WINDING PROTECTION IS A KEY ISSUE WHEN USING GENERATOR SETS.
WINDING PROTECTION IS A KEY ISSUE WHEN USING GENERATOR SETS Generator system: •Anti-condensation space heaters • Coastal Insulation protection Alternators are of course affected by this issue, essentially due to their electromechanical nature, since they contain numerous components that can fail prematurely. In addition to the mechanical risk there is the risk of electrical malfunction. The primary purpose ofgenerator setsis to provide electric current quickly and autonomously, in situations and places where the main supply has failed. As a result, they are often faced with conditions of use that do not provide an optimum environment. Extreme temperatures, humidity, dust, etc. All these aggressors are likely to speed up ageing of the genset and its different components. Resistance to the weather and demanding conditions of use is therefore essential to ensure the longevity of a generator set. In practice, we can see that for low-voltage machines excluding AVRs, the main sources of breakdown are divided evenly between the different alternator components. DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS Environmental stress is usually classified according to four criteria: •Humidity is a problem because it is an electrical conductor. It is therefore likely to encourage the development of potential short-circuits. Moreover, moisture tends to accumulate in the bottom of the machine, where it mixes with dust and does even more damage to the windings Dust and other particlesconstitute another hazard, as they cause mechanical abrasion of the varnish, which will gradually lead to a deterioration in its performance. Since air circulation is used for cooling inside the alternator, the presence of particles in the environment is particularly harmful Corrosion, especially rust due to a saline environment, is usually a factor in the premature ageing of mechanical parts and windings. Alternators used in coastal areas or in an unprotected marine environment are particularly exposed to this risk. Corrosion can also cause the build-up of deposits that may interfere with machine operation. •In certain cases or for certain applications, generator sets can be used in environments saturated inchemicals which pose a particularly high level of attack (acids, bases, alkali). Although this rarely happens, these situations must also be taken into account APPLICATIONS CONCERNED Although it’s difficult to generalise, we can nonetheless draw up guidelines relating to the correlation between the application for which an alternator is used, its environment and hence the required protection level. The table below summarises these considerations. (*) Possible derating according to voltage and alternator models for TAL range (refer to catalogue). (**) Depending on the production site, the fibreglass enamelled wire solution may be replaced by another process, for example, double application of ins...