A generator has various components, and just like any other machine, these generator parts can deteriorate and fail for several reasons. One of the most common reason why a generator or its parts may fail is poor maintenance.
Typically, a generator should be serviced by a professional at least once a year; its regular maintenance, checkup, and overhaul are crucial in determining how long the generator lasts. In other words, you should always bear the equipment’s condition in mind by regularly examining and maintaining essential parts of a generator.
Below are some of the most important generator components that particularly need constant inspection and maintenance.
1. Alternator
The alternator is the heart of the generator. Its primary function is to transform the mechanical energy produced from an engine into electrical energy. It has two main components that work together to create electrical energy: the stator, which is the stationary component, and the rotor, which is the moving component. The interaction of these essential components in the magnetic and electric fields is the one responsible for generating electricity.
The alternator is generally considered to be long-lasting. However, despite this, its components require constant monitoring to avoid debasement. If certain parts of the alternator stop functioning well or appear to be rusty and burnt, it indicates a need for quick repair.
The insulator is the part of the alternator that you need to be particularly mindful of. When the generator is operating, the heat that it exudes causes damage to various components if they are not adequately insulated. Although this issue arises with the age of the machine, regular insulation maintenance can minimise its damaging effects.
2. Stator
The stator is a stationary component that is present in systems like electric generators, motors, sirens, and many others. Its main task is to keep the magnetic field aligned. Its role is to convert the rotating magnetic field into an electric current.
Meanwhile, common failures of the stator winding usually stem from discharging slots, switching surges, overheating, lighting, and single-phasing and unbalanced voltages.
The utility distribution system is the one that causes the power supply to experience electrical fault in induction motors resulting in single-phasing and voltage imbalance. Voltage imbalance leads to excessive heat since the sequence and voltage differences are negative and unbalanced, hence damaging the windings and the stator. A stator-winding failure will also most likely occur when there is rotor overheating.
3. Rotor
As opposed to the stator, the rotor is the moving component of the electromagnetic systems of electric motors and generators. It is usually placed inside the core of the stator. Its kinetic nature, which can be observed from its rotation, is due to the relative movement of the convulsion and the magnetic field.
If there are issues in the AC rotor, broken rotor bars caused by high load capacity and frequent starts are often the reason for malfunctioning since they transport the electrical current from the rotor. Whenever these issues happen, immediate repair is necessary to avoid further damage. For this reason, it is important to always observe the generator for start failures so as to identify insufficient torque and avoid high load capacity that can lead to irreversible damages to the rotor bars.
There are certain parts of a generator that need regular maintenance and constant checkup because their failure or damage can cause significant disruption to the operations of the machine. The alternator, stator, and rotor are some of the most important components that should always be highly maintained and checked during generator overhauling.
To keep your generator in good condition, you’ll need to be able to identify the essential generator components for regular inspection. Hence, if these parts of your generator start acting up, you’ll know when it’s time to hire a professional.
