g

GER-3954B

GE Power Systems

Generator In-Situ
Inspections
Dean T. Roney
Ronald J. Zawoyski
GE Power Systems
Schenectady, NY

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
In-Situ Inspection Supports Condition-Based Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Equipment Condition Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
In-Situ Inspection A Critical Part of Generator Maintenance Cost Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
In-Situ Inspection Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MAGIC Visual Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Stator Wedge Tightness Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Electromagnetic Core Imperfection Detection (EL-CID). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Stator Clearance Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Remote Access Camera (RAC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Remote Capacitance Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Retaining Ring NDE Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Other Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Qualification Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Changing an Industry Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Qualification Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Qualification Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Traditional vs. In-Situ Cost Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
GE Position On In-Situ Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Generator In-Situ Inspections

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

ii

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Introduction
Equipment maintenance programs are among
the latest budget items coming under increased
fiscal scrutiny by utilities and non-utility generators alike as the power generation industry
seeks to reduce operating costs in a newly competitive, deregulated market. Plant maintenance programs based on periodic disassembly
and inspection of critical turbine-generator
components, while relatively costly, have proven
remarkably effective as evidenced by the
industrys consistently favorable plant reliability
and availability statistics. New bottom line realities, however, are motivating many plant operators to reevaluate established maintenance
practices and deviate from them where they
perceive net cost-to-risk advantages.
Plant operators are increasingly looking to
extend equipment running time between
planned maintenance outages, eliminate
unnecessary outages and reduce the duration
of the necessary ones. GE, as the leading manufacturer of turbine-generators and a major supplier of power generation services, is assisting
operators in this objective by:
Developing improved monitoring and
diagnostic instrumentation for on-line,
condition-based maintenance (CBM),
rather than time-based maintenance, of
turbine-generators
Updating equipment maintenance recommendations based on GEs fleet
experience
Developing inspection tools and services that facilitate rapid off-line assessment of equipment condition
Industry insurers also have a vested interest in
these objectives and are understandably reluctant to assume greater risks by deviating from
proven maintenance practices. Consequently,

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

insurers review proposed plant maintenance

protocol modifications with operators and
often require supporting recommendations
and other evidence from original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) that new protocols are
functionally equivalent to the traditional.
Toward that end, this paper presents GEs modified inspection protocol for generators utilizing new in-situ inspection tools, and compares
the results, advantages and limitations of a typical generator in-situ inspection to those of a traditional inspection with the rotor removed.

In-Situ Inspection Supports ConditionBased Maintenance

Equipment Condition Assessment
There are four methods to determine turbine
generator condition:
Continuous on-line assessment
Periodic on-line assessment
Minor outage inspections
Major outage inspections
These methods range from low impact on operation and cost for continuous and periodic online assessments to medium for minor outage
inspections and high for major outage inspections (Figure 1). It is desirable, then, that the
CBM program make best use of the first two
methods while requiring the latter two methods
as infrequently as possible. Figure 2 shows those
items typically inspected on a generator and
when these inspections occur in a traditional
maintenance plan.

In-Situ Inspection A Critical Part of

Generator Maintenance Cost Reduction
Visual and quantitative inspection techniques
play an important role in assessing generator

Total Cost
of Inspection ($)

GT24977

Generator In-Situ Inspections

On-Line

Major Outage

Figure 1. Cost impact of condition assessment techniques

STATOR
Stator Wedge Tightness
Bar Movement
Stator Winding Leaks
Core Insulation
Stator Winding Insulation Integrity
Greasing
Cracked Connections/Integrity
Oil Contamination
HV Connection Bolts
FIELD
Blocked Vent Ducts
RR NDT
Field Coil Distortion
Field Coil Loose Blocks
Field Wedge Migration
Field Winding Insulation Integrity
Thermal Sensitivity
Rotor Surface Heating

Periodic
On-Line

X
X

Minor
Outage

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

Major
Outage
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

GT25553

Continuous
On-Line

Figure 2. Generator inspection items

condition. On-line monitoring and diagnostic

techniques are limited in detecting potential
problems, such as bar movement and vibration,
component damage, copper dusting, coil distortion and foreign object damage (FOD).
Many of these conditions could lead to a major
failure of the equipment if left unresolved for a
period of time. It is in these areas that in-situ

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

inspection supplements the capabilities of on

line monitoring and diagnostics to reduce the
risk of a failure.
In-situ inspection should be used during minor
outages as a tool for assessing the generator
condition. The inspection results can be used to
help plan the generator maintenance at future

Generator In-Situ Inspections

outages. This information can be used to determine if the field will need to be pulled and what
components will require maintenance at this or
future outages. If the generator condition is
found to be acceptable, a future in-situ inspection may be planned with no maintenance necessary at this time. As long as the generator condition is found acceptable, there would be no
additional need to pull the field. GEs in-situ
inspection techniques can also be used with traditional inspection and test techniques to provide a complete major inspection without
field removal.
GEs recommended standard tests for a major
outage are described in Technical Information
Letter-1154 and GEK-103566.
In cases where known generator problems exist,
periodic in-situ inspection may allow postponement of field removal to a more convenient
time by monitoring the problem and minimizing the risk of an in-service failure and resulting
damage. The in-situ inspection is valuable in all
cases of abnormal operation where a generator
suitability for service inspection is needed
before returning to service. An in-situ inspection can be done quickly with miminal disassembly of the generator, thus providing an accurate, documented inspection and a quick
return to operation. Outage duration is lessened by reducing the time needed to inspect
the generator, as well as providing condition
assessment information that can be used to plan
and perform more efficient repairs.
In-situ inspection of the generator is a critical
part of the generator maintenance program. It
allows the owner to acquire high quality condition assessment data while minimizing the risk
and cost. By lowering the cost of this informa-

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

tion, it now becomes more practical to perform

more frequent inspections which can facilitate
early problem detection and resolution. As a
result the cost of maintenance and the equipment reliability are both improved.

In-Situ Inspection Technologies

GEs in-situ inspection capabilities were developed to address areas requiring field removal
for inspection in the past (Figure 3). Four basic
inspection systems used to provide the inspection are:
Miniature Air Gap Inspection Crawler
(MAGIC)
Remote access camera
In-Situ retaining ring NDE scanner
Remote capacitance probe
The generator in-situ inspection consists of the
basic MAGIC visual inspection using GEs
patented inspection robot with the option of
adding one or more additional inspections
based on the circumstances and customer
needs. Table 1 lists critical generator components and the in-situ inspection techniques
used for each.

MAGIC Visual Inspection

Visual inspection of the generator stator and
field within the bore region is performed by a
trained specialist using GEs exclusive MAGIC
inspection robot. The robot is a precision
crawler carrying two high resolution video cameras that moves through the gap between the
stator core and field. Full inspection coverage
of the core ID and field surface is made possible
by the robots axial and transverse motion capability. This capability also allows it to navigate
around the gas baffles present on many generator designs. The high resolution video scopes

Generator In-Situ Inspections

MAGIC Visual
Core Laminations
Space Blocks
Stator Bars, Wedges
Field Surface, Wedges
Retaining Ring Nose

Stator Wedge Tightness Assessment

Electromagnetic Core
Imperfection Detection (ELCID)
Stator Insulation
Capacitance Measurement

Stator Clearance Measurement

Retaining Rings
Outside Surface:
Eddy Current
Inner Surface:
Ultrasonic

Remote Access Camera

Field Coil End Turns
Stator Bars
End Winding Support System
Flux Shield
Lower Frame Extension

GT25678

Figure 3. Generator in-situ inspection capabilities

Component

Common Problems

MAGIC RAC Wedge EL-CID RR Capac- Clearance

Visual Visual Tapping
NDE itance
Meas.

Stator/Core
Core Laminations

Foreign object damage, hot spots, evidence of movement

Space Blocks

Migration, cooling passage blockage

Gas Gap Baffle Studs

Cracked welds, looseness

Stator Wedges

Looseness, loss, sparking damage

Stator Bars

Foreign object damage, sparking, girth cracks, movement

X
X

X
X

Wet groundwall insulation

End Windings

Bar movement, loose/broken ties, supports, etc., excessive

corona activity

Copper Flux Shield

Overheating, looseness, general condition

Instrumentation

RTD, thermocouple wiring ties, flux probe, general condition

Field
Field Surface

Heating, arcing, foreign object damage

Body Weights

Looseness, staking

Field Wedges

Arcing, migration, cracking

Retaining Ring

Wedge contact, arcing, foreign object damage, material

cracks, pitting

Coil End Turns

Blocked ventilation, damaged insulation, coil distortion,

contamination

General
All

Excessive oil or other contamination, foreign object damage,

blocked cooling

Lower Frame Ext. Bus

Leads & Connections

Insulation condition, connection integrity (if exposed), high

voltage bushing condition

X
X

Table 1. Inspection capabilities

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

Generator In-Situ Inspections

provide the specialist with a clear view of the stator core laminations, stator wedges, field
wedges and surface on the inboard ends of the
retaining rings. Figure 4 is a picture of some
repaired core damage using both the wide
angle and close up cameras on the MAGIC
robot.

Stator Wedge Tightness Assessment

The Stator Wedge Tightness Test is offered as
an option to the MAGIC visual generator
inspection. It is performed to accurately quantify stator wedge tightness and is used to assess
the need for wedge tightening or replacement.
This inspection is similar to that performed in
GEs factory as a quality check on new generators. Loose wedges and the resulting stator bar
movement are major contributors to premature
stator winding damage and failure. A tight stator winding can last two or three times as long
as a winding that is not firmly held in the stator
core. The test can be performed on stator windings that meet the design requirements of hard
stator insulation (Micapal or GEGARD
600) and flat or piggyback wedge systems.

The wedge tightness test cannot be performed

on asphalt insulation systems or windings held
in place with camelback style wedges.
The MAGIC system determines wedge tightness
by measuring the response of the wedge to a
mechanical stimulus (impact). Wedges are tested in several locations along their length. The
inspection data is stored in a file and provided
with the final report. The data is also used to
generate a color coded wedge tightness map
which clearly shows the wedge tightness within
the generator (Figure 5). Some generator
designs limit access to all wedges and permit
only a partial inspection. Wedges closest to the
slot ends are the most critical to inspect and are
inspected in all cases. The reports data can be
used for accurate trending of the winding condition and for determining when repairs are
needed.

Electromagnetic Core Imperfection

Detection (EL-CID)
EL-CID is an accurate and economical means of
testing the condition of the stator core lamina-

Figure 4. View of repaired core damage taken with MAGIC robot

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Figure 5. Generator wedge tightness

tion insulation. Damaged insulation can result

in circulating currents that can lead to core
overheating and stator damage or even failure
(Figure 6). EL-CID uses a low core excitation
level (about 4% rated flux) to establish a magnetic field within the core. A highly sensitive,
miniaturized sensing coil, or chattock, is used
along the core surface to detect fault currents
which will result from core insulation damage.
A signal processor located in the control system
computer is used to measure, record and report
these faults. EL-CID has been proven to be especially valuable on machines where core loosening has been more prevalent.

Stator Clearance Measurement

Radial clearance between the stator winding
and core permit unwanted motion of the stator
bars during operation. In some cases, radial
motion has led to severe abrasion damage to
the stator groundwall insulation and ultimately
electrical failure. Wedge tightness was once
thought to be the best means of detecting radial slot clearance. However, GE has found that

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

although wedge tightess is a good indicator of

clearance between the top stator bar and
wedge, it can be misleading when the radial
clearance exists elsewhere in the slot. As a
result, GE recommends measuring the actual
clearance between the stator bars and the bottom of the core slot through a stator clearance
test. Clearance testing involves applying a force
on each stator bar where it exits the core slot,
and accurately measuring its radial movement.
GE has developed specialized tooling to perform this test which protects against stator damage during the test. Measurements are made on
both ends of the stator core (Figure 7). A map of
the stator winding and each bars radial clearance is analyzed to determine the existence of,
or potential for bar movement.

Remote Access Camera (RAC)

The RAC inspection is an option to the MAGIC
visual inspection. It makes use of a miniaturized, remotely actuated video camera to provide
a high resolution visual inspection of normally
inaccessible areas on the generator, outside of

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Core Lamination Insulation

Core Laminations

Damaged Insulation

Core Vent Duct

Stator Winding
Stator Core

Circulating Current

Figure 6. Circulating current due to damage core insulation

Field Body

Stator Clearance
Measurement System

Retaining Ring

Top Stator Bar

Stator
Clearance

Bottom Stator Bar

GT25775

Figure 7. Stator winding clearance measurement

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

Generator In-Situ Inspections

the bore region. These areas include the stator
endings, field coil end turns and stator terminal
connections. This information is combined
with that provided by a MAGIC visual inspection and the results of the standard visual and
electrical exams to provide the most thorough
visual inspection possible with the field in place.
Figure 8 shows a picture of the stator end winding support system taken with the RAC system
during an in-situ inspection.

Remote Capacitance Probe

GE water-cooled generators manufactured
before 1986 are susceptible to water leaks and
the resulting concerns as discussed in Technical
Information Letter-1098. One of the periodic
tests recommended in TIL-1098 is capacitance
mapping of the stator bars. This test has proven
to be very reliable in identifying stator bars with
deteriorated groundwall insulation resulting
from a water leak.
Capacitance mapping requires placing a conductive electrode on the surface of the bars

groundwall insulation at the location where the

bar exits the core slot (Figure 9). A meter is used
to measure the capacitance across the insulation between the electrode and the stator bar
conductor. Each bar in the winding is measured
on both ends of the core and statistical analysis
is used to identify those bars with higher than
normal expected capacitance. High capacitance is a good indicator of moisture presence
in the insulation.
It is recommended that a capacitance test be
performed at each major outage on an approximately five-year interval. This recommendation
presented a roadblock to implementing an insitu inspection program on water-cooled generators because performing the capacitance test
required field removal.
As part of its in-situ inspection program we have
recently developed a tool enabling the capacitance test to be performed without removing
the field from the stator. This tool uses an inflatable electrode, similar to that used with the
field removed, and a remote actuator arm for

Figure 8. Stator end winding viewed using GEs remote access camera

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Test
Area

Test
Electrode

Copper
Conductors
Groundwall
Insulation

GT25552

Figure 9. Stator bar capacitance test in process

locating the probe. GEs remote access camera

is also used for positioning the probe and identifying its location. This system is being used
successfully and provides results similar to those
obtained during field out inspections.

access to the ID surface where eddy current testing is used to detect very small surface indications. Testing of the rings while installed on the
field can also be performed, however, with less
sensitivity to crack detection on the ID surface.

Retaining Ring NDE Scanner

Testing, similar to that performed with the field

removed from the stator, can be completed on
many units without removing the field. The
NDE test equipment has been modified by
miniaturizing the scanner assembly using the
same signal processing system as that used with
the field out. The system provides an ultrasonic
test (0.050/1.27 mm crack detection threshold) on the ring ID and an eddy current test
(0.005/0.127 mm crack detection threshold)
on the ring OD.

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of 18Mn-5Cr

generator retaining rings is a well documented
industry-wide concern for generator maintenance. SCC develops on the surface of the
material in the presence of moisture and stress.
As a result of the stress concentration and
geometry which tends to hold moisture, the
retaining ring inside diameter surface tends to
be more susceptible to this phenomena.
GE recommends replacement of 18Mn-5Cr
rings with the improved 18Mn-18Cr alloy which
has not been susceptible to SCC. However, for
those customers who choose to periodically
inspect and repair the rings, GE offers a complete inspection program. The most thorough
NDE inspection can be performed with the
rings removed from the field. This permits

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

Other Testing
There are several other tests and inspections
recommended during minor and major outages in addition to those discussed. They
include electrical testing of the stator and field
windings and RTDs as well as hydraulic testing
of water-cooled stator windings. A complete

Generator In-Situ Inspections

description of GE-recommended tests is provided in Technical Information Letter-1154 and
GEK-103566. In-situ inspection of the generator
does not change the need or importance of
these tests.

Qualification Efforts
Changing an Industry Mindset
Generator inspection for years consisted of a
minor outage every 2 1/2 years and a major outage with the field removed every five years. This
practice proved to be quite successful in maintaining a high level of reliability of the generator fleet. Deregulation is causing the power generation industry as a whole to rethink its philosophy on equipment maintenance and OEMs,
and utilities and insurers alike need to evolve to
meet the needs of this new marketplace. In-situ
inspection of generators is one way GE has
evolved to meet these demands, and GE needs
to work with customers and their insurers to
properly apply this technology. In-situ inspection will not be considered a complete success
unless it can provide an inspection with the similar accuracy, sensitivity and thoroughness of a
field removed inspection. In-situ inspection
must not bring with it a significant increase in
the risk of failure over traditional inspection
techniques.
Many GE customers with generators at nuclearpowered plants are required by their insurers to
remove the generator field at a specified interval to complete a major inspection. GE is currently working with several major insurers to
reconsider this policy as a result of in-situ
inspection technology. The first step toward
replacing traditional inspections with those performed in-situ is qualification of the inspection
techniques. GE has completed several qualification tests and is in the process of documenting

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

the results for industry use. Given acceptable

qualification results, GE expects that insurers
will evolve with the changing market and accept
in-situ in place of traditional inspections.

Qualification Testing
Qualification testing involved performing an insitu inspection on an actual generator and comparing these results with those obtained
through traditionally accepted inspection methods. MAGICs visual inspection system was the
first to be qualified. The MAGIC inspection was
performed on a GE generator at Georgia
Powers Plant Vogtle, during a scheduled major
inspection outage. An inspection report was
written which documented the condition of the
generator gas gap region as well as the collector
endwinding region which was inspected using
the remote access camera. A thorough visual
inspection was then performed with the field
out and the results were compared. GE found
the in-situ inspection results were completely
satisfactory with good image resolution, thoroughness and perspective. The field out inspection found no defects which had not been
detected with the MAGIC visual inspection.
MAGICs wedge tapping capability was developed by miniaturizing and remotely delivering
an industry accepted wedge tapping device.
This direction was taken so that wedge tightness
data, whether taken with the field in or out,
could be easily correlated. Data correlation is
important to the long term trending and condition assessment. MAGICs wedge tap system was
qualified on a large GE generator through
comparison of in-situ test results with field out
wedge tapping and hammer testing techniques. As a result of its wedge tapping development, GE added the ability to listen to the tap
test while in progress. This information is very
useful in assuring the test is being performed

10

Generator In-Situ Inspections

wedge tightness. The positive results with audible testing of wedges has led GE to pursue this
as the companys primary means of wedge tightness testing on a MAGIC Jr. test system under
development.
A similar philosophy was used in the development of MAGICs EL-CID test capability. The
most common and accepted EL-CID test system
in the industry was developed by Adwel
Industries, UK. GE currently uses Adwel systems
for performing field out EL-CID tests and, for
the reasons stated, GE wanted to use a similar
system for in-situ testing. This was accomplished
by miniaturizing the test chattock portion of
the system while making no changes to the digital EL-CID system. By doing so, GE can use the
same digital EL-CID test system for both field
out or in-situ testing, the only difference being
the miniaturized chattock used for in-situ testing.
To qualify the results of the miniaturized chattock, GE ran comparison tests between it and
the standard chattock, including testing stator
cores of various design types and condition
through use of actual in-service and laboratory
test cores. The critical characteristic of the ELCID test is the electrical test signal which must
be consistent between standard and in-situ tests.
This signal determines the cores defect magnitude. Through the comparison tests, GE found
the test signal was very similar while testing
good sections of core iron as well as when sizing
core detects. These results demonstrated GE
can expect good correlation between EL-CID
tests performed using the standard or in-situ
methods.

Qualification Report
A detailed qualification report will be prepared
to document the results and provide the data
needed to demonstrate the validity of in-situ

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

inspection. This report will be made available to

GE customers and their insurers to help support developing in-situ inspection programs for
their generators.

Traditional vs. In-Situ Cost Analysis

A significant factor in comparing in-situ vs. traditional inspection programs is the reduced
cost to the equipment owner. Cost reduction is
achieved in three major areas: reduced outage
duration, reduced disassembly and eliminating
consequential damage elimination.
In-situ inspection reduces the time required to
complete a major generator inspection.
Duration of a generator inspection includes the
time required for removal from service, disassembly, inspection and reassembly, and preparation for service. In-situ inspection significantly reduces the time required for disassembly
and reassembly of the generator, although it
does add some time to the actual inspection
process. The net time savings varies by plant
and generator design, but Table 2 provides a
good estimate for a typical large generator at a
nuclear plant.
Reducing the generator inspection time is most
important when the generator is on the outage
critical path. Suitability for service inspections
are generally recommended for generators following an abnormal operating event that may
have caused generator damage, including
breaker failures, short circuits and loss of cooling. Each of these can cause generator damage
that would lead to an on-line major failure if the
damage is not repaired. These circumstances
provide an ideal application of in-situ inspection technology where every hour saved directly
affects the time spent offline.
In-situ inspection can also reduce outage duration when used for advanced outage planning.

11

Visual

Visual
And Wedge
Tightness

Visual, Wedge
Tightness
And EL-CID

Traditional

14 Shifts

16 Shifts

18 Shifts

In-Situ

6 Shifts

9 Shifts

12 Shifts

Savings

8 Shifts

7 Shifts

6 Shifts

Type of
Inspection

GT25550

Generator In-Situ Inspections

Table 2. Inspection time savings comparison

Performing an in-situ inspection during a
minor outage prior to a planned major outage
can help determine the necessity and scope of
the major outage. The outage may be postponed altogether if the generator is found in
good condition. If problems are found, the
information gathered during the inspection
can be used to make preparations for repair at
the next outage. These preparations include
planning the repair, identifying labor and material needs and developing contingency plans.
When it comes to generator maintenance,
experience has shown that preparation and
planning are critical to effieicntly executing an
outage.
Inspection cycle through use of in-situ techniques is achieved by greatly reducing the level
of generator disassembly required to complete
the inspection. Reducing the level of disassembly has a number of benefits beyond reduced
cycle time. Cost savings result from reduced disassembly and reassembly labor, repair and planning. Not removing the field from the generator also frees up overhead crane availability for
use on other parts of the outage. The total cost
of field removal and reassembly is reported at
$100,000 to $250,000 for fossil plants and
$250,000 to $500,000 for nuclear plants. The
cost associated with partial disassembly to allow

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

in-situ inspection varies with the scope of the

inspection but, generally, runs about 1/3 the
cost of complete disassembly. Table 3 compares
the cost of a traditional vs. in-situ inspection.
Another economic benefit of in-situ inspection
is the reduction of consequential generator
damage as a result of the outage. Rotor removal
requires uncoupling the turbine-generator
shafts; careful disassembly of stator endshields
on both ends of the generator; removal of the
bearings, hydrogen seals, oil deflectors and
exciter assemblies; and the skillful reassembly
and realignment of these same components.
Improper endshield reassembly may result in
oil ingestion problems, expensive and time consuming oil cleanup procedures, undesirable
lubrication of the armature slot and endwinding restraining systems, increased armature
motion, and accelerated armature insulation
wear. (Refer to TIL 1098-3R2 for additional
information on the adverse effects of oil ingestion). Rotor removal incurs risk of damage to
the precision components of the hydrogen seal
oil assemblies, and requires the heavy lifting
and temporary warm, dry storage of the rotor.
The problems or damage resulting from disassembly can lead to very costly repairs. For
this reason, the best policy is to minimize disassembly.

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Generator In-Situ Inspections

Generator Inspection Cost Comparison

Traditional vs. In-Situ Inspection
Traditional Generator Inspection
Exciter & Generator Disassembly & Field Removal
Generator Test & Inspection
Field Installation, Generator & Exciter Reassembly
Lost Generation Profit (est. $20K/day, 8 days)
Total Cost of Inspection
In-Situ Generator Inspection
Generator Disassembly
Generator Test & Inspection
Generator Reassembly
Lost Generation Profit (est. $20K/day, 5 days)
Total Cost of Inspection

Est. Cycle
(Shifts)

Est.
Craft Hrs.

Est. Cost
($1000)

1000/1500

$125
$20
$175
$160
$480

200/300

$40
$50
$60
$100
$250

6
4
6

2
5
2

Traditional Inspection ($K)

In-Situ Inspection ($K)
SAVINGS ($K)

Total Cost
$480
$250
$230

Total Cost ($1000)

Generator Inspection Cost

$500
$450
$400
$350
$300
$250
$200
$150
$100
$50
$0

Traditional

Savings of $230,000

In-Situ
In Situ

Traditional
Inspection ($K)

In-Situ Inspection
($K)

Generator Inspection Type

Footnotes:
1. Generator Inspection Scope Included Visual and Wedge Tightness Inspection.
Electrical and Leak Testing Cost Not Included.
2. Disassembly and Test Costs Used for a Large Steam Turbine Generator
at a Nuclear Site.

Table 3. Traditional vs. in-situ inspection costs

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

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Generator In-Situ Inspections

GE Position On In-Situ Inspection
GEs MAGIC robot provides generator component assessment capability comparable or superior to that routinely achieved by rotor removal
inspections for many applications. Closeup,
detailed views of the core and rotor surfaces,
stator and rotor wedges, retaining ring tips and
vent ducts allow a generator specialist to detect
and assess potential problems not generally discernible by electrical testing or other on-line
monitoring often prior to the occurrence of
any significant generator damage. Periodic
MAGIC in-situ inspections, together with electrical testing and hydraulic checks, provide an
acceptable alternative to many traditional OEM
maintenance protocols. Skillful interpretation
of in-situ inspection observations and related
data can provide plant operators with cost effective opportunities to reduce outages and outage
duration while maintaining the outstanding
reliability and availability of their generators.

Recommended maintenance schedules for traditional and in-situ inspection protocols are
compared in Table 4.

Conclusions
The power generation industry is undergoing
major changes requiring power producers,
OEMs and insurers to adapt. One way GE has
responded to these market changes is through
the development of tools that enable in-situ
inspection of generators. In-situ inspection
offers an acceptable, low cost alternative to the
traditional field out generator inspection in
many cases. GE has been and will continue to
work within the industry to gain acceptance of
in-situ inspection techniques. GE is presently
working on enhancing the capabilities of its insitu inspection service and expanding the application to smaller generators. In-situ inspection
will play an increasing role in reducing power
producers cost of generation.

Inspection Interval (Years)

2.5

Traditional

MAJOR
Visual
Wedge
ELCID

MINOR
Visual

MAJOR
Visual
Wedge
ELCID

MAGIC In-Situ

IN-SITU
Visual
Wedge
ELCID

IN-SITU
Visual

IN-SITU
Wedge

NOTES: Electrical and Hydraulic testing continue at recommended intervals

NDE testing and TILs may require rotor removal for completion

10

IN-SITU
ELCID
EL-CID

GT25551

First Year
Inspection

Table 4. Recommended generator inspection schedules

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

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Generator In-Situ Inspections

List of Figures
Figure 1.

Cost impact of condition assessment techniques

Figure 2.

Generator inspection items

Figure 3.

Generator in-situ inspection capabilities

Figure 4.

View of repaired core damage taken with MAGIC robot

Figure 5.

Generator wedge tightness

Figure 6.

Circulating current due to damage core insulation

Figure 7.

Stator winding clearance measurement

Figure 8.

Stator end winding viewed using GEs remote access camera

Figure 9.

Stator bar capacitance test in process

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

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Generator In-Situ Inspections

List of Tables
Table 1.

Inspection capabilities

Table 2.

Inspection time savings comparison

Table 3.

Generator inspection cost comparison

Table 4.

Traditional vs. in-situ inspection costs

GE Power Systems GER-3954B (04/03)

16