INSULATION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL CON-
NECTORS IN GAS COOLED TURBINE
GENERATORS
by
AGusTus LEHRKIND, Senior M ember I.E.E.E.
AND
FRANK C. PETERMANN
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
IEEE 32C3-95
Introduetion
The stator windings of turbine generators require rugged, heavy
duty connections to the terminal bushings. In the larger machines
these connectors are internally caoled by means of hydragen gas
circulated through them in parallel with the generator windings.
A typical arrangement is shown in Figure 1. The "connectors"
referred to in this paper are capper pipes, one to two inches out-
side diameter with ! to i inch wall thickness carrying currents up
to 9000 amperes and insulated for 22000 volts line-to-line. They
operate normally at class "B" temperatures with foreed gas cooling.
The purpose of this paper is to show some of the reliability prob-
lerns encountered in the practica! application of insulation matcrials
and our means of solving these problems.
Reliability Requirements
This study might never have begun except for a startling dis-
covery during investigation of a machine failure in service. A por-
tion of the capper pipe melted when ventilation became blocked.
The surrounding insulation remained in place and prevented a
short circuit which might have caused major damage to the ma-
chine. Requirement One-The insulation must withstand momen-
tarily the temperature of molten copper.
In spite of elaborate features designed to keep oil out of large
generators, sooner or later, it seems, oil does enter. The oil accumu-
lates in regions of low gas velocity and low temperatures. Some
of our subject connectors are likely to be in these regions. Require-
ment Two-The insulation must beresistant to oil.
The physical structure of the connector assembly with its sup-
porting clamps and brackets farms a handy ladder for anyone
elimhing into the machine for inspeetion purposes. "Prohibition"
doesn't work here. Therefore, Requirement Three-The insulation
must have physical strength to resist abrasion and compression.
All parts of an altemating current machine are subjected to
vibration initiated by the magnetic farces. Ciaroping pressures
must be adequate to prevent differential vibration between parts.
Requirement Four-The insulation must have dimensional stability
to assure continued operation.
Figure I-Internal eonneetor arrangement.
Materials
Let us proeeed to relate our experience in the effort to provide
reliable connector insulation:
Asphalt Mica
Since conventional class B stator coil insulation for many years
has been asphalt bonded mica, the first selection of connector
insulation was the same. No major problems in this application
were experienced. However, the possibility of softening of the
asphalt in the presence of excessive amounts of oil and some
thoughts on cost reduction led to trial of other materials.
Silicone Rubber
The ease with which silicone rubber tapes could be applied to
the connectors and the known high dielectric strength of the rub-
ber promised important benefits in the application. Since the
rubber tape was thicker than mica tape, Jess time was required
to build up the required insulation thickness. Additional silicone
rubber paste was applied to eliminate voids. The tape and paste
combination required heat curing, but the finisbed product pro-
virled excellent resistance to heat and moisture. Protection against
meehanical damage was furnished by an outer wrapping of woven
glass tape.
A peculiar chain of eireurnstances revealed the real capability
of the silicone rubber insulation. This experience, which we
noted in listing Requirement One, occurred when oil leaking into
a generator blocked the ventHation passage at the discharge end
of a connector. The initia! alarm of abnormal operation was
sounded when electrical unbalance of the generator output was
observed. Ability of the insulation to withstand the extremely
high temperature, even for a brief moment, permitted safe remaval
of the machine from service.
The field repair of the connector which failed because of loss
of ventilation required a samewhat different insulation than the
molded silicone rubber system originally applied at the facto ry.
Limitations of space and the great difficulty in provirling means
to cure the tape under heat and pressure dictated the use of self
fusing triangular silicone rubber tape with an outer sheath of
glass tape. After approximately a year's normal operation, the
new insulation showed severe cracking and bulging of the self
fusing tape eausing rupturing of the outer glass tape, whereas
the original insulation showed no signs of distress.
Laboratory investigations of selected sections revealed the fol-
lowing. Because no thermal cure was applied, the stresses intro-
dueed by the stretch of the tape during winding were retained.
The normal heat of operation tended to overcome those stresses
and caused circumferential growth resuiting in Iocalized cracking
of the insulation.
The presence of lubricating oil caused an overall swell of 14o/o
in volume of the self fusing silicone rubber. To accommodate
this swelling, the outer glass tape would have required an elanga-
tion of 7%. The resuiting hoop stresses ruptured the glass tape.
The destruction continued. The rubber restrained laterally by the
supporting clamps of the connectors extruded into the braken tape
areas and, aided by the swelling effect of the Iubricating oil, caused
further cracking of the self fusing tape. Measurements at the
cracks showed wall thicknesses in the local areas to be 45%
greater than at original application.
Epoxy Mica Tape
Except for the binder, epoxy mica tape is basically the time
proven high voltage insulation of mica splittings sandwiebed
between backing matcrials to provide meehanical strength neces-
sary for the application of the tape. Asphaltum base varnishes
were originally used as a binder for the mica and backing. Short-
comings in the thermal and meehanical properties of this asphalt
binder led to the substitution of epoxy resin binders.
Laboratory investigations of epoxy bonded mica tape showed
it to meet many of the requirements demanded for connector
insulation. A section of connector was insulated for 22,000 line-to-
line volts and cured under heat and pressure. After immersion in
lubricating oil for 738 hours at 180C, the connector insulation
samples actually had shrunk only approximately -! of a per cent.
Subjecting these samples, immediately after remaval from the
hot oil, to a damping laad of 25 pounds per inch of axial length
imposed across the diameter, caused an elastic defiection of the
insulation system of approximately 1% and an inelastic defiection
or creep of a bout 1%.
Laboratory Tests
In order to duplicate field conditions affecting the four types of
connector insulations, that is, asphaltum mica, heat-cured silicone
rubber, self-fusing silicone rubber, and epoxy mica, a number of
test bars were made. The first bar's insulation simulated the con-
nector that failed due to loss of ventilation. It was prepared from
semi cured silicone rubber tape coated with a silicone paste with
an outside armor sheath of bias glass silicone rubber tape. This
assembly was then cured under pressure for four hours at 135C.
After cure, the bar successfully withstood a dielectric test of
213
 27,500 volts RMS 60 cycles per second for 20 minutes which dupli-
cates a normal field dielectric absorption test of 125% line-to-line
voltage. Repeated oven bakings of 24 hours at 75C and 200C
and a final 66 hour hake at 250C each with a 27.5 kv voltage
test indicated no loss of dielectric strength. However, the rubber
appeared lifeJess and had completely dried out from the extreme
temperatures of baking.
The second series of test bars simulated the field repair insula-
tion. Bars insulated with self fusing tape protected with an outer
sheath of glass tape and several paint coats of red alkyd enamel
were heated both electrically (internally) and in an oven. Swell-
ing of the rubber occurred after only an hour's heating at 150C;.
after 24 hours at 290C the portion of the silicone rubber next to
the copper was deeply cracked and fissured; it had the appearance
of "a dried out river bed."
Asphaltum base mica tape, used for many years as connector
and conneetion insulation, was applied to test bars and subjected
to both thermal and dielectric tests. Baking of these bars at 100C
showed no marked deterioration other than a slight amount of
bleeding of the asphaltum varnish. Subjecting the bars to 27.5
kv for 20 minutes caused the insulation to become very warm,
indicating corona action between the Jayers of tape.
Test bars made of epoxy bonded mica tape with two types of
application were then investigated. The first consisted of curing
the tape under pressure for 8 hours at 160C~ This simulated the
normal connector insulation processed before assembly in a turbo-
generator. The bars were baked for 24 hours at 200, then 250,
and finally at 290 C. Although there was a slight amount of
bleeding of the epoxy binder, this in no way decreased the dielectric
strength of the insulation system. No heating of the insulation was
noted after applying 27.5 kv for 20 minutes.
INSULATION RELIABILITY OF WINDINGS
FOR LARGE ROTATING MACHINES
by
E.M. FORT ANDR. ]. HILLEN
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
IEEE 32C3-96
Introduetion
The reliability of the winding insulation in large rotating ma-
chines is becoming more and more important. As the usage of
electric power increases and the machine size with it, economic
considerations dietate the necessity for long periods of continuous
operation with a minimum of shutdown time for maintenance.
In order to secure this uninterrupted service, a maximum reliability
of each coil in the winding is required. Because of the investment
of matcrials and man-hours contained in large stator coils, it is
economically advantageous to assure the reliability of each coil by
tests made as early in the manufacture as possible in addition to
the final acceptance test on the winding. The general quality level
of each separate component should therefore be assured by tests
prior to their assembly, and this should be the responsibility of
the supplier of the component. After the assembly of the coil,
however, additional special tests are often needed. The nature of
these tests is determined by the fundion of each component in
the assembied coil, and the required quality levels are established
by development tests, statistica! data treatment, and past experience.
Tests Made by the Component Supplier
An inner-cooled generator coil of the type that uses separate
cooling tubes is used for illustration (Figure 1). The insulating
components in such a coil fall in five grou ps; wire insulation, tube
insulation, separators and binders, mica tape for slot insulation,
and resins.
W ire I nsulation
The voltage difference between two adjacent copper wires in a
one-turn generator coil is only a few volts, even for a high-voltage
coil. On the other hand, the meehanical abrasive forces between
two wires can be considerable. The function of the insulation of
the wire is therefore more that of a mechanically strong spaeer
214
The second series duplicated assembied conneetion insulation or
field repair work where curing under higher temperatures and pres-
sure is not practicable. The bars were insulated for 22,000 line-to-
line volts, given an outer glass tape shield and painted with several
coats of red alkyd enamel. Since normal operating temperatures of
turbo-generators are in the 100C range, the bars were baked at
this temperature for 66 hours. Complete curing of the epoxy binder
was accomplished and this was substantiated by the fact that no
heating of the insulation occurred after a successful dielectric test
of 27.5 kv for 20 minutes. The tests therefore confirmed that field
repairs with epoxy-bonded mica could be made, and the cure
effected during normal operation of the unit.
Conclusions
From this series of test bars. the following conclusions regarcling
phase lead insulation have been drawn:
1. A silicone rubber insulation system comprised of the molded
tape and paste combination exhibits good insulation prop-
erties even when subjected to as much as twice normal operat-
ing temperatures.
2. A silicone rubber insulation system comprised of self fusing
tape deteriorates under heat and bulges when contined by
protective glass tape.
3. Asphalt mica tape used as conneetion insulation indicates
internal heating as demonstrated by dielectric tests.
4. Epoxy mica tape, although losing some of its binder when
overheated, remains relatively unchanged under heat and
dielectric tests. When used for field repairs of conneetion
insulation, it can be left to cure under normal machine
operating temperatures.
than a dielectric harrier, and this is ve ry well fulfilled by the
usual wire insulation for large machines, two resin-bonded Jayers
of glass servings. The meehanical strength of this insulation is
evaluated with a scrape-resistance test, while the integrity of the
insulation as a spacer, also after forming of the coil, is assured
by specifying continuity of the glass serving both before and
after bending of the wire.
Besides the requirement that the resin should be a good dielec-
tric and be thermally stabie at operating temperatures, it is neces-
sary that it has no adverse effect on other resins used in the coil.
Although this can only properly be tested by the coil manufacturer,
the wire resin will in general cause no troubie if it is fully cured.
And finally, in order to have a certain spacing between wires
without wasting slot space, the thickness of the wire insulation
must be within certain Iimits. The tolerances here are mainly
ii-+--WIRE
~~:;~.IQt--1-WIRE INSULATION
+i---........._,:i----7--- TUBE
~~~~i=i-t--TUBE INSULATION
~i---i--SEPARATOR
1----1~~~--tll- Bl NDER
.-;.--TAPE
LBINDER
Figure 1-Typieal inner-eooled coil.