Expectations and Recent Experience for Gas Turbine Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM)

Author(s):  
Robert F. Steele ◽  
Dale C. Paul ◽  
Torgeir Rui

Since the early 1990’s there have been significant changes in the gas turbine, and power generation market place. The ‘F-Class’ Gas Turbines, with higher firing temperatures, single crystal materials, increased compressor pressure ratios and low emission combustion systems that were introduced in the early 1990’s have gained significant field experience. Many of the issues experienced by these new product introductions have been addressed. The actual reliability growth and current performance of these advanced technology machines will be examined. Additionally, the operating profiles anticipated for many of the units installed during this period has been impacted by both changes in the anticipated demand and increases in fuel costs, especially the cost of natural gas. This paper will review how these changes have impacted the Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability performance of gas turbines. Data from the ORAP® System, maintained by Strategic Power Systems, Inc, will be utilized to examine the actual RAM performance over the past 10 to 15 years in relation to goals and expectations. Specifically, this paper will examine the reliability growth of the F-Class turbines since the 1990’s and examine the reliability impact of duty cycle on RAM performance.

1973 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. White ◽  
P. B. Roberts ◽  
W. A. Compton

In recent years automotive engine emissions have become subject to stringent Federal legislation. The most severe of these regulations pertains to the 1976 Emission Standards as defined by the Advanced Automotive Power Systems (AAPS) Division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A unique combustor concept has been developed by Solar which has demonstrated the feasibility of meeting these emission requirements. The integrated emissions of a typical regenerative gas turbine engine employing this combustor type were each below one half of the levels specified by the Federal 1976 Standards, when tested over a simulated federal driving cycle. The success of the feasibility tests for this combustor concept has lead to more fundamental studies and the planned development of a prototype combustor for demonstration on the EPA-AAPS baseline gas turbine engine. The prototype combustor for the baseline engine is described together with its variable area port mechanisms, which has been demonstrated as necessary for emission control.


Author(s):  
F. L. Robson ◽  
D. J. Seery

The Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) is sponsoring the Combustion 2000 Program aimed at introducing clean and more efficient advanced technology coal-based power systems in the early 21st century. As part of this program, the United Technologies Research Center has assembled a seven member team to identify and develop the technology for a High Performance Power Systems (HIPPS) that will provide in the near term, 47% efficiency (HHV), and meet emission goals only one-tenth of current New Source Performance Standards for coal-fired power plants. In addition, the team is identifying advanced technologies that could result in HIPPS with efficiencies approaching 55% (HHV). The HIPPS is a combined cycle that uses a coal-fired High Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF) to preheat compressor discharge air in both convective and radiant heaters. The heated air is then sent to the gas turbine where additional fuel, either natural gas or distillate, is burned to raise the temperature to the levels of modern gas turbines. Steam is raised in the HITAF and in a Heat Recovery Steam Generator for the steam bottoming cycle. With state-of-the-art frame type gas turbines, the efficiency goal of 47% is met in a system with more than two-thirds of the heat input furnished by coal. By using advanced aeroderivative engine technology, HIPPS in combined-cycle and Humid Air Turbine (HAT) cycle configurations could result in efficiencies of over 50% and could approach 55%. The following paper contains descriptions of the HIPPS concept including the HITAF and heat exchangers, and of the various gas turbine configurations. Projections of HIPPS performance, emissions including significant reduction in greenhouse gases are given. Application of HIPPS to repowering is discussed.


Author(s):  
Nicolas Demougeot ◽  
Alexander Steinbrenner ◽  
Wenping Wang ◽  
Matt Yaquinto

Abstract Since the advent of premix combustion technology in industrial gas turbines, regular manual combustion tuning and engine adjustments have been necessary to maintain engines within emission regulatory limits and to control combustion dynamics (pulsations) for hardware integrity. The emissions and pulsation signatures of premix combustors are strongly driven by ambient conditions, engine performance, degradation and fuel composition. As emissions limits became more stringent over the years, higher combustion dynamics were encountered and challenges to maintain acceptable settings after yearly combustion inspections were regularly encountered. This challenge was further increased as sites operating advanced Gas Turbines (GT) eliminated Combustion Inspections (CI) and required uninterrupted generation at optimum settings for up to three years. The case for automated tuning systems became evident for the Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) market in the mid 2000’s and different IGT manufacturers and service providers began developing them. Power Systems Manufacturing (PSM) developed the AutoTune (AT) system in 2008 and has since installed it in over fifty units, accumulating close to a million hours of operation. The history of PSM’s AT system development as well as a description of its fundamental principles and capabilities are discussed. The power generation market is changing rapidly with the injection of renewables, thus driving the demand for operational flexibility, the design of PSM’s multi-platform compatible, AutoTune system; allowing for increased peak power, extended turndown and transient tuning is discussed. The paper also describes, how, using the same tuning principles, the application for an AutoTune system can be extended to the Balance Of Plant (BOP) equipment.


Author(s):  
C. F. McDonald

Because of intense development in the aircraft gas turbine field over the last 30 years, the fixed boundary recuperator has received much less development attention than the turbomachinery, and is still proving to be the nemesis of the small gas turbine design engineer. For operation on cheap fuel, such as natural gas, the simple cycle-engine is the obvious choice, but where more expensive liquid fuels are to be burned, the economics of gas turbine operation can be substantially improved by incorporating an efficient, reliable recuperator. For many industrial, vehicular, marine, and utility applications it can be shown that the gas turbine is a more attractive prime mover than either the diesel engine or steam turbine. For some military applications the fuel logistics situation shows the recuperative gas turbine to be the most effective power plant. For small nuclear Brayton cycle space power systems the recuperator is an essential component for high overall plant efficiency, and hence reduced thermal rejection to the environment. Data are presented to show that utilization of compact efficient heat transfer surfaces developed primarily for aerospace heat exchangers, can result in a substantial reduction in weight and volume, for industrial, vehicular, marine, and nuclear gas turbine recuperators. With the increase in overall efficiency of the recuperative cycle (depending on the level of thermal effectiveness, and the size and type of plant), the cost of the heat exchanger can often be paid for in fuel savings, after only a few hundred hours of operation. Heat exchanger surface geometries and fabrication techniques, together with specific recuperator sizes for different applications, are presented. Design, performance, structural, manufacturing, and economic aspects of compact heat exchanger technology, as applied to the gas turbine, are discussed in detail, together with projected future trends in this field.


Author(s):  
Timothy C. Allison ◽  
Harold R. Simmons

Least squares balancing methods have been applied for many years to reduce vibration levels of turbomachinery. This approach yields an optimal configuration of balancing weights to reduce a given cost function. However, in many situations, the cost function is not well-defined by the problem, and a more interactive method of determining the effects of balance weight placement is desirable. An interactive balancing procedure is outlined and implemented in an Excel spreadsheet. The usefulness of this interactive approach is highlighted in balancing case studies of a GE LM5000 gas turbine and an industrial fan. In each case study, attention is given to practical aspects of balancing such as sensor placement and balancing limitations.


1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. McCoy

Analysis of gas turbine-powered naval ships of 500- to 4000-ton size has been performed for ocean escort and patrol missions with performance levels appropriate to gas turbines of both current and advanced technology. The use of gas turbine systems allows the realization of high mission effectiveness with relatively small ships. For advanced marine gas turbines, the most significant ship benefit would result from increased thermal efficiency of cruise engines by means of regenerative cycles. A secondary improvement, particularly for high dash speeds, would be the reduction of specific weight for dash engines. With such advanced gas turbines, ship sizes may be further reduced for given mission capabilities.


Author(s):  
R. P. op het Veld ◽  
J. P. van Buijtenen

This paper investigates the layout and achievable efficiencies of rotating components of a Helium gas turbine. This is done by making a preliminary design of the compressor and turbine needed for the power conversion in a combined heat and power plant with a 40 MWth nuclear high temperature reactor as a heat source. State of the art efficiency values of air breathing gas turbines are used for the first calculations. The efficiency level is corrected by comparing various dimensionless data of the Helium turbomachine with an air gas turbine of similar dimensions. A single shaft configuration with a high speed axial turbine will give highest performance and simple construction. If a generator has to be driven at a conventional speed, a free power turbine configuration must be chosen. The choice of the configuration depends among others on the cost and availability of the asynchrone generator and frequency convertor.


Author(s):  
Katsuyoshi Tada ◽  
Kei Inoue ◽  
Tomo Kawakami ◽  
Keijiro Saitoh ◽  
Satoshi Tanimura

Gas-turbine combined-cycle (GTCC) power generation is clean and efficient, and its demand will increase in the future from economic and social perspectives. Raising turbine inlet temperature is an effective way to increase combined cycle efficiency and contributes to global environmental conservation by reducing CO2 emissions and preventing global warming. However, increasing turbine inlet temperature can lead to the increase of NOx emissions, depletion of the ozone layer and generation of photochemical smog. To deal with this issue, MHPS (MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS) and MHI (MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES) have developed Dry Low NOx (DLN) combustion techniques for high temperature gas turbines. In addition, fuel flexibility is one of the most important features for DLN combustors to meet the requirement of the gas turbine market. MHPS and MHI have demonstrated DLN combustor fuel flexibility with natural gas (NG) fuels that have a large Wobbe Index variation, a Hydrogen-NG mixture, and crude oils.


Author(s):  
Geoffrey D. Woodhouse

The gas turbine engine has been examined as a power plant for military tracked vehicles for over 30 years. Advocates have stressed the potentially high power density and high reliability as factors in favor of the turbine. Several turbine engines have been evaluated experimentally in military tracked vehicles resulting in a better understanding of such aspects as response characteristics and air inlet filtration requirements. Moreover, although the small volume and light weight of aircraft derivative gas turbines have certain virtues, it generally has been concluded that some form of waste heat recuperation is essential to achieve an acceptable level of fuel consumption, despite the increased weight and volume incurred. The selection of the AVCO Lycoming AGT1500 recuperated gas turbine as the power unit for the U.S. Army new M1 “Abrams” main battle tank was a major milestone in the evolution of gas turbine engines for tank propulsion.


Author(s):  
V. C. Tendon ◽  
A. Zabrodsky

Development and operation of larger size gas turbines have demonstrated that higher turbine inlet temperature can be sustained due to advancement in material and cooling technology. After a feasibility study it was determined that modern available technology can be applied to existing previous generation of machines. These programs are identified as “The Performance Upgrade of Gas Turbine”. Amongst the significant benefits that can be realized by retrofitting state of art parts in existing machines are higher power and more durable parts. This paper discusses various programs that are currently offered and implementation technique of upgrading the machines. A recent example is also presented. These unique programs are particularly attractive at the time of overall life consumption of the initial set of hot parts. At that point in an operating gas turbine it will be beneficial to retrofit the latest configuration parts to realize the performance improvements.


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