How to Make a GE Generator in

SEVEN (GIANT) STEPS

1
Production begins in the bar shop, where employees
unspool rolls of copper wiring, brading the wires together,
AND CREATE LONG FLAT BARS.
The stator of one large Weighing in at
BAR SHOP Hydrogen Generator contains
64.3 MILES of copper wire
33,264 lbs. Thats
about SIX Chevy
Suburbans

2
HEATED AND SHAPED
Flat bars are
INTO PRECISE CURVATURES needed
for the model of Generator.

SHAPE UP Employees form the bars using one of 250 unique

forms or apply a modern quick form technique.

3
Each bar is wrapped in an average of
16 LAYERS of insulated tape
It takes 4 Bar are baked in the
TAPE & hours to autoclave oven for

BAKE wrap one bar 24 hours at 165C

4
Employees climb into stator frames where they stack
PUNCHINGSONE
electrical steel laminations
BY ONE INTO THE SIDE OF A FRAME.
Punchings hold the stator bars in place and are the internal
backbone of the generator.
RACK &
STACK Number of up to Time it takes
punchings in
each Generator: 250,000 to fully stack
a Generator:
7 WEEKS

MACHINING IN Skilled machinists turn massive hunks of metal

THE MEANTIME (100 TON FORGINGS) TO

GENERATOR ROTORS
These steel surgeons cut slices or slots into
these solid metal blocks to tolerances as tight as
0.0005 OF AN INCH

BARS AND STATOR FRAME

6
WEDDING
COME TOGETHER
Stator bars sit in the

There are
of a Generator

Bars range from

DAY 120144 630 Bars weigh about
stator bars in each
Generator FEET 350LBS

7
Rotors are carefully positioned INSIDE THE CORE
of the stator-filled frame. The Generator is encased in a metal
shroud and PAINTED.
PIECES OF
1 coat of primer
POWER Most popular
PUZZLE 24 2 coats of final paint color?

gallons of
WHITE
paint per unit
How to Make a GE Steam Turbine in
TEN (GIANT) STEPS

1
Steel forgings the size of TREE TRUNKS (think California
large Redwood) are shipped from Europe and Asia to form
THE CORE OF THE TURBINE.
FORGING Rows of metal blades are hung
from these huge metal disks.
These forgings can weigh up to 250 tons.
They cost a ton of money
AHEAD UP TO $400K!

2
Heres where the WHEEL FUN STARTS.
Machinists cut grooves Steam turbine rotor dovetails are
into the smooth core machined to tolerances of .0005.
and they know how to THATS 8X THINNER
GROOVING CUT IT CLOSE! THAN A HUMAN HAIR.
ALONG

3
THE BUCKET
They come in

From Pinetree to
Finger Dovetail to
DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES.

Precision Machined,
checked for defects

STARTS HERE Curved Axial. and serialized by row.

4
ASSEMBLE
Now its time put the

Cut clearance is the

last step before the
turbine is placed in a
RIGHT SPIN on it

50-250
buckets per stage
THE TROOPS metal casing. on average.

5
MAKE
Now its time for a really CLOSE SHAVE
Over 20,000lbs of steel is removed from the
D650 outer shell for the sole purpose of
facilitating bolting the two halves together.
YOUR CASE

6
The turbine is transported VIA TRAIN across
the parking lot.

It is moved into the spin

ALL ABOARD! bunker in Bldg. 281

7
Time to take a SPIN IN THE BUNKER.
Just like balancing
a tire, but to
3000-3600 RPM
Fast enough to melt the metal, if we didnt spin it in a vacuum.
BUNKER .001 Tips of the last stage buckets travel up to 1600 miles per
DOWN of vibration. hour during spin2x the speed of sounds or a speeding bullet.

Proceed back to Bldg. 273 for further assembly.

METAL

8
The now bucketed rotor is encased in a
CASTING WHICH HOLDS THE
STEAM inside the turbine. This is one turtle that is
always showing its headlooking for the generator.

LIKE A In some areas, a steam turbine shell can be less

TURTLE IN 1.75 THICK. In other areas, its
ITS SHELL than
OVER 20 THICK. Some quick facts
regarding rotor/shell machining.

STEAM EXHAUST flows through

The way it works:

9 PUTTING THE STATIONARY AND ROTATING PARTS

within the turbine.
PEDAL TO
THE METAL And now this marriage of the two takes place with the
exchange of energy. The newly wedded part has a long and
dependable life in its future.

10
READY, SET,
White
COLOR
ME READY,
RUNNING,
AND ABLE.
PAINT!