GE Power & Water
Power Generation Services
Generator Lifecycle Services
Generating
powerful solutions.
Breathing new life into
your aging generator.
Reduce
Maintenance
Costs
Increase
Reliability
Increase
Capacity
Improve
Availability
How do you maintain reliability and availability with reduced
budgets? How do you adapt to fluctuating market and
regulatory conditions? You need powerful solutions to tough
obstacles. To meet ever-changing market needs, you may
be required to operate and maintain your generator in ways
quite different from original specs. GE’s Advanced Generator
Service solutions can help you achieve your goals.
Empowering you to succeed.
GE provides a suite of services that can enable you to improve
reliability and availability, control maintenance costs and
increase the capacity of your generator over its entire lifecycle.
GE knows generators. We’ve been installing and maintaining
generators since the 19th century and have placed more than
14,000 medium and large generators into service. We have
performed hundreds of field and stator rewinds and responded
to thousands of outages. We use a global pool of over 400
generator specialists to serve your needs.
Safety, quality and outage duration are concerns GE takes
seriously. Our goal is to execute a project flawlessly and without
incident to help you stay within budget and on schedule.
In short, we seek to exceed your expectations in every way,
every day.
Insider knowledge
of outages
Outage Duration (Shifts)
20
15
Cut outage duration
by over one-third
Unlike a traditional inspection, where
valuable time is spent on disassembly,
MAGIC enables GE to devote more time
to inspecting your generator.
10
5
Outage Expertise — At Your Service
Ingenious MAGIC
How do you think through and plan for your outages?
Whether planned or unexpected, they reduce the productivity
and the profitability of your asset. GE can help you extend
equipment-running time between planned maintenance
outages, eliminate unnecessary outages and reduce the
duration of necessary ones. With our advanced testing and
inspection tools, capabilities and experienced specialists,
GE can help you reduce duration and cost without sacrificing
safety or quality.
GE’s proprietary Miniature Air Gap Inspection Crawler (MAGIC)
makes it possible to execute a complete generator inspection
without removal of the field. Not only does GE’s MAGIC robot
provide visual inspection via digital recordings, it also evaluates
wedge tightness and electromagnetic core insulation damage.
What’s more, GE also uses various automated inspection
tools that allow non-destructive evaluation of retaining rings,
hydraulic integrity of liquid cooled stator windings and wet
insulation detection.
Over the past decade, GE has built an impressive portfolio of
in-situ inspection technologies that enable generator testing
and inspection while the rotor remains in place. This can cut
outage duration by over one-third of the time, while helping to
reduce the risk of collateral damage from rotor pulls.
GE’s generator specialists can help craft a customized
maintenance plan that:
• Reduces outage duration and cost
• Accurately assesses generator condition
Reassembly
Inspection
Disassembly
0
GE In-situ
Inspection
Traditional
Inspection
• Backed by GE’s engineering organization
MAGIC robot
Avoiding failure
Peace of mind
Keeping tabs on the condition of an
aging generator is vitally important. A
forced outage increases in probability
as the generator ages. By following GE’s
inspection protocols, you can maintain
unit reliability and availability.
It’s yours with GE. If an issue is identified
during an inspection, GE is positioned to
repair at-site or in one of our many regional
repair shops, thereby minimizing the impact
of unplanned maintenance.
Generator Monitoring
System (GMS)
Shorted Turns
Monitoring System
(STMS)
Stator Leak Monitoring
System (SLMS-HP)
Bar leaks
Generating
more
control.
Budgets causing you to cut back on scheduled
maintenance? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could extend
the time between outages? What if you could avoid
unplanned outages altogether? GE can help you
meet these goals while maintaining the health of
your generator. With our technology, knowledge and
experience, we can help you create a maintenance
plan based on the actual condition of your generator.
Stator RTD/TCs
Plugged strands
Enhanced Partial
Discharge Analyzer (ePDA)
Stator insulation damage
Core Monitor
Localized overheating
detection
Accurately anticipating.
How can your generator’s condition be assessed without
scheduled outages and visual inspections? GE has a way.
We’ve created and continue to develop advanced sensors and
automated monitoring algorithms that aim to enable predictive
maintenance. Our unique approach includes sensors that
monitor key failure modes that historically dictate the scheduled
outage interval. This enables you to anticipate problems. Better
yet, you’ll know when to leave well enough alone. Whatever
your specific needs, GE can custom tailor a monitoring solution
from our extensive suite of technologies and services. You’ll
gain continuous assessment of your generator’s condition.
You may choose to purchase a stand-alone unit such as the
stator leak monitoring system or a complete package. Most
GE generator monitoring technologies can be integrated
through the Generator Monitoring System. This provides a more
complete assessment of your generator’s condition through
automated anomaly algorithms that alert you to any change in
the monitored parameters.
The Generator Monitoring System enables:
• Monitoring system integration
• Predictive maintenance
• Quicker diagnostics
• Reduced risk of forced outages
• Reduced maintenance costs
• Future advances in GE monitoring technologies
to integrate with your system
Solutions that extend your
generator’s lifecycle.
Stator Rewind
Sustaining generator performance in these times of ever-shrinking budgets can
be a difficult challenge. With the median age of generators approaching 30 years,
combined with changes in duty cycle, an increased probability of generator failure is
of great concern. GE has recently invested over $12M in stator bar technology, tools
and manufacturing improvements. As a result, GE is uniquely positioned to enable
you to extend the life and reliability of your generator through industry-leading
short-cycle implementations. What’s the GE difference?
• Our expertise. As the OEM of your asset, we know its design and operational profile
like no other. We know what works, what doesn’t and what’s best left alone.
• Our technology. Only GE can provide you with proven uprate technology that can
turn your outage into an opportunity to extend asset life and performance.
• Our execution. Through GE’s Outage Excellence Team, you can be assured we are
continuously working to improve cycle time, quality and service to you, our valued
customer. In fact, we recently added short-cycle conventionally cooled stator bar
manufacturing technology to help you decrease costs and cycle time.
Proven Stator Bar Technology
With the introduction of phosphorus-free brazing technology,
GE stators have evolved to achieve leak-free bars.
Insulation Technology
GE continuously makes investments to develop better performing insulation systems. Currently, our
systems are rated for class F+ thermal capability which leads to extended life when operated in class B
or F temperatures. In addition, our insulation technology developments have led to greater voltage
endurance capabilities.
World-Class Execution
Equipped with highly productive tools such as GE’s
proprietary bar transport and stator wedge tooling, GE
provides world-class short outage durations. In addition,
GE’s execution team is led by a dedicated project manager,
who is a recognized expert in generator service and your
single point of contact for all your needs, from order
through warranty.
Field Rewinds & Exchange Fields
Experience shows that typical operating incidents have the greatest impact
on the field (motoring, contamination, etc.), which means the rotor is often the
generator component requiring the most maintenance. Whether the work you
need is executed in a dedicated GE Generator Repair Shop or on-site, GE provides
a number of field rewind options to fit your needs. In addition, GE offers off-the-shelf,
pre-wound exchange fields that can give you all the benefits of a field rewind while
significantly reducing outage interval.
Proven Upgrade Technology
When re-winding an aged generator field, GE applies
advanced technology to improve the life of the rotor. In most
cases, GE can apply upgraded design features such as:
• C-coil rotor windings
• Non-magnetic retaining rings
• Insulating materials
• Blocking and wedges
Extensive Service Capabilities
Thermally sensitive rotor vibration can rub you the wrong way by shortening equipment life
and limiting your operational envelope. Vibrations must be mitigated, but first you have to
know what’s causing them. Whether they’re caused by unsymmetrical cooling, shorted turns
or mechanical interferences, to name a few, GE’s high-speed balance facility can help identity
a vibration’s root cause. Our high-speed balance bunker executes a FULL thermal sensitivity
test. This facility is one of only a handful in the world to offer this capability. It can help ensure
that the field is ready to return to service by validating proper vibration levels at high speed
and applying excitation current to assess the rotor throughout the reactive capability curve.
Can you increase capacity?
Yes, we can.
Once a generator has been in service a few years, cookie-cutter uprates just
won’t do. You need GE’s uprate experts to help you assess your parameters,
evaluate options and select what’s right for you. Enabled by GE’s long history
(and ongoing investments) in generator technology, we can study your entire
system. For example, all thermal, mechanical and electromagnetic limits are
evaluated for stator windings, core ends and the rotor. GE then delivers options to
uprate your generator up to ~20% of current capacity. Extensive factory and field
tests, ongoing asset monitoring, and a robust, maintenance-free core design gives
GE the confidence you need to ensure ratings will increase all the way to the core
ends. With GE uprate experts, you get:
When you need more…
Are your capacity demands outpacing your current generator’s capability? GE’s
high power density replacement generators can be tailored to meet your needs,
with minimal plant design impact. Designed to work within your existing generator’s
footprint, GE uses the latest technologies to provide higher efficiency and reliability.
And, you can depend on GE’s extensive experience in evaluating rotor train torsional
lateral response to assist in avoiding catastrophic rotor component failures.
• Proprietary knowledge of GE system design
• Insights learned from thousands of hours of performance data
• Operational expertise that comes from maintaining our own fleet
of generator assets at over 50 GE O&M Contract Service sites
• Real-world experience, gained from the more than 1.7GW of
uprates we’ve executed for customers like you
500
400
+ MVAR + MW
A
300
B
200
Generator to Synchronous Condenser Conversions
MVAR
100
+ MW
0
0
100
200
300
400
500
700
-100
-200
-300
-400
D
C
+ MW
As power generation plants approach the end of their effective operational life, you may
face a challenging decision between upgrading or retiring. In many instances, when
power plants are retired, there may be concerns that could adversely affect local
electrical system voltage stability. GE now offers engineered solutions that convert
existing synchronous generators, powered by gas or steam turbines, into synchronous
condensers with minimal disruption. GE’s solution is focused on clean-waveform static
start technology to drive the generator, which is now disconnected from the
prime mover, to synchronous speed. This is achieved by the use of a variable
frequency drive (VFD)—which reduces the duty imposed on the generator, reduces
mechanical alterations, and avoids the cost and maintenance of a starting motor.
• Experience: over 700 static start systems in use for gas turbines
• Uniquely equipped to study the full electrical system inclusive of interconnection
(gen hardware, controls, stability analysis, grid code expertise, etc.)
Better control
through retrofit.
Have an aging generator control system? You may be
faced with a lack of parts availability, increased maintenance,
shortage of knowledgeable service personnel and a lack
of critical excitation system data needed to manage the
asset. Whether you have a vintage static exciter, EX2000, or
Alterrex system, GE offers several retrofit options that help
you to achieve improved reliability, availability, reduced
maintenance and increased options for redundancy.
Trust GE to provide you with:
• Increased power system stability through software and tuning
• System expertise, from full integration to coordination
• Uprate support
• Online repair solutions
Choose the retrofit option that’s right for you:
• Replacement Alterrex generator
• Vintage static exciters to EX2100e
• Alterrex voltage regulator upgrade
• Alterrex rectifier bridge upgrade
• Alterrex to EX2100e “full static retrofit”
• Digital front end (DFE) upgrade
• Static starter upgrades
• Generator protection panel upgrades
GE sweats the small stuff.
Leaking seals? Oil ingress in your hydrogen monitoring system?
Brushes need replacing while online? Generator auxiliary
systems like these can make or break your reliability and
availability, any day, any time.
While your generator may be getting on in years, GE
continues to invest in developing retrofitable solutions to help
breathe new life into your aging systems—even the small
stuff, which can have a big impact on your entire operation.
Here are just a few examples of the technological advances
we have ready to help you improve performance:
• Brush rigging upgrade
• Collectors
• Retaining rings
• Wedges
• H2 cabinet upgrade
• Auxiliary upgrades
• Cooling system conversions (Open Air to TEWAC)
• Cooler replacements and upgrades
For more information:
GE Power & Water
Generator Services
4200 Wildwood Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339-8402 USA
To learn more about these offerings,
contact your sales representative or
www.powergen.gepower.com
We are there when you need us.
GE has global reach and technical breadth. When you need expert
assistance, our global footprint gives us the ability to respond to
your needs at a moment’s notice. You get qualified specialists
focused on your plant, speaking your language. Our highly trained
team is ready to address not only your generator concerns, but
also anything that can impact generator performance, including
electrical power systems, full train rotor dynamics, controls and
heat exchangers. Whatever you need, experts are standing by,
ready to help.
Personal commitment to quality.
Every day at GE Power & Water, employees across the company
make a personal commitment to own quality. That means doing
the job right the first time, on-time, every time. This personal
commitment to quality is what enables us to provide the best
possible products and services to our customers.
Quality is woven into the fabric of everything we do at
GE Power & Water.
Sales office
Repair shop
Manufacturing
Engineering
Warehouse
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GEA19596A (04/2014)