A NEW CONCEPTION ON ON-LINE MONITORING

AND DIAGNOSE OF TURBOGENERATORS

www.vibrosystm.com
Your Machine Condition Monitoring Partner

RESUME
Maintenance costs and machines availability are two of the most important aspects that a Utility or
an Independent Power Producer must consider. A maintenance program that optimize costs and
maximize machine availability must be implemented. In the case of turbogenerators, this program is
very important due to machines manufacturing and operational characteristics.

For an effective maintenance schedule, User must consider, among other, the relationship between
operation plans and priorities, operation and maintenance people technical skills, manufacturers
recommendations and characteristics of each component of the machine.

One of the concepts that is more and more being applied to maintenance is the risk management,
nothing more the access to structural behavior of the machine and prediction, with very good
margin of certainty, of problems being developed in the machine.

The main tool for risk management is the on-line monitoring. This can give an inestimable
knowledge about the machines, that allow Utilities take the right decisions about the generation
equipments condition and plan maintenance based on necessity, while increase availability of
machines due reducing forced outages for repair.

The study of the machine in its operation and transitory conditions total activity, from standstill to
overspeed, allows a better evaluation of the conditions and behavior of machine and, so more
effective actions can be taken driven to economy of time and money.

INTRODUCTION
Benefits of on-line monitoring have been declared since a long time and in practice all
turbogenerators worldwide have any kind of monitoring. Some of the main monitored parameters,
among others, are speed, load, number of run-up, hours of burn, temperatures (environmental,
compressor discharge, turbine exhaustion, turbine gear box), lubrication oil levels, bearing leakage,
exhaustion, pressures (compressor discharge, lubrication pumps, cooling fluids, fuel), filters (fuel,
lubrications, incoming air, etc.), vibrations, generator electrical parameters and run-up time.

In the specific case of generators, besides electrical parameters and temperatures, the only on-line
monitoring regularly used is the guide bearing vibration (or shaft oscillation). Usually this
monitoring system uses analysis tools composed by sensors and electronic receiver devices that
acquire and record digitally measured data. Registered data is then analyzed by graphic tools, and
the most common is the frequency spectrum (or FFT).
For vibration monitoring, two sensors are installed radially in each bearing with an angular
displacement of 90o, external to generator, in order to detect eventual vibrations and/or shaft
oscillations. It is very common also to monitor the axial displacement of the generator bearings.

However, this monitoring system, in spite of largely used, is not sufficient to detect anomalies
happening inside the generator that caused the vibration and/or shaft oscillation. In other words, this
monitoring system allows to detect the symptoms of problems in evolution, but do not supply
informations regarding where are the problems.

Inside the scope of risk management and consequently predictive maintenance, these informations
are primordial to obtain the desired low maintenance costs and higher machine availability.

This study presents some common problems to the generators at turbogenerators and the tools
developed by VibroSystM Inc., Canada, to on-line monitor these problems.

ROTOR THERMAL SENSIBILITY

Thermal sensibility of a rotor is a phenomenon that causes a variation on rotor vibration always
when field current is increased. This phenomenon was already registered in generators of all
manufacturers, in large or small scale.

It can be caused by uneven temperature distribution or axial forces at rotor circumference. One of
the main factors for this occurrence is the large difference of thermal expansion coefficients
between copper windings and different steel alloys that are used for rotor body and its components
manufacturing.

If rotor windings are not electrically and mechanically balanced in the circumference direction,
rotor will be unequally charged, what can cause it to a curvature (or bowing) in the same direction
and consequently an increase of vibration. In these cases, thermal sensibility will not be enough to
stop generator operation, but can limit the operation in high field currents or reactive loads due to
excessive vibration of rotor and other associated components.

The main causes of thermal sensibility are:

Shorted Windings
It happens when there is a insulation rupture between windings. Is the most common cause of
thermal sensibility. Shorted windings adjacent to poles are the most significant. Pole with higher
number of shorted windings has a lower electrical resistance and, as result, will present a
temperature lower than the opposite pole. This way, the pole with higher temperature will elongate
in the axial direction more than the other pole, and as result, the rotor will bend in this direction.
More the current increases more the bowing will increase, causing direct effects in vibration and
phase angle.

Blocked Ventilation or Asymmetrical Cooling

Blocked ventilation, as shorted windings, can affect significantly the rotor thermal balance and
cause temperature differences. This generally occurs when a strange object is introduced in the rotor
and prevent or obstruct ventilation and cooling circuits.
Insulation Variations
If the rotor is not uniformly wounded from pole to pole related to insulation thickness and
distribution, small bends and friction inside the slots or under retention rings can appear. In these
cases, windings can not have enough space to uniformly expand in the axial direction when current
is applied and, as result, rotor structure can be unevenly charged, causing rotor to bow.

Wedges Installation
Rotor can become thermal sensible if wedges are modified or replaced. Usually this occurs when
only some wedges are replaced. If wedging system is not uniform, efforts in the axial direction can
occur driving rotor to bow.

Distance Blocks Positioning

Distance blocks, that provide spacing between rotor end windings, must be correctly installed.
Unequal spacing can cause unequal forces that are transmitted to rotor by retaining rings, causing
rotor bowing and changes in the dynamic characteristics.

Other Factors
Other factors that can cause thermal sensibility are retaining rings movements, tight spacing in the
slots during rewinding when using old bars, heat sensibility by steel alloy used in the rotor
machining, use of adhesives or other inadequate materials and even operation errors.

For the thermal sensibility and consequently rotor bowing, VibroSystM uses capacitive proximity
probes assembled in the stator to measure the air gap under any operation condition, from standstill
to overspeed.

The Air Gap Monitoring System AGMS and its predecessor Machine Condition Monitoring
System ZOOM were installed in more than 500 hydrogenerators in the last 15 years. They, many
times, showed their ability to detect anomalies, supply decisive informations for a fast and precise
diagnostic, allow knowledge about the machines for condition based maintenance (CBM)
application and avoid catastrophic accidents.

Two of main benefits of capacitive sensors are: immunity to severe environmental located at
generator air gap area, and increased precision when the gap decreases. Stator mounted sensor is a
safety and reliability factor required by Utilities. It is less complex, easy to install and maintain
when required, do not present any risk and is transparent to machine operation.

Three or more sensors, depending on rotor length, must be installed in the same angular position at
stator, preferable in the bottom part of the air gap. Sensors are connected to data acquisition units
installed out of generator, which are connected to controller computer located at power station
control room. Other local or remote workstations can access data for analysis.

Sensors monitor rotor passing over and, for each revolution, many air gap measurements are taken.
Sensors distribution is shown in Figure 1 below, as well as graphic results obtained in the presence
of rotor bowing.
 Figure 1 – capacitive sensors measuring rotor bowing

In normal condition, rotor will present linear and superposed air gap measurements, as shown for
each sensor. In case the rotor is suffering the effects of thermal sensibility and presenting a
curvature, air gap sensors will present different measurements, generally with sensor in the middle
showing a greater amplitude than the other curves.

STATOR BAR VIBRATION

Wedging system also play a very important role in the stator of generators. As in the rotor, stator
wedges radially fix the copper windings against electromagnetic forces caused by poles passage. If
wedges loose their compression power, what usually occurs after some years, vibration amplitude
of the bars will increase, driving to ground failures or short circuit between bars.

Friction between bar and slot causes an abrasion on conductive component of the bar and its
insulation and, in a certain moment, many interrelated phenomena are totaled in a destructive
process:
• Abrasion of semi-conductive painting (Faraday) and insulation drives to a drastic increase of
partial discharges that destroy insulation from the inside.
• Partial discharges weaken insulation, causing more abrasion
• The increase of bars vibration decrease heat exchange between bar and slot, contributing to
weaken the insulation.

These phenomena are better detailed on Figure 2 below.

 Figure 2: interrelated phenomena causing bars damages

This monitoring is very important once identifies problems occurring in the wedging system, and
consequently bars vibration, even before partial discharges start, allowing the User to plan a
machine stop for new stator re-wedging and also to check warranty terms after re-wedging or re-
winding services.

The Sator Bar Vibration System – SBV uses the same capacitive technology used for air gap
monitoring, and is immune to all interferences in the area like dust, oil, humidity, radio-frequency
and electromagnetic. Must be applied 12 (twelve) sensors, 6 (six) in each side of the machine
(turbine and exciter), one per circuit per phase, at the end of the bars and over the wedges of higher
potential, as shown on Figure 3 below, to measure their radial displacement.

Figure 3: location of stator bar vibration sensors

END WINDING VIBRATION
End winding vibration can occur in any generator, but are more common in two-poles generators,
that present long end windings due to their technical characteristics to allow high operation speeds
and long nodal points.

If end winding vibrate due to cyclic electromagnetic forces, the insulation of the bar and its bracing
will be stressed by continuous flexion and compression. End winding vibration can drive to the
following failures:
• Progressive failure of insulation caused by relative movement between adjacent bars and
bracing structures, driving to material powdering and then to short circuit between bars or to
ground
• Stator bars rupture due to mechanical fatigue
• Failures caused by mechanical stress at cooling system due to bar flexion and cavitation

A very important factor in the monitoring, in particular at end winding vibration, is the appropriate
selection of sensor to be used. Sensor must supply necessary requirements of accuracy, reliability
and repeatability, besides the ability to stand high voltage levels.

The optical accelerometer FOA from VibroSystM fulfill the technical requirements above
mentioned. Assembled in one only piece, consists of three main parts: one optical head, one integral
optical fiber cable and one signal conditioner internally assembled in a feedthrough connector.

Sensor head is ceramic made and gives excellent thermal stability and insulation higher than 27 kV
RMS. The integral optical fiber cable have 5mm diameter, 6m or 10m length and is protected by
PTFE tubing, allowing 80mm radius bending. The conditioner/connector has a built-in opto-
electronic conditioning circuit with 100 mV/g output that allows directly connection to vibration
monitoring and analysis system.

Figure 4 below shows the optical fiber accelerometer and details of its assembly at turbogenerator
stator end winding.

Figure 4: optical fiber accelerometer

Typical installation in a turbogenerator requires total of 14 (fourteen) FOA optical fiber
accelerometers, 7 (seven) in each side (turbine and exciter), one per circuit per phase in radial
position and one in tangential position.

MAGNETIC FLUX
As the turbogenerator ages, insulation can be affected by temperature, mechanical problems or by
operation failures. The most common problems in the rotor windings are short-circuit between
windings and failure to ground, that happen when insulation is damaged.

A short-circuit happens when insulation between coils is locally damaged, allowing that adjacent
coils make contact. Although not desired, a turbogenerator can operate with a certain number of
shorted coils. They can appear in any part of the windings, but are more common at winding end
and under the retaining rings. Short-circuits in the rotor can produce thermal unbalance, resulting in
increased vibration levels that can be difficult to distinguish when compared to other mechanical
problems.

The Magnetic Flux Monitoring System MFM uses a sensor that allies the search coil technology
with the same physical assembly of the air gap sensors, and is immune to all interferences in the
area like dust, oil, humidity and radio-frequency. Must be used only one sensor, to be assembled at
the bottom part of the stator, in the generator air gap, as shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5: magnetic flux sensor, assembled together with air gap sensor

MFM system on-line monitors the generator magnetic field by the magnetic flux emanating from
the poles of the rotor. For an effective analysis, the results are combined with air gap measurements
given by AGMS and ZOOM systems, that allow correlation between flux and air gap for each
pole. Allow to detect if unbalance is caused by an electric failure as short-circuit between coils in
the pole or induced by a very small air gap.
RETAINING RINGS FAILURES
Retaining rings are used to repress the centrifugal force at rotor windings end. They are the more
stressed components of a generator and so require extreme care in the project as well as in
manufacturing and maintenance.

Centrifugal force at the end of windings contribute with approximately 4000 to 8000 kilos for each
copper kilo under the rings. This factor produces a stress that deforms the ring during operation, in a
lightly elliptical shape for two-poles rotors due to non-uniform weight distribution of winding ends
and associated blockings.

In modern generators, retaining rings are installed in the rotor ends by shrinking. This procedure
forces the ring to keep cylindrical shape in nominal speed and avoid differential movements from
the ring related to rotor body.

Two of the common problems in retaining rings are caused by their construction characteristics. In
body-shaped rings, can occur a high current circulation during unbalance conditions, driving to
damages caused by heat excess. In spindle-mounted rings, they allow a flexibility between the rotor
body and the ring, that can drive to insulation failures and cracking the coils in this area, a very
dangerous condition in machines with frequent load cycles and run-up/run-down proceedings.

Another factor that can cause damages to retaining rings is the material used in the manufacturing:
magnetic or non-magnetic. Magnetic rings can suffer serious problems in case of contamination.
Even the non-magnetic rings can suffer influences and be damaged by environmental conditions.
The ones manufactured with Gannaloy can suffer embrittlement in environments with hydrogen
cooling, The ones manufactured with 18Mn-5Cr alloys can be damaged by stress corrosion cracking
(SCC). Modern generators use 18Mn-18Cr alloy, with better resistance to these problems.

So, retaining rings are components that

require special care in maintenance and
operation. Failures in the maintenance
procedures can generate catastrophic
results, as shown in Figure 6.

In order to regularly monitor the retaining rings for detection of deformations or shape irregularities
associated to load conditions, must be used DCS-420 proximity sensors, that use the same
capacitive technology of the air gap sensors, and are immune to all interferences existing in the area,
such as dust, oil, humidity, radio-frequency and electromagnetic.

Must be used 8 (eight) sensors, 4 (four) in each side (turbine and exciter), assembled two by two
laterally in the same axial plan, over brackets inside the structure, as shown in Figure 7 below.
 Figure 7: capacitive proximity sensor to measure retaining rings deformations

VIBRATION AND AXIAL DISPLACEMENT

Obviously we can not forget to consider the shaft vibration (or oscillation) and traditional axial
displacement. These measurements can be done in any external point of the machine, like bearings,
reduction box, etc.

Inductive type proximity sensors (or eddy-current) have been industry standard for more than 40
years. However, inductive sensors always presented certain technical limitations inherent to project
that until now remain uncovered.

Capacitive technology proximity probes are suggested to overcome the technical limitations and
eliminate problems caused by the use of eddy-current proximity sensors.

Capacitive sensors are totally immune to generator magnetic field, circulating currents in the field,
oil mist and also any residual magnetism in the shaft. Also are immune to the effects of electrical
run-out (false signals caused by the variable composition of shaft material, surface imperfections
and electromagnetic properties of the shaft), and can be used to monitor shafts of different materials
without necessity of re-calibration. Also do not require a machined lane (mirrored) in the shaft to
obtain optimal results during measurements.

The number of proximity sensors is function of the points to be monitored, at least two radial
sensors 90o apart per bearing and one for axial displacement.
INTEGRATED MONITORING SYSTEM
All subsystems above mentioned allow monitoring based on local instrumentation, to be installed
close to machines, that must pre-process monitored parameters input signals and actuate as alarm
and/or protection device.

Allied to these parameters, other can be added to the monitoring system to better analysis of
machine conditions, as per example: voltage, phase currents, field currents, temperatures, active and
reactive powers, among others.

In order to increase on-line monitoring, pre-processed signals can be transferred to a controller

computer, to be located at control or maintenance room in the power house. ZOOM Look software
allows on-line configuration of each monitored parameter, for measuring range, unit, alarm and
danger levels and others. Also allows graphic visualization of those parameters in a time scale for
trending.

In applications where rotor bowing is monitored by the use of AGMS, the system can be upgraded
to ZOOM platform, that allows X-Y graphic analysis of each monitored parameter in each
machine revolution as well as FFT analysis. Also can be installed the ZOOM Analyst software that
allows FFT analysis and orbit graphic visualization as seen by any group of sensors installed 90o
apart.

CONCLUSIONS
It is important to have in mind that not all monitored system above mentioned are necessary in any
application. Same way, one must have in mind that not all sensors are of easy installation, requiring
in most cases the machine disassembly. So, before installation final recommendations, a complete
analysis of the machine history, of required operation conditions and symptom of past problems
must be investigated to allow that the choice o the sensors reflect the User necessities.

As the sensors are installed, measurements under different load conditions must be taken in order to
extract maximum information regarding phenomena occurring inside the machine. With this
information, a better interpretation of the causes of problems can be identified, allowing new
operation and maintenance strategies that can drive to a lower maintenance costs and a higher
machines availability.
BIBLIOGRAFIA
“Heavy Duty Gas Turbine Operating and Maintenance Considerations” – by Robert Hoeft and Eric
Gebhardt – GE Power Systems – GER3620G – September 2000

“Generator Rotor Thermal Sensitivity – Theory and Experience” – by Ronald J. Zawoysky and
William M. Genovese – GE Power Systems – GER3809 – April 2001

“HV Risk Analysis” – by Bruce Penfold and Mike Davis – Newcastle University Engineering
Department – Elec480 Project – May 2001

“Fiber-optic accelerometer, a technological breakthrough for vibration measurements in electrically

hostile environments” – by Michel Cochard and Gillian Pritchard – December 1999

“10 Case Studies of On-line Monitoring & Diagnostics on Hydroelectric Machinery” – by Marc
Bissonnette and Jackson Lin – VibroSystM Inc., Canada – December 1999

“GE Generator Rotor Design, Operational Issues, and Refurbishment Options” – by Ronald J.
Zawoysky and Karl C. Tornroos – GE Power Systems – GER4212 – August 2001

“A New Capacitive Proximity Probe Immune to Electrical Run-Out” – by Jackson Lin and Marc R.
Bissonnette – Canadian Machine Vibration Association, 1997 Annual Meeting – November 1997