Hi,
I'm not familiar with large thermal generators, say, above 500MW. I would like to know if the generator would still be able to operate if its excitation transformer needs to be refurbished.
Is it easy to swap the excitation transformer with another one to keep the generator operational?
Thanks.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'thermal generators', but you *might* be referring to large generating units that use steam to spin the turbines (I have only rarely heard of large fossil fueled power plants referred to as 'thermal plants').
IF that is the case, then the short answer is no.
Generators used with Large Scale Turbines generally require quite a large source of power for excitation. Of the several commercial units I've seen and worked on (ranging from 600MW to 1300MW), all of them had smaller alternators spinning on the same shaft to power the main generator excitation.
Regulator/control usually uses solid-state electronics to control excitation to the 'exciter', and the varying output of the 'exciter' is rectified and fed into the main generator field.
Or, if you mean something else by 'large thermal generators', then forget what I just said. Perhaps if you clarify the type of machinery you're asking about, someone will be able to help you better.
daestrom
That would depend on the layout of the excitation system busses, switching layout, etc. If the plant design is such that switching to a backup unit is possible, then there shouldn't be a problem.
Maintenance man: "It ain't full, so it must be leaking."
Sorry for the confusion, yes, I do mean large fossil fueled power plants. Thanks for the info though, been a great help.
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