Case Studies
Schulz Electric Refurbishes Critical Circulating Water Pump Motor in Only Four Days
The Primary Challenge
Schulz Electric was contacted by a nuclear power plant in the New England
region that serves a community of over 2 million homes. After five years of service,
a 1500 HP, 4 kV, 24-pole circulating water pump motor (measuring approximately
7’ wide, 8’ tall, and weighing several tons) needed refurbishing while the plant was
still online. To add to their concern, the power plant is located close to the ocean.
The aging motor was not only approaching the end of its serviceable life, but was
highly susceptible to moisture intrusion and the salt-laden air, which can build
up in air passages within the motor. These environmental conditions can lead to
elevated operating temperatures and corrosion developing on the rotor, stator, and
shaft components. These factors combined, placed the plant at an increased risk
of downtime that could have potentially led to a significant loss of revenue if they
were forced into a shutdown event.
Classified as a “Balance of Plant” motor, continued operation of equipment of this type is deemed as vital to ensure continuous power output to the grid. Power plants cannot run without these critical motors, and downtime cost estimates can be upwards of $1 million per day. These costs prompted the customer to request the refurbishment to be completed within a five-day time frame, well short of the six to eight weeks it usually takes for a refurbishment project of this scope.
The customer came to Schulz Electric with this challenge because of their reputation for excellence in expedited repair and their advantageous proximity to the plant. With industry leading technical expertise and a facility large enough to handle the challenge, Schulz accelerated the electric motor refurbishment and was able to complete the project, ahead of schedule, in only FOUR DAYS from the time the motor shipped to when it arrived back at the plant.
The Process
A thorough analysis of the motor was conducted immediately upon receiving it by a team of six core technical
experts, a quality assurance technician, and a threeperson technical and administrative review team.
The scope of the refurbishment project included:
- A battery of electrical and mechanical tests to determine the health of the motor
- Inspections to find discrepancies
- Performing CO2 dry ice cleaning (in place of a walnut shell or silicon bead process) for greater efficiency and mitigating the risk of foreign materials while removing salt, corrosion, and other contaminants
- Placing the motor in a 24/7 work schedule queue
- Replacing and upgrading components and restoring the motor to a like-new condition
- In-shop balancing, final quality checks, and no-load operational testing
Schulz Electric’s nuclear group specializes in nuclear motor repair. We offer a variety of nuclear services including environmentally qualified form and random wound insulation, contaminated electric motor repair with RCP electric motor overhaul and rewind, safety-related repairs, electric motor testing capabilities, high quality, cost effective solutions for MOV dilemmas, all from our nuclear motor repair facility and in-house decontamination facility.