IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 3, No.
2, June 1988
SHAFT VOLTAGES I N GENERATORS WITH STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS
.
C Ammann K.Reichert
Member Member
Swiss F e d e r a l I n s t i t u t e of Technology
Zurich, S w i t z e r l a n d
ABSTRACT
S h a f t v o l t a g e s may cause s e r i o u s damage i n r o t a t i n g
machinery. E s p e c i a l l y i n l a r g e t u r b o s e t s w i t h s t a t i c
e x c i t a t i o n systems, they have become an i n c r e a s i n g
problem due t o t h e following f a c t s :
The s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system has added a new type of
s h a f t v o l t a g e w i t h low frequency amplitudes up t o 60V
and high frequency peaks up t o 30V superimposed on t h e
b a s i c s h a f t v o l t a g e s . High s u r f a c e v e l o c i t i e s on t h e
t u r b i n e end of t h e g e n e r a t o r make e x i s t i n g grounding
b r u s h e s o f t e n i n e f f e c t i v e . Experience has shown t h a t
conventional grounding systems cannot e l i m i n a t e h i g h
frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e peaks.
The paper g i v e s i n t r o d u c t o r y d e t a i l s on a l l four t y p e s
of s h a f t v o l t a g e s . I t s main concerns are the
occurrence, t r a n s m i s s i o n and damaging mechanisms of
s h a f t v o l t a g e s from s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems. A model
f o r numerical s i m u l a t i o n i s p r e s e n t e d and s i m u l a t i o n
r e s u l t s a r e compared w i t h t e s t s performed on a s t a t i -
c a l l y e x c i t e d 1200 MVA t u r b o s e t . A program of counter-
measures i s proposed, mainly i n c l u d i n g a new type of
p a s s i v e RC-circuit connected through a grounding b r u s h
on t h e e x c i t e r end o f t h e g e n e r a t o r . T h i s new s e t of
countermeasures h a s s u c c e s s f u l l y been t e s t e d on two
t u r b o s e t s , one of 190 MVA and one of 1200 MVA. showing
t h e following advantages:
Reduction of s h a f t v o l t a g e s t o a h a n l e s s l e v e l . Good
a c c e s s (even i n n u c l e a r power p l a n t s ) , low maintenance
c o s t s and long b r u s h l i f e . Operation w i t h o r w i t h o u t
grounding b r u s h on t h e t u r b i n e end of t h e g e n e r a t o r i s
p o s s i b l e . Easy monitoring.
1. INTRODUCTION
In s p i t e of c a r e f u l machine d e s i g n , s h a f t v o l t a g e s
have become a s e r i o u s problem i n l a r g e turbogenera-
t o r s . S t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems have added y e t a n o t h e r
source of s h a f t v o l t a g e s o f c o n s i d e r a b l e magnitude.
Because of t h e h i g h s u r f a c e v e l o c i t i e s , grounding of
t h e s h a f t a t t h e t u r b i n e end o f t h e g e n e r a t o r i s no
longer a r e l i a b l e solution.
Four t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e o c c u r , a s i n d i c a t e d i n
Table I. The f i r s t two a r e i n d u c t i v e i n n a t u r e . I f t h e
i n d u c t i o n p a t h i s c l o s e d w i t h a low r e s i s t a n c e , l a r g e
c u r r e n t s w i l l flow and s e r i o u s damage a t the c o n t a c t
s i t e s i n b e a r i n g s and a u x i l i a r y equipment can o c c u r
v e r y r a p i d l y . The second two t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e ,
due t o e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge, i n s u l a t i o n dissymmetries
or s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems, appear between t h e s h a f t
and ground. They cannot produce l a r g e , low-frequency
c u r r e n t s , b u t t h e y can r e a c h h i g h v o l t a g e v a l u e s , such
t h a t over a p e r i o d of s e v e r a l weeks t o s e v e r a l months
the r e s u l t i n g e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n c a u s e s s e r i o u s damage i n
87 SM 403-9 A paper recommended and approved
t b y the IEEE Rotating Machinery Committee o f the
IEEE Power Engineertng Society for presentation at
the IEEE/PES 1987 Summer Meeting, San Francisco,
California, July 12 -
17, 1987. Manuscript
submitted January 30, 1987; made available for
printing June 1, 1987.
0885-8969/88/0600~9$01.0001988IEEE
409
- PROBLEMS AND SOLUTION
R. Joho Z. Posede 1
Brown Boveri Company
Baden. Switzerland
t h e b e a r i n g s . making an e a r l y b e a r i n g overhaul neces-
sary.
The mechanisms of t h e occurrence and t r a n s m i s s i o n of
t h e f i r s t t h r e e t y p e s of s h a f t v o l t a g e s a r e r e l a t i v e l y
w e l l known. The s h a f t v o l t a g e s a r i s i n g from s t a t i c ex-
c i t a t i o n systems, however, p r e s e n t a number of open
q u e s t i o n s , and no completely e f f e c t i v e countermeasures
a r e a v a i l a b l e . The p r e s e n t r e p o r t w i l l t h e r e f o r e con-
c e r n mostly the occurrence, t r a n s m i s s i o n , and damage
mechanisms of s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n
systems.
The aim of the p r e s e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s was t o develop
s u i t a b l e measures f o r the p r e v e n t i o n of damage in t u r -
b o g e n e r a t o r s having s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n . These measures
should:
- p r e v e n t damage due t o s h a f t v o l t a g e s of a l l types,
and
- be e f f e c t i v e b o t h w i t h and without the grounding
b r u s h e s (which a r e a high-maintenance item) a t the
d r i v e n end of t h e g e n e r a t o r .
2. SHAFT VOLTAGES DUE To STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS
2.1 Basic Model o f t h e Svstem
S t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n systems p r e s e n t many advantages i n
power g e n e r a t i o n , b u t a r e a l s o a n a d d i t i o n a l source of
s h a f t v o l t a g e s . T e s t s made on s t a t i c a l l y e x c i t e d gen-
e r a t o r s w i t h 6-pulse t h y r i s t o r r e c t i f i e r s show t h e
following:
- With non-grounded s h a f t s , t h e v o l t a g e s which occur
a r e of r e c t a n g u l a r form, w i t h v a l u e s of 10 - 60
V o l t s and f r e q u e n c i e s of t h r e e times t h e fundamen-
ta 1
- Superimposed on t h i s b a s i c v o l t a g e a r e 6 high
frequency peaks p e r p e r i o d , having v a l u e s up t o 30
Volts
- These h i g h frequency peaks occur a t t h e e x c i t e r
end of t h e g e n e r a t o r even when t h e r e a r e i n t a c t
grounding b r u s h e s a t t h e t u r b i n e end.
I n o r d e r t o i l l u s t r a t e and e x p l a i n t h e s e phenomena, 8
diagram of t h e system t o be i n v e s t i g a t e d i s shown i n
F i g . 1. The s i g n i f i c a n t elements a r e as f o l l o w s :
- E x c i t a t i o n transformer and i t s e f f e c t i v e ground-
capacitance C t
- R e c t i f i e r and r e c t i f i e r v o l t a g e s Vd, Vc, V 1 and V2
- E x c i t a t i o n winding w i t h i t s c a p a c i t a n c e Cw
- S h a f t l i n e and i t s c a p a c i t a n c e t o ground C s which
cgmprises mainly t h e c a p a c i t i e s o f t h e b e a r i n g
j o u r n a l s.
The o f f e n d i n g s h a f t v o l t a g e s o c c u r a t t h e b e a r i n g
j o u r n a l s , a c r o s s t h e c a p a c i t a n c e t o ground of t h e
s h a f t l i n e . I n o r d e r t o s t u d y t h e e f f e c t of t h e s t a t i c
e x c i t a t i o n system, t h e v o l t a g e s p l o t t e d i n F i g . 2 were
introduced. These v o l t a g e s a r e :
- The phase v o l t a g e s Vu, Vv and Vw of t h e e x c i t a t i o n
transformer on the 8.c. s i d e of t h e r e c t i f i e r
- The Voltages V 1 and V2 on t h e d . c . s i d e of t h e
r e c t i f i e r , between t h e p o s i t i v e (A) and n e g a t i v e
(B) t e r m i n a l s , r e s p e c t i v e l y , and t h e n e u t r a l p o i n t
(C)
- The d.c. v o l t a g e Vd = Vl-V2. The s i x sawtooth
peaks p e r p e r i o d , with t h e s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s
d u r i n g commutation, a r e t y p i c a l
410

Damage

I. Magnetic Unsy"etries,e.g. due to
-joints in the stator laminations
- rotor eccentricity
- rotor or stator sagging
produce variable magnetic flux.
11. Axial Shaft Flux, e.g. due to
- residual magnetization
- rotor eccentricity
- saturation
- asmetrical rotor windinq.
111. Electrostatic charqe, e.g. due
to steam brushing turbine blades.
IV. External Voltages on Rotor
Windinqs, e.g. due to
- static excitation equipment
- voltage source and/or rotor
winding insulation asymmetries
- active rotor winding protection.
A variable magnetic ring flux is
linked with the rotor shaft-bedplate
- bearing circuit and induces a
shaft voltage.
The rotating flux induces unipolar
voltages in bearings and parts of
the shaft.
The capacitance of the shaft versus
ground is charged and the shaft is
raised to a potential according to
the internal insulation.
to a potential according to the
insulation capacitances and
resistances of the source. the
winding,and the shaft versus ground.
The induced voltage will cause
large currents and corresponding
damage in any low-resistance loop.
The induced voltages will cause
large currents and correspnding
damage in bearings and shaft seals.
The voltage between the shaft and
bearinqs (qround) will stress the
~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ ~ . d ~ ~
pitting will damage the surfaces
of bearings and seals.

III. m.

1 bedplate 2 bearings 3 rotor shaft 4 stator 5 steam turbine 6 converter 7 rotor winding 8 transformer
Vs shaft voltage magnetic flux k constant n speed
TABLE I TYPES AND MECHANISMS OF SHAFT VOLTAGES IN ROTATING MACHINERY

1 transformer

E 2 transformer to ground capacitance

3 thyristor rectifier 4 rotor shaft
5 excitation winding 6 steam turbines
7 shaft to ground (bearing) capacitances

vd = vdo COS% - 3xId

'Fnrbines - Generator -_ Rectifier 77-
Fig. 1 GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION OF SHAFT VOLTAGES DUE TU STATIC EXCITATION SYSTEMS

A
,Vl
Vu phase voltages
Vv I o n ac side of
-ot Vw : rectifier
Vc : c m n mode
voltage
d=6 0 vd : direct voltage
U
, : overlap angle
vd=v1-v2 x : camnutation I D

//
reactance ...................................
ct : transformer to For symmetrical excitation circuit and low
ground capacitance frequencies:
C,,, : excitation win-

1, AVmax; 0,75 Vu V,-,,rF&-

ding to rotor
vs
cw - Ct
vc
d-60
I +Vdo
iron capacitance
cs : shaft to ground
=
Cw.CttC . C t + Cs - cw
,vc=vJ
ot
capacitance ct =IO*
Oc : delay angle for Cw = 500 nF
cs = 200 nF
Fig. 2 VOLTAGES OF A 6-PULSE THYRISTOR RECTIFIER Fig. 3 SIMPLIFlED MODEL

- The common mode v o l t a g e Vc = (Vl+V2)/2 , t h e r e c t -
a n g u l a r wave shape w i t h a frequency of t h r e e times
t h e fundamental and t h e s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s d u r i n g
commutation, a r e t y p i c a l .
According t o F i g . 3 t h e r e c t i f i e r can be r e p r e s e n t e d
by t h r e e v o l t a g e s o u r c e s Vc. Vdl2 and Vd12 so t h a t t h e
v o l t a g e s between t e r m i n a l s A, B, and C remain un-
changed. The e x c i t a t i o n and t r a n s m i s s i o n of t h e s h a f t
v o l t a g e s due t o t h e s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system becomes
obvious.
Under symmetrical c o n d i t i o n s o n l y t h e common mode
v o l t a g e Vc c o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e Vs, where-
b y t h e low frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e i s determined b y a
v o l t a g e d i v i d e r g i v e n by t h e c a p a c i t a n c e s i n F i g . 3.
Thus t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e Vs on a non-grounded s h a f t de-
pends on:
- t h e amplitude of common mode v o l t a g e Vc, hence d i -
r e c t l y on t h e e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e Vu
- the capacitance r a t i o s i n the e x c i t a t i o n c i r c u i t .
Even under f a v o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s (Vs/Vc = 42, low c e i l -
ing v o l t a g e (2 P . u . ) ) , t h e maximum v a l u e of V s can
r e a c h 4% of t h e nominal e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e , i . e . f o r a
l a r g e u n i t w i t h lOOOV c e i l i n g e x c i t a t i o n v o l t a g e , we
expect Vs t o b e i n t h e o r d e r of 20V.
The phenomenon of t h e high frequency peaks i n t h e
s h a f t v o l t a g e cannot b e e x p l a i n e d w i t h t h e s i m p l i f i e d
model of F i g . 3 . One can imagine, however, t h a t d u r i n g
conmutation t h e t h r e e v o l t a g e s o u r c e s can b e approxi-
mated b y v o l t a g e s t e p s and t h a t t h e s e s t e p s e x c i t e
h i g h frequency o s c i l l a t i o n s i n t h e v a r i o u s inductances
and c a p a c i t a n c e s i n t h e c i r c u i t . I n o r d e r t o i n v e s t i -
g a t e t h i s t h e o r y , a r e f i n e d model of t h e whole e x c i t a -
t i o n system, i n c l u d i n g t h e s h a f t l i n e , was designed
and was simulated w i t h t h e computer, u s i n g a network
a n a l y s i s program.
2.2 Model f o r t h e Numerical S i m u l a t i o n
F o r t h e numerical s i m u l a t i o n of s h a f t v o l t a g e s , t h e
f i e l d winding and s h a f t l i n e of a 1200 MVA turbogene-
r a t o r were modelled a s shown i n F i g . 4 so t h a t
losses of
+,PI
Rfl2 I I
1 st coil
1 st to7th
M
Rotor shaft
'
low prehure
'-*w
low pressure medium hlgh pressure
turbine turbine
Parameters of a 1200 WA Turbogenerator
E x c i t a t i o n winding: 14 c o i l s w i t h 9 t u r n s p e r c o i l
C = 2 . 1 IS, Lt = 2.2 pE, C = 18.4 I#, Lc = 20.0 PA, RcO = 13.8-Q. Rcl = 262.552. Lcl = 934 CR.
t
s h a f t : Rio = 1.73n, Ril = 5.8, Ri2 = 364. Lil = 205 pR. Liz = 51pA. Llpt = 1 . 0 pB, Lmpt = 0.5 pH,
L
hP t
= 0.2 pH, Coil = 100 d, Gins = 16.5 nF,
Fig. 4 MODEL OF EXCITATION WINDING AND TURBOSEAFT FOR NUMERICAL CALCULATION OF
SEAFT VOLTAGES FOR FREQUENCIES ) 50 Rz
41 1
- t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n from the e x c i t a t i o n winding t o
t h e s h a f t i n t h e frequency range of 50 Ez t o 1 MKz
i s represented correctly
- t h e e f f e c t s of p o s s i b l e countermeasures (e.g.
grounding b r u s h e s , f i l t e r s , e t c . ) can be i n v e s t i -
gated.
For i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n t h e base-
frequency r e g i o n , t h e model was e x c i t e d w i t h t h e com-
p l e t e l y modelled r e c t i f i e r , F i g . 1. For t h e h i g h f r e -
quency v o l t a g e peaks, t h e three-source e q u i v a l e n t r e c -
t i f i e r c i r c u i t of F i g . 3 w i t h t h r e e s t e p v o l t a g e
s o u r c e s was used.
The f i r s t and l a s t c o i l s of t h e e x c i t a t i o n winding
were modelled i n d i v i d u a l l y . Each winding b a r was simu-
l a t e d by one inductance and two c a p a c i t a n c e s a c t i n g a t
t h e r o t o r ends. The remaining c o i l s were lumped and
modelled by one inductance and two c a p a c i t a n c e s f o r
each c o i l h a l f .
The frequency-dependent l o s s e s of t h e e x c i t a t i o n wind-
ing w i t h i n a c e r t a i n frequency range were approximated
by a p a s s i v e B-L c i r c u i t a s shown i n F i g . 58. These
elements were i n t r o d u c e d behind t h e f i r s t and l a s t
coils.
I n t h e g e n e r a t o r a r e a , t h e frequency-dependent behav-
i o u r of t h e s h a f t l i n e i s determined by t h e c o n c e n t r i c
l o c a t i o n of t h e r o t o r i n t h e s t a t o r c o r e , a s i n F i g .
5b. Eere, t h e frequency-dependent impedance was a l s o
approximated by a p a s s i v e R-L c i r c u i t i n a c e r t a i n
frequency range. It becomes obvious t h a t , f o r h i g h
frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e s ( t y p i c a l l y i n t h e o r d e r of
250 kEz), a grounding b r u s h a t one end of t h e genera-
t o r has n o t much e f f e c t on t h e o t h e r end. because of
t h i s c o n s i d e r a b l e h i g h r o t o r impedance.
I n t h e t u r b i n e r e g i o n , the impedance of t h e s h a f t l i n e
i s determined l a r g e l y by t h e inductance of t h e a i r
space between t h e r o t o r and t h e c a s i n g . Therefore each
t u r b i n e s t a g e may be r e p r e s e n t e d by an inductance.
R e s u l t s of t h e s i m u l a t i o n s a r e shown i n F i g . 6. It can
be seen t h a t i n t h e b a s e frequency r e g i o n , w i t h a non-
grounded s h a f t , t h e common mode v o l t a g e Vc ( 6 a ) i s
t r a n s m i t t e d u n d i s t o r t e d and reduced according t o t h e
coupling and s h a f t c a p a c i t a n c e s t o t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e
losses of
8th tol4th
pressure turbine
turbine
= 0.552, R ~ r u s h ( a d d i t i o n a l ) = 500QlllOpF.
412
V s ( 6 b ) . In t h e commutation r e g i o n i t can be seen t h a t
even w i t h grounding of the t u r b i n e s h a f t end, high
frequency s h a f t - v o l t a g e peaks V s ( 6 c ) a r e produced by
the voltage steps.
Detailed simulation calculations yield the following
information:
- With a symmetrical e x c i t a t i o n c i r c u i t , only the
common mode v o l t a g e Vc c o n t r i b u t e s t o s h a f t v o l t -
age V s
- With any k i n d of dissymmetry i n t h e e x c i t a t i o n
c i r c u i t , t h e sawtooth-like d.c. v o l t a g e Vd w i l l
c o n t r i b u t e a d d i t i o n a l l y t o the s h a f t v o l t a g e V s
- The amplitude of t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e i s determined
e s s e n t i a l l y by the amplitude and r a t e of r i s e of
t h e v o l t a g e s t e p s i n t h e common mode v o l t a g e Vc.
t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of the e x c i t a t i o n winding, t h e
ground c a p a c i t a n c e of the e x c i t a t i o n transformer
and t h e s h a f t t o ground c a p a c i t a n c e .
The frequency and amplitude of t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e a l s o
depend on:
- changes i n t h e d . c . supply l i n e inductances
- a d d i t i o n a l f i l t e r s on the d . c . s i d e of the r e c t i -
fier.
2.3 F i e l d T e s t s
I n o r d e r t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n prac-
t i c e , and t o make comparisons w i t h the s i m u l a t i o n s , a
number of f i e l d t e s t s on g e n e r a t o r s w i t h s t a t i c exci-
t a t i o n systems were made. The s h a f t v o l t a g e s were mea-
sured by means of pickup b r u s h e s a t t h e t u r b i n e and
e x c i t e r ends of the g e n e r a t o r . The Voltages between
a ) Frequency Dependent Excitation Winding Losses
Z/Roc
_-
10 I/
Fig. 5 MODELING OF FREQUENCY DEPENDENT EXCITATION WINDING AND ROTOR IRON LOSSES (1200MVA)
a ) Cmmn Mode Voltage Vc b) Low Frequency Shaft Voltages
without Grounding Brush
Vm, Vm : Shaft Voltages on exciter end and turbine end of generator
Fig. 6 RESULTS OF NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS FOR A 1200 MVA "GENERATOR
t h e s h a f t and ground were recorded by means of a d i g i -
t a l storage oscilloscope.
F i g . 7a-c show t h e r e s u l t s from a small experimental
g e n e r a t o r (906 KVA, 3000 rpm, 50 Hz, e x c i t a t i o n phase
v o l t a g e Vu = 110 V). In o r d e r t o e l i m i n a t e o t h e r t y p e s
of s h a f t v o l t a g e , t h e s e t e s t s were made a t s t a n d s t i l l .
w i t h t h e s h a f t i n s u l a t e d from t h e b e a r i n g s h e l l s by a
t h i n l a y e r of i n s u l a t i o n . The c a p a c i t a n c e s according
t o F i g . 3 were measured, t h e v a l u e s b e i n g : C t = 8.5nF.
Cw = 32nF. C s = 20nF. The s h a f t v o l t a g e w i t h a non-
grounded s h a f t should t h e r e f o r e be about 25% of the
common mode v o l t a g e . A s can be s e e n i n F i g . 7a and b ,
t h e t e s t v a l u e s were i n good agreement, and the s h a f t
v o l t a g e i n t h e b a s i c frequency range f o l l o w s t h e same
course a s the common mode v o l t a g e .
When t h e s h a f t was grounded a t the t u r b i n e end, t h e
lon-frequency components of the s h a f t v o l t a g e d i s a p -
peared. Only t h e h i g h frequency peaks d u r i n g commuta-
t i o n remained, a s shown i n F i g . 7c.
F i g . 8a-c show the r e s u l t s from a l a r g e t u r b o s e t (1200
MVA. 3000 rpm, 50 Hz, e x c i t a t i o n phase v o l t a g e Vu =
825 VI. Here, t h e t e s t s were made d u r i n g normal opera-
t i o n , t h e r e f o r e s h a f t v o l t a g e s from o t h e r sources a r e
superimposed on t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o the s t a t i c
e x c i t a t i o n . F i g . 8b shows t h e v o l t a g e s w i t h non
grounded s h a f t , which can be i n t e r p r e t e d a s follows:
- There i s a d.c. component of about 45V. due t o
e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge i n t h e t u r b i n e and t o dissym-
metrical insulation resistances
- There i s a n induced a . c . component of about 2.5V.
a t the fundamental frequency, due t o e c c e n t r i c i t y
of t h e r o t o r s h a f t
b) Frequency Dependent Rotor Iron Losses
s
tor core
c ) Shaft Voltage Spike with
Grounding Brush on TE
1L6 -VEE ---VTE *o
HXT
I5
Ro
-1.5
-3.0
09 5.0 iao 151) 20.0 ZUL 90.0
 413

- There i s a 15V rectangular-wave a.c. component, For t h i s purpose, a l a b o r a t o y t e s t s t a n d was con-

due t o the s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n system. This i s r e c -
ognized by the s t e e p v o l t a g e s t e p s and i s compa-
r a b l e t o t h e common mode v o l t a g e i n F i g . 8a.
A d d i t i o n a l l y t h e h i g h frequency v o l t a g e peaks are su-
perimposed on t h e s e low-frequency a . ~ . v o l t a g e s (see
a l s o Fig. 13d).
When t h e t u r b i n e end of t h e s h a f t i s grounded, t h e
basic-frequency s h a f t v o l t a g e s are e l i m i n a t e d (see a l -
so F i g . 13b) and o n l y t h e induced v o l t a g e s i n t h e
basic-frequency range remain. The high frequency com-
m u t a t i o n peaks a r e superimposed on t h e s e . As seen i n
F i g . 8c. t h e v a l u e s exceed 1 5 V a t t h e e x c i t e r end,
even though the t u r b i n e end i s grounded.
Comparison of t h e t e s t r e s u l t s (Fig.8.-c) with the
s i m u l a t i o n s (Fig.6a-c) shows good agreement, a l t b o n g h
i t must be p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e s i m u l a t i o n g i v e s only
t h e v o l t a g e s due t o t h e s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n .
3. ELEC"RO-EROSION DUE To SBAPT VOLTAGES
The presence of s h a f t v o l t a g e s can l e a d t o e l e c t r o -
ero'sion of t h e b e a r i n g s h e l l s and a h a f t s e a l s . The
l i t e r a t u r e , however, s a k e s l i t t l e r e f e r e n c e t o permis-
s i b l e v a l u e s of t h e v o l t a g e s , or t o t h e volume of ero-
s i o n t o be expected.
l e have t h e r e f o r e i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e problem of e l e c t r o -
e r o s i o n i n p l a i n b e a r i n g s , w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g objec-
tives:
- t o determine t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s between t h e v o l t -
age, e r o s i o n energy, and e r o s i o n volume, and
- t o f i n d lower bounds of t h e v o l t a g e . above which
e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n can occur.
s t r u c t e d , c o n s i s t i n g e s s e n t i a l l y of a rod and a p l a t e
e l e c t r o d e immersed i n an o i l b a t h . The rod e l e c t r o d e
has a nose r a d i u s of 2 cm. and i t s p o s i t i o n r e l a t i v e
t o t h e p l a t e e l e c t r o d e i s a d j u s t a b l e i n t h e )m range.
The p l a t e e l e c t r o d e i s of b e a r i n g m e t a l . The e l e c -
t r o d e s a r e immersed i n a t e m p e r a t u r e - c o n t r o l l e d bath
of b e a r i n g o i l . Vigorous c i r c u l a t i o n is provided in
t h e e l e c t r o d e r e g i o n . The t e s t c o n d i t i o n s a r e t y p i c a l
f o r journal-bearing oil-films:
- o i l temperature 8OoC
- o i l f i l m t h i c k n e s s ( e l e c t r o d e s e p a r a t i o n ) 30-80 p
I n o r d e r t o examine t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between v o l t a g e ,
breakdown energy, and e r o s i o n volume, charged capaci-
t o r s ( r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e s h a f t t o ground c a p a c i t a n c e of
t h e t u r b o s e t ) were d i s c h a r g e d through t h e e l e c t r o d e
p a t h , and t h e r e s u l t i n g c r a t e r s i n t h e metal s u r f a c e
were measured under an e l e c t r o n microscope. The r e l a -
t i o n s h i p s a r e shown i n F i g . 9 ( i n l o g s c a l e s ) . The re-
g r e s s i o n l i n e shows a p r a c t i c a l l y l i n e a r r e l a t i o n s h i p
between breakdown e n e r g y and e r o s i o n volume, and shows
t h a t w i t h c o n s t a n t c a p a c i t a n c e t h e breakdown energy
r i s e s q u a d r a t i c a l l y w i t h t h e v o l t a g e . The f l a a h o v e r s
occur w i t h i n a few microseconds, i n d i c a t i n g t h a t only
t h e c a p a c i t i v e l y s t o r e d energy can c o n t r i b u t e t o d i s -
charge and t h a t no r e c h a r g i n g o c c u r s d u r i n g f l a s h o v e r .
Hence i n p l a i n b e a r i n s s t h e maximum breakdown energy
i s determined by t h e i n s t a n t a n e o u s s h a f t v o l t a g e and
t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e s h a f t l i n e t o ground.
I n o r d e r t o e s t i m a t e t h e v o l t a g e t h r e s h o l d above which
e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n could o c c u r , a number of t e s t s were
made a t v a r i o u a f r e q u e n c i e s ( 0 Ez t o 10 kEz) w i t h var-
i o u s t y p e s of e l e c t r o d e and v a r i o u s v a l u e s of e l e c -
t r o d e s e p a r a t i o n . It became e v i d e n t t h a t t h e breakdown

vc a) Camnn W e Voltage Vs b) Shaft to Ground Voltages V, c ) Shaft to Ground Voltages

A A without Groundinq Brush
80 2
[VJ LV

40 1

0 0

-4 0

-80
4
1Om@
* d b
'

Pig. 7 SHAFT VOLTAGES MEASURED ON A 906 KVA TURBOGENERAToR AT STANDSTILL

V, a) Ca" Mode Voltage Vs b) Shaft to Grout3 Voltages c) Shaft to Ground Voltages

without Grounding Bnish with Grounding Brush 0n.W

1/EE
60

40 ++_.. JE

45 e

E: Exciter End of Generator TE: Turbine hd of Generator

Fig. 8 SHAFT VOLTAGES MEASURED ON A 1200 WA TOBBOGENERATOR
414

- We can s a y w i t h some c e r t a i n t y t h a t s h a f t v o l t a g e s
below 20V cause no e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n
- With r i s i n g v o l t a g e , t h e e r o s i o n p r o b a b i l t y in-
c r e a s e s , and a l s o t h e e r o s i o n volume f o r individu-
a l flashovers
v - I n t h e e a r l y s t a g e s , e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n damage can be
d e t e c t e d only under t h e microscope. With the naked
eye, t h e accumulation of e r o s i o n c r a t e r s appears
o n l y a s a c l o u d i n e s s of t h e s u r f a c e
- The damage due t o e l e c t r o - e r o s i o n by s h a f t v o l t -
ages o c c u r s over a p e r i o d of time, b e i n g t h e sum

loot
of s u c c e s s i v e i n d i v i d u a l breakdowns.
h
%+
, I10-3mm31

jol

5- 5.0 8.6 106.7 38.8

10.0 9.3 140.0 72.0
20.0 16.0 226.0 323.1
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...
...
100 200 300

F i g . 11 CALCULATED VOLUME OF ELECTRO EROSION

AFTER 1000 TESTS

4 . MEASURES AGAINST TEE VARIOUS TYPES OF SHAFT VOLTAGE

P o s s i b l e countermeasures a r e o u t l i n e d i n Table 11. As

can be seen, t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r i n f l u e n c i n g t h e
source and t h e t r a n s m i s s i o n p a t h a r e l i m i t e d . C a r e f u l
d e s i g n can h e l p t o reduce t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s , b u t can-
n o t e l i m i n a t e them. T h e r e f o r e most of t h e countermea-
s u r e s a r e aimed more a t t h e p o i n t of appearance. With
t h e f i r s t two types of s h a f t v o l t a g e , h i g h c u r r e n t s ,
due t o s h o r t i n g of t h e i n d u c t i o n c i r c u i t , must be pre-
vented, i . e . the r e s i s t a n c e of t h e s e c i r c u i t s must be
of the o r d e r of a t l e a s t 30-50 Ohms. T h i s i s achieved
by using h i g h - r e s i s t a n c e i s o l a t i n g l a y e r s i n a l l po-
t e n t i a l c u r r e n t p a t h s . With the s h a f t v o l t a g e s due t o
e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge or t o the s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n sys-
tem, v o l t a g e s a c r o s s o i l f i l m s , s h a f t s e a l s , e t c . must
be prevented from exceeding 20V. T h i s i s t h e o n l y way
t o be c e r t a i n of p r e v e n t i n g the occurrence of e l e c t r o -
e r o s i o n . Thin i n s u l a t i n g l a y e r s do n o t o f f e r complete
p r o t e c t i o n , a s they a c t o n l y a s c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e d i -
v i d e r s . The e l e c t r o s t a t i c charge can be e f f e c t i v e l y
d r a i n e d o f f through a ground r e s i s t a n c e of l e s s than 1
kQ. With t h e s h a f t v o l t a g e s from s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n
systems, t h e most e f f e c t i v e measure i s t o r a i s e the
c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e s h a f t t o ground t o about 10pF. T h i s
reduces t h e c a p a c i t i v e v o l t a g e r a t i o (Fig. 3 ) , reduces
t h e frequency of the h i g h frequency v o l t a g e peaks, and
f o r higher frequencies a c t s p r a c t i c a l l y a s a short
circuit .
5 . PROTECTION OF TURBOSETS AGAINST SHAFT VOLTAGES

Because of t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s experienced w i t h grounding

/ - b r u s h e s on t h e t u r b i n e end of g e n e r a t o r s , and i n t h e
2 l i g h t of t h e s t u d i e s r e p o r t e d h e r e , a program of mea-
s u r e s a g a i n s t s h a f t v o l t a g e s i n l a r g e t u r b o s e t s having
s t a t i c e x c i t a t i o n i s now proposed, a s o u t l i n e d i n F i g .
50 100 1 2:
- The i n s u l a t i o n of t h e b e a r i n g a t t h e e x c i t e r end
must be r e t a i n e d , a s i t has proven t o be an e f f e c -
F i g . 10 PROBABILITY OF VOLTAGE BREAKDOWN
t i v e p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t c u r r e n t s from induced
I N VERY T H I N OIL FILMS s h a f t voltages.
 415

'rype of shaft voltage Possible measures at Possible measures at the Possible measures at the
the source transmission system point of appearance

Magnetic Asyrnnetries mevent large currents by

of asymnetries inserting insulating layers
Assembly: Avoid -
None in all possible short
eccentricity circuit loops of the
induced voltage
~ ~~

Axial Shaft Flux

I &magnetization of
magnetized parts
Insert thick layers of
material with low
permeability in all
possible flux wths
-
None

Electrostatic Charge None -

None
1 Ground the shaft with a
resistance of less than
IkR.

Static Excitation Keep the c m n mode

System voltage and the voltage
rises as m a l l as possible m e t r i c a l filters on
Keep the transformer to the Dc side of the
ground capacitances as rectifier are helpful.
small as possible.

TABLE I1 PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST DAMAGE CAUSED BY S W T VOLTAGES

Preventive Measures
1)Insulating layers in all possible induced
current circuits on exciter errd of generator

-
2)Grounding brush on turbine end of generator
is possible but not necessary
3)RC-Impedance (e.g.4709/1Op) between shaft
and ground on exciter end of generator
4)Synmetrical filters on E-side of rectifier
lltrbines Generator -Rectifier ~
5)Avoid any additional a d minimize transformer
to ground capacitances on AC-side of rectifier
6)Avoid unsynmetries in the excitation circuit
F i g . 12 NEW PREVENTIVE CONCEPT FOR GENERATORS
WITA STATIC EXCITATION 7)Demagnetize all magnetized parts

Shaft to Ground Voltages of a 1200 MVA Turbogenerator

Without Groundinq Brush With Grounding Brush on TE Only with RC-Impedance on EE

a) ,EE
/TE
0
I m Frequency
20 I
-20 ,TE
2m8
i-, -10
EE

F i g . 13
2oI
0
-10

-20

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT GROUNDING SYSneMS

i -2

-4
EE: Exciter End of Generator TE: Turbine End of Generator
.
L
,
TE
416
- If desired, the grounding brush a t the turbine end
can be retained, providing that i t functions prop-
erly.
- At the exciter end, a new, passive R C circuit is
connected through a grounding brush. The resis-
tance of 500 Ohm is high enough to limit currents
to some few, harmless mA, and low enough to pre-
vent the build-up of d.c. potential when either
there is no grounding brush at the turbine end or
the brush there i s not functioning properly. The
shunt capacity of 10 P is effective against all
shaft voltages from the static excitation system.
- In addition, RC filters can be added to the d.c.
side of the rectifier.
- Care should be taken to keep the capacitances of
the transformer to ground as low a s possible.
- Demagnetize all magnetized parts so as to avoid
homopolar shaft voltages due to magnetic flux.
These proposals have already been successfully tested
on two turbosets, one of 190 MVA and one of 1200MVA.
Test results are shown in Fig. 13, permitting compari-
son of the shaft voltages under the three conditions:
without grounding brushes (8.d). with a conventional,
newly cleaned grounding brush at the turbine end
(b.e), and without grounding brushes but with an R C
circuit on the exciter end (c,f). It can be seen, that
the new method of RC grounding at the exciter end not
only performs the same function a s the conventional
grounding system, but also has certain additional ad-
vantages:
- good access, even ir! nuclear power plants
- easy maintenance, long brush life
- elimination of the high frequency voltage peaks
- can be easily monitored
- can be operated either with or without a grounding
brush at the turbine end of the generator
- guarantees the proper function of ground fault
protection relays.
6. CONCLUSIONS
Shaft voltages due to static excitation systems have a
rectangular wave shape of three times the fundamental
frequency with high frequency voltage peaks superim-
posed. The source of these voltages are the common
mode voltage of the rectifier and the sharp voltage
steps during commutation.
A model for numerical simulation has been presented,
which allows investigation of the effects of possible
countereeasures. Simulations compared with field tests
show good agreement. The results prove that a conven-
tional grounding system on the turbine end of the gen-
erator (even when properly functioning) cannot elimi-
nate high frequency shaft voltage peaks. Due to the
great influence of the shaft to ground capacitance on
frequency and amplitude of the shaft voltage, an addi-
tional shaft to ground capacitance of 1 0 JIF is the
best way to reduce shaft voltages caused by static ex-
citation systems.
Laboratory tests show that shaft voltages above 20V
may cause electro-erosion in beariEgs and shaft seals.
With increasing amplitude, the volume of erosion in-
creases sharply.
To protect large turbogenerators with static excita-
tion systems against all types of shaft voltages,
countermeasures are proposed, mainly consisting of a
new type of passive RC-circuit connected through a
grounding brush on the exciter end of the generator.
These countermeasures have successfully been tested on
two turbosets. one of 190 MVA and one of 1200 MVA.
showing the following advantages:
All shaft potentials, even high frequency peaks, are
reduced to harmless values. The RC grounding circuit
on the exciter end offers good access (even in nuclear
power plants), low maintenance costs and long brush
life. It can be operated with or without a grounding
brush on the turbine end of the generator and can be
easily monitored.
REFERENCES
[11 S.P.Verma et al, Problems and Failures Caused by
Shaft Potentials.., Paper 11-10. CIGRE 1980.
121 O.Haus, Shaft Voltages and Bearing Currents..,
(German), ETZ Vol. 85, Feb. 1964.
131 R.Pohl, Shaft Currents and Voltages.., (German),
ETZ Vol. 50, March 1929.
[41 S.P.Verma. Shaft Potentials in Modern Tnrbbgene-
rators... IEE Conf.Pub1. 254, Sept. 1985.
[51 J.Sohre and P.Nippes, Electromagnetic Shaft
Currents and Demagnetization ..., Proc. of the 7th
Turbomachinery Symp.. Texas 1978.
[61 Z.Posede1 and H.Ziegler. Grounding System for
Shaft Voltages, German Patent Application
3511755, 1985.
[71 Panel Session on Shaft Currents and Grounding
Brush Applications, Joint Power Generation Conf.,
Portland, Oregon, 22. Oct. 1986.
-
Conrad Ammann was born in Switzerland on March 24th.
1959. He received his Dipl. Ing. degree in Electrical
Engineeriq from the Swiss Federal Institute of Tech-
nology in 1983. Since then he has been a staff member
of the Institute for Electrical Machines at the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
-Konrad
--- Reichert was born in Leutkirch, Germany, on De-
cember 14th, 1930. He received the Dip1.-Ing. and the
Dr. Ing. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany, in 1956
and 1962, respectively, and the venia legendi for
electrical machinery in 1969.
From 1956 to 1968 he worked a s a Research Fellow at
the University of Stuttgart in the areas of electro-
magnetic fields, eddy currents, electrialc machinery,
magnets , transformers, and electrical machinery with
supercooled normal metal or superconducting conduc-
tors. He was also a consultant to various electrical
industries. In 1968 he joined Brown Boveri and Compa-
ny, Limited, Baden. Switzerland, where he has worked
on electromagnetic fields and power system control,
operation and planning problems a s the head of the
scientific computer applications and power systems en-
gineering department.
Since 1980 he has been professor for electromagnetic
energy conversion at the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology and head of the Institute for Electrical
Hac b ine s.
Reinhard Joho was born in Olten. Switzerland on Janu-
ary 13th, 1950. Be received his Dipl. Ing. degree in
Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Insti-
tute of Technology in 1975. Be joined Brown Boveri,
Switzerland in 1975, where he has been working on de-
sign development in the field of large turbogenera-
tors.
Zlatimir Posedel was born in Split, Jugoslavia, on No-
vember 4, 1933. Be received his Dipl. Ing. degree in
Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb.
Jugoslavia, in 1958. From 1958 to 1963 he was with the
Electric Enterprises, Zagreb, and the University of
Zagreb. In 1963 he joined the Brown Boveri Company,
Baden, Switzerland, where he has worked on a variety
of development projects for electrical machinery.

Discussion
E. C. Whitney (Consulting Engineer, Large Rotating Apparatus, Pitts-
burgh, PA): Your paper is a definite contribution to the practical solution
of shaft voltages from static excitation systems, particularly on large steam
turbine generators with high response and high ceiling voltages. I am
pleased that you obtained the significant shaft voltage reduction from
the capacitive connection between exciter leads and ground as well as
the exciter end shaft.
With respect to your table on the top of page 2,I would suggest several
additions people forget can be causing problems. Under Source 11, axial
shaft magnetization, both ac and dc, can be caused by improper distribu-
tion of the leads. This results in net current around the shaft at the
connection end of a unit. This includes distribution of brushes around
the collector rings versus to the leads from the rings to the field winding.
With ac ampere turns around the shaft from stator connections,
homopolar type currents exist but at power frequency from axial ac shaft
magnetization. Under Magnetic Unsymmetries, windings sometimes used
with an odd number of slots per pole pair and a symmetrical rotor will
produce a double slot frequency shaft voltage.
Did you investigate the effect of negative sequence current with the
resultant double frequency currents superimposed on the normal dc field
currents? This should cause disruptions, both in the thyristor f i i control
and in pulsations of field winding average voltage versus the shaft.
Transmission line normal loads are balanced sufficientlyto limit negative
sequence currents to 3 to 5 percent of rated current. Large negative
sequence currents are usually present during faults.
Is there any chance that the addition of 10 microfarad capacitors on
each dc lead to the collectors will seriously affect the thyristor control
or hit a resonance and amplify some frequency? I assume these capacitors
slope the voltage wave fronts during commutation and thus affect the
regulation of the excitation control but not necessarily the generator
voltage control.
Most bearing oil films at full speed in steam turbine generators run
from 30 to 100 gm and as long as there is no metallic contamination
or minor wiping of the babbitt, the bearings can stand 40 or more volts.
Hence, your 20-Vlimit is generally safe for this class of machines. Many
other types of machines with thrust and sleeve bearings operate with much
smaller oil films and, from a practical standpoint, 2 V is all that can
be safely allowed. With antifriction bearings, 0.05 to 0.1 V is about the
maximum that should be considered practical without insulation.
With respect to shaft grounding brushes with high shaft surface speed,
ordinary brushes or bristle type have had poor records on wear and
voltage drop and contact reliability. Few people realize that a contact
brush 25 mm long in the sliding direction on a 430-mm shaft at 3000
rpm requires the current to build up and break through the steel shaft
surface at the equivalent of a little more than 2700 Hz. The inductance
of the current passing through the shaft skin greatly deters the current
build up and the current decrease at the trailing brush edge. If the brush
makes contact around the entire circumference then even a dc shaft
current can flow into the brush with only dc contact drop. Even on
collector rings this same condition exists and is increased by the ac voltage
drop in the ring as the dc current from the brushes alternates circumferen-
tially in the ring traveling to the take-off lead for the field winding.
As a result, especially for shaft grounding brushes with high speed
shafts, a brush from 0.5 to 1 mm wide axially and practically continuous
around the shaft should be developed. To provide capability for the brush
to follow shaft vibrations, the brushes should be spring mounted with
sufficient pressure to follow the vibration frequency. Curved bristles may
be the answer in this case or silver graphite lubricating material. With
such a narrow brush the heat generated by the friction can be dissipated
axially along the shaft without causing thermal shaft bending.
The shaft must not be solidly grounded in more than one place to avoid
high current flow from other sources (often more than 2000 A in large
machines). Hence, any other ground must have a suitable impedance such
that the IX drop in the impedance does not allow current to flow through
the bearing or shaft seal oil films and clearances. The impedance must
also be large enough to avoid currents that can magnetize the shaft or
turbine blades or damage the grounding contacts (brushes, etc.) or force
current through other parts of the total shaft assembly.
Manuscript received July 2, 1987.
J. S. Sohre (Turbomachinery Consultant, Ware, MA): I find this paper
very interesting and timely but, being a mechanical engineer, I am not
qualified to comment on the main context of this paper. However, I have
417
been deeply involved with electromagnetic-induced shaft currents-mostly
on nonelectrical machinery-since 1970. About 80 percent of the machines
involved are steam turbines, gas turbines, compressors, and gears. These
machines are mainly used in oil production and refining, and in the
chemical and petrochemical industries. Some other applications concern
motor-driven equipment and generating units, up to the largest sizes.
Others involve grounding of propeller-shafts of large ships.
As the paper repeatedly states, conventional shaft brushes (carbon,
graphite, metal-impregnated, copper-braids, etc) are not reliable and they
present problems with accessibility, wear indication, wear rate, ease and
safety of replacement, high surface-velocity, oil, chemically aggressive
environments, high or low temperatures, safety in explosive atmospheres,
and so on. The basic problem is that solid brushes simply do not function,
i.e., transmit electricity between shaft and ground or, if they function
at all, there is an unacceptably high voltage-drop across the shaft brush
and the contact surface.
Characteristically, this behavior is erratic. A solid brush may function
one minute and the next it is completely dead. It may work again if tapped
or removed and cleaned, then it is dead again after a couple hours of
operation. Much of this has to do with the extremely thin film which
forms on the shaft surface, see the references at the end of this discussion.
Our work involves much troubleshooting. When we found it impossible
to get these very destructiveand extremely costly problems under control,
we had to design a type of shaft brush which will perform reliably under
all the adverse conditions mentioned above. At this time, we have supplied
over 400brushes, approximately 80 percent for export. A relatively large
number of these brushes are operating in electric generating plants in
India. Service in process-plants is far more severe than in power plants,
mainly because of the enormous cost of an unscheduled plant shutdown,
which can easily reach several million dollars. The operating conditions
are much more severe too, because of the high temperatures, explosive
atmospheres, and extreme space limitations, etc. Many of the brushes
we have supplied operate in turbine-driven compressors at shaft surface
velocities of 500 ft/s (- 150m/s) on shafts having a temperature of about
600" F (at the high pressure end of the turbine), sometimes with steam
blowing against the brush. Nevertheless, once the proper brush design
and material have been selected, operation is fully reliable. and brush
wear rates are one year or better, unless the shaft currents are far in excess
of the brush design.
These are the extreme examples. Under more favorable conditions
results are better. Many gf the plants are now scheduled for continuous
runs of five years and more, and while the brushes are serviceable without
interruption of operation, many of them last through 3- to 5-year runs.
Our patented brush utilizes metal bristles (a silver-gold.combination).
The brush assembly is rather sophisticated, because all the requirements
which have been mentioned above must be ammmodated. For generating
units, simpler arrangements could be used. In fact, the brushes used in
high-speed compressor units are only of limited suitability in large
generating units, because of their relatively small size.
In my opinion, the main problems encountered with all brushes-
ours included-is that the brush application and installation is not
properly engineered for the individual application. The following areas
present the most frequent problems.
Brush type: a solid brush simply will not work, even at low surface
velocities (see above).
Type of problem: if self-induced electromagnetic currents are the
problem, the machine (rotor, stator, piping, foundation, etc.) must
be demagnetized to get the currents down to a point where brushes
can neutralize the currents generated by the remaining residual
magnetic fields. It is a popular misconception that one can simply
put a brush on the shaft at any location and all will be fine. Usually
the brush selected is a carbon-brush. It is necessary to define the
purpose of the brush:
1 ) Allow current measurement, so that current cannot build up
to self-excitation levels. In my opinion this is by far the most
important purpose of a shaft brush.
2) To ground reasonable levels of currents from residual
magnetism after the machine has been demagnetized.
The brush must be designed to conduct the r e m h i n g currents to
ground with a very low contact resistance. It should be possible to keep
the shaft voltage vs. ground to less than 1 V peak-to-peak. This also re-
quires a low inductive resistance of the ground wiring arrangement.
Several brushes may be required, at carefully selected locations. In other
words, a brush must be matched to the equipment and to the current
to be expected.
In this paper, as in most others, I noted that much emphasis is placed
on shaft voltage. In my opinion, the actual voltage as measured without
418
a brush in operation is not of great significance, because it depends almost
entirely on the internal resistance of the machine. For example, one can
often observe a machine running with, say, 180 V peak-to-peak spikes
on the shaft. After an hour the voltage is zero. Next morning it is up
to, say, 150 V-and so on (see Ref. [l]). The reason for this is that a
seal, for example, may be touching, then the sparking increases the
clearance and the voltage increases again until another point starts
discharging. This way, the damage can progress through the machine
and the voltage measured at each step will be different. Also, if the spark-
ing occurs across the turbine thrust bearing (or any bearing or seal), a
change of load or speed will affect the oil f h thickness and temperature,
and thereby the oil film resistance and finally the measured shaft voltage.
Similar effects can result from weather conditions, for example, where
muggy weather or cold oil causes an increase of water in the oil. These
are just a few examples. In other words, the machine decides the shaft
voltage for us, and the measurement obtained tells us very little, except
if it is very high we can expect spark damage. However, the extent of
the spark damage is not a function of the voltage, but of the current.
For this reason, it is far more important to measure the currents which
the shaft can pass to the stator. This must be done very carefully, using
an oscilloscopeto measure the peak-to-peak voltage across a 1 4 , nonin-
ductive resistor. This will tell us how much the machine is generating
from day to day, and if this current begins to build up we need to worry
about self-excitation and possibly very severe damage. Knowing the cur-
rent build-up vs. time, we can schedule a shutdown for demagnetiza-
tion before self-excitation and “meltdown” (i.e.. saturated self-excitation)
of the unit occurs. The above represents strictly practical considerations.
For research we will have to use an entirely different approach. Never-
theless, I cannot see where a voltage measurement anywhere on a
generating unit is valid if there are thousands of potential contact points
along the shaft of the turbine, and often there is a gear-driven oil pump,
governor, or boiler feedwater pump at the shaft end.
The same reasoning applies, at least in part, to the location of a shaft
brush. Naturally one would like to put the brushes where they are most
effective from the electrical point of view. But since we do not have con-
trol or even knowledge of the day-to-day pattern of internal contact-
resistance, how do we know where the best electrical location is? It may
then be better to place the brushes at the strategically best location-for
example, to protect the most critical component in the train, i.e., where
the cost of a failure would be the highest. This could be a gear in the
middle of the train, which could cause plant outages of weeks or months,
or the thrust bearing of the turbine, or couplings, or some of the main
bearings.
References
[l] J. S . Sohre, “Are Magnetic Currents Destroying Your Machinery?,”
Hydrocarbon Processing, April 1979, pp. 207-212.
[2] J. S . Sohre and P. I. Nippes, “Electromagnetic Shaft Currents and
Demagnetization on Rotors of Turbines and Compressors,” presented
December 1978 at the 7th Turbomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas.
[3] ElectromagneticShaft Current Control. Original (unedited) version
of Panel Discussion, presented December 1981 at the 10th Tur-
bomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M University, College Station,
TX.
[4] Shaft Currents and Grounding Brush Applications in Rotating
Machinery. Panel Discussion, presented October 1986, Joint Power
Conference, Portland, Oregon.
[5] Sohre Turbomachinery: Catalogue of Shaft-Riding Brushes for Tur-
bomachinery. 4th printing, 10/86.
t Copies of the above papers are available from J. S . Sohre, One
Lakeview Circle, Ware, MA 01082, USA, at nominal cost.
Manuscript received August 4, 1987.
Paul I. Nippes (Nippes Professional Associates, Inc., Holmdel, NJ): The
authors are to be complimented for this most useful contribution in the
modeling and analysis of the circuit shaft voltages and bearing current
problems in generators with static excitation. Their diagrams showing
other known sources of shaft voltages are a useful expression that there
are other sources for shaft voltages and currents as well. I fmd particularly
interesting Fig. 9 which shows electro erosion as a function of energy.
Photographs in our fies of current damage to approximately 50 different
installations may now be correlated as to crater size and energy levels.
The electrical model diagrams of Figs. 3 and 4 are very interesting and
should be useful in analyzing ideal situations. I feel that significant altering
of the circuit will occur if momentary or regular contact occurs, such
as having a shaft-to-bearing or seal contact develop. Would the authors
please comment on validity of the circuits and the anticipated perfor-
mance of their recommended solution under these circumstances?
While we have analyzed damage to bearings and seals stemming from
all types of voltage sources, the most illusive ones arise from residual
magnetic sources. Voltage and current measurements using a storage
oscilloscope and reliable monitoring brushes on the shaft are excellent
indicators of the source types due to electrical or magnetic causes in a
motor, generator, or exciter. They often may be used to isolate electro-
static (steam) from residual magnetic sources. The latter are most difficult
to evaluate on the operating unit.
Shaft voltage and current measurements do not necessarily indicate
that current damage is occurring to bearings, seals, gears, etc. In fact,
we find that the inception of damage often coincides with a circumstance
such as dirty oil, rubs, vibration, thrusting, momentary grounding of
the shaft, etc. This is consistent with the author’s statement that “the
resistance of the oil film is largely determined by contamination.” We
find that the character, rather than the magnitude of the measured shaft
voltage is the most indicative of damage to bearings. This is because the
voltage level may be depressed due to current discharge through the bear-
ing while its trace takes on a saw-tooth form, either regular or irregular.
In response to the urgent needs of the turbomachinery users, we have
taken the practical approach of inspecting bearings, making magnetic
surveys, and performing in-the-field demagnetization as required. To do
this, we utilize the AUTO DEGAUSS Model C-240-40-1 which we
developed and which performs automatic down cycling for removal of
residual magnetism. Once the unit is fully demagnetized, we recommend
installation of bristle type brushes for monitoring remaining residual
magnetism activity and in diverting low level currents of the electrostatic
and excitation types away from the bearings, gears, etc. This has proved
to be very successful for turbomachinery in the ranges of up to 50,000
kW and 11,OOO rpm. Development is about complete in providing a system
for demagnetizing large utility type turbines and generators utilizing the
AUTO DEGAUSS C-240-40-1 as the controller for power derived from
a 2400- or 4160-V bus.
Manuscript received August 7, 1987.
S. P. Verma (University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sask., Canada):
The authors are to be congratulated for the paper dealing with a timely
topic of great interest. The reported investigations and results provide
further understanding of the phenomenon of shaft potentials due to static
excitation.
The paper discusses the measures to minimize the damage with and
without grounding brushes at the turbine-end of the generator. The
important contribution of the paper is the equivalent circuit model for
the numerical calculations. The paper also provides guidelines regarding
the breakdown strength of the oil-films.
Whereas all the measures suggested by the authors may be impossible
to achieve (e.g., avoid all magnetic asymmetries), it is possible to incor-
porate the grounding scheme at the exciter-end of generator at the design
stage. In existing units where a grounding scheme is provided at the
turbine-end of generator, inserting an impedance in the grounding path
complicates the problem according to our experience. Further, providing
an additional grounding brush at the exciter-end can only be justified
if the gains are substantial.
In spite of the fact that there are some areas of concern, I welcome
the added information and results.
Manuscript received September 21, 1987.
C. Am”,
K. Reichert, R. Joho, and Z.Posedel: The authors sincerely
appreciate the valuable comments and questions by Messrs. P. I. Nippes,
J. S . Sohre, S . P. Verma, and E. C. Whitney. The contributions indicate
the wide and sometimes intricate area of shaft voltage problems. The
problems and questions raised reflect, as usual, mainly the specific
interests of the discussers. Therefore, we would like to emphasize that
our main aim was centered around the shaft voltage problem generated
by static excitation systems. The authors are aware that, especially in
high-speed machinery, other sources of shaft voltages may be dominant.
Reply to the contribution of Mi. E. C. Whitney: It is true that there
are a large number of additional sources for axial shaft magnetization

and magnetic dissymmetries; further information may be found in [I].
As Mr. Whitney describes, large negative sequence currents are usually
present only during faults. In this paper the effects of fault conditions
on shaft voltages are not investigated since shaft voltages which occur
during normal operation are the most important ones to be prevented.
We do not suggest to add large capacitors to the dc leads, this would
indeed affect the thyristor control. Additional capacitors in the range
of 10 pF should only be added between shaft and ground, where they
have proven to be very effective to minimize especially high frequency
spikes of the shaft voltage. At the dc leads it is possible to add series
filters of approximately 2 pF/1 n between each lead and ground. We
appreciate that Mr. Whitney considers our 20-V limit to be safe for the
operation of large turbosets with insulated bearings. The authors agree
with Mr. Whitney that the current transport through grounding brushes
is a complicated problem, especially for the applications mentioned.
If the shaft is grounded in more than one location it is indeed very
important to limit low-frequency currents due to induced shaft voltages;
the RC-circuit between shaft and ground on the exciter end of the
generator, e.g., limits such currents to a few, harmless milliamperes. The
trend is to select grounding locations with small shaft diameter, to apply
monitoring systems and to choose ground systems which are not sensitive
to high brush resistances.
Reply to the contribution of Mr. J. S.Sohre: It is not possible to discuss
Mr. Sohre’s comments in detail. In Tables I and I1 we have classified
the different types of shaft voltages and the possible countermeasures:
grounding brushes are no remedy against induced (due to magnetic
dissymmetries or axial shaft flux) shaft voltages. Other countermeasures,
such as insulating layers, demagnetization,etc., must be applied to prevent
large currents. Shaft-to-ground voltages (due to electrostatic charge or
static excitation system) can be considerably reduced by suitable grounding
brushes. We have limited experience with the grounding brushes men-
tioned by Mr. Sohre and have some doubts on their reliability; our past
experience with bristle type brushes has been as bad as with ordinary
carbon brushes. The authors do not follow Mr. Sohre’s comments on
419
shaft voltage measurements. It is true that the shaft may be accidentally
grounded by seals, etc., but nevertheless, the erratic 180 V he measured
will surely cause damage if no countermeasuresare taken; therefore, shaft
voltage measurements are valuable. The proper location of a grounding
brush is a difficult issue. For low frequency shaft voltage sources, the
grounding brush may be located anywhere along the shaft. Other deter-
mining factors for the right location are maintenance and reliability.
Reply to the contribution of Mr. P. I . Nippes: The authors are glad to
hear that the results of the paper seem to be useful. Only recently, addi-
tional results to the problem of electro erosion and voltage limits for
the different types of bearings have been published in [2]. We would
like to add that our computer model allows grounding of the shaft at
any location by introducing an appropriate grounding resistance. It should
be also emphasized, however, that the above-mentioned model was
developed to study the effects of shaft-to-ground voltages and not for
investigating shaft voltages arising from residual magnetic sources.
Reply to the contribution of Prof. S.P. Verma: We would like to repeat
that so far our system has been applied without difficulties to three
existing large turbine generator sets of different designs. The operating
experiences gained are very satisfactory and for all three units the shaft
voltages are permanently reduced much below dangerous levels. AU quan-
tities are permanently monitored by a new device developed especially
for this purpose.
References
[I] S . P. Verma et al., “Problems and Failures caused by Shaft Poten-
.
tials . .,” Paper 11-10, CIGRE 1980.
[2] R. Kreutzer et al., “Gefugeumwandlung in Lagern durch Stromuber-
tragung,” Der Maschinenschaden 60 (1987) Heft 3.
Manuscript received September 21, 1987.