Maintenance
In order to ensure the longevity of the power busbars in these power plants, Simelectro P&S has developed maintenance programs that have allowed our clients to achieve the best possible efficiency for their installations.
Control Visit
Major Maintenance
In France, since the 1950s, Simelectro P&S has participated in the construction of French power plants (hydraulic, thermal, and nuclear). To ensure the longevity of power evacuation in these plants, Simelectro P&S has developed maintenance programs that have allowed our clients to achieve the best possible efficiency for their installations.
With a nuclear power plant fleet consisting of half of the bars enclosures originating from Simelectro, we can boast of being a major partner in French energy performance.
Over time and with the demands of our clients, we have also learned about equipment installed by other designers, and Simelectro P&S has been able to offer maintenance activities on these other products for several years.
Failure to perform maintenance on electricals power busbars can have serious consequences for our clients. There can be significant material damage, but more importantly, the lives of their employees may be at risk. That’s why Simelectro P&S is always ready to engage in technical discussions to find the most suitable and secure solutions during maintenance and renovation activities.
Risks
The risks that our clients may encounter in electricals power busbars are as follows :
Hot Spots
If electrical contacts are not made according to a controlled process or if the contact is not remade during the product’s lifespan, contact areas will be less effective, and overheating may occur. This will cause deterioration of the contact area (flashover) and losses in power transmission efficiency (Joule effect).
Poor Seal
If the gaskets of the connection are not checked or replaced, they can create points of infiltration for pollutants (moisture and dust). This can lead to insulation defects or short circuits.
In pressurized connections, this will result in a degradation of the leakage rate and excessive consumption of compressed air.
Short-circuit
Generally, short circuits occur at the machine level, but they can also occur within the IPBs themselves if an insulator is broken or if water infiltrates theenclosures. Short circuits can also be caused by a slipping strip, loose electrical connections, or a flexible lamination with a detached strip.
In these cases, the IPBs contain the fault and are sized to withstand the electrodynamic forces of the short circuit, so the risk to personnel is relatively limited. However, the production of the installation is halted, and bringing it back to compliance can take weeks or even months.
Regular inspections help reduce this risk.
Vibrations
The passage of current imposes very low vibrations on the IPBs. However, alternators can generate strong vibrations that fatigue the equipment, especially the connection pieces and the connection casing.
Over time, elements of the braids and flexible lamination can break, initially increasing temperatures. This heating will weaken the connection pieces, accelerating their degradation. Without replacement action, this can lead to a short circuit.
Control Visit
We recommend a periodic control visit initially (every 2 or 3 years). During this visit, our team will pay special attention to the installation’s verification and problem detection before they occur.
It will involve a visual check of all synthetic parts of the connection (joints, bellows, and sleeves), which largely guarantee the enclosure’s tightness. We will verify the torque tightening of the electrical connections to ensure the best possible current passage.
Depending on the results of our pressurization test (if equipped), we can conduct a leak detection using our ultrasonic or helium detector if leaks are not easily detectable.
If your installation is equipped with forced air cooling, we will pay special attention to the sealing system of the rotating shafts to quickly alert you to any degradation. We will also check the various alarms with your Control Command Department.
With our endoscopic equipment, we can check the inside of the enclosure and clean if necessary. This also allows us to check the contamination status of the insulators (presence of dust).
We will also check the support equipment for connections (frames, insulating bases) as well as the earthing system (screws, braids).
According to reports from previous control visits, we can proceed, during these minor shutdowns, to replace parts that have been detected as damaged.
Major maintenance
Our gaskets, sleeves, and bellows are guaranteed for a period of 10 years under normal conditions of use. We advise our clients to plan to replace them every 10 years. In some cases, and when they are well protected from the weather and the sun, they can last a few more years without hardening too much.
For optimal use, we recommend redoing the electrical contacts of all connections during this maintenance (screws, spring washers, grease and electrical contact area status). We also install temperature indicators on the connections.
This allows each control visit to verify that the connection has not experienced heating. It is also advisable to replace the elastomer springs of the lower insulators, which support the busbar and various vibrations.
This allows, in the same time, checking the condition of the insulators and the inside of the enclosures. Since the bar sets are also in interface with the various machines on the connection, such as the alternator, circuit breakers, cabinets, and transformers, we often have to intervene when maintenance of these devices is scheduled to perform disconnection and reconnection.
Our work supervisors
To ensure quality maintenance, our staff is trained in-house on our products and holds nationally and internationally recognized authorizations, allowing us to intervene on nuclear power plants.
In addition to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, Simelectro P&S is qualified by EDF’s OTU (Operational Technical Unit) to intervene with confidence during various reactor shutdowns on the installed equipment.
In fact, our Work Supervisors hold an authorization that complies with the OTU Technical Note 85.114 demands.
Simelectro P&S’s quality system allows us to have a set of documents for our interventions that enable us to work safely for our personnel and equipment.
We have been using Technical Specifications for many years that reflect our know-how and constantly improve them through experience feedback.
