LEAP - Life Expectancy Analysis Program

For Electrical Rotating Machines

Marcio Gennari
ABB Brazil
Automation Products
Machines Service Osasco

LEAP - Introduction
ABB India (excellence center in insulation studies) with over 40 years of experience in
the field services and Manufacturing of Electrical Rotating Machines, have developed
several innovative and patented tests and technologies for assessing the current
physical condition of the machine.
LEAP is a special bouquet of electrical tests that is able to identify failure
mechanisms in stator insulation system of Motors and Generators (AC / DC) therefore
achieving the Maximum Operational Reliability.

LEAP is not just a package of inspections; it is a systematic approach to

managing machine maintenance.
Finger Print from stator insulation system:
- Contamination / charge storage
- Coils / wedges loose in slots
- Voids within main insulation
- Partial Discharges
- Aging / insulation material degradation
- Calculate the remaining life of the insulation system
- Planning the maintenance actions (short / long term)

LEAP Machine Life Curve

Thermal, Electrical, Ambient and Mechanical stresses act on

materials and components of an electric machine, leading to a
process of degradation - represented by the blue curve as a
reduction of strength with time. When operating stresses both
transient and steady state - in the red curve, exceeds the
strength, failure is imminent.
LEAP is all about drawing the red and blue curves.

What makes LEAP special, is its ability to relate the development of defects to the
dimension of time with a life expectancy analysis, that enables its direct
integration into a maintenance plan.

LEAP Machines tested

August 2002 - August 2006
358 Electrical Rotating Machines only in Brazil !!!
Turbine Generator Synchronous Generators/ Motors Induction Motors
Slip Ring Motors Hydro Generators

DC Machines

OUTPUT RATE 300 kW to 250 MW

LEAP Tests General Information

Can be applied in Machines from any Manufacturer (due large ABB India Database)
Time for data collection approximately 10 hours with the equipment stopped (off line tests)
Not necessary open covers / machine for data collection
Only access to the terminal box (disconnect exit cables / power cables)
Non destructive tests, due Maximum Voltage Test = Phase to Ground Voltage)

THE IEEE AND EPRI SURVEY

FINDINGS
ON MOTORS AND
GENERATORS FAILURES

Failure Estatistics IEEE and EPRI Survey

70%

61%

60%
50%
40%

37%

33%

30%
20%
8%

10%

6%

8%

5%

2%

5% 4%

3%

7%

11%10%

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Failure during operation

Failure initiators identified during inspection / traditional tests

Failure Estatistics Insurance Company

Bearing / Shaft / Coupling

Rotor winding
Stator core (sheet plates)

Stator winding
Others (diodes, excitation system etc)

Source: Allianz Insurance, Germany (1996(1996-1999), VDE Colloquium, June 28, 2001

Survey Conclusions

Bearings fail frequently

Windings also share a significant failure rate
Very few winding failures are detected in maintenance (8.3%) as
against the total failure of 33% in normal operation

This indicates deficiency in traditional tests to detect stator

winding problems and achieve Operational Liability in Machine

Insulation system: A complex structure

MICA: material used to retard the failure
Various process applied during coil manufacturing:
Resin (pre-impregnated tapes)

VPI, global VPI (vacuum pressure impregnation)

Old Machines: mica splittings, asphalt shellac

All materials and structure are subjected to stresses and aging !!

One More reason to explain the

needs for accurate Diagnostic
techniques !!!

BEFORE GOING FOR THE

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
LETS HAVE A LOOK AT THE
FAILURES

Failures manifestation

Delamination / deterioration of insulation

Failures manifestation

Partial Discharges in slot

regions / stress grading system

Damage due to excessive looseness and

rubbing of coil with core (loose wedges)

Failures manifestation

Contamination

Arrhenius curve

Failures manifestation

Coils / wedges loose in slots

Where the problem is located ?

LEAP indicates which machine component needs maintenance activities

Cleaning the endwindings regions or slot
ReRe-wedging stator (customer can plan for acquire wedges)
ReRe-taping tasks in slot exits / Repair stress grading system
Indicate when insulation reached critical levels (and then a rewinding
rewinding or acquisition of a spare coils is needed)
LEAP also is indicated for new machines (to detect possible problems in manufaturing tasks)
tasks)

LEAP Package of tests

LEAP Level II
1) DC Absorption Test
2) Tan Delta and Capacitance analysis
3) Partial Discharges analysis
4) Non Linear Behavior analysis

LEAP Level I
- Operational Hours.
- Number of stops / starts
- Stator winding temperatures (Arrhenius Curve)

- Contamination / charge storage

- Coils / wedges loose in slots
- Voids within main insulation
- Partial Discharges
- Aging / insulation degradation
- Remaining life of the insulation
- Planning the maintenance actions

LEAP Level III and IV

- Stress analysis with FEA (Finite Element Analysis)

Case studie - 1
August 2004 Customer Power Plant
Turbine Generator HITACHI 75 MW
ABB in April 2003 performed the Analysis, and the report
presented some risks in the machine due high contamination
in endwindings and slot section, because the contaminants
were blocking the ventilation ducts and also the type of
contaminants were conductive. We also identify
contamination in slot portions, so was necessary remove the
rotor from stator. The wedges system was ok, so were not
necessary to acquire spare wedges.

Even with the condition of the Generator, Report said

that the machine could still operate for more one year,
but to get more Operational Liability in the machine, after
one year a MAJOR INSPECTION should be planned.

I will present a short video (2 minutes)

Case studie - 2
June 2005 LEAP On Board Oil Rig Platform
03 BBC Synchronous Generators 12.5 MVA 13.8 kV

LEAP Report:
Report: High amount of contamination in windings (also spread in slot
sections), oil contaminants ingress in insulation system, overhauling
overhauling within 1
year (cyclic cleaning in workshop), insulation not aged, wedges / coils tight in
slots, high surface PD due carbonized oil.
Customer
Customers action:
action: Decided to send the 03 machines to ABB Workshop
Osasco (1 machine each 4 months) to perform Major overhauling, including
including
rotor inspections, rewinding rotor poles, replacing rotor coil supports
supports and
implementations of new labyrinth seals system (to avoid further ingress of
oil in endwindings).

Case studie - 2
April 2006 - ABB Field Team removing 01 Machine and ship to ABB Osasco Workshop

Case studie - 2
April 2006 Machine in ABB Osasco Workshop

Case studie - 3
March 2006 Oil Refinery Customer - BBC Generator 12.5 MVA
March 10, 2006 - Flash over in V / W phase terminal, customer called ABB to
evaluate insulation stator condition (after stresses) and check if machine
could be put in operation.

March 12, 2006 LEAP Data Collection (Report sent in March 15,2006)
V phase shows inherent weakness and it is likely stressed. Either
Either the level
of contamination is high or the insulation strength has weakened slightly
for this phase.
The nonnon-linear patterns for V and W phases are very similar and different
different
from other phases. The patterns show a general even harmonic
dominance but the 15th harmonic component
Expected degradation due to overheating in between V and W phases.
phases.
Also some residual effects are suspected at the terminations (slot
(slot exits)

Case studie - 3
LEAP Report Recommendations:
The results indicate that the unit is contaminated to a significant
significant extent along the endwindings with oil/carbonized
oil and dust type contaminants.
Also the flash has possible resulted in additional thermal stresses
stresses particularly in V and W phases.
It is recommended to open up the machine for overhauling (at earliest)
earliest) is not advisable operation of the
unit.
unit.
The main areas of maintenance are as under:
Carry out the thorough cleaning of the machine especially along the endwinding areas followed by drydry-out
The slot exits portions need to be inspected for presence of contaminants
contaminants at the terminations and overheating
marks and insulation degradation or burning.
The corresponding rere-taping of the leads to the bushings may be correspondingly repaired
repaired.

Even with information regarding the machine conditions customer decided to put the
machine in operation............

Case studie - 3
Only 4 days of operation
(failure in V/W phase):
operation(failure

Customer ship the machine to ABB Osasco Workshop

Workshop

Case studie - 3
Machine in Workshop Osasco:
Osasco:

Stator rewinding
Rotor rewinding (catastrophic failure)

Rotor balancing
Installation and commissioning (Sept. 2006)

Case studie - 4
June 2006 Mining Plant
Ball Mill GE Synch. Motor
4085 cv 4.160 V - 1978
LEAP Report: Even machine operating in an
aggressive environment , the general condition
of the stator insulation system is good.
ABB also calculated the remaining life (thermal
only) from machine and we found a remaining
life of 47.565 equivalent hours (corresponds to
5.47 years) 80% of Reliability in Life
information.

No maintenance actions is necessary for this

insulation system for the next 10.000 operating
hours (or 1 year).

LEAP: A value proposition

Optimizes Maintenance Planning of Electrical Machines by moving from Time Based

Maintenance to Condition Based Maintenance.
Provides an opportunity for Life Extension of machines, which would
would lead to increased
earnings capability and greater Return on Investment.
Investment.
Facilitates decision making:
making: A single occasion of measurements is sufficient to enable short
short
and long term maintenance plans, repairrepair-runrun-replace decisions.
Focuses on essential maintenance,
maintenance, and machines that are vulnerable, to
reduce downtime at lower risk levels
Provides important lifetime inputs for more realistic estimates of Life Cycle Costs