THE VPI PROCESS

 INTRODUCTION TO VACUUM
PRESSURE IMPREGNATION SYSTEM
 Drawback of earlier VPI SYSTEM
 Failures were due to two types of
problems:
 Tape separation
 Excessive relaxation of the main
ground insulation
 Vacuum Pressure Impregnation of
resin poor insulated jobs
 Preheating:the completed stator for
period of 12 hrs at 60 deg ,temp>85deg

 Lifting and shifting

 Vacuum cycle: vacuum pressure of about

0.2 mb is maintained for about 17 HRS
 Vacuum drop test

 Heating the resin

 Resin admission.
 Resin settling
 Pressure cycle: subject resin to
pressure cycle of 4 kg/ cm2 of dry
nitrogen, subj for 2 hrs.
 Aeration
 Post curing cycle
 Cleaning
 FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN VPI
PLANT IN BHEL
 Steam furnace for preheating
 Size of chamber: 2 * 2 * 6.5 M
 Maximum temperature: 160°C
 Electrical power consumption:
75KW
 Work place: 1425
 Work centre: 3215
 Stream inlet: 200-250°C
Date and time RTD-I(°C) RTD-II(°C) Furnace air temperature Remarks
30.5.2007 19:00 32.0 30.0 45.6 Rotor
temperatur
e is
reached to
60±3°C at
2:00hrs on
31.5.2007
and it is
maintained
for 4 hrs
i.e., up to
6:00 on
31.5.2007
30.5.2007 20:00 45.4 48.6 57.9
30.5.2007 21:00 49.9 50.9 63.4
30.5.2007 22:00 52.5 54.3 70.5
30.5.2007 23:00 53.3 55.1 73.4
30.5.2007 24:00 56.6 57.3 75.6 Rotor is
switched
to vac 140
tank at
7:00 hrs on
31.5.2007
31.5.2007 1:00 59.9 60.2 75.1

31.5.2007 2:00 62.4 63.9 77.0

31.5.2007 3:00 62.3 64.7 77.0

31.5.2007 4:00 63.3 64.1 75.0

31.5.2007 5:00 63.3 64.0 75.6

31.5.2007 6:00 63.1 63.7 75.6

Date and Time Vacuum in Vacuum in Job Resin cycle

graph (mbar) meter temperature
(mbar) (°C)

8.5.2007 -- -- 54.37 Resin tanks 025,102 are

22:00 heated for impregnation
8.5.2007 -- -- 54.89 Viscosity of resin at 60°C
0:00 is 33CP
9.5.2007 -- -- 59.02 Viscosity after aging is
2:00 36.10CP
9.5.2007 0.65 0.65 61.6 9.5.2007 and 10.5.2007
3:30
9.5.2007 0.41 0.40 63.59 Resin admission started
5:30 at 19:45hrs
9.5.2007 0.28 0.29 64.2 Resin admission
7:30 completed at 19:55hrs
9.5.2007 0.22 0.22 63.2 Pressurisation started at
9:30 20:00hrs
9.5.2007 0.19 0.19 62.3 Pressurisation of
11:30 4kg/sq.cm reached at
21:20hrs
9.5.2007 0.18 0.18 62.1 Pressurisation hold up
13:30 for 3hrs is at 0:20hrs
9.5.2007 0.17 0.17 62.0 Resin withdrawn to
15:30 storage tanks is from
0:30hrs –1:00hrs
9.5.2007 0.14 0.14 61.8 Stator loaded in hot air
17:30 furnace from 1:00hrs –
1:30hrs on 10.5.2007

Date and ESOH TSOH ESW TSW Room

Core Remarks
Time 15T 06B 02 13 temperature
10.5.2007
70.0 76.4 62.4 62.5 63.4 33.1
1:30hrs
10.5.2007
126.7 131.4 94.7 102.3 98.8 31.7
4:30hrs
10.5.2007
144.3 154.1 125.4 134.5 126.1 31.6
7:30hrs
10.5.2007
147.7 154.9 139.9 145.1 140.6 34.8
10:30hrs
10.5.2007
137.6 144.4 139.3 141.6 140.7 38.0
13:30hrs
10.5.2007
136.9 144.2 140.0 140.9 140.6 38.4
16:30hrs
10.5.2007
140.2 143.6 140.1 140.7 140.2 37.2
19:30hrs
 Job temp. is reached to 140±5°C
i.e., from 136.2°C to 145.6°C at
10.5.2007
144.4 151.3 143.7 145.1 144.1 35.9 9:30hrs on 10.5.2007 and it is
22:30hrs
maintained for 32hrs i.e. up to
17:30hrs on 11.5.2007.

11.5.2007
143.1 146.7 145.2 145.1 145.2 33.8
1:30hrs

11.5.2007
144.3 151.0 143.6 144.0 144.7 31.1
4:30hrs

11.5.2007
135.7 142.1 144.3 145.1 145.0 31.3
7:30hrs

11.5.2007
135.0 135.7 135.1 135.0 135.8 34.8
10:30hrs

11.5.2007
135.6 141.4 135.4 135.6 135.9 38.3
13:30hrs

Furnace is switched off at

17:30hrs on 11.5.2007 and
11.5.2007
148.0 149.2 142.8 142.2 142.1 39.8 circulation fans kept running till
17:30hrs
the job temperature is reached
from 70°C- 75°C
 Impregnated tubs for keeping
jobs
 For vertical impregnation: As
per respective tech. Document.
 For horizontal impregnation:
As per respective tech. Document
 Specifications of plant:
 Impregnation medium
 Epoxy resin (class F solvent free) and hardener mix in 1:1
ratio as per TG34967
 Epoxy resin (class F solvent free) and hardener mix in 1:1
ratio as per TG34931

 Horizontal impregnation chamber

 Diameter: 4000mm
 Cylindrical length: 9000 mm
 Operating over pressure: 6 bar
 Operating vacuum: 0.15 mbar
 Operating temperature: 90°C
 Loading weight of impregnation object: maximum of 120
tonnes
 Maximum leakage rate: less than 1mbar/lit/sec.
 Moving load: 140 tonnes.
 Static load: 170 tonnes
 Pressure medium for impregnation
 Pressure medium: dry nitrogen
 Operating pressure: 6 bar.
 Nitrogen storage capacity: 52cubic meter at 25
bar.
 Resin storage capacity
 Total storage: 5*9000L+1*3000L
 Operating parameters of each tank
 Operating vacuum: 0.5mbar
 Operating over pressure: 0.5bar
 Operating temperature: 80°C
 Resin filters(stainless steel washable)
 Filter fineness: 150microns
 Output (maximum): 1000lits/min
 Vacuum system
 Root pumps: 2No.s, 5.5KW each
 Suction capacity: 2000cubic meter/hr
 Vacuum pumps(4No.s, 7.5KW each)
 Suction capacity: 250 cubic meter/hr
 This system is provided with separator filter with activated carbon filters, to protect
the vacuum pumps from resin and hardener vapours.
 Refrigeration system
 The resin inside the tanks has to be stored at 10±2°C. this can be stored for
indefinite period with a brine chilling/refrigeration system.
 The brine storage capacity: 1*25000L+1*26000L
 Composition of brine: 40%Mono Ethylene glycol and 60%water
 Heating and cooling system
 The heating of resin in the storage tanks and the impregnation chamber is by
circulating the heated brine through the heat exchangers, to heat by saturated
steam. The hot brine is cooled to about 40°C by circulating water through coolers
and then the brine is chilled to -10°C and stored in the tanks.
 Post heating of job
 Explosion proof steam drier and electrical heating superposed.
 Size: 7*4.5*4.5M
 Maximum weight of job: 80 tonnes
 Maximum temperature: 150°C
 Indirectly heated hot air circulating oven (gas fired)
 Size: 9*4.5*4.5M
 Maximum weight of job: 170 T/120T with facility for rotation.
 Maximum temperature: 150°C
 DATA COLLECTION OF SAMPLES


INDO-BHARAT-II ROTOR

Preheating:
Indo Bharat II rotor is loaded for preheating in steam furnace on 30-5-2007 at 18:00hrs.
 RESIN POOR SYSTEM
• The insulation tape used in this system
has 40% resin.
• This method follows thermosetting
process.
• There is a need for addition of resin
from outside.
• Reduction in time cycle for this
process
• No tests are carried out while at
processing
• Processing of bars along with stator
and with conductors and
processing of exciter Coils
along with exciter is possible.
• The cost of repair is more
• The overall cost is less
compared to resin rich
system.
RESIN RICH SYSTEM
• The insulation tape used in this is 7%
of 40% resin.
• Same as in resin poor.
• Further addition of resin is not
required from outside.
• It is very long process and
time consuming while at processing
stage.
• Tests are being carried out Stage.
• Processing of stator bars is
only possible in resin rich
systems.
• Repairing work is easy.
• The total cost in this process is more.
 JUSTIFICATION

 Justification can be done by two tests

 HV and TAN δ tests
 PRESENT INSULATION
SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD
 1. Vacuum pressure impregnation
(VPI) of individual coils and bars
 2. Global VPI of complete stators
 3. Hydraulic molding of individual
coils and bars using resin-rich tapes
 4. Press curing of individual coils
and bars, also using resin-rich tapes
 Westinghouse Electric Co.: Thermalastic™
 General Electric Co.
:Micapals I anII™,EpoxyMicaMat™, Micapal
HT™, and hydromat™
 Alsthom, GEC Alsthom, Alstom Power:
Isotenax™, Resitherm™,
Siemens AG, KWU: Micalastic™

 ABB Industrie AG: Micadur™,

 Toshiba Corporation: Tosrich™ and
Tostight- I™
 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
 Hitachi, Ltd.: Hi-Resin™, Hi-Mold™, and
Super Hi-Resin™

 Summary of Present-Day Insulation

Systems
 A NEW hype IN INSULATION
SYSTEM
 MICALASTIC
 The MICALASTIC Insulation in
ITAIPU™
 Manufacturing and Design
 Fitting of Roebel Bars into Slots:
 Thermal Stability
CONCLUSION: