J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 5 : A T E C H N I C A L U P D AT E F R O M P R O T O N E N E R G Y

Continuous hydrogen replacement technique

offers improved power plant
electric generator efficiency and longevity
HOGEN hydrogen generators from Proton Energy offer dry, 99.999 percent pure hydrogen

BY JOHN SPERANZA Hydrogen coolant that has a high oxygen content can spark corona
DIRECTOR OF APPLICATIONS AND TECHNICAL SERVICE, PROTON ENERGY
activity in a generator’s stator windings, which can in turn damage
Water vapor and air: enemies of electric generators a generator’s high-voltage insulation system.
In their quest to reduce costs and simplify operations, power generation
Hydrogen that’s delivered in cylinders or tubes may start out pure and
facilities face two formidable adversaries: water vapor and air. Both
dry, but it becomes increasingly impure and wet as it picks up moisture
substances increase friction drag (windage loss) on the rotor windings
from the turbine oil and from air ingress. In turn, this moisture may
within electric generators, reducing overall efficiency. And with today’s
be absorbed by the contaminants resident on the insulation, creating
fuel costs at an all time high, windage losses can mean the difference
a conductive bridge between coils in the generator’s ventilation circuit
between profits and losses.
that can cause coil-to-coil shorts.
In addition to increasing windage loss, water vapor contamination
A generator’s gas cooled stator windings have high voltage copper
inside a generator has been shown to reduce the life of its components,
exposed at each end of the stator bars. This design feature necessitates
and high humidity can induce stress corrosion cracking on retaining
long electrical creepage paths to prevent high voltage phase-to-phase or
rings. Water content of more than 500 ppmw in turbine oil creates
phase-to-ground faults. Operators of hydrogen cooled generators have
high dew points within generators that reduce generator efficiency and
found that moisture degrades the electrical creepage strength of a surface.
may reduce a generator’s mean time between failures due to water
And when moisture migrates to the end turn area of a generator’s rotor
induced electrical shorts.
windings, it attacks the interturn insulation and results in shorted rotor
end winding turns.
The costs to a power generation plant for unplanned shutdowns and
repairs are significant. In addition to hard costs of parts and labor, a
Hydrogen dryers and purity analyzers: costs vs. results
generator repair of this type usually means an extended plant outage
and significant lost revenues. The cost to a plant for stress corrosion Because moisture in cooling gas can cause significant problems with
related repairs is estimated at more than $1 million. a generator’s rotor winding insulation, plant operators must ensure
that dewpoints in their hydrogen coolant stays as low as practical.
Managing water vapor and air within hydrogen coolant To dry and ensure the purity of coolant hydrogen, power plants often
employ regenerative drying systems and purity analyzers. However,
How can power plant operators reduce the destructive presence of water
these methods carry associated cost and logistics issues, with potential
vapor and air within their hydrogen-cooled generators? By displacing
negative side effects.
these drag-inducing substances with a constant flow of dry hydrogen
gas, produced conveniently on the plant site from a hydrogen generator.
Drying systems are costly in terms of both capital expenditure and
maintenance. Furthermore, a dryer’s placement within the plant is
Hydrogen gas cooling is a primary tool in power generation plants’
critical to ensure effectiveness. Condensation of water in the dryers’
efforts to reduce the friction (windage) losses within generators from
purge exhaust drains should be closely monitored. Care must be taken
water vapor and air. Hydrogen’s high specific heat, high thermal con-
that desiccant materials from the dryer do not get into the generator.
ductivity and low density (14.4 times less dense than air and 8.9 times
less dense than water vapor) help keep wind resistance losses within
Purity analyzers are good at detecting the percentage of air within the
generator rotors to a minimum.
hydrogen gas. However, if the impurity is something other than air,
the readings are less reliable. Readings can fluctuate based on ambient
Hydrogen is the coolant of choice for high speed generators including
humidity in the plant, the generator’s operational status, and where
coal-fired, gas turbine and nuclear power plants, but it has to be pure
the drying system is located.
and dry. Hydrogen that has a high water content loses its advantageous
low density and high thermal conductivity and becomes less effective
as a coolant. For example, on an 800 MW generator, a two percent
decrease in hydrogen purity due to water contamination can cost a utility
more than $300,000 in power sales per year.
Onsite generation = no guesswork Proton Energy has solved these two obstacles with its onsite generators.
with hydrogen dryness and purity Proton’s HOGEN hydrogen generation systems not only make hydrogen
A cost-effective approach to ensure hydrogen purity and dryness for on demand, but also have the ability to monitor demand and alert
lowest windage loss is to generate it at your facility by a clean, safe plant operators. For example, if a seal fails within the turbine generator,
method such as Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis. hydrogen demand will increase rapidly and dramatically. Monitors
within the HOGEN hydrogen generator will sense the increased
Proton Energy recently contracted with Atlantic Analytical Laboratory demand, and display the increased usage to the operator giving them
to analyze hydrogen gas produced by one of its HOGEN® hydrogen time to take the appropriate actions to safeguard their facility.
generators through PEM electrolysis. More than 50 trace elements were
quantified in the sample. Water vapor, oxygen, total hydrocarbons, helium, TABLE B
argon, carbon dioxide and nitrogen each registered below the laboratory’s How it works
detection limits. Hydrogen generated by the HOGEN hydrogen gener-
ator consistently reported a dewpoint of -85°F.

TABLE A
Analysis Report – Atlantic Analytical Laboratory
Sample of H2 gas @ 225 psi
generated by Proton’s HOGEN® hydrogen generator

Test Description/Units Result Report Detection

Limit (D.L.)

Nitrogen (ppm vv/by MS) nd 4

Oxygen (ppm v/v by MS) nd 4

Carbon Dioxide TABLE C

(ppm v/v by MS) nd 4 Power plants can increase operating efficiencies by producing hydrogen
Argon (ppm v/v by MS) nd 4 on site to continually replenish hydrogen coolant within their generators.

Helium (ppm v/v by MS) nd 10

Hydrogen (% v/v by MS) 99.9+ 0.1

Total hydrocarbons
(ppm v/v as CH4) — 0.1

Water Vapor
(ppm v/v by EDP) nd 0.5

D.L. = report detection limit. nd = indicates the concentration is less than the report
detection limit. — = test not performed. % = percent. ppm = parts per million. ppb
= parts per billion. v/v = volume analyte/volume sample. w/w = weight
analyte/weight sample. Unit conversions: 1 ppm v/v = 0.0001% v/v.

Delivered hydrogen vs. continuous hydrogen

replacement from a hydrogen generator
Many power generation industry veterans now advocate use of continuous
hydrogen replacement techniques to keep generators free of moisture,
oxygen, and other contaminants that can prematurely degrade equipment.
However, power plants have been reluctant to employ a continuous Mirant Mid-Atlantic’s success story
hydrogen replacement method of maintaining purity for two reasons.
The first HOGEN 40 hydrogen generator in the Mirant Corporation’s
The high cost of delivered hydrogen is one barrier. An effective purge
Mid-Atlantic system was placed in service for testing on Unit 1 of its
method will require using a larger amount of hydrogen gas that a plant
Dickerson, Maryland plant on February 17. On February 17, the dew
is currently using. A second obstacle is plant operators’ safety concerns
point of the hydrogen coolant in the low-pressure generator measured
about leaving a large volume of pressurized hydrogen from tanks
37°F. On March 4, the dew point was down to about 30.8°F. By May
or cylinders “on line” and unattended.
18, the dew point was between 12 and 15°F. Presently the dew point
remains between 12°F and 15°F.
 changed positively from our pre-installation values. Operationally, they
TABLE D
have proven to meet the needs of our generators, enabling us to reduce
Dew point of hydrogen coolant in Mirant Mid-Atlantic’s Dickerson Unit 1 the storage, transport and manual operations required of cylinders.”
low-pressure generator after installation of Proton’s HOGEN 40 onsite
hydrogen generator.
Mirant-Zeeland improves operational efficiency with
HOGEN H Series generator
The company’s Zeeland, Michigan plant is benefiting from their
HOGEN H Series’ hydrogen generator’s reliability along with savings
on delivered hydrogen and more productive use of plant personnel’s
time. Mirant-Zeeland’s generators require about 70 scf/hour of pure
hydrogen gas, about 4-6 cylinders per day. Before installing Proton’s H
Series hydrogen generator in March, the plant paid $30,000-$36,000
per year for hydrogen cylinder deliveries. After seven months’ testing of
a pre-production HOGEN H Series system to cool three of their electric
generators, Mirant’s Zeeland power plant has purchased a production
unit which will give them extra capacity for growth.

According to Lawrence A. Dusold, senior consultant with Dickerson About Proton’s HOGEN hydrogen generators
contractor Cetrom Inc., the plant’s original intent was to reduce the
Proton’s HOGEN H Series and HOGEN 20/40 hydrogen generators,
hydrogen dew point by upgrading the existing dryers. During their
which are now installed at more than 20 power generation facilities in
investigation, Dickerson’s management learned that a HOGEN 40
the U.S. and Europe, offer reduction of windage loss, longevity, and
hydrogen generator could provide dry hydrogen in excess of their rate
operational efficiency compared with delivered hydrogen. HOGEN H
of consumption, allowing the plant to continually purge the generator
Series and 20/40 generators produce 99.999 percent pure hydrogen gas
with pure, dry hydrogen. The installed cost of a single HOGEN 40
at up to 218 psig (15 bar) without use of a compressor. Seven capacities
hydrogen generator, which can provide hydrogen to both the plant’s
are available, from 76 to 228 scfh. The H Series generator can be easily
high and low pressure generators, is a fraction of the cost of the two
upgraded in the field for additional capacity. The H Series generator's
driers that would have been installed.
enclosure and ventilation systems are weatherproofed for outdoor
installation. Built under Proton's ISO 9001:2000 quality system, the
Among the benefits that the plant is experiencing, Dusold said that units are Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) approved
continually purging Dickerson’s generators with pure, dry hydrogen for use within U.S. and Canada, and CE approved for use within the
produced by a HOGEN unit has reduced both the plant’s dependence European Union.
on hydrogen cylinders and the demurrage cost of keeping these cylinders
on site. Futhermore, hydrogen from the HOGEN generator is purer
than the hydrogen supply from cylinders.
About the author
John Speranza is Director of Applications and Technical Service at
The Dickerson plant employs General Electric hydrogen cooled Wallingford, Conn.-based Proton Energy, which manufactures HOGEN
synchronous type ATB 4-pole, 3-phase 60-cycle generators, rated at on-site hydrogen generators for a diverse range of industrial and
115,000 kilovolt-amperes at 1800 rpm and 13.8 kilovolts. They are energy applications. John has more than 15 years experience in the
designed for a power factor of 0.85, 30 psig hydrogen cooling pressure design and development of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) based
and armature amperage of 4811 amps. GE’s guidelines for this generator products for industrial and energy uses. He leads a group of engineers
project a 1/2 percent increase in kilovolt-amperes output for each 1 psi responsible for providing Proton’s commercial customers with hydrogen
increase in hydrogen pressure within the generator. supply solutions that are best suited for their specific application.

Dickerson’s generators typically operate on cycling load rather than con-

tinuous full load. Dusold projects that the stability increase in hydrogen
pressure within Dickerson’s electric generators since introducing the References
HOGEN systems can produce an additional 900 kilowatts of additional
Albright, J.D. and Albright D.R., Generatortech, Inc. “Generator Field Winding
generation. As an example, based on an estimated 5000 operating hours Shorted Turns: Moisture Effects”. Presented at EPRI™ Steam Turbine Generatortech
annually and an average electricity selling price of $.05kW/h, an additional Workshop and Vendor Exposition, Nashville, Tenn., August 25-27, 2003.
$225,000 in revenue can be realized from each of the three generators.
Borkey, Ed (general manager, Fluid Energy); Reynolds, Tom (electrical engineer,
When when full load demands occur, Local Market Pricing (LMP) Progress Energy). “Water Contamination in Hydrogen-Cooled Generators Lurks
policies allow Dickerson to further increase revenue from operating as Serious Operational Threat”. Power Engineering, August 2003.
the generators at maximum capacity.
Vandervort, Christian L. and Kudlacik, Edward L. GE Power Systems, Schenectady
NY: GE Generator Technology Update, April 2003

“We are very happy with the performance of our HOGEN 40 hydrogen GE Power Systems’ Generator Products Overview, October 2003.
generators,” said Michael Bennett, maintenance group leader at the
Dickerson plant. “With these units, both dew point and purity have