Abstract
Prior to going in or out of service, hydrogen cooled generators need to be purged with carbon dioxide to avoid explosive conditions. Historically, this purging process has always been a balancing act. Purging the generator too slowly causes a longer outage meaning lower power production, high costs, and a loss in potential profits. Purge the generator too quickly forms dry ice blockage called a freeze up which can damage the generator or piping and will not adequately remove the explosive environment. Previously, generator purging is a long and laborious task taking an average eight hours to complete; however, the carbon dioxide Fast Degas system can reduce that time down to an hour. The difference of hours to a power plant is critical as shorter time means more uptime, increases production, and increases the safety of the operators by reducing the amount of time in a hazardous situation. In this paper, we will use our experiences to demonstrate the importance of being able to purge any hydrogen cooled generator quickly and efficiently. This document will show, through recent real-world results, that the Fast Degas system works as intended, is able to purge a generator in under an hour in the case of an emergency, and how it has avoided costly and potentially catastrophic events.
