Unit 4

Maintenance of Electrical Machines

& Transmission lines
 Rotating machines
• Physical or mechanical wear and tear
– Physical damage, shaft displacement (shape out)
• Electrical wear and tear
– Winding insulation failure, sparking and burns
• Requirements for less maintenance
– Operate machines at rated values
– Preventive inspection
– Scheduled cleaning
– Proper knowledge about faults and failures
– Use of proper lubrication
 DC Machines
• Yoke / frame
• Poles
• Field winding
• Brush holder, spring and brush
• Armature body
• Armature winding
• Commutator
• Commutator segments
• Classification of Faults
• Division based on type of part
– Stationary parts
• Yoke, body, frame, stator etc
– Rotating parts
• Rotor and accessories
• Faults
– Electrical
– Magnetic
– Mechanical
• Electrical fault
– coils, windings, insulation
• Magnetic faults
– Poles, stator or armature core, rotor core
• Mechanical faults
– Bearing faults in lubrication
– Shaft faults
– End plates
– Yoke or frame
– Brushes
• Electrical faults
– Insulation faults : physical damage, heavy loading,
Ageing, maintenance faults (damage during drying
and overheated), flaking of insulation, contraction
and expansion of insulation (bad quality), Hard
insulation material can cause physical damage and
moisture can seep in.
– These may cause short-circuit between coil turns,
coil to coil, coil to earth etc.
– Conductor (winding) faults : winding breakage,
loose connections, terminal breakage, overheating
etc
• Magnetic faults
– Core heating and temperature rise (properties
change)
– Lamination faults like shortcircuit (cause heating)
– Lamination insulation failure
– Lamination bolts insulation failure
– Core heating may cause winding failure or winding
insulation failure
• Mechanical faults
– Lubrication and bearing faults :
• quality of lubricant,
• bearing burns,
• bearing heat may increase the temperature of the
whole machine
• Normally lubrication oil smells differently in this case
and can be identified so.
• Normally they are due to improper overhauling of
bearings
• Frequent cleaning of bearings, changing lubricant and
temperature checking of lubricant
• Mechanical faults
– End plate faults : misaligned, displaced
– Air circulation and cooling : during overheating, a
proper cooling arrangement is needed
– Mechanical parts failure
• Misalignment of rotating parts and wear and tear due
to that
• Misalignment between rotor and stator which disturbs
flux distribution in the air gap
• Uneven weight distribution due to misalignment
• Shaft misalignment and displacement, wear and tear in
shaft
• Mechanical faults
– Brush arrangement fault
• Brush contact failure – due to wear and tear
• Sparking at brush contacts
– Brush holder and slip ring misalignment
– Low quality brush material
– Brush wear and tear
– Brush holder or brush bedding improper
– Brush length improper
– Failure of brush spring
– Dirty slip rings or brush contacts
– Eccentricity in rotating parts
– Overloading on machine
• Causes of Sparking in DC machines
– Improper contact between commutator and brush
• Worn brushes, clogged brush holder, insufficient spring
pressure, improper shape of brush, dirty commutator,
eccentricity
– Open circuit in armature winding
– Wrong interpole polarity
– Short circuit faults in windings
– Brush misalignment
– High or low segments in commutator
– Opening of mica between segments
 Why DC generators fail to excite?
• Failed magnetism in poles
• Failed residual magnetism
• Unavailability of residual voltage
• Reverse field connections
• Check if field resistance is less than critical
resistance values or not
• Open field circuit
• Check if speed is greater than critical speed or
not
 DHA
• Ampere-hour efficiency Vs Watt-hour
efficiency of batteries
• Constant current Vs constant voltage charging
methods
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
Induction Motor
1-ph Induction Motor
1-ph Induction Motor
Alternator
Alternator
Alternator
Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• Bare conductors
• Insulators
• Cross arms
• Pole structures
– Wooden (obsolete)
– RCC towers (LV distribution)
– Steel towers (HV transmission)
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• General inspection – patrolling from ground

• Inspection by climbing on to the pole

• Specific inspection

• Emergency inspection
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• General inspection – patrolling from ground
– Frequency less than 3 months
– Inspection report is prepared which is sent to
maintenance department
– Verify following things with poles
• Bent poles
• Misalignment of Cross arms / earth wire supports
• Earth slide near the basement of pole
• Cracks or breakage in pole above ground level
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• General inspection – patrolling from ground
– Verify following with the conductors and earth
wires
• Some unwanted objects stuck in the conductors like
kites, polythene, cloth etc.
• More or less sag in conductors
• Improper clearance between conductor lines
• Clamps, jumpers and conductors (on insulators)
loosening
• Improper clearance with other lines like telephone,
communication, cable (dish) etc.
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• General inspection – patrolling from ground
– Verify the following with insulators
• Breakage in porcelain or insulting material
• Burnt or fused(blackened) insulators
• Dusty or dirty insulators
– Miscellaneous issues
• Verify if trees (branches) near the lines are falling on
the lines
• Verify bird nests are there
• Some construction work is going on or planned, if any
• Loosening of jumpers
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• Inspection by climbing on to the pole
– Replace or repair defective clamp, sleeve and
connectors
– Check and replace proper tightening nut-bolts if
missing
– Check symptoms of overheating visually
– Loose binding of conductor on insulator and repair
– Verify lightening arrester and repair
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance

– Special Inspection
• This is done after some natural calamities like, floods,
cyclones
• After effects of the disasters are calculated and relevant
remedial actions to be taken
• This is done both by ground inspection and on the top
inspection
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance

– Emergency Inspection
• While Frequent breakdowns, tripping
• Non-uniform sag
• Bird trap in lines
• Short circuit due to trees
• This inspection is done only after taking prior shutdown
permission from higher authorities
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• Line faults
• Breakdown of line
– Earth fault / short circuit
» Due to heavy storms and cyclones, due to short circuit and
possible sparks in conductors line may break
– Transformer fault
» Overload (villages), overvoltage, dampness due to which line
may break
– Conductor breakage
» Bird faults, tree faults, storm and rain, physical damage may
break the line
– Insulator breakdown
» Tree faults on insulators, lightening and surge voltage may
puncture the insulation and then causing short circuit such
that line may break
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• General faults
• Twig fault : mainly due to trees, when trees move due to
heavy storms and they come in contact with the line, there is
a possibility that lines come in contact with each other
causing short circuit faults
• Fuse blow : over loading or short circuit
• Cross arm bending : due to loose nut-bolts, due to short
circuit between lines a mechanical force is exerted on cross
arm
• Pole bending : natural disasters, soil corrosion under the
base of pole
• Current leakage : due to puncture in insulator, current may
leak through pole to stay wire (prone to shock to labour)
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• Maintenance of support structures (to increase life)
– Rectify if there is any bend poles / structures
– Discoloration of support structures and paint appropriately
– Steel corrosion/rusting part of the pole inside the soil.
Clean it and paint with anti-rust coating
– Verify the basement of pole, if it has any cracks or
dislodged, repair it
– Inspect the stay wire properly
– Verify Corrosion of earth wire supports and earth
connections
– Verify cross arm structure
– Verify if there are sign boards on 11kV or higher line poles
 Overhead transmission lines -
Maintenance
• Maintenance of Steel support structures (to
increase life)
– Pole and pole components are coated by rust free
paint every 5-6 years
– Zinc coating in Iron and steel fittings on the pole
• Hot-dip galvanized coating: wash and clean fittings using
caustic soda such that any dirt o unwanted material doesn’t
stay on it. Taking a tank with hot molten zinc and then dip
the fittings in molten zinc. 10 years of life
• Sherardizing : after cleaning fittings, take a container and
place the fittings along with zinc powder and heat it. Life of
this type of coating is less than the aboe
• Cadmiium-zinc coating on pole and pole fittings
 Under ground cables
• Insulation breakdown between cables
• Sheath insulation breakdown
• Insulation breakdown between terminal boxes
and sleeve joints
• Causes for cable faults
– Manufacturing defect
– Least grade cable impregnating compound
– Terminal box faults
– Ground faults
– Short circuit faults
– Open circuit faults
 Under ground cables
• First nature of fault is determined and then point of
fault is located
• For finding nature of fault, insulation resistance of each
core to ground and between cores is measured with
megger
• Low value between core and ground indicate ground
fault
• Low value between core to core indicates short circuit
fault
• For open circuit far end of cable is earthed and a low
voltage supply is given to other end with ammeter in
series to cable. Zero deflection shows open circuit fault
 Circuit breakers
• Characteristics of good circuit breaker
– Normal rated current and short circuit current
both should be safely cut down
– It should break without overheating or damage
– It should act fast to disconnect the faulty line
– It should be able to discriminate between healthy
line and faulty line and disconnect the faulty one
– It should not respond to minute over current
faults (short term/surge/spikes)
 Circuit breakers
• Types of good circuit breaker
– LV Air CB
– HV Air CB
– Oil CB
– Air CB
– Vaccum CB
– SF6 CB
– MCCB (Moulded case CB)
– Single pole CB
 Circuit breakers – Faults
• Contactors wear and tear
• Insulation faults
• Damage in arc quenching equipment
• Overheating of components
• Non-movement of contactors
• Breaker trips after breaking
• Fumes from oil
Circuit breakers – Faults
Circuit breakers – Faults
 Insulating oil
• Two main functions
– Physical function is dissipation of heat generated
during operation. Oil of correct viscosity,
resistance to oxidation, resistance to formation of
sludges and acids
– Electrical function is that of a dielectric – as
insulator between two conductors or two
potential points
 Insulating oil
• Characteristics of oil
– Good resistance to electrical stress
• High dielectric strength
• High gas absorption
– Good dielectric properties
• Minimum power loss
• High specific resistance
– Excellent oxidation and thermal stability
• For long service life
– Low viscosity
• Facilitates fast removal of heat
– Low volatility
• Reduce evaporation losses and minimize fire hazards
– Wax free
• Eliminates solidification at lower temperatures