How to make a GE generator

How to Make a GE Generator in

SEVEN (GIANT) STEPS

1

Production begins in the bar shop, where employees unspool rolls of copper wiring, brading the wires together,

2

HEATED AND SHAPED INTO PRECISE CURVATURES needed

AND CREATE LONG FLAT BARS.

BAR SHOP

Weighing in at 33,264 lbs. That’s about SIX Chevy Suburbans

The stator of one large Hydrogen Generator contains 64.3 MILES of copper wire

Flat bars are

for the model of Generator.

SHAPE UP

3

Employees form the bars using one of 250 unique forms or apply a modern quick form technique.

Each bar is wrapped in an average of

16 LAYERS of insulated tape It takes 4 hours to wrap one bar

TAPE & BAKE

4

Bar are baked in the autoclave ‘oven’ for 24 hours at 165°C

Employees climb into stator frames where they stack

PUNCHINGS—ONE BY ONE INTO THE SIDE OF A FRAME. electrical steel laminations—

Punchings hold the stator bars in place and are the internal backbone of the generator.

RACK & STACK

Number of punchings in each Generator:

MACHINING IN THE MEANTIME

Time it takes to fully stack a Generator:

up to

250,000

7 WEEKS

Skilled machinists turn massive hunks of metal

(100 TON FORGINGS) TO GENERATOR ROTORS

These ‘steel surgeons’ cut slices or slots into these solid metal blocks to tolerances as tight as

0.0005 OF AN INCH

6

WEDDING DAY

BARS AND STATOR FRAME COME TOGETHER Stator bars sit in the

of a Generator

There are

Bars range from

120–144 stator bars in each Generator

7

PIECES OF POWER PUZZLE

Rotors are carefully positioned

6–30 FEET

Bars weigh about

350LBS

INSIDE THE CORE

of the stator-filled frame. The Generator is encased in a metal shroud and

PAINTED.

24 gallons of paint per unit

1 coat of primer 2 coats of final paint

Most popular color?

WHITE

How to Make a GE Steam Turbine in

TEN (GIANT) STEPS

1

TREE TRUNKS

Steel forgings the size of (think California large Redwood) are shipped from Europe and Asia to form

THE CORE OF THE TURBINE.

FORGING AHEAD

Rows of metal blades are hung from these huge metal disks.

2

Here’s where the

These forgings can weigh up to 250 tons. They cost a ton of money

UP TO $400K!

WHEEL FUN STARTS. Steam turbine rotor dovetails are machined to tolerances of .0005”.

Machinists cut grooves into the smooth core— and they know how to

GROOVING ALONG

THAT’S 8X THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR.

CUT IT CLOSE!

3

They come in

DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES. Precision Machined, checked for defects and serialized by row.

From Pinetree to Finger Dovetail to Curved Axial.

THE BUCKET STARTS HERE

4

Now it’s time put the “Cut clearance” is the last step before the turbine is placed in a metal casing.

ASSEMBLE THE TROOPS

5

RIGHT SPIN on it

50-250 buckets per stage on average.

Now it’s time for a really

CLOSE SHAVE…

Over 20,000lbs of steel is removed from the D650 outer shell for the sole purpose of facilitating bolting the two halves together.

MAKE YOUR CASE

6

The turbine is transported the parking lot.

VIA TRAIN across

It is moved into the ‘spin bunker’ in Bldg. 281

ALL ABOARD!

7

Time to take a

SPIN IN THE BUNKER.

Just like balancing a tire, but to

.001”

BUNKER DOWN

of vibration.

3000-3600 RPM

Fast enough to melt the metal, if we didn’t spin it in a vacuum. Tips of the last stage buckets travel up to 1600 miles per hour during spin—2x the speed of sounds or a speeding bullet. Proceed back to Bldg. 273 for further assembly.

METAL CASTING WHICH HOLDS THE STEAM inside the turbine. This is one ‘turtle’ that is

8

The now bucketed rotor is encased in a

always showing its head—looking for the generator.

LIKE A TURTLE IN ITS SHELL

In some areas, a steam turbine shell can be less

1.75” THICK. In other areas, it’s OVER 20” THICK. Some quick facts

than

regarding rotor/shell machining.

9

STEAM EXHAUST flows through STATIONARY AND ROTATING PARTS

The way it works:

PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE METAL

10

READY, SET, PAINT!

within the turbine.

White

And now this marriage of the two takes place with the exchange of energy. The newly wedded part has a long and dependable life in its future.

COLOR ME READY, RUNNING, AND ABLE.