Copper Therapy
Thin graceful fingers wind copper coil turn by turn to make the motor come alive again, and the equipment starts operating. Galina Korenkova – operator for repair works on winding and isolation of electric equipment – has already been “reviving” the plant’s electric units for 41 years.
Galina came to the plant right after school, and she stayed. She didn’t enter medical department but joined the plant’s site for repair of electrical equipment and electric powerlines. People like Galina are often described as “finding themselves in the profession”. Though she didn’t build up a medical career, she fully succeeded in saving equipment “hearts”.
“When visiting the plant the first time I was overwhelmed by the scale, amount and complexity of the work. Colleagues help me both then and now – we work friendly as a team and help each other. I gratefully remember my mentor, Yelena Drozdova, who trained me,” she recalls.
Now Galina in her turn shares her experience and gives advice. She says that her job is demanding, and that operation of all the plant’s equipment depends on properly wound coil turns and an accurately assembled wiring scheme.
“For various reasons, a motor’s winding wears out, and we replace it with a new one – we rewin it. In our professional slang we say we are rewinding motors” Galina Korenkova explains.
This work requires extensive knowledge – understanding of wiring schemes, design and operation principle of electric motors, their types, types of winding, connection diagrams, types of insulating materials and many other nuances.
“First, we remove the old winding from the motor, clean the grooves. Then I line down – put an insulation made of special material in stator grooves (stationary part of an electric motor). Then I start coils winding, after that I put them in grooves according to a connection diagram (star or delta). Fixing with wedges is obligatory. Then I assemble the scheme and hand it over for impregnation,” Galina says.
We work with motors of various capacity, 0.5 to 75 kW. Insulating material option depends on it – paper, jacketing tape, packthread, copper wire, teftyanochka – that’s how our heroine affectionately calls the teflon tape. Large motors are rewound by two specialists. Galina calls it teamwork – when her colleagues work in pairs. In her opinion, the main qualities are diligence, perseverance and accuracy. She says that the work result should be perfect.
Galina Korenkova admits that 41 years of work experience made everything so clear that there is nothing to be afraid of. Even the most heavy-duty motor with a capacity of 3,000 rpm which is hard to rewind, surrenders obeingly to her tender hands.
The work is not easy but it goes with a swing when you are experienced and in a tightly welded team!
