Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
(OP)
Can someone please summarise the advantages of using hydrogen as a cooling medium for high speed turbines, and perhaps give an indication of any efficiency differences between hydrogen cooled units and water/forced air cooled units?
Thanks






RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
Heat transfer capability of H2 is 1.51 times that of air. (Thermal conductivity is nearly 7 times that of air).
Hydrogen reduces windage losses which are proportional to gas density.
Hydrogen reduces insulation oxidation and reduces fire hazard.
My version of Handbook is old (like me), 11th edition. But I'm sure newer versions would have this info as well.
Hope that helps.
dpc
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
You mention hydrogen and water-cooled like they are two different animals. They can certainly be both (I work at power plant with two 1250MW hydrogen-filled generators with stator cooling water system.
I think the general progression of the "optimum" design as power increases is:
air cooled
hydrogen cooled
water and hydrogen cooled.
The air cooled ones are probably least efficient and also least costly. Water/hydrogen cooled on the other end of spectrum. As power increases naturally the optimum economic choice will direct you to pay more up-front for improved efficiency.
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
Could either of you hazard a guess as to the percentage increase in efficiency of hydrogen vs non-hydrogen cooled units?
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
My guess regarding efficiency wouldn't be worth the pixels it's printed on. Perhaps there is some info at the ge page:
http://www.gepower.com/dhtml/publications/en_us/index.jsp/
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?
RE: Why are horizontal turbogenerators hydrogen cooled?