Essential aspects of maintenance

• Maintenance and testing requirements are dictated by following three

aspects
 Higher the rated Voltage, more is the frequency of inspection and
maintenance testing requirements
 Higher the kW rating, more is the frequency of inspection maintenance and
maintenance testing requirements
 Hostile environment and severe operating duty, more is frequency of
inspection maintenance and maintenance testing requirement
Types of maintenance
• The following are types of maintenance:
Preventive maintenance
Routine maintenance
Periodic maintenance
Breakdown maintenance
Preventive maintenance
• The preventive maintenance is the maintenance carried out regularly
at certain intervals so that the equipment gives service for long period
without giving trouble.

• Preventive maintenance in case of electrical equipments includes

inspection, testing, cleaning, drying, varnishing, lubrication of the
equipment as per the schedule
Objective of Preventive Inspection
and Maintenance of Motors and
Generators
• To obtain maximum efficiency and reliability of motor and generators.
• To avoid loss of property and loss of life, to prevent fire –damage.
• To avoid down time and consequential financial loss.
• To conserve energy through increased efficiency.
Advantages of preventive
maintenance
• Great damage to the equipment is prevented
• Cost of repair decreases
• Equipment works continuously without giving any trouble for long
period
• Due to above reason the monetary loss does not occur
• Due to regular maintenance equipment works without noise so there
is increase in efficiency of the operator
• Quality of production becomes uniform
• Reduces possibility of accident
Preventive Maintenance
Disadvantage
• Preventive maintenance requires a little more cost. Of course, keeping
the equipment ready needs in stock spare parts, i.e more cost.
• You’ll need enough labor on hand to make this periodic work. Again,
more money!
• More work potential because of over activity of maintenance. This
means you will need to well train the labors to do the work safely.
 Preventive maintenance
example
• In our live the preventive maintenance is around us, as an example when you
make maintenance for your car periodically based on time, you are doing PM for
your car
• In electrical work life, If you have a three phase motor, you can make a check list
of parts to be replaced, cleaned or maintained monthly or after a specific period
of time regardless the condition of this part.
• In our work, we faced a repeated motor bearing failure. In some cases the rotor
got damaged too. The solution we decided to do was, a good preventive
maintenance program. The PM program depends on motors working hours. Each
working year we stop the motor and replace its bearing, regardless its condition.
Routine maintenance
• Routine maintenance includes general activities of maintenance. The
activities include the following.

1. Visual inspection
2. Cleaning
3. Lubrication
Periodic maintenance
• In this the machine is stopped for some period and the activity of
maintenance is carried out. In this following activities are included:

Testing and recording

Re varnishing
Drying
Alignment/Adjustment
Replacement of worn out parts
Breakdown maintenance
• Sometime a machine or equipment stops working if the regular
preventive maintenance has been carried out. When maintenance is
done in such condition it is called breakdown maintenance.
• Following activities are performed during breakdown maintenance:
• Locating problem
• Trouble shooting
• Repairing
• Replacement of damaged items
• Re commissioning of equipment
Reasons of failure of an equipment
due to poor maintenance
• The machine or equipment can stop working if proper maintenance is
not done. The probable reasons for this are as follows:
Poor cleanliness of the equipment
Presence of moisture
Poor ventilation
Poor insulation
Wear and tear
Factors to be considered while
preparing maintenance schedule
• Size of the machine
• Type of the machine
• Site at which the equipment is installed
• Protective gear of the equipment
• Accessories of the equipment
• Mode of operation of the plant
• Likely hood of failure
• Cost of maintenance
• Consequences of outage
• Cost of standby machine
Frequency of maintenance
• The frequency of maintenance depends upon the following factors:

Importance of the machine

Duty cycle
Overloads and service conditions
Age of the machine or equipment
Faults in electric machine due to
poor maintenance
• Efficiency of the machine decreases
• Capacity of machine decreases
• Temperature of machine increases
• Increase in bearing temperature
• Possibility of occurring short circuit
• Possibility of occurring earth fault
• The machine can catch fire
• Serious accident may occur
• Power supply to the machine can be interrupted
 Functions of Preventive maintenance
department
• To train operating staff about maintenance.
• To train the staff pf maintenance department
• To organize training program.
• To prepare checklist for maintenance.
• To distribute maintenance tools in different groups.
• To make standardization in process.
• To make engineering analysis of breakdown.
• To organize necessary records.
 Maintenance of circuit breaker
• Cleaning
• Insulation
• C.B. enclosure
• Main contacts
• Arc control device
• Isolation contacts
• Venting and gad seal
• Operating mechanism
• Auxiliary switch interlock
• Protective relay, control relay
• Insulating oil
• Main connections
• Earth connection
• Safety shutters
 Maintenance of Underground cable
• Visual inspection
• Temperature
• Inspection of cable base
• Measurement of resistance of cable
• Measurement of leakage current
 Hot line or live line maintenance
• Sometimes the load is critical which cannot be switched off. In such condition, it is
necessary to carry out maintenance when line is in cooling condition.
• Principle:
• Electric field is produced around high voltage line
• When any object or human being comes in the vicinity of this field and connected to ground,
current flows through the body to the ground
• Value of this current depends on the intensity of field and resistance of body.
• Activities:
• Inspection
• Cleaning
• Washing
 Probable faults in Transformer due
to poor maintenance
• When current reading are not taken current increases, temperature increases/
buchholz relay operates unnecessarily.
• Silica gel in breather is not replaced, oil comes into contact with moisture and it
will get contaminated.
• Level of oil reduced, cooling reduces, temperature of winding increases.
• If connection are not proper, possibility of spark.
• If dust, dirt are not removed, chances of flashover.
• Coil leakage results if gaskets are not proper.
• If earth resistance increases, chances of earth fault.
• If relay alarm not proper, chances of fault
 Probable faults in I.M.
• Connection becomes loose due to excessive vibrations and chances of sparking.
• Temperature of bearing increases.
• Noise produced.
• If proper care of belt is not taken, belt becomes tight or loose, which creates
miss-operation of motor.
• If heat dissipation decreases, temperature increases.
• If varnishing is not done, chances of earth fault.
• If air gap is not proper, magnetic unbalance and vibrations are produced.
• Possibility of accident if bolts and nuts are not tightened properly.
 Probable faults in overhead line
• Possibility of flashover due to dust, dirt etc.
• Chances of earth fault, if rusts are not removed.
• Line fault may occur, if pole may get bend.
• Fault may occur if jumper is not proper.
• Fault may occur, if lightening arrestor fails.
• Chances of short circuit. If branches of tree are not removed from the line.
• Chances of fault , if ground clearance is not proper.
• Chances of short circuit between ground wire and phase wire.
 Probable faults in C.B.
• Possibility of flashover.
• Profile of contacts changes.
• Possibility of explosion due to increase in pressure.
• If operating mechanism is not proper, chances of fault.
• Sparking may result due to loose contacts.
 Probable faults in underground
cable
• Temperature rise due to overloading.
• Cable may be damaged mechanically.
• Isolating properly is reduced due to rain water and oil leakage, due to moisture
also.
 Probable faults in battery
• Fire may takes place if connection are not proper.
• If level of electrolyte is not sufficient, proper voltage can not be available.
• Terminals get damaged if petroleum jelly is not applied.
• Possibility of fire if direct sun light falls over battery for long period.
• It should be kept in discharged mode for long duration.
Maintenance schedule of Transformer
Cont.
Cont.
Maintenance schedule of Circuit Breaker
Maintenance Schedule of Squirrel Cage Induction
Motor
Maintenance Schedule of Battery
Daily • Visual Inspection
Weekly • Inspect every battery, visually
• Clean Surface, Check tightness of connectors
and venting plugs.
• Check supporting clamps

Monthly • Check level of electrolyte

• Give charging if battery has not been
automatically charged.
• Clean terminals, reconnect, apply petroleum
jelly.
• Clean top surface by sodium bicarbonate
solution in water. Wipe surface for dryness.
• No other metal surface should be in contact
with batteries, top surface of batteries.

Six monthly • Check level and specific gravity charging rate,

charging hours, voltage per cell.
 Maintenance schedule of overhead lines
• The maintenance schedule for overhead transmission lines can vary based on
factors such as the age and condition of the line, environmental conditions,
frequency of usage, and any relevant regulations or guidelines. However, some
general guidelines for maintenance activities include:
• Regular visual inspections: A visual inspection of the transmission line should be
carried out at least once a year, or more frequently if conditions warrant it. This
inspection should include checking for any visible signs of damage or wear, such
as loose or broken conductors, insulators, or hardware.
• Clearance inspections: Clearances should be checked at least once a year, or
more frequently if necessary, to ensure that vegetation and other objects are not
encroaching on the transmission line.
• Thermal inspections: Thermal inspections should be conducted every three to
five years to identify any hot spots in the line, which could be an indication of an
impending failure.
 Cont.
• Cleaning and maintenance of insulators: Insulators should be cleaned and inspected at
least once a year, or more frequently if necessary, to prevent accumulation of
contaminants that could affect their performance.
• Replacement of damaged hardware: Any damaged hardware should be replaced promptly
to prevent further damage.
• Lubrication: All moving parts should be lubricated at least once a year, or more frequently
if necessary, to prevent corrosion and wear.
• Structural inspections: Structural inspections should be carried out every five years or
more frequently if necessary, to check for any signs of corrosion, fatigue, or deformation in
the transmission line.
• It's important to note that the maintenance schedule may vary depending on the location,
voltage level, and other factors specific to the transmission line. It is recommended that
maintenance be carried out regularly and in accordance with the manufacturer's
recommendations and industry best practices.