scholarly journals Historical Review of the Development and Use of Marine Gas Turbines by the U.S. Navy

Author(s):  
Richard S. Carleton ◽  
Eugene P. Weinert

This paper is a brief review of the U.S. Navy involvement in shipboard gas turbines starting with studies in the 1930’s and proceeding to the point where gas turbine propulsion has been chosen for all recent cruiser, destroyer and frigate class construction programs. It tells some of the false starts and lessons learned and accentuates the decision of the Navy to take advantage of the major developments in aircraft jet engines by using these same engines, marinized for use in a shipboard environment, to power many of our new combatants.

Author(s):  
Roger Yee ◽  
Alan Oswald

A new generation of auxiliary ships to enter the U.S. Navy (USN) fleet is the AOE-6 SUPPLY CLASS. These fast combat support ships conduct operations at sea as part of a Carrier Battle group to provide oil, aviation fuel, and ammunition to the carrier and her escorts. The SUPPLY CLASS is the first ship in the entire USN fleet to use a combined gas turbine and diesel generator cooling air intake system to cool its respective engine modules. The cooling air intake was designed this way to save on costs. As the ships in this class continued with operations and problems of insufficient supply of cooling air for the gas turbines modules started surfacing, the entire intake system required investigation and analysis. Since the gas turbines and diesel generators share a common cooling air trunk, they were competing for air. This paper will outline the tests that were performed to determine the problems, the recommended solutions, and the lessons learned from the investigations.


Author(s):  
Morgan L. Hendry ◽  
B. Michael Zekas

The U.S. Navy has nearly forty years of experience using SSS (Synchro-Self-Shifting) Clutches in main reduction gears of gas-turbine-driven ships and propulsion systems with combinations of gas turbines and diesel engines or electric motors, and in steam-turbine propulsion plants for use with electric motor drives. Over 900 SSS Clutches have been installed in fourteen different classes of U.S. Navy ships, some in service for over thirty years. This paper presents a brief overview of the principle SSS Clutch design features and the operating experience in naval propulsion systems worldwide, including operation in various propulsion plants such as controllable reversible pitch (CRP) propellers, fixed-pitch propellers (FPP), etc. The paper will also focus on SSS Clutch designs for specific U.S. Navy applications and installations, U.S. Navy experience, and design changes and improvements that have been implemented since the initial U.S. Navy use of SSS Clutches. Detailed metric (statistical) data, used by the U.S. Navy to evaluate equipment performance and life cycle costs, such as mean time between failure (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), mean logistics delay time (MLDT), and operational availability (Ao) will be used to support experience. In-service experience and failure modes will also be explained as well as findings from the evaluation of clutches that have been subjected to extreme operation/incidents such as overspeed, overtorque, high shock blast, and flood damage. The final part of the paper will discuss current/future applications on U.S. Navy vessels such as the LHD-8, LCS and others; and how the design/features of those SSS Clutch designs will satisfy the operational, reliability, and maintainability requirements established for each ship platform. The metrics and lessons learned will be shown to be equally applicable to clutches for critical auxiliary drive applications such as naval gas turbine generator starting and naval steam turbine generator turning gear systems and how these metrics and lessons learned are being applied for current and future U.S. Navy ship systems.


Author(s):  
C. Rodgers

By the new millennia gas turbine technology standards the size of the first gas turbines of Von Ohain and Whittle would be considered small. Since those first pioneer achievements the sizes of gas turbines have diverged to unbelievable extremes. Large aircraft turbofans delivering the equivalent of 150 megawatts, and research micro engines designed for 20 watts. Microturbine generator sets rated from 2 to 200kW are penetrating the market to satisfy a rapid expansion use of electronic equipment. Tiny turbojets the size of a coca cola can are being flown in model aircraft applications. Shirt button sized gas turbines are now being researched intended to develop output powers below 0.5kW at rotational speeds in excess of 200 Krpm, where it is discussed that parasitic frictional drag and component heat transfer effects can significantly impact cycle performance. The demarcation zone between small and large gas turbines arbitrarily chosen in this treatise is rotational speeds of the order 100 Krpm, and above. This resurgence of impetus in the small gas turbine, beyond that witnessed some forty years ago for potential automobile applications, fostered this timely review of the small gas turbine, and a re-address of the question, what are the effects of size and clearances gaps on the performances of small gas turbines?. The possible resolution of this question lies in autopsy of the many small gas turbine component design constraints, aided by lessons learned in small engine performance development, which are the major topics of this paper.


Author(s):  
John Hartranft ◽  
Bruce Thompson ◽  
Dan Groghan

Following the successful development of aircraft jet engines during World War II (WWII), the United States Navy began exploring the advantages of gas turbine engines for ship and boat propulsion. Early development soon focused on aircraft derivative (aero derivative) gas turbines for use in the United States Navy (USN) Fleet rather than engines developed specifically for marine and industrial applications due to poor results from a few of the early marine and industrial developments. Some of the new commercial jet engine powered aircraft that had emerged at the time were the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8. It was from these early aircraft engine successes (both commercial and military) that engine cores such as the JT4-FT4 and others became available for USN ship and boat programs. The task of adapting the jet engine to the marine environment turned out to be a substantial task because USN ships were operated in a completely different environment than that of aircraft which caused different forms of turbine corrosion than that seen in aircraft jet engines. Furthermore, shipboard engines were expected to perform tens of thousands of hours before overhaul compared with a few thousand hours mean time between overhaul usually experienced in aircraft applications. To address the concerns of shipboard applications, standards were created for marine gas turbine shipboard qualification and installation. One of those standards was the development of a USN Standard Day for gas turbines. This paper addresses the topic of a Navy Standard Day as it relates to the introduction of marine gas turbines into the United States Navy Fleet and why it differs from other rating approaches. Lastly, this paper will address examples of issues encountered with early requirements and whether current requirements for the Navy Standard Day should be changed. Concerning other rating approaches, the paper will also address the issue of using an International Organization for Standardization, that is, an International Standard Day. It is important to address an ISO STD DAY because many original equipment manufacturers and commercial operators prefer to rate their aero derivative gas turbines based on an ISO STD DAY with no losses. The argument is that the ISO approach fully utilizes the power capability of the engine. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the ISO STD DAY approach and how the USN STD DAY approach has benefitted the USN. For the future, with the advance of engine controllers and electronics, utilizing some of the features of an ISO STD DAY approach may be possible while maintaining the advantages of the USN STD DAY.


Author(s):  
Cyrus Meher-Homji ◽  
Dave Messersmith ◽  
Tim Hattenbach ◽  
Jim Rockwell ◽  
Hans Weyermann ◽  
...  

LNG market pressures for thermally efficient and environmentally friendly LNG plants coupled with the need for high plant availability have resulted in the world’s first application of high performance aeroderivative gas turbines for a 3.7 MTPA LNG plant in Darwin. The six engines utilized are GE PGT25+ engines rated at 32 MW ISO driving propane, ethylene and methane compressors. The paper describes the design, manufacture, testing, and implementation of these units focusing on both the gas turbine and the centrifugal compressors. Power augmentation utilized on these units is also discussed. An overview of operating experience and lessons learned are provided. Part 1 of this paper provides a detailed analysis of why high thermal efficiency is important for LNG plants from an economic and greenhouse gas perspective.


Author(s):  
Nanahisa Sugiyama

This paper describes a real-time or faster-than-real-time simulation of gas turbine engines, using an ultra high speed, multi-processor digital computer, designated the AD100. It is shown that the frame time is reduced significantly without any loss of fidelity of a simulation. The simulation program is aimed at a high degree of flexibility to allow changes in engine configuration. This makes it possible to simulate various types of gas turbine engines, including jet engines, gas turbines for vehicles and power plants, in real-time. Some simulation results for an intercooled-reheat type industrial gas turbine are shown.


Author(s):  
Satish Gadde ◽  
Jianfan Wu ◽  
Anil Gulati ◽  
Gerry McQuiggan ◽  
Berthold Koestlin ◽  
...  

In the age of volatile and ever increasing natural gas fuel prices, strict new emission regulations and technological advancements, modern IGCC plants are the answer to growing market demands for efficient and environmentally friendly power generation. IGCC technology allows the use of low cost opportunity fuels, such as coal, of which there is a more than a 200-year supply in the U.S., and refinery residues, such as petroleum coke and residual oil. Future IGCC plants are expected to be more efficient and have a potential to be a lower cost solution to future CO2 and mercury regulations compared to the direct coal fired steam plants. Siemens has more than 300,000 hours of successful IGCC plant operational experience on a variety of heavy duty gas turbine models in Europe and the U.S. The gas turbines involved range from SGT5-2000E to SGT6-3000E (former designations are shown on Table 1). Future IGCC applications will extend this experience to the SGT5-4000F and SGT6-4000F/5000F/6000G gas turbines. In the currently operating Siemens’ 60 Hz fleet, the SGT6-5000F gas turbine has the most operating engines and the most cumulative operating hours. Over the years, advancements have increased its performance and decreased its emissions and life cycle costs without impacting reliability. Development has been initiated to verify its readiness for future IGCC application including syngas combustion system testing. Similar efforts are planned for the SGT6-6000G and SGT5-4000F/SGT6-4000F models. This paper discusses the extensive development programs that have been carried out to demonstrate that target emissions and engine operability can be achieved on syngas operation in advanced F-class 50 Hz and 60 Hz gas turbine based IGCC applications.


Author(s):  
T. Tauber

For oil wetted components of gas turbine engines, such as bearings, reduction and accessory drive gears, debris monitoring is the most successful and cost effective condition monitoring technique. However, extensive field service experience demonstrates that full-flow debris monitoring is essential. Full-flow debris monitoring devices, as opposed to chip detectors installed in sumps or lines, monitor the entire scavenge flow. The detection efficiency of properly designed systems can reach 100 percent. This paper briefly discusses models for debris generation in bearings and gears and reviews the principles of successful debris separation and incipient failure detection in gas turbine engines. Several devices are discussed which represent the state-of-the-art in this field, including a centrifugal debris separator for aircraft jet engines which has been shown to be highly effective in field service. Of particular interest to the user of stationary gas turbines is a quantitative debris monitoring system which provides a real-time read out of debris production levels and gives reliable advance warning of impending failure; thus reducing down time, secondary damage and overhaul costs.


1982 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Caskey

The newest ship class to enter the U.S. Navy (USN) fleet is the DDG-993 KIDD Class guided missile destroyer. The lead ship of the Class, delivered March 1981, incorporates the main features of the DD 963 Class hull and main propulsion system designs. Originally ordered by the Imperial Iranian Navy (IIN), the ship design also incorporates unique features for protection from dust and sand. The ventilation ducting, deck machinery, and gas turbine combustion air all required modifications to protect against damage due to the expected Persian Gulf environment. This paper will outline the hardware changes considered necessary to meet the requirements for satisfactory IIN performance for the propulsion and electrical generator gas turbines.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (05) ◽  
pp. 40-44
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston

This article presents an overview of the gas turbine industry. The annual value of production provides the vital signs for the industry. Forecast International in Newtown, Connecticut, uses its computer models and extensive database to monitor value of production for both the aviation and the non-aviation gas turbine market. The largest segment in the industry is aviation—jet engines and turboprop engines for commercial and military manned aircraft—with $21.4 billion in production. While aviation is the largest market for gas turbines, the non-aviation segment is the broadest. General Electric’s new LMS100 gas turbine is one example firmly on the cutting edge. Introduced in 2005 and rated at 100 MW, the LMS100 is the first modern production electric power gas turbine to have an intercooler. The LMS100 is aimed at the mid-merit and daily cycling segments of the electrical market—the difficult-to-predict, must-be-ready-to-start electrical peak and intermediary power providers.


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