Large Compressor Motor Failure Due to Environmental Conditions
This paper covers the failure of a propane compressor synchronous motor, 19,000HP, 13.2kV. The damage extent in the motor was sever, causing a stator ground fault and a rotor mechanical damage. The main findings extracted concluded that the rotor material failed due to Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Accordingly, excessive corrosion and dirt ingress was internally visible inside the machine enclosure. This was abnormal for motors enclosure designed with Totally Enclosed Air Air Cooled (TEAAC) type [2] which prevents any direct interaction between the machine internal cooling air and outside environment. A detailed inspection was conducted on the dismantled machine where water leaks were traced inside the heat exchanger, where it was found to be coming from gaps between the heat exchanger tubes and the enclosure wall. These gaps exposed the motor's internal parts to the outside corrosive environment in the form of water, fine dust and moisture reaching inside of the motor by the forced air caused by the cooling fans. This paper will address the failure in details, which also explains the importance of having a Totally Enclosed enclosure in an environment such as the Middle East, as opposed the open WP II enclosures commonly used around the world.
2019 Petroleum and Chemical Industry Conference Europe (PCIC EUROPE)