Return to TOC

ME456
Burnout of MGPS Internal Cable
Technical committee

Ship type
Date of build
Navigation route
Trouble machinery
Category Electrical equipment
Name MGPS
Type TD2400P, NR1200P
Maker THE NIPPON CORROSION ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
Date of trouble 2002

1. Outline of breakdown

Case 1:
Hunting occurred in the ammeter. Internal inspection revealed 3 burnt cables.
Case 2:
During M0 check, it was found that the lower floor in starboard side was filled with smoke and smoke
was coming from MGPS. The NFB of the MGPS was immediately switched off and smoke eventually
cleared.
Although the MGPS current value at the time of smoking far exceeded 550A which is the rated value (it
was above 2500A), no safety device had functioned. Further, although the said equipment was equipped
with the safety device including alarm/trip function against overload/short circuit trouble, this safety
device did not function at the time.
After the MGPS panel was cooled, inspection of the panel internals revealed that the electrode terminal
in the electrolytic bath side and a total of 4 cables had been burnt.

2. Cause

Unbalance occurred in current of each of the multiple cables mounted in parallel. It is presumed that
overcurrent occurred in a specific cable, causing heating and eventually, a burnout. Because of the
burnout of the first cable, the current which would have been sustained jointly by the multiple cables
under normal circumstances needed to be borne by the remaining cables, which eventually were heated
and burnt.
The cause of unbalance in current of each cable could be surmised as follows:
• Increased resistance due to deterioration of cables
• Looseness of the terminal clamp bolt/nut or uneven tightening torque
• Increased resistance due to rust in the terminal
This equipment is provided with a safety device that would issue an alarm or trip when an overload or
short circuit trouble occurs. However, this protective device did not activated as it was of a type de-
signed to function when its fuse melts by a current that exceeds 3,600A in total. Further, the equipment
had no protective function would be activated when an overcurrent occurs to a specific cable among the
multiple cables arranged in parallel.

1
3. Repair

The cables were replaced with new ones and service was resumed.

Fig. 1 Burnout section