11/27/2017 Hydrogen safety for large turbo-generators - Energy-Tech Magazine: Plant Maintenance & Equipment

Posted: Thursday, May 1, 2014 12:00 am

By Steve Kilmartin, E/One Utility Systems

The need for hydrogen

Central power stations have been producing electric power and supplying it to a customer base since the early 1880s. As the
demand for power increased, so did the physical size of air cooled electric generators more megawatts required more iron. In the
early 1930s, it became apparent that a better method of cooling these large turbo generators was required and the first hydrogen
cooled generator was introduced.

Hydrogen replaced air as a cooling agent principally because of its low density and superior cooling properties. Hydrogen is the
lightest known gas and has the lowest density of any stable gas. Because hydrogen is one quarter the density of air, wind
resistant losses are greatly reduced and efficiencies are gained. Hydrogen also has a thermal conductivity of nearly 7x that of air,
resulting in much better heat transfer through forced convention. (Table 1)

Using hydrogen as a cooling medium has additional benefits. Because the generator case is a sealed pressure vessel, the
internal components are less likely to be affected by outside contaminants. Also, pressurized hydrogen will suppress partial
discharge and increase the amount of voltage required to cause a component breakdown.

When used properly, hydrogen is 14x more efficient than air in removing heat and greatly reduces windage friction losses.
However, a mixture of hydrogen in air of between 5 percent and 75 percent becomes very explosive. Also, the generator efficiency
is reduced as the purity of the hydrogen drops. To ensure safe and efficient operation of the generator, the hydrogen purity should
be maintained above 97 percent.

From bottle to case

The safe operation of hydrogen cooled generators requires proper practices be followed in order to minimize the chances of
hydrogen and air ever mixing. The key to safe operation is to never allow a flammable mixture to exist, prevent hydrogen leaks
and to eliminate the possible potential sources of ignition.

Three different gases are required to maintain and operate hydrogen cooled generators. The generator will be filled with air during
maintenance; an inert gas is used as an intermediate gas so that air and hydrogen do not mix; and hydrogen is used during
normal operation.

The air used must be clean and dry and typically comes from the power plants instrument air supply system. Some plants will
install an air dryer between the plant instrument air supply and the generator to ensure a clean, dry air supply.

The inert gas used to prevent the mixture of hydrogen and air has traditionally been carbon dioxide (CO2); however, some power
plants and OEMs are now using nitrogen or argon. If CO2 is used as the intermediate gas, care should be taken to minimize the
chances of freezing and thermal shock to the generator. Some utilities will incorporate a CO2 vaporizer, which prevents the
CO2 from freezing. Having a sufficient amount of CO2 available on site is very important in order to purge every generator, should
a situation require emergency purging of each generator.

Pure, dry hydrogen (H2) is used during normal operation of the generator. Whether the H2 comes from bottles, bulk tank or an on-
site hydrogen generator, the H2 should be 99.997 percent pure with a dew point of less than -10C.

A gas manifold system controls the flow of gases from the bulk supplies to the generator case. (Figure 2) The manifold also vents
gases from the generator. Most gas manifolds incorporate a mechanical system that prevents hydrogen and air from being
supplied to the generator at the same time.

Gassing and degassing

After maintenance, the generator case will be filled with air. One of the last tasks performed, prior to gassing the generator, is
performing a leak test using pressurized air. During this test it is important to include as much of the generator gas system as
possible to ensure that the auxiliary systems also are free from leaks. Because hydrogen is much more difficult to contain vs. air,
checking for leaks after admitting hydrogen into the generator is important. If a standard operating procedure (SOP) specifically for
checking for hydrogen leaks is not available, one should be created.

As mentioned, the generator will be filled with air after maintenance and ensuring that the air is completely removed prior to filling
with hydrogen is critical. This is accomplished by replacing the air with an inert gas.

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11/27/2017 Hydrogen safety for large turbo-generators - Energy-Tech Magazine: Plant Maintenance & Equipment

There are two gas distribution pipes, called headers, within the generator. One header is located at the top of the generator and
one header is located at the bottom of the generator. For the procedure described in this article, the top header will be used for the
admission of hydrogen and air and the bottom header will be used for the admission of carbon dioxide. Depending on the header
that is being used to admit gas, the other header will be used for a vent.

To remove air from the generator case, the top header is open to vent and the bottom header is connected to the carbon dioxide
supply. Carbon dioxide is slowly admitted into the generator case in order to maintain a blanket between the heavier carbon
dioxide gas and lighter air. Once the air has been completely removed from the generator case, the bottom header is connected to
vent and the top header is connected to the hydrogen supply. Hydrogen is then admitted slowly into the generator case in order to
maintain the blanket between the heavier carbon dioxide gas and lighter hydrogen. The gassing process is now complete and the
generator is ready for operation.

Hydrogen seals

The hydrogen seals are two of the most critical components to contain the hydrogen in the generator case and keep air out of the
generator case. One seal is on the exciter end of the generator and one is on the turbine end. Each seal uses pressurized oil to
create a seal between the generator enclosure and the rotating field. The seal oil for an auxiliary skid is supplied at a higher
pressure than the hydrogen case pressure to ensure the oil flows in the direction of the generator case. A labyrinth seal prevents
oil from entering the generator. A crucial component in the seal oil system is the differential pressure regulator, which maintains
the proper differential pressure between the seal oil pressure and hydrogen case pressure. Properly operating seal oil systems will
help prevent the possibility of an explosive mixture of hydrogen and air from occurring inside the generator case.

Safe generator operation

When proper procedures are followed, hydrogen-cooled synchronous electric generators are generally reliable and safe.
However, not following standard operating procedures (SOP) can lead to catastrophic results. Recent events illustrate that not
following SOPs results in extensive damage to the plant, equipment and loss of life.

All generators are equipped with instrumentation to monitor vital signs such as voltage, amperage, vars, temperature and
vibrations. On the hydrogen system, monitoring case pressure, fan differential pressure, hydrogen supply pressure, carbon
dioxide supply pressure, hydrogen purity, dew point and overheating are common. It is important to note that any instrumentation
used in a hydrogen environment, also referred to as a hazardous area, should be third party certified to be used in such an
environment. Case pressure and hydrogen purity are critical measurements to assist in the safe operation of the generator. It also
is very important to accurately monitor hydrogen usage, which might be accomplished using a mass flow transmitter installed in
the hydrogen supply line or by monitoring the number of bottles of hydrogen used daily. Hydrogen usage will be a key indicator
should a hydrogen leak develop.

As noted, when the purity of hydrogen drops below 74 percent and the contaminating gas is air, the mixture is very explosive.
Hydrogen purity must be monitored continuously and one should never assume that because pure hydrogen is being put into the
generator, it will remain pure.

The above graphic indicates practices that should be followed to ensure the safe operation of hydrogen cooled generators.

During a generators life, meeting evolving safety standards for hazardous areas and integrating technologies into cost-effective
packages that allow installation work to be accomplished within the more dominant, critical path build and turbine outage periods
remain critical endeavors. As always, safety and risk mitigation should remain at the top of the priority list, which includes
production and performance efficiencies, as well as environmental considerations.

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