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Email address:
kongts@kepco.co.kr (Tae-Sik Kong), hdkim@kepco.co.kr (Hee-Dong Kim), parkts@kepco.co.kr (Tae-Sung Park),
k2yeol@kepco.co.kr (Kyeong-Yeol Kim), hoyolkim@kepco.co.kr (Ho-Yol Kim)
Abstract: Forced outage of generators due to stator winding insulation failure can result in significant financial loss because
of the high cost repair and loss of production. In recent years, the demand for insulation diagnosis is increasing to prevent
unexpected failures, as the capacity of generators has increased. Insulation diagnosis is composed of the insulation resistance
measurement, polarization index measurement, dissipation factor (DF) tip-up test, AC current increasing ratio measurement,
and the partial discharge (PD) measurement. In this paper, the results of the PD measurement and PD pulse pattern analysis
performed on a healthy generator and two generators that experienced dielectric breakdown failure during operation is
presented.
Keywords: Generator, Stator Winding, Insulation Failure, PD Pattern, AC Current, Dissipation Factor
In the PD measurement, the maximum value of the results show that the level of PD increased significantly after
multiple discharge pulses generated in the insulation system the failure and that there was also a change in the discharge
is measured. The largest discharge pulse is assumed to occur pattern. Before the failure, the size and number of the
at the largest defect point, and the PD measurement is used to negative discharge pulses, which appeared when the test
measure the level of PD activity in the largest defect in the voltage is positive, were similar to those of the positive
insulation system. In the measurement, the voltage was 15 discharge pulses, which appeared when the test voltage is
kV (phase voltage), and the results are shown in Table 2. The negative. However, negative pulses were larger than the
20 Tae-Sik Kong, et al.: Analysis of Partial Discharge Patterns for Generator Stator Windings
This is a case where a ground fault occurred on the stator Insulation diagnosis tests were performed on the remaining
winding of an air cooled gas turbine generator manufactured stator windings except for those that experienced dielectric
with the global vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) method. breakdown. The PD measurement was carried out at rated
The global VPI type generator was manufactured with the phase voltage, and the measured PD magnitude and phase
side ripple spring, which holds the stator winding in position pattern is shown in Figure 7. The results show that the PD
inside the slot, removed. The stator winding was inserted into value was relatively high (38,000 pC), and the PD pattern
the slot and immersed in resin without the ripple spring to showed that the positive discharge pulses, which occurred at
reduce the size of the core of the generator for saving a test voltage phase angle of 225 , were produced more than
manufacturing time and cost. This method is widely used in negative discharge pulses, which occurred at 45 , forming a
the generator industry, to keep the power density high in the slot discharge pattern [8, 9]. Most PDs are considered to
globally competitive market. occur at a gap between the stator winding and the slot, and it
However, when the generator is started and stopped, the was also confirmed that the surface of the stator winding
winding insulation is subject to thermal expansion and drawn from the slot was also significantly worn, as shown in
contraction because of Joule heating, and the resin that holds Figure 6.
the stator winding in its position within the slots is separated.
This creates a gap between the winding and the slot, and the 3.3. Internal Discharge Pattern of Ground-Wall Insulation
stator winding starts to vibrate at 120 Hz because of the
electromagnetic force of the rotor, further reducing the Figure 8 shows the PD measurements on a 22 kV steam
thickness of the insulation. This increases the length subject turbine generator, which has been operating for
to vibration, accelerating the wear process and eventually approximately 20 years. According to the test results, the
causing dielectric breakdown. In Figure 6, it can be observed location of the main discharge is considered to be in the void
how the semiconducting layer is almost eliminated because inside the ground-wall insulation because the positive and
of the slot vibration-induced wear on the surface of the stator negative PDs occur almost similarly. This is because the
winding. The semi-conductive layer is used to reduce the voids within the ground-wall insulation were not completely
partial discharge between the stator winding and the slot [12]. removed during the vacuum pressure impregnation process
of the winding manufacturing or because voids were created
inside the ground-wall insulation as a result of thermal
deterioration. This discharge pattern due to the internal voids
of the insulation material occurs during normal deterioration
and is a frequent form of partial discharge pattern.
References
[1] Hee-Dong Kim, "Analysis of Insulation Aging Mechanism in
Generator Stator Windings", Journal of the KIEEME, Vol. 15,
No2, pp. 119-126, 2002.
[2] R. Morin, R. Bartnikas and P. Menard, A Three-Phase Multi-
Stress Accelerated Electrical Aging Test Facility for Stator
Bars, IEEE Trans. on Electrical Conversion, Vol. 15, No. 2,
pp. 149 ~ 156, 2000.
[3] H. Zhu, C. Morton and S. Cherukupalli, "Quality Evaluation
of Stator Coils and Bars under Thermal Cycling Stress",
Conference Record of the 2006 IEEE International
Symposium on Electrical Insulation, pp. 384387, 2006.
[4] H. G. Sedding, R. Schwabe, D. Levin, J. Stein and B. K. Gupta,
"The Role AC & DC Hipot Testing in Stator Winding Ageing",
IEEE Electrical Insulation and Electrical Manufacturing &
Figure 10. Gap discharge location.
Coil Winding Conference, pp. 455457, 2003.
22 Tae-Sik Kong, et al.: Analysis of Partial Discharge Patterns for Generator Stator Windings
[5] Recommended Practice for Insulation Testing of Large AC [9] Y. Ikeda and H. Fukagawa, "A Method for Diagnosing the
Rotating Machinery with High direct Voltage", New York : Insulation Deterioration in Mica-Resin Insulated Stator
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE+ Std. Windings of Generator", Yokosuka Research Laboratory Rep.
95-1977, pp. 13, 1977. No. W88046, 1988
[6] IEEE Standard "IEEE Guide for Insulation Maintenance of [10] IEEE Standard "Trial-Use Guide to the Measurement of
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[7] Hee-Dong Kim, Tae-Sik Kong, Young-Ho Ju, Byong-Han [11] H. Yoshida and U. Umemoto, "Insulation Diagnosis for
Kim "Analysis of Insulation Quality in Large Generator Stator Rotating Machine Insulation", IEEE Trans. on Electric
Windings", Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Insulation, Vol. EI-21, No. 6, pp. 1021-1025, 1986
Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 384-390, 2011.
[12] J.H. Dymond, N. Stranges, K. Younsi and J. E. Hayward,
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Generator Diagnostics", IEEE Trans. on Dielectrics and Tracking", IEEE Trans. on Industry Applications, Vol. 38, No.
Electrical Insulation, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 297319, 2005. 2, pp. 577-583, 2002.
Kyeong-Yeol Kim
Author Profile He received his B.S. degree in Electrical
Tae-Sik Kong Engineering from Chonbuk National University,
He received his B.S. degree in Electrical Jeonju, Korea in 1994 and M.S. degree in
Engineering from Chungbuk National Electrical Engineering from Chonbuk National
University, Cheongju, Korea in 1997 and M.S. University, Jeonju, Korea in 1996. Since 1997,
degree in Electrical Engineering from he has been working for the Korea Electric
Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea Power Corporation (KEPCO). He is currently a senior researcher
in 2004. Since 1997, he has been working for with KEPCO Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea. His research
the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). He is currently a interest is failure analysis of electrical machines in power plant.
senior researcher with KEPCO Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea. Ho-Yol Kim
His research interest is diagnostic test for rotating machine and He received M.S degrees in Information
transformer Engineering from Inha University, Incheon,
Hee-Dong Kim Korea, in 1990. Since 1995, after starting his
He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees work in Korea Electric Power Corporation
in Electrical Engineering from Hongik (KEPCO) in 1977, he has been working
University, Seoul, Korea, in 1985, 1987, and primarily on power plant control as a specialist
1998, respectively. Since 1990, he has been and researcher in KEPCO head quarter and research institute
with Korea Electric Power Corporation respectively. His major interests are research on control system
(KEPCO) Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea, tuning and partial discharge in electrical devices as well. Currently,
where he is currently a principal researcher. He was a visiting he is the Director of Technology Support Centre in KEPCO
researcher with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Kyushu Research Institute where the researchers work in 4 teams.
Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan. His research interests
include aging mechanisms, diagnostic tests, partial discharge
testing, and life assessment for rotating machines, and cable
insulation systems.
Tae-Sung Park
He received his B.S. degree in Chemistery from
Gongju National University, Gongju , Korea in
2002. Since 1990, he has been working for the
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). He
is currently a senior researcher with KEPCO
Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea. His research
interest is diagnostic test for rotating machines.