Power Generation

Power Generation - Typical Applications

SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts Surface Enhancement Technologies can be used in the following areas:

• On-site silver or tin plating of on copper and aluminum bus connections

Typical Applications

• Lower electrical contact resistance
• Wear resistance
• Corrosion resistance
• Pre-braze coatings
• Anti-galling
• Surface hardness
• Surface etching
• Other surface enhancement

Power Generation - Capabilities

Reliability is Not an Option

Power generation equipment requires high reliability. Utility companies cannot afford unnecessary down time resulting from preventable causes. Working in concert with design engineers at utility companies and their major equipment suppliers, application experts at SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts will assist in identification of potential areas of concern, and then provide practical, economical recommendations for improving reliability and performance. After a course of action is agreed upon, SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts will develop and execute a plan to achieve the desired results.

SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts is developing metal matrix composites such as cobalt chromium carbide (Co-Cr3C2) that can serve as an alternative to chrome plating deposits while providing similar hardness and improved slip properties.

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Repair Application - Power Generation

This portable process can be used both in the shop and in place to repair turbine components, bus bars, switchgear, diesel engine components, valves, generators, nuclear components, and containment vessels.

• BUS BARS: Lower electrical contact resistance.
• CONTAINMENT VESSELS: Touch up electroless nickel coatings.
• DIESEL ENGINES: Resize turbocharger bearing journals. Restore sleeve seats. Repair crankshaft and camshaft bearing diameters. Salvage bearing saddles.
• GENERATORS: Repair bearing housings, rotor journals and commutators.
• NUCLEAR COMPONENTS: Repair circular pump rotor air seal areas. Apply optical coating to fuel bundle shuttles. Hardcoat to resize bores of hydraulic stud tightener. Restore seal areas on air lock flanges. Etch hot spots to remove alpha-radiating ferric flock.
• TURBINES: Resize turbine shaft couplings, steering diameters, bearing journals, and turbine wheels. Repair turbine casing steam cuts. Apply prebraze coatings to turbine blades and wheels.
• VALVES: Repair defects in seat areas of gate valves, disc valves, and needle valves. Restore worn packing areas on valve stems.

A personnel air lock head ring (flange) was plated with 0.040" thickness of copper and hand worked to ensure a good seal with the o-ring and the mating part. It was then capped with 0.004" thickness of nickel.

Bores on an aluminum hydraulic stud tightener were hardcoat anodized with a coating thickness of 0.002" for dimensional restoration and to provide a more durable surface.

Two faces on the outside diameter, the vane area, of a low pressure steam turbine disc were repaired with a 0.003" thick deposit of nickel. This 7000 pound component was plated on site, in a horizontal position.

Collector rings of a generator armature were coated with 0.002" thickness of non-cyanide silver to replace defective tank plated silver.

Industry Specific Applications - Power Generation & Distribution - Bus Bars - On-Site Silver Plating

In the electric power industry optimizing current flow is a primary concern, especially in the transmission and distribution process. One key ingredient is providing and maintaining stable, conductive joints.

Field experience and laboratory studies have shown that this is especially true in the case of bus bars. Specifically, that plated bus bars out-perform un-plated bus bars by providing stable contact resistance and a low maximum operating temperature that increases the service life of the bus joint. Brush plating provides a simple, cost effective solution for on-site silver plating of copper and aluminium bus system upgrades and repairs.

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Industry Specific Applications - Power Generation: Windmill

• In-place slip ring repair

With specially designed, portable plating technology, worn bearing journals and slip rings can be repaired in place to original specidications with minimal downtime at a fraction of the cost usually associated with this type of repair.

WIND TURBINE: These photographs show how the slip rings on a Wind Turbine were repaired in place. Three layers of copper were plated to resize the worn diameters. Each layer was approximately 0.015" thick. After dressing the plated copper deposit, a 0.005" thick layer of silver was then plated for improved conductivity.

 

Dalic®   Selectron®   SIFCO Process®

 

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