PGS ENGINEERING TIL 1292-R3

PRODUCT SERVICE 30 JUNE 2014

Compliance Category – C
Timing Code - 2

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LETTER

LARGE STEAM TURBINE GENERATOR DOVETAIL INSPECTION RECOMMENDATION
APPLICATION
Large steam turbine generator rotors and select 324 generator rotors.

PURPOSE
To inform users of the recommended inspections for rotors of the applicable large steam turbine generators and
model 324 generators.

REASON FOR REVISION

To provide suggestion in the repairs section to perform a torsional evaluation prior to making any changes or repairs
to a turbine-generator set that may alter the torsional natural frequencies.

Compliance Category
O - Optional Identifies changes that may be beneficial to some, but not necessarily all,
operators. Accomplishment is at customer's discretion.
M - Maintenance Identifies maintenance guidelines or best practices for reliable equipment
operation.
C - Compliance Required Identifies the need for action to correct a condition that, if left uncorrected,
may result in reduced equipment reliability or efficiency. Compliance may be
required within a specific operating time.
A - Alert Failure to comply with the TIL could result in equipment damage or facility
damage. Compliance is mandated within a specific operating time.
S – Safety Failure to comply with this TIL could result in personal injury. Compliance is
mandated within a specific operating time.

Timing Code
1 Prior to Unit Startup / Prior to Continued Operation (forced outage condition)
2 At First Opportunity (next shutdown)
3 Prior to Operation of Affected System
4 At First Exposure of Component
5 At Scheduled Component Part Repair or Replacement
6 Next Scheduled Outage

© 2014 General Electric Company

The proprietary information published in this Technical Information Letter is offered to you by GE in consideration of its ongoing sales and service
relationship with your organization. However, since the operation of your plant involves many factors not within our knowledge, and since operation
of the plant is in your control and ultimate responsibility for its continuing successful operation rests with you, GE specifically disclaims any
responsibility for liability based on claims for damage of any type, i.e. direct, consequential or special that may be alleged to have been incurred as
result of applying this information regardless of whether it is claimed that GE is strictly liable, in breach of contract, in breach of warranty, negligent, or
is in other respects responsible for any alleged injury or damage sustained by your organization as a result of applying this information.
This Technical Information Letter contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its c ustomer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced or
distributed in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Power and Water PGS
Engineering. All rights reserved.
 TIL 1292-R3
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
This TIL pertains to the generator rotor (field), which is a key element of the major capital equipment. The field is an
integral component of the power generation system, which converts mechanical power to electrical energy.

The rotor tooth dovetail supports the rotor wedge. This restrains the rotor winding during operation. Without
adequate mechanical restraint, the rotor coils will exit the slot into the gas gap and could potentially cause a failure.

Figure 1: Cracks Detected at Dovetail Load Surface

Inspection Timeline and Reporting

In the last several years, more than 60% of GE inspected large steam turbine generators have experienced cracks
and/or linear indications in the rotor teeth. In a number of these cases, the rotors have also experienced an in-service
negative sequence event which resulted in arc strikes on the rotor teeth, dovetail load surfaces and on the mating
surfaces of the slot wedges. Several of the generators with cracking had an operational history that included
extensive stop-starts. The cracks have been found in the tooth dovetail load surface at the wedge butt joints, and are
oriented in the radial circumferential direction. The cracks are believed to be due to fretting fatigue, and appear to
be aggravated by negative sequence damage and numerous start-stops.

It is important to inspect and understand the presence and extent of this cracking, because a cracked rotor could
result in significant damage to the generator stator and rotor.

A complete inspection of the rotor slots should be performed at the time of the field rewind. A partial inspection is
also acceptable; in which only the retaining rings and wedges are removed, allowing inspection of the dovetail areas
and the top of all slots.

Unit Category Inspection Timing

Units in service > 25 years Inspection addressed prior to 2006
Units in service < 25 years At next scheduled major with rotor
removed prior to 30th anniversary
Units with > 1000 cycles or experienced Next scheduled outage
abnormal negative sequenc e event.

Table 1: Inspection Timing

Units reentered into service that have not completed the recommended modifications, dovetail machining, and
wedge replacement should be inspected again every five (5) years.
Completion and results of the inspection should be reported to your local GE Service Manager or Contract
Performance Manager.

© 2014 General Electric Company

This Technical Information Letter contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its c ustomer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced or
distributed in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Power and Water PGS
Engineering. All rights reserved.
Page 2 of 5
 TIL 1292-R3
If the generator rotor is subjected to significant negative phase sequence events, GE Power & Water Product Service
should be consulted prior to the commencement of repairs or return to service to discuss the severity of such an
incident and the inspections that should be performed. Users of units with extensive start-stops (more than 1,000)
should contact GE Power & Water Product Service regarding inspection recommendations.
It is important that a proper machine vibration-monitoring program be implemented and adhered to. An increase in
the twice-running speed vibration could be indicative of a significant crack in the radial-circumferential direction. GE
Power & Water Product Service should be contacted for disposition if an increase is observed. The risk of not following
the TIL is that undetected cracks in the rotor teeth could lead to a failure.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Following the TIL recommendations helps enable early detection of rotor tooth cracking. This allows rotor tooth repair
and timely unit return to service.

Completion of the TIL recommendations could potentially extend the outage cycle to satisfy the inspection and
subsequent repair modifications.

Field Rewinds
Inspect the dovetail load surface using eddy current technique and the rest of slot using magnetic particle
technique after the field winding has been removed and the forging has been cleaned. Magnetic particle testing
has been used to inspect load-bearing surfaces. However, recent fleet experience indicates that eddy current
inspection is the optimal technique due to smearing of material in the load bearing area and its impact on
magnetic particle testing.
Retaining Ring off (No Rewind)
Pull the wedges and inspect the rotor tooth dovetail and topside of all slots after cleaning. This inspection should
be performed using eddy current techniques to preclude the risk of contaminating the winding with magnetic particles.
NOTE: Dovetails inspected with magnetic particle test during a prior rewind cannot be assumed free of defects and must
be inspected with Eddy Current Testing.

GE has developed eddy current inspection equipment and techniques that can rapidly inspect the tooth dovetails
as part of either a maintenance outage or a field rewind.
Retaining Rings On and Wedges In
An Ultrasonic test can be performed which will detect larger cracks (>0.025 inches), but is significantly less sensitive
than Eddy current, which is the preferred method of inspection. This will still require that the rotor be removed from
the stator. If cracks are found, the retaining rings and wedges should be removed for a more detailed eddy current
inspection (see Figure 2). If the ultrasonic test is used and no detectable cracks are found, GE will recommend an
inspection interval based on the individual unit operating history.

Figure 2: Eddy Current Inspection

© 2014 General Electric Company

This Technical Information Letter contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its c ustomer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced or
distributed in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Power and Water PGS
Engineering. All rights reserved.
Page 3 of 5
 TIL 1292-R3
Negative Sequence Incident
Should an abnormal negative sequence event occur, such as a motoring incident, contact GE Power & Water Product
Service with details. Inspection of the heat-affected areas may be required based on the severity of the incident.

Change in Rotor Vibration Characteristics

Contact GE Power & Water Product Service, especially if there is an increase in twice running speed component.

REPAIRS
If indications are found, GE has developed a comprehensive repair and modification package (patent pending) to
address the fretting fatigue problem with a sophisticated repair profile. Rotors completing the modification package will
not require further dovetail inspection for fretting fatigue as long as any indications found from inspection are
repairable and no further negative sequence events occur. For this reason, it is important to complete the inspection,
any necessary repairs, and recommended modification as soon as possible to avoid possible crack propagation, which
may exceed repairable limits. Deviations from GE recommended profile could inadvertently cause more severe damage
to the rotor.

GE has revealed through new methods of torsional testing and analysis that performing repairs to address the issue
outlined in this TIL may drop the natural frequency of the generator rotor twist into an exclusion zone. GE recommends
performing a torsional evaluation prior to making any changes to a turbine-generator set that may alter the torsional
natural frequencies, before conducting such repairs

PLANNING INFORMATION

Compliance
 Compliance Category: C
 Timing Code: 2
Manpower Skills
Generator Specialist, Non Destructive Test (NDT) Specialist (Life Extension Services), and On-site Machining
Parts
Parts and quantities are unit specific.
Special Tooling
Special tooling is required for machining the rotor dovetails and is available through On-Site Machining.
Reference Documents
The TIL 1292 Product Information Publication (PIP) is available on the GE Power & Water website.
Previous Modifications
None
Scope of Work
The time it takes to perform the recommendations given in this TIL is unit specific, but is typically three (3) to four (4)
weeks. It is expected to fit within the scope of the normal outage.

Contact your local GE Service Manager or Contract Performance Manager for assistance or for additional
information.

Contact your local GE Service Manager or Contract Performance Manager in order to update GE unit record sheets
or to submit as-built drawings for changes incurred by this TIL.

NOTE: If you would like to receive future TILs by email, contact your local GE Service Manager or Contract Performance
Manager for assistance.

© 2014 General Electric Company

This Technical Information Letter contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its c ustomer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced or
distributed in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Power and Water PGS
Engineering. All rights reserved.
Page 4 of 5
 TIL 1292-R3
TIL COMPLIANCE RECORD
Compliance with this TIL must be entered in local records. GE requests that the customer notify GE upon compliance of
this TIL.
Complete the following TIL Compliance Record and FAX or Email it to:
TIL Compliance
FAX: (678) 844-3451
Email: til.compreq@ge.com
TIL COMPLIANCE RECORD For Internal Records Only #
Site Name: Customer Name:
Customer Contact Information GE Contact Information
Contact Name: Contact Name:
Address: Address:

Email: Email:
Phone: Phone:
FAX: FAX:
Turbine Serial Number(s):

INSTALLED EQUIPMENT TIL Completed Date:

100% TIL Completed:

Description:

Unit Numbers: Part Description: Part Number MLI Number

Comments:

NOTE: If there are any redlined drawings that pertain to this TIL implementation, please FAX or Email the drawings
along with this TIL Compliance Record.
FAX this form to: TIL Compliance
FAX: (678) 844-3451
Email: til.compreq@ge.com

© 2014 General Electric Company

This Technical Information Letter contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its c ustomer solely to assist
that customer in the installation, testing, operation and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced or
distributed in whole or in part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Power and Water PGS
Engineering. All rights reserved.
Page 5 of 5