Tan
curve, it shows different Tan values at different percentage of rated voltage 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%,
100% of rated voltage respectively.

The second graph is a electrical field Vs life of insulation material, it shows that resin poor
system of insulation has very long life compared to resin rich system of insulation. At 10 KV the
resin poor system insulation as a lifetime of 540 years. Any good machine as life span of 25-30
years by using this insulation we will get a very long life with standard machine.

HIGH VOLTAGE AC TEST:

AC High voltage test is conducted on VPI system after impregnation to verify proper
impregnation and dielectric strength of insulation. This test was conducted at 105% of winding
test voltage i.e. Up=2Un+1KV Where Up-Winding test voltage Un-rated voltage of machine.

COMPARISION BETWEEN RESIN POOR AND RESIN RICH SYSTEMS:

RESIN POOR SYSTEM RESIN RICH SYSTEM

1. The insulation tape used in this system 1. The insulation tape used in this is 7% of
has 40% resin. 40% resin.
2. This method follows thermosetting 2. Same as in resin poor.
process.
3. There is a need for addition of resin from 3. Further addition of resin is not required
outside. from outside.
4. Reduction in time cycle for this process 4. It is very long process and
time consuming while at processing stage.
5. No tests are carried out while at 5. Tests are being carried out Stage.
processing
6. Processing of bars along with stator and 6. Processing of stator bars is
with conductors and processing of exciter only possible in resin rich
Coils along with exciter is possible. systems.
7. The cost of repair is more 7. Repairing work is easy.
8. The overall cost is less 8. The total cost in this process is more.
compared to resin rich system.
 66

Applications:
• All critical machines
• Equipment exposed to frequent surges/starting
• Harsh or moist environments
• Motors that run at service factor

DRAWBACKS OF VPI SYSTEM:

 Number of RTD’s required are more

 The whole operation is time consuming
 It depends largely on moisture and season of operation
 Maintenance of resin below room temperature about 8-12°C is complicated.

SUGGESTIONS:

Processed in a Clean Room Environment

To ensure optimum rewind integrity, all rewinds should be conducted in a clean,
temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. It ensures optimum material performance and
prevents dirt or moisture contamination during the process.

VPI Process Control

Throughout the VPI process, each stator is continuously monitored by computer to ensure
homogenous fill.

PRESENT INSULATION SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD

Finally in the conclusion we present here various types of insulation presently used in the
world by different industries.
Four major manufacturing processes have been and are still widely used to form and
consolidate insulation systems for form-wound stators. They are:
1. Vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) of individual coils and bars
2. Global VPI of complete stators
3. Hydraulic molding of individual coils and bars using resin-rich tapes
4. Press curing of individual coils and bars, also using resin-rich tapes
 67

There are some combinations of these methods also in use. The binder resins can be
categorized as high- or low-solvent-containing and solventless, as well as by their chemical nature.
Although no longer manufactured for coils in new stators, there are many machines still in service,
and expected to remain in use for several more decades, that are insulated with asphaltic mica
splittings.

There are four principal drivers that govern the selection of the insulation systems currently being
manufactured. They are:
1. Good service experience with earlier versions of the same basic system
2. Commercial availability of the materials to be used
3. Relative costs of the raw materials and processes in the competitive machine-sales environment
4. Design advantages or limitations each insulation system and process brings to the final generator or
motor for its expected service life and economy of operation

New insulating materials may require the development of new or significantly modified
manufacturing processes to obtain the insulation system improvements inherent in the materials. By
the 1990s, the major insulation
suppliers were offering full
insulation systems, including the
basic processing know-how, to
their customers. For smaller
OEMs and most repair shops, the
insulation supplier’s materials,
other acceptable materials, and
processing specifications are all
that is needed to support work.
The final insulation system may
use the materials supplier’s trade name, e.g., VonRoll ISOLA’s Samicatherm™ and Samicabond™.
Larger OEMs still work with insulation suppliers to optimize both the materials and processes for
new or changed insulation systems.

The first consideration in using modern insulation systems is the method of applying the groundwall
materials to form-wound stator coils and bars. As discussed in Section 3.10, the Haefley process was
widely used decades ago to apply wide sheets of insulation material to coils. Presently, however,
virtually all groundwalls are fabricated by the application of relatively narrow (2–3 cm wide) tapes.
 68

When tapes were first introduced, and for many decades there after, they were applied by hand by
skilled tradesmen.

There are many companies into insulation manufacture, mainly all the companies have these
insulation systems as a trade secrets……..so one cannot point out which is the best insulation system
as there are many factors such as availability in a particular country, so insulation systems are given
different names ,though the composition just differs a wee bit, so let us have a brief overview

4.2.1 Westinghouse Electric Co.: Thermalastic™

Westinghouse Thermalastic™, the first modern synthetic insulation system. The first Thermalastic
insulated generator went into service in 1950, in the 1960’s minor changes that were made included
introduction of glass cloth as a backing material for the mica, resin modifications to help VPI resin
tank stability, and improvements in the partial discharge suppression treatments on generator coil
surfaces, Although large turbine generators continue to use the individual bar impregnation and cure
method, motors and smaller generators shifted to the global VPI method in the early 1970s .The
hybrid epoxy VPI resin used for turbine generators was optimized for the previously developed
processing equipment and insulation requirements. It is comprised of a modified epoxy resin,
prepared in a resin cooker to create polyester linkages, and is compatible with styrene for viscosity
control. The final resin cure was achieved by cross-linking through the epoxy or oxirane group.

. After Siemens acquired Westinghouse in the late 1990s, the Thermalastic system underwent many
refinements in materials and processing while maintaining the same resin system.now a days there are
not much changes though.

General Electric Co. : Micapals I and II™, Epoxy Mica Mat™, Micapal HT™,
and Hydromat™

It was introduced to the industry in an IEEE Technical paper in 1958, after several years of limited
production Micapal 1 contained approximately 50% GE Micamat™ (paper), made with calcined
muscovite, and 50% muscovite splitting.
winding operation.

After a 12-year development program, General Electric announced the MICAPAL II™ insulation for
large turbine generator stator windings in 1978 [4.8]. This solventless, resin-rich, second-generation
epoxy mica paper insulation system has been used on most large steam turbine generators since that
 69

time. in 1999, GE began to offer a reduced-build strand-and-turn insulation, using similar metal oxide
fillers, in the large-motor business These machines use the global epoxy VPI process to make the
glass-fabric-supported Micamat insulation systems for machines at least up to 13.8 kV ratings.
Several generations of VPI resins have been used by GE for motor manufacture. Two of these epoxy
resin systems have been based on controlled reactivity chemistry. The most recent improvement
creates polyether linkages in cured diglycidyl ether bisphenol A epoxy resin and provides high
reactivity at curing temperatures with excellent shelf life at room temperature.

4.2.3 Alsthom, GEC Alsthom, Alstom Power: Isotenax™, Resitherm™,

Resiflex™, Resivac™, and Duritenax™
During the 1950s, Alsthom licensed the resin technology used in the GE Micapal I system to create
the first Isotenax™ system. There were several differences in materials and processes between the
two systems. Isotenex used only mica paper, not mica splittings. The resin-rich impregnating epoxy
contained significant amounts of a solvent mixture that had to be removed after the glass-backed mica
paper tape was wrapped around the stator barsSince the 1980s the UK operations of Alsthom have
also worked with global VPI processing and an insulation system called Resivac™. Recent advances
in the VPI system have used bisphenol epoxy resins with a latent Lewis acid catalyst system

Siemens AG, KWU: Micalastic™

Siemens began using the individual-bar VPI process with polyester resins and mica splittings as early
as 1957 for hydro and steam turbine generators, with initial help from Westinghouse. This system was
trade named Micalastic. Production continued with this combination of resins and processes for at
least 10 years. Except for indirectcooled generators and direct-cooled generators rated at more than
about 300 MVA or so, which still use the individual bar epoxy VPI methods, the global VPI process
has been standard for all motor and turbo generator stators since 1986 [4.18]. For its large global VPI
stators, this manufacturer avoids difficulties due to shear stress at the interface of the bar to the stator
core (Section 8.2) by employing a slip plane. The slip plane consists of mica splitting sandwiched
between two semiconductive tapes.

4.2.5 ABB Industrie AG: Micadur™, Micadur Compact™, Micapact™,

and Micarex™
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Brown Boveri AG started changing from resin-rich asphalt mica flake groundwall insulation about
1953, first using modified polyester resins and then switching to epoxy resins to make resin-rich
tapes. The ABB Group name for bars and coils manufactured from the epoxy resin-rich system is
Micarex™. Initially, these tapes were applied by hand and later by machine taping, followed by hot-
press consolidation and curing. New machine production with this system will stop with the end of
turbo generator production in Sweden, although some repair licensees will continue using Micarex
for some time. The Micadur™ insulation system was introduced in 1955 by Brown Boveri as an
individual bar VPI method Before the merger of ASEA with Brown Boveri to form ABB in the mid
1980s, ASEA also developed the technology for individual bar VPI production, using similar
materials The result was Micapact™, introduced in 1962 for the stator insulation of large rotating
machines. It was made with glass-backed mica paper, impregnated with a special mixture of an epoxy
resin, curing agent, and additives. Unlike most other VPI tapes, the glass backing and mica paper lack
any impregnant or bonding resin. The adhesion between mica paper and glass was accomplished by
an extremely thin layer of material, which was melted at a high temperature during formation of the
tape. The tape did not contain any volatile matter, which means that the completed machine taped bar
insulation was more easily evacuated and impregnated

4.2.6 Toshiba Corporation: Tosrich™ and Tostight- I™

The Toshiba Tosrich™ insulation system for low-voltage, small-capacity generators with a relatively
small number of insulation layers was based on a resin-rich mica paper tape. The solvent containing
synthetic resin was impregnated into the mica tape, wound onto a coil, and cured in a mold. Although
used successfully for many years for smaller machines, its replacement with a solventless epoxy,
resin-rich mica paper tape during the 1990s allowed the improved Tosrich to be applied to medium-
capacity generators; it is still gaining manufacturing and service experience For larger machines, the
Tostight-I™ insulation system was developed. A new generation of the Tostight-I VPI insulation
system was introduced in 1998 It has been optimized to improve heat resistance and to be
environmentally friendly in materials, equipment, production methods, and disposal of waste. The
mica paper has been changed to replace the aramid fibrids with short glass fibers. The new
impregnating resin is principally a high-purity, heat-resistant epoxy resin, employing a complex
molecular capsule, latent hardening catalyst that is activated by heat to quickly cure and produce a
high-heat-resistant, mechanically and electrically strong filling material for the mica. The revised
system is manufactured using new production equipment, including a fully automatic taping machine
and a new vacuum pressure impregnation facility and curing oven. The VPI tank is equipped to
control vacuum and impregnation as a parameter of the coil capacitance. The new Tostight-I is
intended to be usable for all types of medium and large generators
4.2.7 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
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The groundwall insulation systems employed by Mitsubishi until the 1990s were largely based on
licenses obtained from Westinghouse. During the late 1990s, Mitsubishi introduced a new global VPI
insulation system for air-cooled generators up to 250 MVA. The new system supplemented an older
global VPI system, used for air-cooled generators of up to 50MVA rating. The new system uses a
glass-fabric-backed mica paper tape, bonded with a very small amount of hardener-free epoxy resin
as an adhesive. The global VPI resin is an epoxy anhydride

Hitachi, Ltd.: Hi-Resin™, Hi-Mold™, and Super Hi-Resin™

Hitachi also introduced a pre-impregnated or resin-rich mica paper insulation, called the Hi-
Mold™ coil in 1971 This press-cured system uses an epoxy resin to impregnate glass-cloth-backed
mica paper, which is partially cured to the B stage. The high-performance resin was selected to obtain
superior electric and thermal characteristics for use in machines rated for up to Class F insulation
performance. The Hi-Mold system is used for hydro and gas turbine peaking generators and for heavy
duty or other unfavorable environments in synchronous and induction motors.

Summary Of Present-Day Insulation Systems

A review of subsections 4.2.1 through 4.2.8 shows that all of the world’s larger OEMs are
currently using various mixtures and types of epoxy resins and mica paper to make their stator coil
ground-wall insulation systems. The compositions are adjusted or tailored to accommodate the exact
process used in their manufacture. The end results are comparable in terms of inherent insulation
quality as related to the machine and insulation design parameters, provided
that consistent quality control practices are routinely carried out. This fact is recognized by some
large suppliers of rotating machines, who will, in times of extraordinary demand, out-source or
purchase generators to their own design from competitors, while allowing the supplier to use their
own insulation systems.

MICALASTIC

Of all these insulation processes the insulation which was preferred by ITAIPU power plant, the
largest hydel power in the world till date ,so the insulation system of the turbo alternator is worth a
study ,since the insulation would be of superior quality .the insulation used is MICALASTIC the
features of which will be briefed below:
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As central components of hydroelectric power plants, generators are subjected to operating stresses
which influence the long-term performance of the winding insulation. Failure of the insulation can
lead to lengthy downtimes. The un surpassed reliability of products such as MICALASTIC®
insulation is therefore of great economic significance

The capacity of a hydroelectric power plant is determined by the available water flow and head. Both
of these parameters vary widely, and generators can be dimensioned for any rating between 10 kW
and 800 MW. The head determines the turbine type as well as the speed, which can lie between 50
and 1500 rpm. Additional parameters include the generator voltage, the rotor’ s moment of inertia, the
runaway speed of the turbine, the physical design of the generator (horizontal or vertical) and various
requirements imposed by the grid. Hydroelectric generators are therefore always custom designed.
Dimensions and weights can assume enormous proportions External diameters of up to nearly 23
meters are possible, and total weight can amount to as much as 3500 metric tons. Generators of this
size cannot be assembled and tested at the factory. Nevertheless, the generators can be expected to
operate well right after their initial installation at the power plant. It was once correctly stated that”
the construction of a hydroelectric generator can be compared to making a tailor made suit without
trying it on”.

To date, Siemens has manufactured more than 1200 large hydroelectric generators with a combined
capacity in excess of 80,000 MVA. Of these, 360 generators (over 50,000 MVA) have MICALASTIC
windings. These machines are characterized by their outstanding reliability, which can be attributed in
large measure to their high quality MICALASTIC insulation system.

The MICALASTIC Insulation

MICALASTIC is the registered trademark for Siemens insulation systems for high-voltage windings
of rotating electrical machines. These systems use mica, a material capable of withstanding high
electrical and thermal loads, together with curable, elastic epoxy resins as bonding material. Since
the early days of electrical machine construction, the naturally occurring, inorganic mineral mica has
been an indispensable constituent of high voltage insulation systems. The most important criterion
for the use of mica is its ability to durably withstand the partial electrical discharges which can occur
inside the insulation due to high electrical stresses.

Manufacturing and Design

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As early as 1957, Siemens-Dynamo werk in Berlin manufactured the first stator windings that made
use of mica tape and a vacuum-pressure impregnation process. With this method, single coils and
Roebel bars for hydroelectric generators are continuously wrapped with mica tape in the slot and end
sections. The taped winding elements are then dried out and degassed in a vacuum impregnation tank,
and flooded
with low-viscosity, curable synthetic resin. High nitrogen pressure applied to the impregnating bath
completely impregnates the mica tape. After being placed in accurately sized, portable pressing
molds, the insulation is cured at high temperatures in large chamber ovens. Continued development
of this insulation technology ultimately led to the use of a film of ground mica on mechanically
strong glass fabric as the carrier material with epoxy resin as the impregnant, which produced a very
durable electrically, thermally and mechanically),modern insulation system. Long duration tests in a
slot model were unnecessary, since the desired voltage endurance had already been achieved in the
previous development stages(Fig. 2) using lower-quality carrier materials. Short-duration tests were
performed, however, for verification.
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Insertion of a rotor at the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant. Due to its diameter of
16 m and weight of 1960 t, assembly on site is the only practicable approach.

Fitting of Roebel Bars intoSlots

Winding elements with cured MICALASTIC insulation are secured in the slots by filling up the
tolerances between the slot wall and the conductive surface (coil side corona shielding) of the bar
insulation. Initially, Siemens used graphite-treated paper as filler material. Since about 1969,however,
a special bar fitting procedure has been used for hydroelectric generators. The main features of this
procedure are U-shaped slot liners
made of polyester fleece impregnated with a conductive material, and a conductive, curable synthetic
resin paste between the surface of the bar insulation and the slot liner (Fig. 3). Therefore, the
insulation does not stick to the
stator core, and the option of removing the bars, even though seldom required, is retained. In the
radial direction, he slot portion of the winding elements is secured by means of various packing strips
or ripple springs, and slot wedges. Bracing the end windings and jumpers by using glass fiber
reinforced spacers and epoxy-resin impregnated cording makes the winding resistant to electro
dynamic forces during operation and to possible short-circuit faults. This resistance is also aided
considerably by the mechanical stiffness of the MICALASTIC insulation, which is also cured within
the end winding.
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Fixing Roebel bars in a stator core using U shaped slot liners and conductive curable synthetic resin paste. This method
ensures a particularly tight fit and rules out slot corona discharges.

Thermal stabilty
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The MICALASTIC insulation system was developed strictly for a continuous load in accordance
with temperature class F (155°C). Nevertheless, generator design engineers generally guarantee
compliance with class B (130°C) temperature limits for nominal operating conditions, as is also
required in most invitations to tender. In practice, the stator windings of hydroelectric generators are
frequently dimensioned for even lower operating temperatures, because the stators will usually be
optimized for good efficiency by adding electrically active material (winding copper and core
lamination). Particularly low operating temperatures can be expected in the case of stator windings
with direct water cooling. With an appropriately dimensioned de mineralized-water cooling system,
the maximum winding temperature can be reduced to 70°C and lower. Thermal aging of the
insulation is therefore essentially eliminated, and thermo mechanical stresses are also substantially
reduced. The resulting increase in operational reliability makes a real difference in the case of
hydroelectric generators which are essential to safe grid operation

MICALASTIC-insulated stator windings can be manufactured with a rated voltage of up to 40kV for
large turbo-generators operating in a hydrogen atmosphere. Hydro electric generators, on the other
hand, always operate in air, which is why the ionization processes caused by the high electrical field
strengths are of higher significance. To obtain an optimum generator design, the design engineer
should be given the latitude to select the best rated voltage-particularly with respect to slot ampere
turn limits. At power output levels above about 400 MVA, however, 18 kV has proven to be a good
compromise between the costs of the generator and the bus ducts. The world’s highest voltage rating
for hydro electric applications is 23 kV, at which the pumped-storage units at Raccoon Mountain in
the U.S. have been operating since 1978.

Due to its practically unlimited service life as well as its outstanding insulating properties, the
MICALASTIC insulation system can be regarded as the standard for the reliability of rotating
electrical machines. Despite its already high operational reliability, development of the
MICALASTIC insulation system continues step by step. Reduction of the ground wall insulation
thickness is still possible in small increments and can increase the utilization of electrical machines.
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Although curable synthetic resins with a much higher long-term resistance to high temperatures are
available for vacuum pressure impregnation, their use in standard hydroelectric generators would
have no technical or economic benefit due to their conservative thermal design.

CONCLUSION:

Hence Vacuum-Pressure Impregnation technology can be used in a wide range of applications from
insulating electrical coil windings to sealing porous metal castings. It normally produces better work
in less time and at a lower cost than other available procedures.

Our VPI systems can be configured in a variety of ways, depending on the size and form of the
product to be impregnated, the type of impregnant used and other production factors. System
packages include all necessary valves, gauges, instruments and piping. These systems can be large or
small, simple or highly sophisticated and equipped with manual, semi-automatic or automatic
controls.

Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) yields superior results with better insulating properties,
combined with “flexible” rigidity, resulting in greater overall reliability and longer life. VPI reduces
coil vibration by serving as an adhesive between coil wires, coil insulation, and by bonding coils to
their slots.

Extra data:
Insulation about resins polysters etc p:79
Chapter * stator failure methods and repair p-137 very much useful in presentation
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