Water Contamination in Hydrogen

Hydrogen-Cooled
Cooled
Generators Lurks as Serious Operational Threat
MELISSA KOLODZIEJ
8.1.2003
By: Ed Borkey, Fluid Energy and Troy Reynolds, Progress Energy

Water contamination in hydrogen gas can lead to significant problems in hydrogen-cooled

hydrogen
generators, including electrical arcing and winding failures
failures.. The phenomenon of how water
is introduced into generators, however, is not well understood
understood,, nor is the proper
instrumentation normally in place to alert operators to a potential problem. The focus of this
paper is to share facts and field observations from more than 80 hydrogen coolant dryers
and associated instrumentation, which shows that water contamination may be more
prevalent than is commonly thought.

The Need for Pure Hydro

Hydrogen
Hydrogen gas is used as a coolant for electric generators for two reasons. First,
First it has the
best heat transfer properties of any gas, with a specific heat of 3.4 Btu/lb
Btu/lb-F
F at standard
conditions. On a mass basis, this makes it more than 14 times more e
efficient
fficient than dry air
for removing heat. Second, it has the lowest atomic weight of any known gas, which keeps
wind resistance losses within generators to a minimum
minimum.. In other words, the wind resistance
to generator rotors turning at
3600 rpm is reduced when
whe
using hydrogen gas rather than
other gases as a cooling
medium.
Most generators in use at coal-
coal
fired and combustion turbine
plants are two-pole
pole units,
meaning that they turn at 3600
rpm. Nuclear plant generators
typically are four-pole
four units,
which means they turn at 1800
rpm. In either case,, it is important to keep pure hydrogen in the generator case to keep
overall efficiency high.
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Because air is 14.4 times more dense than hydrogen and water is 8.9 times more dense, it
is important to keep these impur
impurities
ities out of generators to keep wind resistance losses to a
minimum. For example, on an 800 MW generator, a 2 percent decrease in purity due to
water contamination can cost a utility more than $300,000 per year in power sales. This is
because frictional losses
sses of the hydrogen coolant within generators increase as the density
of the coolant increases (Figure 1).

It is also commonly understood that excessive water contamination in hydrogen-cooled

hydrogen
generators negatively affects component life. High relative hum
humidity
idity induces stress corrosion
cracking on generator retaining rings manufactured from the steel alloy, 18Mn-5Cr.
18Mn There is
also evidence that newer retaining rings made of 18Mn
18Mn-18Cr
18Cr are susceptible to stress
corrosion cracking. Replacing these generator re
retaining
taining rings can cost more than $1 million
on larger generators.

Water contamination in hydrogen gas also contributes to lead carbonate deposits, which
form as a result of water and carbon dioxide reacting with lead and acid flux within
generators. Lead carbonate
arbonate is a conductive and porous material that can trap moisture,
leading to electrical arcing and failure of generator windings.

Hydrogen Dryers
Drying systems based on internally heated regenerative dryers are commonly used to
remove moisture from hydrogen gas. Such systems typically consist of a coalescing pre- pre
filter, a loose bed carbon adsorber, a regenerative dryer, an after filter, and a blower
(Figure 2).

As with all desiccant dryers, it is

important to keep oil and liquid
water out of the desiccant beds.
Liquid water can disable a
desiccant bed; however, water
can be regenerated so that the
desiccant can be used again.
Conversely, turbine oil
contamination from the
generator will coat the desiccant
and ruin it so that it cannot be

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regenerated. When turbine oil contamination occurs, the only solution is to replace the
desiccant.

A desiccant dryer is only as effective as its ability to regenerate itself. As one vessel is
drying the hydrogen gas, the other vessel regenerates itself by energizing the heaters
within each desiccant chamber and by purging a small amount of hydrogen gas across the
desiccant to carry the moisture, and potentially other contaminants, out of the system.
Depending on ambient temperature and the amount of water being removed from the
generator, varying amounts of liquid water can condense in the purge exhaust drain line.
This drain location is an excellent place to gauge the effectiveness of the hydrogen dryer. By
measuring the amount of condensate at this location over time, it is possible to accurately
calculate the amount of water contamination within a generator. Moreover, this calculation
is conservative because the purge gas carries additional water out of the system in a vapor
state that does not condense into the purge exhaust drain location.

All desiccant materials are abrasive and create dust over time. To keep desiccant fines from
being introduced into the generator, a particulate after filter is used. The final component in
the hydrogen drying system is a positive displacement, rotary lobe blower that continually
circulates about 10 actual cubic feet per minute through the dryer system. This blower is
necessary to overcome pressure drop associated with the dryer, filtration system, and
piping.

Water Entry
The water content in turbine oil has a huge effect on generator dew point. The alarm point
for many utilities is 500 ppmw of water in turbine oil. When water content in turbine oil
reaches these high limits, it also creates high dew points in generators, and it does not all
occur by oil infiltration into the generator.

Turbine oil pressure is usually kept 10 psi lower than hydrogen gas pressure to keep oil
carryover at a minimum. As hydrogen leaks out of the seals, a flow path is created for water
vapor to enter the generator. This can be explained by water vapor seeking equilibrium. In
other words, the partial pressure of water vapor in the turbine oil is greater than in the
generator. As water vapor seeks equilibrium, water vapor enters the generator, even
though the hydrogen gas is at a higher pressure. This can be further understood by
studying Fick’s Law of thermodynamics that addresses diffusion of gas molecules.

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Experience has shown that when water in turbine oil reaches 100-150 ppmw, one to two
quarts of water are routinely purged out of the dryer vent line in a 24-hour period. In other
words, this is the amount of water that existed in the generator in a vapor state. As
discussed above, there is an additional amount of water vapor that is carried out in a vapor
state that is not part of this measurement. When water content of the turbine oil
approaches 500 ppmw, one to two gallons of water are routinely drained from the dryer
vent line each day.

New 150 MW GE generators that have been recently supplied for gas turbine power plants
have an internal volume of 2250 ft3. One gallon of water removed from this generator each
day equates to 8.3 lb of water. With a specific volume of water of 21.06 ft3/lb at standard
conditions, 8.3 lb of water consumes 174.8 ft3 of space in the generator. If this is the only
contaminant, the purity is 92.2 percent by volume.

Continuing with this example, 8.3 pounds of water equals 58,100 grains of water. Spread
uniformly through this same generator, this corresponds to 25.8 grains/ft3. The resulting
dew point would be approximately 106 F. This would undoubtedly create a saturated
environment including liquid water in the generator. However, based on extensive analysis
of more than 80 hydrogen drying systems, the authors have observed a generator dew
point of greater than 100 F on only one occasion. In that case, the excessive dew point was
primarily due to a cooler leak on a water-cooled generator. Therefore, when more than one
gallon of water is removed from a generator in a given day, water must be continually
added to the generator through the seals as described above.

Hydrogen Purity Analyzers Can Mislead

Because hydrogen has the potential to be explosive when mixed with oxygen, it is important
to know the purity of the hydrogen gas in air during generator operation or in a stand-by
mode. Hydrogen gas analyzers are calibrated to display the purity of air in hydrogen during
generator operation. If a given purity analyzer displays 98 percent pure hydrogen, the
analyzer assumes that 2 percent of the gas is air. In fact, the impurity can be a combination
of air, carbon dioxide, water, and oil vapor. When the impurities are other than air, there is
an element of inaccuracy introduced to the analyzer output.

If the carbon dioxide has been thoroughly purged from the generator prior to operation, the
likely contaminants then include air, water, and oil vapor. Many hydrogen purity analyzers
also include dryers upstream to remove water and oil vapor prior to entering the hydrogen
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purity analyzer. In these instances, it is more likely that the impurities measured by the
analyzer are indeed air.

Operators of hydrogen-cooled generators need to be aware that just because hydrogen

purity may display a high reading, this does not mean that the generator is dry. The dryers
installed upstream of generator gas analyzers eliminate water as a contaminant and a
potential signal of impurity.

As an example, dew point measurements taken at many gas turbine sites over the last
several years revealed high purity readings on the purity analyzers that did not coincide
with the measured dew points. Typical dew points ranged from +20°F to +70°F, while the
purity analyzers usually showed 99 percent and higher. Further investigation of the purity
analyzers, and discovery of the upstream dryers, explained the discrepancy.

This can be a particular problem on generators used for peak load conditions. Some
generators are equipped with internal electric heaters to keep relative humidity of the
hydrogen coolant low, but many utilities are reluctant to operate these heaters for safety
reasons.
Generators that are not running and exposed to ambient temperatures are more susceptible
to high humidity environments than generators in operation. For example, if a stand-by
generator has a hydrogen coolant dew point of 40 F and the ambient temperature is 80 F,
the relative humidity is 25 percent within the generator. As ambient temperature drops at
night or during cooler seasons, relative humidity increases. In this example, if ambient
temperature falls to 40 F, saturated conditions prevail. As cooling continues below 40 F,
liquid water condenses into a liquid and may potentially freeze if temperatures fall below 32
F.

Mathematically, a 63 F dew point in a generator corresponds to 2 percent impurity by

volume. As discussed above, it is unlikely that this impurity would be accurately displayed
on a generator gas analyzer or purity meter. For a new 150 MW GE generator, this 63 F dew
point corresponds to one quart of water in the generator. The interesting fact to note is
that, in this example, it takes only one quart of water in the generator to create 2 percent of
impurity and a high humidity environment.

Possible Solutions
One alternative to installing a hydrogen drying and circulation system is to continue the
common practice of “bleed and feed” of hydrogen gas into generators. When hydrogen

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purity decreases, contaminated hydrogen is vented from generators and replaced with pure
cryogenic hydrogen. The problem with this approach is that operat
operators
ors typically are unaware
when high humidity environments exist within generators. Remember that to ensure
accuracy, hydrogen gas analyzers need to be kept free of contaminants like oil and water.
Drying and filtration devices used upstream of these instru
instruments
ments help ensure that the
impurity being displayed is air.

The “bleed and feed” approach could also be used if dew point or humidity were known
within the generators. However, utilities rarely have hygrometers installed on generators,
and are often reluctant
tant to install hygrometers because of the potential for sensor
contamination. When operators question
the accuracy of instruments, action is
rarely taken based on the output
provided.

The optimum solution is to install

hydrogen-drying
drying systems as shown in
Figure 3. With this approach, water is
removed from generators 24 hours per
day. Because of the filtration used on
these systems, it is now possible to
measure both generator and dryer dew
point, and alert operators to potential
problems.

From a financial perspective, the cost to

install hydrogen drying systems ranges
from $60,000 to $100,000. The variance
depends somewhat on equipment options
selected on the drying system, but mostly
on the varying costs of installation.
Consideration must be given to the hydrogen piping into and out of generators, the
availability of power, and location of the systems. In any case, the relative low cost of
installing these systems versus the high cost of generator downtime, replacing expensive
generator components, and inc
increased
reased wind resistance losses, makes installing hydrogen
drying systems a sound investment.

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