Methods for repairing water-cooled generator stator bar clips

• US 6,895,653 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Shanahan, Michael Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Lee D.
• Application Number:
  US10/878,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 295/59, 298/891, 295/96, 292/811, 294/020.7, 156/94, 156/305, 310 52- 54, 310/201, 269/43
• US Class Current: 29/559
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 6/00 Restoring or reconditioning objects straightening or restoring form of sheet metal, metal rods, metal tubes, metal profiles, or specific articles made therefrom B21D1/00, B21D3/00; repairing defective or damaged objects by casting techniques B22D19/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/0093 Manufacturing or repairing cooling fluid boxes, i.e. terminals of fluid cooled windings ensuring both electrical and fluid connection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49318 Repairing or disassembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 Work holding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53961 with work-holder for assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53983 Work-supported apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for repairing a liquid cooled compressor stator bar bottle clip having a groove extending around an outer surface of the bottle clip is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the repair apparatus includes a first body portion that includes a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the first body portion, a second body portion that includes a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the second body portion, and a plurality of threaded fasteners extending through corresponding fastener openings in the first and second body portions. The fasteners connect the first and second body portions such that an elliptical opening is defined between the first and second body portions. The elliptical opening extends through the repair apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of repairing a liquid cooled compressor stator bar bottle clip, the stator bar bottle clip comprising a groove extending around an outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip, said method comprising:

positioning a repair apparatus around a stator bar bottle clip;

tightening the repair apparatus so that at least a portion of the repair apparatus contacts the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip; and

rotating the repair apparatus around the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip, the repair apparatus comprising;

a first body portion comprising a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the first body portion;

a second body portion comprising a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the second body portion; and

a plurality of threaded fasteners extending through corresponding fastener openings in the first body portion and the second body portion, the fasteners for connecting the first and second body portions such that an elliptical opening is defined between the first and the second body portions, the elliptical opening extending through the repair apparatus.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

retightening the repair apparatus; and

rotating the retightened repair apparatus around the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

(a) retightening the repair apparatus;

(b) rotating the retightened repair apparatus around the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip; and

(c) repeating (a) and (b) until a predetermined diameter of the bottle clip is achieved.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the repair apparatus further comprises at least one guide pin extending from an inner surface of the center opening, the at least one guide pin sized and positioned to be received in the groove in the stator bar bottle clip, and positioning a repair apparatus around a stator bar bottle clip further comprises positioning the repair apparatus around a stator bar bottle clip so that the at least one guide pin is positioned in the groove in the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the repair apparatus further comprises a first guide pin located in said first body portion and a second guide pin located in said second body portion, and positioning a repair apparatus around a stator bar bottle clip further comprises positioning the repair apparatus around a stator bar bottle clip so that the first and second guide pins are positioned in the groove in the outer surface of the stator bar bottle clip.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein tightening the repair apparatus comprises tightening the plurality of threaded fasteners in the plurality of threaded fastener openings to move first body portion and second body portion closer together so as to exert a force on the outer surface of the bottle clip.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein each said threaded fastener opening of said first body portion is aligned with a corresponding threaded fastener opening of said second body portion.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the elliptical opening comprises a major axis and a minor axis, the major axis extending between the first and second end section of the first and second body portions when the first end section of the first body portion is adjacent the first end section of the second body portion and the second end section of the first body portion is adjacent the second end section of the second body portion.