Evaluation of applying hydrogen-cooled generators

This paper analyzes the use of Hydrogen-Cooled Generators for potential common use in the chemical, oil and gas (COG) industry. Currently, most of the existing generators in the COG industry facilities are air cooled generators. In fact, air cooled designs are now available in ratings up to 300 MVA. On the other hand, hydrogen cooled designs are available for ratings as low as 110 MVA, which means that there is a choice of cooling technology, in the range from about 100 MVA to 300 MVA, available to the user. Most COG generator applications are less than 200 MVA, which places them in the cooling media selection range. The advantages, disadvantages and the life cycle economics are analyzed in this paper.