INDIAN INSTITUTION OF PLANT ENGINEERS

NATIONAL SEMINAR ON

APPROACHES TOWARDS
ZERO BREAKDOWN MAINTENANCE

SURENDRA KUMAR
MANAGER, MAINTENANCE & SERVICES,
CFFP, BHEL, HARIDWAR
UTTARANCHAL
 THE PROBLEM

MASS BLOWING OF THYRISTER FUSES

IN THE ESR CYCLOCONVERTERS
No Help available from any unit of BHEL,
All tries to seek help from outside agencies failed,
OEM refused to take up the problem,
Plant shut down and abandoned for more than two years.

PLANT HANDED OVER TO MAINTENANCE AND

SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN AUGUST 1997
 INTRODUCTION TO ESR

ELECTRO SLAG REMELTING

* Steel Refining Process for Improving the Properties of Steel

Through Specialized Resistance-welding Like Process.
* Must Use Alternating Current for Better Quality Of Output
Material.
*
Uses 2Nos. 20kA Cycloconverters as primary Power Source at 3Hz.
*
The whole equipment was imported as a Second Hand Equipment
and installd in the year 1994-95
*
Due to Various reasons, including vintage design, these ESR cyclo-
converters are Very prone to fuse failure.
*
The process demands for an uninterrupted power throughout the
 INTERMEDIATE SOLUTIONS

First try was given to limit the current using a High Gain
Comparator

Iact +
Negative Reference
Ilimit To Regulator
-

This only led to a large hunting in the output/load current

 CATEGORIZING THE PROBLEM
Phase of ESR Nature of Fuse Failure Remarks
Operation
1. Switching ON of Seldom but most damaging. Both +ve and -ve
Main Breaker sides affected
2. Slag Melting with Most Frequent with a large Most unstable
Arcing no. of Fuses involved cyclo operation
involved
3. Slag Melting Stray but spanning both Observed only in
without Arcing cyclos. Comparatively Combined
lesser no. of fuses affected operation
4. ESR in AC Mode Common with a High no. of One or Both
fuses affected Cyclos affected
5. Changeover of Frequent with a moderate Phenomenon
Electrode no. of Fuses involved same as that at 2
above
6. Reducing the Very rare. Could be
Power attributed to
resons for events
at 4 above
7. Switching OFF of No fuse Failure observed Completely safe
Main Breaker
 ANALYZING THE PROBLEM

PHASES - 2 & 5

PROBLEM
Blowing of fuses during Arcing for Slag Melting and during Electrode
Change Over

PROBABLE REASON
Unprotected Sharp & Sudden Overshoot of Current Through Load

ROOT CAUSE : AS CONCLUDED THROUGH TESTS

Failure of Pulse Blocking (Over Current Protection) Circuit Due to
Clipping of Current Feedback Waveform.
ANALYZING THE PROBLEM IN PHASES-2 & 5

ACTUAL CURRENT AND SHUNT TRANSDUCER OUTPUT WAVEFORMS AT

VARYING FIRING ANGLES FOR A DEFINITE AMOUNT OF CURRENT FLOW

Actual Current Shunt Transducer Output

 SOLVING THE PROBLEM IN PHASES-2 & 5

ACTUAL CURRENT AND SHUNT TRANSDUCER OUTPUT WAVEFORMS AT

VARYING FIRING ANGLES FOR A DEFINITE AMOUNT OF CURRENT FLOW

CORRECTION INCORPORATED

The Existing Shunt Transducers have been reconfigured to give

reduced Voltage Output at the same input signal. This helps the
extreme peaks get detected properly and thus Pulse Blocking is
now more effective, protecting thyristers and fuses
SOLUTION OF PROBLEM IN PHASES-2 & 5
INPUT & CORRESPONDING OUTPUT OF SHUNT TRANSDUCER AFTER
RECONFIGURATION

INPUT OUTPUT
 BENEFITS ACHIEVED

ACTUAL CURRENT AND SHUNT TRANSDUCER OUTPUT WAVEFORMS AT

After allFIRING
VARYING the corrections
ANGLES FORincorporated,
A DEFINITEthe plant was
AMOUNT handed over
OF CURRENT FLOW
for production in January, 2000.

There is practically no fuse failure during the particular two

phases of operation after the indicated correction has been
incorporated. Similarly, solution to problems in other phases
have been engineered and implemented. The average rate of fuse
failure has reduced from nearly 20-30 per hour to less than 2 per
hour. Also, now a full length heat cycle can be performed.
 PRESENT STATUS

ACTUAL CURRENT AND SHUNT TRANSDUCER OUTPUT WAVEFORMS AT

Fuses are
VARYING still blowing,
FIRING though
ANGLES FOR very fewAMOUNT
A DEFINITE incidences
OF are there but
CURRENT FLOW
sometimes when there is mass failure of fuses, this leads to
failure of the Heat.

To Zero Out the breakdowns. This warrants for installation of a

new Cycloconverter.

Any help in this regard will be most welcome.

 IIPE

THANK YOU
Surendra Kumar
CFFP

BHEL, RANIPUR, HARIDWAR