HOGEN

HYDROGEN GENERATION AND STABLE FLOW

CONTINUOUS HYDROGEN INJECTION IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN
ELECTRIC POWER GENERATORS
Introduction
The high thermal conductivity of
hydrogen has proven to be a key
advantage in its use as a coolant in electric
power generators. The use of hydrogen
instead of air permits a reduction of nearly
20% in the amount of active material
required in the construction of a generator
of given output and for a given temperature
rise of the windings. The low density of
hydrogen is also an advantage over that of
air. Since hydrogens density is
approximately one-fourteenth the density
of air at a given temperature and pressure,
the use of hydrogen reduces the windage
friction losses within a generator to a small
fraction of the losses encountered when
the generator is cooled by air.

Critical to the proper implementation of
a hydrogen cooled generator is the supply
of a continuous stable flow of high purity
hydrogen from a trusted source. The list of
traditional sources of hydrogen includes
delivered cylinders, tube trailers, and liquid
tanks. Onsite hydrogen generation
systems were once only deployed to
remote, hard to reach locations around the
globe. In recent years however, onsite
hydrogen generation systems have been
adopted by an increasing number of power
plants as a preferred supply method for a
variety of reasons. Furthermore, when
continuous hydrogen replenishment is
coupled with the implementation of onsite
hydrogen generation, advantages of lower
hydrogen cost, improved plant operations,
and increased safety are realized.
Payback can be very rapid due to
increased purity, lower dew point and
stable pressure within the electric
generator.


The Effect of Hydrogen Quality on
Generator Operation and Performance
The quality of hydrogen coolant gas in
the electric generator casing has an impact
on the overall operation of an electric
power generator in three principal ways:
Hydrogen purity directly affects the
operating efficiency of the generator.
Hydrogen's moisture content affects the
longevity of the generator's internal
windings.
The stability of the hydrogen gas
pressure within the generator affects
the maximum generating capacity of the
electric power generator.

Proton Energy
Systems designs,
manufactures and
installs HOGEN
hydrogen generation
systems for industrial
and government
customers worldwide.
Since our founding in
1996, we have
installed over 400
systems in 45
countries around the
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HOGEN, Stable Flow, Proton Energy and the
Proton symbol are registered trademarks of
Proton Energy Systems, Inc. 2005 Proton
Energy Systems Inc., all rights reserved.
Adapted from a presentation by:
John Speranza, Proton Energy Systems and Lawrence Dusold, Cetrom, Inc.
Mirants Dickerson Plant, Maryland, USA
c ust omer ser vi c e@pr ot onener gy.c om w w w .pr ot onener gy.c om
Proton Energy Systems, Inc., 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492 PH: 203.949.8697 FX: 203.949.8016 [email protected] www.protonenergy.com

Purity
The purity of hydrogen within a generator casing is
important for several reasons. First and foremost is
safety. An explosive atmosphere exists when the
hydrogen over air concentration in a generator falls below
74%. The primary function of purity monitoring systems
has been to avoid this disastrous condition. Most plants
will initiate a shutdown and automatic carbon dioxide
(CO
2
) purge of the generator if the concentration falls
below 85%. Secondarily, hydrogen's purity within a
generator correlates with windage friction losses
associated with an increase in density. As windage losses
increase due to impurities, the financial loss to the power
plant correspondingly increases. While the small
percentage decrease in purity within the generator casing
may not present a safety concern, the impact on the
plants bottom line is dramatic. For example, as illustrated
in Figure 1, an 800MW unit with a 1% increase in
hydrogen purity will realize a corresponding 366kW
increase in power output. Therefore, a 3% increase in
hydrogen purity translates to an additional 1MW output
without any increase in fuel consumption. Based on an
electricity selling price of $.04/kWh, a 3% purity increase
can enable savings of $320,000 per year (based on 8000
operating hours).
Figure 1

Dew Point
When the hydrogen gas coolant in the generator
casing is high in water content, there are additional
problems besides windage loss. Water vapor
contamination has been shown to reduce the life of
generator components, and high humidity can induce
stress corrosion cracking on retaining rings and cause
stator winding shorts. It is recommended that the
hydrogen dew point be maintained below +32F in most
generators. Studies have shown that generators that
operate with high hydrogen gas dew points are more
susceptible to insulation degradation in windings that can
lead to shorts and unplanned downtime.

A common source of moisture contamination in the
hydrogen coolant gas is water that becomes mixed with
the hydrogen seal oil. Water content in seal oil should be
maintained below 100ppm to achieve a dew point below
+32F. Seal oil moisture of less than 50ppm will be
needed if the desired dew point is below +15F, and less
than 10ppm if sub zero dew points are desired. In
general, the lower the dewpoint maintained, the better.

Plants that still operate with old braze joint materials in
their stator windings, hydrogen gas coolers, and other
generator internal components will be affected by the
production of conductive lead carbonate when high dew
points are present. While there is always residual carbon
dioxide present within a generator, the reaction between
lead from the braze material and CO
2
that forms lead
carbonate is enhanced by the presence of water. In a
high moisture environment, lead carbonate is transported
throughout the internal environment of the generator and
will eventually find its way into exposed and less
protected areas of the generator. Conductive lead
carbonate will affect the longevity of internal components
of a generator through induced shorts.

Stator windings are directly affected by the
combination of moisture and lead carbonate. A
generators gas cooled stator windings have high voltage
copper exposed at each end of the stator bars. This
design feature necessitates long electrical creepage
paths to prevent high voltage phase-to-phase or phase-
to-ground faults. Operators of hydrogen-cooled
generators have found that moisture degrades the
electrical creepage strength of a surface. When moisture
migrates to the end turn area of a generators rotor
windings, it attacks the interturn insulation and results in
shorted rotor end winding turns.

The costs to a power generation plant for premature
or unplanned shutdowns and repairs due to moisture-
induced failures are significant. In addition to hard costs
of parts and labor, a generator repair of this type usually
means an extended unplanned plant outage and
significant lost revenues. The total cost to a plant for an
unplanned outage can exceed $1 million.

Pressure
At increased pressure, hydrogen becomes more
dense, improving its capacity to absorb and remove heat.
As a result, additional electrical load may be carried with
no increase in the temperature rise of the windings. An
increase in kilovolt-ampere output of about 1 percent may
be obtained for every 1-psi increase in hydrogen pressure
up to 15 psig, with an increase in electrical
output of about 1/2 percent per psi of an increase in
pressure for casing pressure between 15 and 30 psig.
Increasing hydrogen pressure also permits operation at
normal load with the temperature of the water supplied to
the gas cooler in excess of normal. This increase in
kilovolt-amperes due to maintaining a constant hydrogen
pressure at the OEMs specifications translates directly to
a plants ability to operate at maximum electric power
capacity.

Many power plants knowingly sacrifice potential
capacity due primarily to hydrogen safety concerns.
There is valid concern over large hydrogen gas supplies
60,000+ cubic feet in the case of a tube trailer,
potentially feeding a huge undetected seal or casing leak.
There have also been cases of pressure reducing gas
regulator failures causing catastrophic generator failures
due to excess pressure in hydrogen supply systems.

To reduce risk, batch feed hydrogen supply methods
are often employed to maintain the generator pressure
manually. This manual batch feed system is also used to
track seal wear by tracking the hydrogen leak rate. The
hydrogen seal leak rate can be determined if the pressure
drop in the generator, temperature, and duration between
fills is known.

When a power plant is able to manage hydrogen
safety issues while increasing hydrogen pressure and
purity under a continuous hydrogen replenishment
system, the resulting increases in capacity can provide
dramatic economic benefits. For example, a 100MW
generator operated with a continuous hydrogen supply
maintaining a constant 30psi versus a batch supply
method that pressure cycles 2 or 3psi over the course of
the day will gain the capacity to produce an additional
8000MWh per year. That means an additional $400,000
in revenue (based on a .94 power factor, 8000 hours of
availability annually, and an electricity sales price of
$0.05/kWh).

Continuous hydrogen replenishment
A hydrogen supply system designed to continuously
replenish hydrogen within a generator with a controlled
flow rate of high purity gas (while an equal amount of
impure gas is vented) has been proven to be an effective
means of increasing hydrogen purity in the generator
casing. The vent flow rate is controlled according to the
desired purity level in the generator. As the purity in the
generator decreases, the vent flow is increased until it
reaches the desired purity set point. In most cases, just a
small continuous bleed of the cooling gas can make a
dramatic change in overall hydrogen purity and dew point.

Continuous hydrogen purge may not be practical with
delivered gas cylinders and tube trailers. The operating
cost of such a system can be substantial if the price of
delivered hydrogen is even a few dollars per 100 cubic
feet. Also, there are safety concerns associated with
implementing a continuous feed gas supply method with
bulk storage. Onsite hydrogen generation systems are a
safe and economical alternative to bulk systems when
implementing continuous hydrogen replenishment.

Delivered hydrogen versus onsite hydrogen
generation
Delivered hydrogen is relatively expensive when
compared to onsite generation. Delivered gas prices rise
constantly with issues of gas supply, transportation, and
increased security concerns over bulk hydrogen. Onsite
generation, especially when employed at a power plant,
offers the plant operator a fixed cost of hydrogen supply.
An electrolysis-based onsite hydrogen generator requires
a small amount of deionized water and electricity to
operate. An on-site hydrogen electrolyzer sized for an
average power plant requires less than 20 gallons of
water per day and 17kWh of electricity per 100 cubic feet
of hydrogen produced. Hydrogen is produced for under
$1.00 per 100 scf.

Hydrogen gas cylinder changes can introduce
particulate impurities and introduce air gases if not
purged. Purity varies from cylinder to cylinder depending
upon the source of the gas and what the cylinder was
used for in the past. In contrast, onsite hydrogen
generation systems monitor the hydrogen product purity
continuously to insure the gas that is being introduced to
the generator is of the desired quality. The ability to trend
and provide alarms is also available. Delivered hydrogen
also presents siting, storage and occupational safety
challenges. High-pressure cylinders require personnel to
monitor supply, manage delivery schedules to prevent
unnecessary downtime, monitor the cylinders condition
and gas purity, and store cylinders in accordance with a
facilitys safety protocols. The alternative, onsite
generation systems, carry low gas volume and less than
100scf of stored hydrogen while delivering gas on
demand to the process. The maximum flow rate from an
onsite generator will never exceed its maximum capacity,
which is important when performing worst case safety
analysis.

Onsite hydrogen generation systems are designed to
stay online and feed a continuous supply of hydrogen as
required by the process. An onsite hydrogen generator
has the inherent ability to meter the flow rate of hydrogen
used. This flow metering function can be used to alarm
operators of a sudden demand for hydrogen in the case
of a catastrophic component failure, while tracking seal
wear over time to aid in preventative maintenance.


Proton Energy Systems, Inc., 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492 PH: 203.949.8697 FX: 203.949.8016 [email protected] www.protonenergy.com
Power plant operators can reduce the destructive
presence of water vapor and air within their hydrogen-
cooled generators with a constant flow of dry hydrogen
gas. Continuous hydrogen replenishment is a technique
that can keep generators free of moisture, oxygen, and
other contaminants that can prematurely degrade
equipment, maintain hydrogen pressure at a level that
supports an increased load, and supply hydrogen on
demand at the rate it is required by the electric generator.
These benefits are in addition to providing seal leakage
makeup gas at a fraction of the cost of delivered gas.

Hydrogen Gas Analyzers
Purity and dew point analyzers are essential for
monitoring the quality of the coolant gas within a
generator. Older purity analyzers are good at detecting
the percentage of hydrogen gas with a balance of air,
primarily used for safety monitoring. However, if the
impurity is something other than air, the readings are less
reliable. Readings can fluctuate based on ambient
humidity in the plant, the generators operational status,
and where the drying system is located. This is not the
case with newer analyzer models that employ the latest
sensor technology. New analyzer systems allow the plant
to detect and display the percentage of hydrogen in air,
CO2 in hydrogen, and hydrogen in CO2.

A dew point sensor should be considered for
continuous vent gas monitoring to improve the efficiency
and longevity of the generator. A dew point sensor that is
placed in the vent stream of a continuously purged
generator will provide valuable feedback to both the
operator and hydrogen generation system. The dew point
data can be used to trend moisture over time to help
identify the sources of moisture ingress and can be used
to alarm an operator in the case of an internal water leak.

The analyzer that is used to determine the purity level
of hydrogen as well as the dew point of the hydrogen gas
may be interfaced with an analog control valve for vent
control. The valve opening is increased or decreased as
part of a continuous control loop in reference to the
desired level of casing gas purity.

Using PEM technology for onsite hydrogen
generation
The most widely used onsite hydrogen generation
technology at power plants in the U.S. is Proton
Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Onsite
hydrogen generators that use PEM technology offer a
cost-effective approach to ensure hydrogen purity and low
dew point. PEM electrolysis allows 99.999+% pure
hydrogen gas to be produced on demand at process
pressure without mechanical compression and without
caustic electrolytes.

Sample of H2 gas @ 225 psi generated by a PEM electrol yzer

D.L. =report detection limit. nd =indicates the concentration is less than
the report detection limit. - =test not performed. % =percent. ppm =
parts per million. ppb =parts per billion. v/v =volume analyte/volume
sample. w/w =weight analyte/weight sample. Unit conversions: 1 ppm
v/v =0.0001% v/v.

Using onsite hydrogen generators with continuous
hydrogen replenishment
By using an onsite hydrogen generator combined with
a continuous hydrogen replenishment technique, plants
can minimize hydrogen inventory, while guaranteeing
consistent purity, dryness and pressure.

As illustrated in Figure 2, hydrogen that is continually
produced by the hydrogen generator flows through a
hydrogen manifold and pressure reducing regulators, and
through the electric generator at 15-75psig. The hydrogen
is vented through a control valve, through a purity
monitor, and escapes through the plants existing
hydrogen vent system.

An optimized hydrogen supply solution for the power
plant exists with the implementation of an onsite PEM
based hydrogen generator as part of a system that
includes seal oil cleanup, hydrogen analyzers, a dew
point monitor, and a control valve to enable plant
operators to maintain their generators at the optimum
operating condition.
Figure 2Stable Flow Continuous Hydrogen Injection

TEST DESCRIPTION/UNITS RESULT D.L.
Nitrogen (ppm vv/by MS nd 4
Oxygen (ppm v/v by MS) nd 4
Carbon Dioxide (ppm v/v by MS) nd 4
Argon (ppm v/v by MS) nd 4
Helium (ppm v/v by MS) nd 10
Hydrogen (% v/v by MS) 99.9+ 0.1
Total hydrocarbon (ppm v/v as CH4) -- 0.1
Water Vapor (ppm v/v by EDP) nd 0.5
Feed
Bl eed
Onsite Hydrogen
Generation System
Electric Generator
Exististing hydrogen
vent system
Purity
monitor
Control
valve
Pressure
reducing
regulator
Pressure
reducing
regulator
The onsite

hydrogen generator is designed
to continuously monitor and adjust the
amount of ultra high purity hydrogen needed
to maintain the pressure and purity inside
the electric generator.
Hydrogen
manifold
Cont i nuous Repl eni shment
Techni que
Proton Energy Systems, Inc., 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492 PH: 203.949.8697 FX: 203.949.8016 [email protected] www.protonenergy.com
How Mirant Mid-Atlantics Dickerson Power Sta-
tion uses continuous hydrogen replenishment

Mirant's Dickerson, Md. plant employs three General Electric hy-
drogen cooled synchronous type ATB 4-pole, 3-phase 60-cycle genera-
tors, rated at 115,000 kilovolt-amperes at 1800 rpm and 13.8 kilovolts.
They are designed for a power factor of 0.85, 30psig hydrogen cooling
pressure and armature amperage of 4811 amps.

Objecti ves
Managers at the Dickerson plant needed solutions to help them
meet two goals. First, they wanted to reduce the storage, transport and
manual operations required to manage hydrogen cylinders. At the same
time they sought to decrease operating costs, decrease the dew point
level in their generators, and improve generation capacity and efficiency
by increasing the purity and pressure of the hydrogen circulating within
the generators.

The plants original intent was to reduce the hydrogen dew point by
upgrading the existing dryers. During their investigation, Dickersons
management learned that an onsite hydrogen generation system could
provide dry hydrogen in excess of their rate of consumption, allowing the
plant to continually purge the generator with pure, dry hydrogen.

Dickersons managers first reviewed the costs and benefits of pur-
chasing an onsite hydrogen drying system that would be used with their
current delivered hydrogen supply on three generators. Dickersons
costs for delivered hydrogen, plus the cost of adding six dryers, power
for the dryer blower and heater, and for the hydrogen discharge purge
cycle would have totaled approximately $325,000 in the first year of
operation.

Next, Dickerson evaluated costs of using onsite hydrogen genera-
tion systems to continuously replace hydrogen within the three genera-
tors. Dickerson's managers determined that the installed cost of three
hydrogen generators, electricity to power the generators, and required
maintenance was less than $225,000, or 70% of the cost of the six dri-
ers that would have been installed. In addition, the hydrogen generators
could provide hydrogen to both the plant's high and low pressure gen-
erators.
One of the hydrogen generators attached to the hydrogen
manifold of one of the GE hydrogen-cooled generators at
Mirant Mid-Atlantic's Dickerson, Md. power plant.

Dickerson placed the first hydrogen generator on its Unit 1 genera-
tor on February 17, 2004. On February 17, the dew point of the hydro-
gen coolant in the low-pressure generator measured 37 F. On March 4,
the dew point was down to about 30.8 F. By May 18, the dew point was
between 12 and 15 F. Presently the dew point remains between 12 F
and 15 F. Based on results with its first system, Dickerson purchased
two additional hydrogen generators for installation on its other two units.

Table A

Additional economic benefits

In addition to operating the generators with a higher level of purity
and lower dew point, Dickerson's generators have had increases in
pressure stability as well. The generators typically operate on cycling
load rather than continuous full load. GE's guidelines for the generators
at Dickerson project a 1/2 percent increase in kilovolt-amperes output for
each 1-psi increase in hydrogen pressure within the generator.

Dickerson projects that the stability increase in hydrogen pressure
within its electric generators since introducing the continuous replenish-
ment systems can produce 900 kilowatts of additional generation capac-
ity. As an example, based on an estimated 5000 operating hours annu-
ally and an average electricity selling price of 5 cents per kilowatt-hour,
an additional $225,000 in revenue can be realized from each of the
three generators. When full load demands occur, Local Market Pricing
(LMP) policies allow Dickerson to further increase revenue from operat-
ing the generators at maximum capacity.

Dickerson maintenance group leader Michael Bennett is satisfied
with how their generators reduce dew point and increase purity by using
continuous hydrogen replenishment. Among the benefits that the plant is
experiencing, continually purging Dickersons generators with pure, dry
hydrogen produced by a hydrogen generator has reduced both the
plants dependence on hydrogen cylinders and the rental cost of keeping
these cylinders on site.

With multiple generation systems in place and on line, a small num-
ber of cylinders are kept on site as backup while other hydrogen cylin-
ders will only need to be brought on site to re-gas the generator after an
outage where the generator is degassed. When maintenance of one of
the hydrogen generators is required, the excess hydrogen from the other
units can be used to maintain the supply of hydrogen to the unit with its
hydrogen generator out of service.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
John Speranza is Director of Applications and Technical Service at Wallingford,
Conn.-based Proton Energy.
Lawrence Dusold is a Senior Contractor at Gaithersburg, Md.- based Cetrom, Inc.
which provides engineering support services to Mirant's Dickerson, Md. power
plant.
REFERENCES
Al bright, J .D. and Albright D.R., Generatortech, Inc. Generator Field Winding
Shorted Turns: Moisture Effects. Presented at EPRI Steam Turbine Genera-
tortech Workshop and Vendor Exposition, Nashville, Tenn., August 25-27, 2003.
Borkey, Ed (general manager, Fluid Energy); Reynolds, Tom (electrical engineer,
Progress Energy). Water Contamination in Hydrogen-Cooled Generators Lurks as
Serious Operational Threat. Power Engineering, August 2003.
Vandervort, Christian L. and Kudlacik, Edward L. GE Power Systems,
Schenectady NY: GE Generator Technology Update, April 2003
Bothwell, J im, J im Bothwell Consulting, Stuart, FL Monitoring Moisture in Hydro-
gen Cooled Generators. Presented at EPRI Conference Oct 1983
Case Study
Proton Energy Systems, Inc., 10 Technology Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492 PH: 203.949.8697 FX: 203.949.8016 [email protected] www.protonenergy.com
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