GENERAL INFORMATION ON HYDROGEN COOLING

A. GENERAL FEATURES

Hydrogen cooling has been applied to turbine generators rated above 20,000 KW since the late 1930's.
Initially, the hydrogen pressure inside the generator housing was maintained at 1/2 psig. However, by increasing hy-
drogen pressure, by improvements in blowers, in metallurgy, and in details of construction it was possible to increase
the maximum practical ratings of turbine generators steadily. It became evident however, that this increase was limited
to the rating at 30 psig hydrogen pressure, since beyond that point no appreciable increase in capability could be se-
cured by a further increase in hydrogen pressure. An improved method of cooling large turbine generators was then
developed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation which permitted a further increase in the capacities for which
these machines could be built. The basis of the improved ventilating technique was to cool the active conductors in-
ternally by making them hollow and blowing gas at high velocities through these ducts, thus placing the coolant in
direct contact with the materials in which the heat is being generated. This inner-cooling principle allowed increases
in generator ratings because of the greater ceiling capabilities at pressures higher than 30 psig.

B. ADVANTAGES OF HYDROGEN COOLING

Hydrogen cooling has the following advantages.

1. Windage and ventilation losses are reduced because of the low density of the hydrogen gas. The ventilating
losses are proportional to the gas density.

2. An increased output per unit volume of active material is secured because of the high thermal conductivity
and heat transfer coefficients of hydrogen. It is this advantage of hydrogen which makes it possible to build
turbine generators for higher ratings than was possible using air as a cooling medium.

3. Maintenance expense is reduced because of the freedom from dirt and moisture due to the closed recirculating
gas system.

4. The life of the insulation on the stator winding may be increased because the absence of oxygen and moisture
lessens the harmful effect of any corona that may be present during unusual conditions of operation.

5. The windage noise is reduced because of the lower density of the gas and the closed ventilating system. The
relative values of the principal characteristics of hydrogen and air which affect the ventilating problem are as
follows:

Characteristic Air Hydrogen

Density 1.00 0.07

Thermal Conductivity 1.00 7.00
Heat Transfer Coefficient from Surfaces to Gas 1.00 1.35
Specific Heat 1.00 0.98
Support Combustion Yes No
Oxidizing Agent Yes No

Hydrogen and helium are the two common gasses that are appreciably lighter than air. Helium is inert and
noninflammable and from these considerations would be an ideal medium for ventilation purposes. Because of its
scarcity arid cost however, it cannot be considered as an available cooling medium. On the other hand hydrogen can
be obtained in unlimited quantities at a relatively low cost. Furthermore hydrogen is a more desirable cooling medium
than helium because of its lower density and better thermal characteristics. Commercial hydrogen has the degree of

I.B.20906
2
purity desired and required for cooling purposes, it is inert, non-explosive, and will not support combustion. In general
therefore it may be stated that at present hydrogen is the most desirable gas that can be used as the cooling medium \
for rotating electrical machines. ;

C. SAFETY FEATURES REQUIRED WITH HYDROGEN

Since a mixture of hydrogen and air is explosive over a wide range of proportions (from about 5% to 70%
hydrogen by volume), the design of the machine and the specified operating procedures are such that explosive mix-
tures are not possible under normal operating conditions. In order to provide for some unforseen condition brought
about by the failure to follow the correct operative procedure it has been deemed necessary to design the frame to
be explosion-safe. It might be noted that the intensity of an explosion of a mixture of air and hydrogen varies with
the proportions of the two gases present. A curve on which the values of intensity are plotted against the proportions
of gases will approximate a sine wave, having zero values at 5 and 70 per cent hydrogen and reaching a maximum in-
tensity at a point half way between these limits. The term "explosion-safe" referred to earlier is intended to mean
that the frame will withstand an explosion of this most explosive proportion of hydrogen and air at a nominal gas
pressure of 2 or 3 psig without damage to life or property external to the machine. This nominal pressure of 2 or 3
psig is that which might be obtained if hydrogen were accidently admitted during the purging operation instead of
carbon dioxide as specified. Such an explosion might however result in damage or dislocation of internal parts of the
generator.

The fundamental rule to be observed in changing gas in the generator is that hydrogen and air should never
be mixed, carbon dioxide being used as an intermediate gas when changing either from air to hydrogen or from hy-
drogen to air. When changing from one gas to another the generator should be vented to the atmosphere, so that a
positive pressure of more than 2 or 3 psig will not be built up. IN NO EVENT IS IT PERMITTED THAT THE
FRAME, FILLED WITH AIR, BE CLOSED AGAINST DISCHARGE OF THE AIR AND HYDROGEN SUBSE-
QUENTLY ADMITTED.

(
D. HYDROGEN GAS CONTROL AND ALARM SYSTEM

It is necessary in fixing the design features and operating procedure of Hydrogen Cooled Turbine Generators
to follow conservative and safe praptices. The four principal requirements of the Hydrogen Gas Control and Alarm
System are determined by the "running," "standstill," "gas filling," and "gas scavenging" conditions. In filling or
scavenging the generator housing with gas it is necessary to use an inert gas such as carbon dioxide to make the dis-
placement, so that there will not be any mixing of hydrogen and air. It is of course the oxygen in the air that repre-
sents the potential hazard in conjunction with hydrogen. The primary function of the Hydrogen Gas Control and
Alarm System equipment are to provide for scavenging and filling the generator housing with gas, to maintain the
gas in the generator housing within predetermined limits of purity, pressure, and temperature, to maintain the gas
in a moisture free condition, and to give warning of improper operation of the generator or failure of the Gas Con-
trol and Alarm System.

( )

1.8.20906
2 2
 DESCRIPTION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS SYSTEM

A. GENERAL

The Hydrogen Gas System has the following principal functions:

1. To provide means for safely putting hydrogen in or taking hydrogen out of the generator, using carbon dioxide
as a scavenging medium.

2. To maintain the gas pressure in the machine at the desired value.

3. To indicate to the operator at all times the condition of the machine with regard to gas pressure, temperature,
and purity. The presence of liquid in the machine is also indicated by an alarm on the hydrogen supervisory
panel.

4. To dry the gas and remove any water vapor which might get into the machine from the seal oil.

B. GAS SUPPLY

The H2 Gas Supply provides the necessary valves, pressure gauges, regulators, and other equipment to permit
introducing hydrogen into the generator. It also provides means of controlling the gas pressure within the generator
housing either manually by means of valves or by means of pressure regulators which are manually adjustable to give
the desired machine gas pressure.

The carbon dioxide supply provides a means of admitting CO 2 to the generator during the gas purging oper-
ation.

The gas, either hydrogen or carbon dioxide is distributed uniformly to the various compartments of the gen-
erator by means of perforated pipe manifolds located in the top and bottom of the generator housing.

C. GAS DRYER

A gas dryer consisting of a chamber filled with activated alumina absorbent material is connected across the
generator blower, so that gas is circulated thru the dryer whenever the machine is running. The absorbent material
will take up about two pounds of water, after which it can be dried out by disconnecting the dryer from the machine
and then heating with a built-in electric heater. Before and during the drying process air is forced thru the dryer by a
small blower to remove the moisture. A thermostat protects the dryer against overheating. The dryness of the active
material can be determined by the color of the humidicator material as seen thru the window in the bottom of the
dryer. The color will be light blue when dry and grayish pink when saturated with moisture. The operator can tell
when it is necessary to reactivate the dryer by noting the color of the material inside of the window.

D. LIQUID DETECTORS

Float operated switches in small housings are provided under the generator frame and under the main lead
box to indicate the presence of any liquid in the generator which might be due to leakage or condensation from the
cooler. Openings are provided in each frame ring at the bottom of the frame so that any liquid collected will drain to
these water detectors. Each detector is provided with a vent return line to the generator frame so that the drain line

I.B.20906
2 3
from the generator frame will not become air bound. Isolating valves are provided in both the vent and drain lines so
that the switches can be inspected at any time, and a drain valve is provided for the removal of any accumulated liquid.
(
E. HYDROGEN PURITY INDICATING TRANSMITTER

The purity of the gas in the generator is determined by use of the hydrogen purity indicating transmitter
and the purity meter blower. The purity indicating transmitter is a differential pressure instrument which measures
the pressure developed by the purity meter blower. An induction motor, loaded very lightly so as to run at practically
constant speed, drives the purity meter blower and circulates the gas drawn from the generator housing. Thus the
pressure developed by the purity meter blower varies directly with the density of the machine gas. Gas density is de-
pendent upon the ambient pressure and temperature as well as the purity of the gas being sampled. The purity indicat-
ing transmitter is provided with automatic compensation for pressure variations so that the scale reading is in terms of
actual purity.

The purity meter has, in fact, two scales, termed the upper and lower scales. The lower scale is calibrated in
terms of purity and is associated with the pressure compensated pointer. The upper scale indicates machine gas density
(relative to air at 100%) and is associated with an uncompensated pointer. Only the lower scale is visible when the in-
strument door is closed (a pressure pointer, reading on the upper scale, is for calibration purposes only).

The lower scale is divided into three sections. In the approximate center of the scale there is a point marked
"air - 100." Thil:i point provides a means of calibrating the gauge without removing the gas from the generator. The
section in this book under Maintenance of the Hydrogen Gas System explains in detail the method of making this
calibration check. The left hand portion of the dial consists of a scale showing the percentage of carbon dioxide pres-
ent in a mixture of carbon dioxide and air. This portion of the scale is used during scavenging operation when carbon
dioxide is being introduced into the generator. The right hand portion of the dial consists of a scale indicating the
percent hydrogen present in a mixture of hydrogen and air. It is this portion of the scale which is used during normal
operation of the machine to determine the purity of the hydrogen in the generator housing.
(
The hydrogen purity indicating transmitter produces an output air pressure signal of from 3 to 27 psig or 3
to 15 psig or an electric output signal as specified on the Gas Diagram in the section of this book under Operation of
the Hydrogen Gas System. The output signal may be carried to a remoately located receiver provided with a dial sim-
ilar to the purity indicating transmitter on the hydrogen control panel.

Two switch assemblies are provided with the purity indicating transmitter which are set to produce a "hy-
drogen purity high or low" alarm when the differential pressure falls below or exceeds predetermined limits.

F. DUAL METER - GENERATOR BLOWER PRESSURE GAUGE AND

HYDROGEN PRESSURE INDICATING TRANSMITTER

A dual Pressure Gauge is furnished on the hydrogen control panel which indicates both the pressure developed
by the blower on the generator rotor and the hydrogen pressure in the generator housing. The range of the generator
blower pressure portion of the instrument is given on the Gas Diagram under Tab 7. This portion of the instrument is
connected directly to the generator housing and reads the differential pressure across the blowers on the rotor. This
pressure can be used as a check on the purity meter or can be used to indicate the hydrogen purity if the purity meter
is taken out of service while the generator is running. For an explanation of how this can be done refer to the section
of this instruction book under Operation of the Hydrogen Gas System.

The hydrogen pressure portion of the instrument has a range of 0 to 100 psi and is connected directly to
the generator housing to indicate the pressure within the generator. The transmitter produces an output pressure of
from 3 to 27 psig or 3 to 15 psig or an electric output signal as specified on the Gas Diagram. This output signal is
carried to a remotely located receiver which is provided with dials similar to the hydrogen pressure indicating trans-
mitter on the hydrogen control panel. (

I.B.20906
4 2
 High and low pressure alarm switches are provided in the hydrogen control panel to provide an indication
when the gas pressure in the machine exceeds or goes below predetermined limits.

G. HYDROGEN TEMPERATURE ALARM

A hydrogen cold gas thermostat is located in the generator to provide a source of alarm in case the temper-
ature of the hydrogen in the generator becomes excessive.

H. SUPPLY PRESSURE SWITCH AND GAUGES

All generators are equipped with a hydrogen pressure control, which has a supply pressure switch and two
pressure gauges. The top gauge indicates the machine gas pressure and also the setting of the regulator on the hydrogen
pressure control. The bottom gauge gives an indication of the amount of pressure available from the hydrogen supply
system.

A pressure switch is located on the supply side of the hydrogen pressure control manifold and gives an alarm
when the supply pressure is low. The setting of this pressure switch is shown on the Gas Diagram. A drop in pressure
at this point would mean that the available pressure from the hydrogen supply was too low, or that the regulators
in the hydrogen supply are set at too Iowa pressure.

I. HYDROGEN GAS COOLERS

The hydrogen is cooled by passing it through coolers where the gas gives up its heat to the cooling water in
the finned tubes of the coolers.

Refer to the Generator Section, see Tab 1, for a more complete description of the coolers.

LB. 20906
2 5
 (
OPERATION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS SYSTEM

A. CHANGING GAS IN THE GENERATOR

A1. General

It is recommended that the gas changing operations be performed with the generator at standstill or on turn-
ing gear, with shaft seal oil pressure being maintained. In case of emergency these operations can be performed while
the machine is accelerating or decelerating, but it is not recommended that the generator be allowed to operate at
normal operating speed in carbon dioxide.

A2. Removing Air from the Generator Housing

Atmospheric air contains approximately 21% oxygen by volume. At the upper end of the explosive range
(i.e. 70% hydrogen and 30% air) the oxygen content of the hydrogen and air mixture is21% x 30% = 6.3% oxygen.
Therefore, in scavenging the air from the generator housing by driving it out with an inert gas the oxygen content
should be reduced to less than 6.3% before introducing hydrogen. With this Procedure an explosive mixture will not
exist in the generator housing. Figure 3, Amount of Gas to Fill Generator, shows the amount of gas required to fill
the generator to a predetermined purity, assuming perfect diffusion of the gases.

Referring to Figure 3, it can be seen that the air content will be reduced to 14% having an equivalent oxygen
content of 21.% x 14% = 3% oxygen by introducing two volumes of a gas. When.carbon dioxide is introduced at the
bottom of a frame with the rotor at standstill or on turning gear about 1-1/2 volumes will be sufficient to remove the
air since there is not much mixing of the air and carbon dioxide under these conditions. Purity Meter connections are
provided to take gas samples from either the top or the bottom of the machine. During the addition of carbon dioxide
(
'-
the gas sample should be taken from the top of the machine as this will be the last location reached by the heavier
carbon dioxide gas. After 1-1/2 volumes of carbon dioxide are put in the generator the purity meter should read about
95% carbon dioxide when sampling from the top.

A3. Filling the Generator Housing with Hydrogen

A hydrogen cooled turbine generator is normally operated with the gas in the machine 95% hydrogen or
above by volume. Referring to Figure 3, Amount of Gas to Fill Generator, it can be seen that if 3-1/2 volumes are
introduced into the generator when it is running the resulting mixture will be 95% hydrogen. However, hydrogen is
ordinarily introduced at the top of the machine with the rotor at standstill and under these conditions it is necessary
to add only 2-1/2 volumes to bring the purity up to 95% as there is little mixing of the hydrogen and carbon dioxide
with the machine at standstill or on turning gear. Purity of the hydrogen should be checked by connecting the purity
meter sampling lines to the bottom of the frame since this is the last location reached by the lighter gas.

A4. Addition of Hydrogen when Generator is Running

During normal operation of a hydrogen cooled generator the hydrogen purity is usually maintained at 95%
or higher when the hydrogen side seal oil pump is operating and 90% or higher when the hydrogen side seal oil pump
is shutdown. Gas must be added for two reasons: (1) Leakage, which makes it necessary to add hydrogen to maintain
the pressure, and (2) Infiltration of air, which requires addition of hydrogen to maintain the gas purity. With the
double flow gland seal system the oil pressure on the hydrogen side and the air side of the seals is maintained at the
same value. Theoretically there will be no interchange of oil between the air side and the hydrogen of the seals but
due to minor variations in pressure between the two oil supplies some interchange will occur over long periods of
time. Any hydrogen that gets in the air side drain is removed by means of the vapor extractor on the drain line loop
seal. Any air that gets into the hydrogen side seal oil drain is more than compensated for by the addition of hydrogen
necessary to maintain the correct hydrogen pressure within the generator.

1.8.20906
6 2
 Figure 4, Amount of Gas to Maintain Purity in Generator, shows that an inflow of 1 cu. ft. of air will re-
quire the addition of 24 cu. ft. of hydrogen to maintain the purity at 95%, and 10 cu. ft., of hydrogen to maintain
the purity at 90%. Figure 2, Relative Densities of Hydrogen-Air Mixtures, show that for 95% purity the uncompensated
density meter will read approximately as follows:

Uncompensated
Gas Pressure Density Meter Reading

30 psig 37
45 psig 47
60 psig 59

The purity meter reading will not change with a change in gas pressure.

A5. Removing Hydrogen from the Generator Housing

For this operation carbon dioxide is introduced at the bottom of the housing as a scavenging gas and hydrogen
is driven out at the top. Sufficient carbon dioxide should be introduced to reduce the hydrogen content of the gas
mixture in the housing to 5%. Carbon dioxide should be added with the unit at standstill or on turning gear, two vol-
umes being required for scavenging. When adding carbon dioxide the purity meter should be connected with the top
of the generator housing and should read approximately 95% carbon dioxide after the carbon dioxide has reached the
required concentration. After the hydrogen has been driven out of the generator housing, it may be opened, and the
seal oil pressure may be turned off. Hand holes in each end of the generator frame should be opened and a fan di-
rected into the opening at one end to drive out the carbon dioxide. This precaution is suggested to prevent the breath-
ing of carbon dioxide which might occur if an immediate visual inspection were made through a hand hole. It is not
recommended that permanent air connections for purposes of purging the carbon dioxide or hydrogen should ever
be used, because of the danger of careless admission of air into hydrogen and the possibility of creating an explosive
mixture.

B. DETAILED PURGING INSTRUCTIONS

B1. Replacing Air with C02

B1a. In the following discussions, refer to the Gas Diagram underTab 7. Before purging is begun, the following
items should be carefully checked.

1. Make certain that normal seal oil pressure is established at the gland seals.

2. Be sure that the purity meter system is operating correctly as outlined in this section of the book under
"Maintenance and Inspection of the Hydrogen Gas System."

3. Be sure that the purity meter blower is running and that power and/or air supplies to the hydrogen panel
have been turned on.

4. Check to see that a sufficient quantity of hydrogen and carbon dioxide is available.

B1b. Connect the purity meter sampling lines to the top manifold opening valves, #2 and #4 and closing valves
#1 and #3.

B1c. Connect the vent to the top manifold by opening valve #7 and closing valve #6.

B1d. Isolate the hydrogen supply by closing valve #8 and/or #50.

B1e. Connect the CO 2 supply to the bottom manifold by opening valve #5.

LB. 20906
2 7
 B1f. Recheck valves #40, #41, and #42 in the hydrogen panel to be sure that valve #40 is closed and valves
#41 and #42 are open.
(
B1g. Admit C02 to the generator through valve #60. Do not allow machine pressure to exceed 3 psig during
the time CO 2 is being admitted. The valves in the CO 2 supply, including valve #60, should be opened
wide to prevent the valves from freezing. Observe the frost line on the CO 2 feed line to see that it disap-
pears at least ten feet from the point at which the C02 feed line enters the generator. Observe the purity
meter indication as the CO 2 is being admitted. When one and one-half machine volumes have been put
into the generator, the purity meter should read approximately 93% CO 2 , Continue to admit CO 2 until
the purity meter indicates 95% CO 2 ,

B1h. Close valves in the CO 2 supply and then close valve #60. Close valve #5.

B2. Replacing C02 with Hydrogen

B2a. Connect vent to bottom manifold by opening valve #6 and closing valve #7.

B2b. Connect purity meter sampling lines to the bottom by opening valves # 1 and #3 and by closing valves
#2 and #4.

B2c. The hydrogen supply to the pressure control manifold should be between 90 and 100 psig. Open valves
#8 and #50.

B2d. Admit hydrogen either by opening valve #52 or by using the regulator on the hydrogen pressure control
manifold. The generator gas pressure should not be allowed to exceed 3 to 5 psig during this operation.
Continue to admit hydrogen until the purity meter indicates at least 95% hydrogen purity. This will re-
quire approximately 2-1/2 machine volumes.

B2e. When the desired purity level has been reached, close valve #6. The machine pressure will then start to in-
(
crease. For each 15 psig increase in gas pressure, one machine volume of gas will be required. Refer to the
facing sheet of this instruction book for the machine volume.

B2f. The pressure regulator on the hydrogen pressure control manifold may be set for the desired machine gas
pressure as follows: Close valve #50, #52 and #53. Turn the "T" handle of the regulator full counter-
clockwise. Open valve #51 to allow the manifold pressure to go to zero. Close valve #51. Open valve #53.
Set the desired pressure by turning the "T" handle of the regulator clockwise while observing the pressure
gauge on the generator side of the pressure regulator. Open valve #50. The regulator will now allow hy-
drogen to flow into the generator until the set pressure has been reached.

B3. Replacing Hydrogen with CO 2

B3a. Connect the purity meter sampling lines to the top manifold by opening valves #2 and #4 and closing
valves # 1 and # 3.

B3b. Close off hydrogen feed by closing valve #8 and #50 and removing the removable link of pipe in the hy-
drogen feed line.

B3c. Connect the CO 2 feed to the bottom of the generator by opening valve #5 and closing valve #6.

B3d. Connect the vent to the top manifold by opening valve #7. Hydrogen will now escape to the vent thru
the vent line and .valve #7.

B3e. Admit CO 2 to the generator thru valve #60. Do not allow machine pressure to exceed 3to 5 p.sig during
the time CO 2 is being admitted. The valves in the CO 2 supply, including valve #60, should be opened
wide to prevent the valves from freezing. Observe the frost line on the CO 2 feed line to see that it disap-
(
pears at least ten feet from the point at which the CO 2 feed line enters the generator. Observe the purity

LB. 20906
8 2
 meter indication as the CO 2 is being admitted. When the purity meter indicates 95% CO 2 purity, the
CO 2 may be shut off by closing the valves in the CO 2 supply first, then closing valves #60 and #5. Ap-
proximately two volumes of CO 2 are required to give 95% purity at CO 2 ,

B4. Replacing CO 2 with Air

B4a. The seal oil pressure may be turned off providing the shaft is not turning.

B4b. Remove the manhole cover at each end of the generator. As soon as the covers have been removed, take
a gas sample with a gas analyzer. After the covers are removed, wait at least one hour before placing a
non-sparking fan at one end of the generator to drive out the carbon dioxide. Open all water detector
drains.

B4c. Ventilate for several hours after removing manhole covers before crawling into the generator.

B4d. When replacing the manhole covers, do not forget to close the water detector drains.

C. DETERMINATION OF GAS PURITY

C1. From the Purity Indicating Transmitter

Machine gas purity is determined in normal circumstances by direct reading of the purity meter. Valves in the
purity meter circulating lines permit sampling from the top or bottom of the generator housing as required. During
normal operation the sample should be taken from the bottom.

The pressure head developed across the purity meter blower is directly proportional to the density of the
gas passing thru the blower. Connections from the high and low pressure sides of the-blower are taken to the purity
meter. The purity meter is a differential pressure instrument which converts the pressure head to a reading on a scale.
A pressure compensating device incorporated in the purity meter allows calibration of the scale directly in terms of
machine gas purity.

With atmospheric pressure in the machine the density of hydrogen-carbon dioxide and air-carbon dioxide
mixtures as read on the upper scale may be converted to volumetric analysis by use of Figure 1. The percent by vol-
ume of hydrogen in hydrogen-air mixtures at pressures ranging from atmospheric to 60 psig is obtained from the
density reading by use of Figure 2. This affords a check on the purity scale reading.

C2. From the Blower Pressure Gauge

Generator blower pressure is indicated by a differential pressure gauge in the hydrogen control cubicle. The
blower pressure gauge may be used to check the purity meter since both gauges operate on the same principle. If the
purity meter is out of service and the generator is running at rated speed the machine gas purity may be obtained as
described below.

The readings of the blower pressure gauge and the upper (density) scale of the purity meter are both propor-
tional to machine gas density. They are therefore proportional to each other for the same hot gas temperature. The
constant of proportionality may be obtained by direct measurement at a number of typical hot gas temperatures.
Thereafter for a given hot gas temperature either gauge readings may be transferred to the other gauge reading by
multiplying or dividing by this constant as the case may be:

Density = Blower Pressure x constant

Blower Pressure = Density/constant

Since a straight line relationship exists between the upper scale (density) of the purity meter and the Blower
Pressure readings, a chart may readily be prepared. Figure 6 is provided for this purpose. A series of straight lines will

LB. 20906
2 9
go through 0-0 and some other point for a given hot gas temperature. These curves may be obtained when the purity
meter and the blower pressure instrument are both operating. The hydrogen purity may be obtained from Figure 2.
(
C3. Using Portable Equipment

Gas purity may be checked with portable instruments. Oxygen and carbon dioxide content may also be de-
termined by means of the standard Orsat"apparatus.

D. NORMAL OPERATING PURITY

During normal operation of the generator with both the airside and the hydrogen side seal oil pumps in op-
eration, the hydrogen purity should be maintained at 95% or greater. If the unit is being operated with the hydrogen
side seal oil pump shut down, the hydrogen purity should be maintained at 90% to avoid excessive use of hydrogen.

E. POSSIBLE CAUSES OF LOW PURITY

If difficulty is experienced in maintaining the purity at 95% or greater during normal operation, the probable
cause is one of the following:

1. Incorrect setting of the pressure equalizing valves.

2. Malfunctioning of the hydrogen side drain regulator.

Refer to Seal Oil Diagram under Tab 7.

The pressure equalizing valves, #210 and #217, should maintain the hydrogen side seal oil pressure within
± 2" of water of the air side seal oil pressure. If one or both of these valves are not operating correctly, air may be in-
(
troduced into the generator thru the air side seal oil. To correct the trouble, the valves should be adjusted as described
in the section of this book under Maintenance and Inspection of the Seal Oil System.

Float valves, #231 and #232, maintain the oil level in the hydrogen side drain regulator within certain limits.
However, if valve #232 does not seal off tight when the oil level rises, air side oil is forced into the tank. The level is
maintained since valve #231 opens when the oil level is too high and allows the extra oil to be forced into the loop
seal. The operation of these valves may be checked as outlined in the section of this book under Maintenance and
Inspection of the Seal Oil System.

F. HYDROGEN PRESSURE

Hydrogen pressure within the generator frame is indicated by the hydrogen pressure gauge in the hydrogen
panel and by means of a remotely mounted receiver gauge.

G. GAS DRYER

The gas dryer is connected across a high and low pressure zone in the ventilating circuit of the generator.
This causes gas to be circulated thru the dryer when the unit is running. The dryer is filled with activated alumina
which will absorb moisture from the gas as it passes through the dryer. The action of the dryer provides an effective
control of the relative humidity within the generator and it is unnecessary to monitor or otherwise control the rela-
tive humidity. The dryer should be reactivated according to the instructions given in this section of the book under
Inspection and Maintenance.

I.B.20906
10 2
 H. HYDROGEN GAS SYSTEM ALARMS

The alarms associated with the hydrogen gas system alert the operator to off-normal conditions. The func-
tions and settings of these alarms are given in the section of this book entitled The Signal System.

1.8.20906
2 11
( \

( I

( )
 PER CENT AIR (BY VOLUME)
o 20 ~O 60 80 100

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o 2 3 5 6
Machine Volumes of Gas Required for Desired Purity

R-951A Amount of Gas to Fill Generator FIG. 3

(

(
 ,·R=Ratio Hydrogen Inflow 99~ pure
Air I nf low
;

- AP
100-1.0IP
Where A=Ra te of Air Inflow
,-_. P=Hydrogen purity in pe r cent ( By Volume)-
_. - .'-- " . ...

100

90 m
80
:lI=
0
.....
.....
z;
70 it II
cc:

-
et

:lI=
0
.....
60

mm
.....
z:;
50
z:;
LlJ
Cl'
0
llI:: 11-0
Q
>-
:c
0
30
l-
et
llI::
II
llI::
20 I

....
10

I
- . .
90 92 911- 96 98 100
HYI} R0 GE·N PUR I TV - 'fa

R-959 Amount of Gas to Maintain Purity in Generator FIG. 4

( )

( I .
 -

IIJ.O

120
I

~=
100

's'l:.
0
0
I
et:: 80
<C
>-
‫ן‬-

m
I

:z:
LU
m
Q

I-
:z:
LU 60
(.)

et::
LU
0.. I I I

ill ~
IJ.O I I

20 :

R++
I I

o
20 IJ.O 60 80 100 INCHES OF H20
50 100 150 200 250 CENTIMETERS
OF H20

GENERATOR BLOWER PRESSURE

R-2291A Calibration Curve for Blower Pressure Gauge FIG. 5