James Williamson
Generator Specialist Generator
Background
As an Electrical Engineer, I have over 35 years of experience in the Power Generation Industry. This experience was gained through design review, construction, operation, and maintenance of power generating facilities. For 23 of these years, I was employed by General Electric® in a wide range of positions involving installation, commissioning, testing, and maintenance of Power Generation systems and equipment. Upon my retirement from GE® in 2017, I joined MD&A as a Generator Specialist.
What do you do here at MD&A?
As an MD&A Generator Specialist, my primary objective is to assist our customers in the successful accomplishment of their goals. My diverse background and years of experience aid me while performing visual inspections, generator stator, field, electrical and mechanical testing.
What has been your favorite project at MD&A?
Prior to peak season, a customer experienced numerous unit trips caused by a Generator Ground Fault. I assisted the customer in quickly identifying the probable causes and creating and implementing an all-encompassing corrective action plan. MD&A was able to mobilize the required personnel and replacement parts to the site overnight. This allowed the customer to complete the necessary repairs and ready the unit for operation in time to meet their high demand need.
What is the most interesting challenge you have encountered with a Generator Field or Stator?
Over my career I have encountered numerous challenges, each has been unique in its own way since customer needs and equipment or system issues impact each situation differently.
– I managed a large 4 Pole Field Rewind (Nuclear Unit) in a local warehouse without the use of a crane.
– I managed a ‘complete’ on-site Generator Rewind of a single unit, which included both Stator and Field Rewind as well as a GenerrexTM Dome modification.
– I was involved with the rewind of a Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Plant, where three Generator Fields were rewound simultaneously.
When would you do a Wedge system upgrade?
It is my opinion that a wedge system upgrade is needed when the majority of the wedges are found to be hollow/loose or when areas of wedges (end wedges for example) show signs of greasing. The severity of the conditions should be evaluated and the duration of the current outage, as well as, the next planned outage timeframe should be considered in order to perform the most cost-effective repair in a timely manner.
What is your personal motto?
Whatever it takes!
The root cause of a problem is not always obvious nor easily resolved and therefore solutions are not always instantaneous. Each problem must be addressed by identification of the root cause and then by developing a methodical corrective action plan that is comprehensive while best serving the customer’s needs.
