Gas Turbine Operation Offshore: Increased Operating Interval and Higher Engine Performance Through Optimized Intake Air Filter System

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stian Madsen ◽  
Lars E. Bakken
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Air Filter ◽  
Filter System ◽  
Turbine Performance

Optimized operation of gas turbines is discussed for six LM2500PE engines at a Statoil North Sea offshore field. Three engines are generator drivers whilst three engines are compressor drivers. Two of the compressor drive engines are running at peak load (T5.4 control), hence the production rate is limited by the available power from these engines. All of the six engines discussed run continuously without redundancy, gas turbine uptime is therefore critical for the field’s production and economy. The performance and operational experience with upgraded inlet air filter systems and online water wash at high water-to-air ratio, as well as successful operation at longer intervals and higher average engine performance are described. For North Sea operation, a key property of the filter system is the ability to handle high humidity and high salt-content through the harsh environment in these waters. The upgraded filter systems analyzed in this paper is a 2-stage system (vane separator stage upstream of the high-efficiency-filter stage), which is a simplified design versus the old traditional 3-stage systems (louvre upstream and vane separator downstream of the filter stage). These 2-stage systems rely on an efficient upstream vane separator to remove the vast majority of water from the airflow before it reaches the high-efficiency filters. The high-efficiency filters are especially designed to withstand moisture. Deposit analysis from the downstream side of the filters has been performed. Extensive testing of both new and used filter elements, of different filter grade and operated at different intervals, has been performed on a filter test rig facility onshore. All six engines have historically been operated with 4-month intervals between maintenance stops. Online wash is performed daily between the maintenance stops at full load (i.e. normal operating load for the subject engine). As a result of successful development and pilot testing of new filters and optimized filter change intervals, as well as successful online water wash, the engine operating intervals are now extended to 6 months with very low deterioration rate. Understanding the gas turbine performance deterioration is of vital importance. Trending of its deviation from the engine baseline facilitates load-independent monitoring of the gas turbine’s condition. Instrument resolution and repeatability are key factors in order to get reasonable results from the performance analysis. Improvement of the package instrumentation has been implemented on three of the analyzed engines, for better performance monitoring. As a result of these analyses, a set of monitoring parameters is suggested for effective diagnostics of compressor degradation. Avenues for further research and development are proposed in order to further increase the understanding of the deterioration mechanisms and the gas turbine performance and response.

Gas Turbine Fouling Offshore: Air Intake Filtration Optimization

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stian Madsen ◽  
Jørn Watvedt ◽  
Lars E. Bakken
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Peak Load ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Successful Operation ◽  
Filter System ◽  
Air Intake

Optimized operation of gas turbines is discussed for a fleet of eleven LM2500PE engines at a Statoil North Sea offshore field in Norway. Three engines are generator drivers while eight engines are compressor drivers. Several of the compressor drive engines run at peak load (T5.4 control), hence production rate is limited by the available power from these engines. The majority of the engines discussed run continuously without redundancy, hence gas turbine uptime is critical for the field’s production and economy. The performance and operational experience with upgraded inlet air filter systems, as well as successful operation at longer maintenance intervals and higher average engine performance are described. For North Sea operation, a key property of the filter system is the ability to handle high humidity and high salt-content, typical of the harsh environment in these waters. The upgraded filter system analyzed in this paper is a 2-stage system (vane separator stage upstream of the high-efficiency filter stage), which is a simplified design versus the old traditional 3-stage systems (louvre upstream and vane separator downstream of the filter stage). These 2-stage systems rely on an efficient upstream vane separator to remove the vast majority of water from the airflow before it reaches the high-efficiency filters. The high-efficiency filters are specially designed to withstand moisture. The effectiveness and contribution of each component in the filtration system are described. Extensive testing of both new and used filter elements, of different filter grade and operated at different intervals, has been performed in a filter test rig facility onshore. Extensive testing of used filters has also been performed at the filter OEM, where filter efficiency is measured as well as destructive testing and analysis of the filter layers. The effect of an optimized air intake filter system for the subject engines, is longer operating intervals, higher power availability and lower engine deterioration. The operating intervals are now extended to six months (4,000 hours), from initially two months (1,500 hours, early 1990s) then four months (3,000 hours, mid 2000s). The HPC efficiency deterioration is reduced by some 3% related to intake filter system, of a total of over 6% in efficiency deterioration over each 6-month operating period.

Evolution of Gas Turbine Intake Air Filtration in a 420 MW Cogeneration Plant

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Ingistov ◽  
Michael Milos ◽  
Rakesh K. Bhargava
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Cogeneration Plant ◽  
Air Filtration ◽  
Air Filter ◽  
Filter System ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Filtration System ◽  
Operational Data

A suitable inlet air filter system is required for a gas turbine, depending on installation site and its environmental conditions, to minimize contaminants entering the compressor section in order to maintain gas turbine performance. This paper describes evolution of inlet air filter systems utilized at the 420 MW Watson Cogeneration Plant consisting of four GE 7EA gas turbines since commissioning of the plant in November 1987. Changes to the inlet air filtration system became necessary due to system limitations, a desire to reduce operational and maintenance costs, and enhance overall plant performance. Based on approximately 2 years of operational data with the latest filtration system combined with other operational experiences of more than 25 years, it is shown that implementation of the high efficiency particulate air filter system provides reduced number of crank washes, gas turbine performance improvement and significant economic benefits compared to the traditional synthetic media type filters. Reasons for improved gas turbine performance and associated economic benefits, observed via actual operational data, with use of the latest filter system are discussed in this paper.

On Gas Turbine Performance With Pulse Jet for Air Filters Cleaning

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brusca ◽  
R. Lanzafame
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Air Filters ◽  
Air Filter ◽  
Industrial Environment ◽  
Cleaning Procedure ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Pulse Jet

The present paper deals with the performance analysis of gas turbines with online pulse jet system for air filter cleaning. In order to evaluate the engine performance before, during and after the cleaning procedure, a mathematical model of GE MS6001FA gas turbine has been implemented using GateCycle software. The model was calibrated and tested using real engine monitoring data. A comparison of the engine behavior from the model and experimental data shows that the results can be calculated with errors below 2% for the input conditions simulated in the present study. The GateCycle model was used to evaluate engine performance before, during and after engine pulse jet activation. On the basis of the results it is possible to state that air filter cleaning slightly increase engine performance in normal industrial environment.

Gas Turbine Fouling Offshore: Effective Online Water Wash Through High Water-to-Air Ratio

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stian Madsen ◽  
Lars E. Bakken
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Peak Load ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
High Water ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Successful Operation ◽  
Water Rate ◽  
Offshore Field ◽  
Key Parameter

Optimized operation of gas turbines is discussed for a fleet of 11 GE LM2500PE engines at a Statoil North Sea offshore field in Norway. Three engines are generator drivers, and eight engines are compressor drivers. Several of the compressor drive engines are running at peak load (T5.4 control), hence, the production rate is limited by the available power from these engines. The majority of the engines discussed run continuously without redundancy, hence, the gas turbine uptime is critical for the field's production and economy. The performance and operational experience with online water wash at high water-to-air ratio (w.a.r.), as well as successful operation at longer maintenance intervals and higher average engine performance are described. The water-to-air ratio is significantly increased compared to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) limit (OEM limit is 17 l/min which yields approximately 0.5% water-to-air ratio). Today the engines are operated at a water rate of 50 l/min (three times the OEM limit) which yields a 1.4% water-to-air ratio. Such a high water-to-air ratio has been proven to be the key parameter for obtaining good online water wash effectiveness. Possible downsides of high water-to-air ratio have been thoroughly studied.

scholarly journals Industrial Gas Turbine Performance: Compressor Fouling and On-Line Washing

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uyioghosa Igie ◽  
Pericles Pilidis ◽  
Dimitrios Fouflias ◽  
Kenneth Ramsden ◽  
Panagiotis Laskaridis
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Compressor Cascade ◽  
Compressor Blades ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbines ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Impact

Industrial gas turbines are susceptible to compressor fouling, which is the deposition and accretion of airborne particles or contaminants on the compressor blades. This paper demonstrates the blade aerodynamic effects of fouling through experimental compressor cascade tests and the accompanied engine performance degradation using turbomatch, an in-house gas turbine performance software. Similarly, on-line compressor washing is implemented taking into account typical operating conditions comparable with industry high pressure washing. The fouling study shows the changes in the individual stage maps of the compressor in this condition, the impact of degradation during part-load, influence of control variables, and the identification of key parameters to ascertain fouling levels. Applying demineralized water for 10 min, with a liquid-to-air ratio of 0.2%, the aerodynamic performance of the blade is shown to improve, however most of the cleaning effect occurred in the first 5 min. The most effectively washed part of the blade was the pressure side, in which most of the particles deposited during the accelerated fouling. The simulation of fouled and washed engine conditions indicates 30% recovery of the lost power due to washing.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Secondary Flows and Influence of Air System Design on Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine Performance

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Bozzi ◽  
Enrico D’angelo
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Air System ◽  
Secondary Air

High turn-down operating of heavy-duty gas turbines in modern Combined Cycle Plants requires a highly efficient secondary air system to ensure the proper supply of cooling and sealing air. Thus, accurate performance prediction of secondary flows in the complete range of operating conditions is crucial. The paper gives an overview of the secondary air system of Ansaldo F-class AEx4.3A gas turbines. Focus of the work is a procedure to calculate the cooling flows, which allows investigating both the interaction between cooled rows and additional secondary flows (sealing and leakage air) and the influence on gas turbine performance. The procedure is based on a fluid-network solver modelling the engine secondary air system. Parametric curves implemented into the network model give the consumption of cooling air of blades and vanes. Performances of blade cooling systems based on different cooling technology are presented. Variations of secondary air flows in function of load and/or ambient conditions are discussed and justified. The effect of secondary air reduction is investigated in details showing the relationship between the position, along the gas path, of the upgrade and the increasing of engine performance. In particular, a section of the paper describes the application of a consistent and straightforward technique, based on an exergy analysis, to estimate the effect of major modifications to the air system on overall engine performance. A set of models for the different factors of cooling loss is presented and sample calculations are used to illustrate the splitting and magnitude of losses. Field data, referred to AE64.3A gas turbine, are used to calibrate the correlation method and to enhance the structure of the lumped-parameters network models.

Instructing the Principles of Gas Turbine Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics by Means of Interactive Computer Models

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Mathioudakis ◽  
A. Stamatis ◽  
A. Tsalavoutas ◽  
N. Aretakis
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Engine Operation ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Engine Components

The paper discusses how the principles employed for monitoring the performance of gas turbines in industrial duty can be explained by using suitable Gas Turbine performance models. A particular performance model that can be used for educational purposes is presented. The model allows the presentation of basic rules of gas turbine engine behavior and helps understanding different aspects of its operation. It is equipped with a graphics interface, so it can present engine operating point data in a number of different ways: operating line, operating points of the components, variation of particular quantities with operating conditions etc. Its novel feature, compared to existing simulation programs, is that it can be used for studying cases of faulty engine operation. Faults can be implanted into different engine components and their impact on engine performance studied. The notion of fault signatures on measured quantities is clearly demonstrated. On the other hand, the model has a diagnostic capability, allowing the introduction of measurement data from faulty engines and providing a diagnosis, namely a picture of how the performance of engine components has deviated from nominal condition, and how this information gives the possibility for fault identification.

Corrugated Flute Filter Media Packaging Reduces Combustion Turbine Intake Air Filter System Size by 40%

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Gahr
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Initial Pressure ◽  
System Size ◽  
Size Reduction ◽  
Filter Media ◽  
Air Filter ◽  
Filter System ◽  
Self Cleaning

Gas turbine output and mass flow have increased significantly over the years. The current generation of self cleaning air filter systems are large and complex, occupying a great deal of space, and requiring significant amounts of field assembly. A new filter technology developed for gas turbine intake air systems allows for the same high efficiency self cleaning performance to be achieved with a system that has a 40% smaller three dimensional footprint. This new corrugated flute filter media packaging technology not only reduces the size of the intake filter system, but can also reduce the complexity of the installation, shorten field installation time, and reduce the total cost of shipping by up to 50%. The key to this size reduction is a new way to package the filter media that allows for twice the airflow per filter at the same initial pressure loss and filtration efficiency as the current industry standard self cleaning filter systems. This paper will discuss the benefits of corrugated flute filter media packaging, and highlight the size reduction possible in the self cleaning air intake system. The resulting advantages are documented through laboratory and field experience.

Parametric Study of Inlet Cooling With Varied COP on Gas Turbine Performance

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Besharati-Givi ◽  
Xianchang Li
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Coefficient Of Performance ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Compressor Inlet

Gas turbines play an important role in power generation, and it is therefore desired to operate gas turbines with high efficiency and power output. One of the most influential parameters on the performance of a gas turbine is the ambient condition. It is known that inlet cooling can improve the gas turbine performance, especially when the ambient temperature is high. This study examines the effect of inlet cooling with different operating parameters such as compressor inlet temperature, turbine inlet temperature, air fuel ratio, and pressure ratio. Furthermore, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cooling system is considered a function of the ambient temperature. Aspen Plus software is used to simulate the system under a steady-flow condition. The results indicate that the cooling of the compressor inlet air can substantially improve the power output as well as the overall efficiency of system. More importantly, there exists an optimal temperature at which the inlet cooling should be operated to achieve the highest efficiency.

Transient Gas Turbine Performance Diagnostics Through Nonlinear Adaptation of Compressor and Turbine Maps

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Tsoutsanis ◽  
Nader Meskin ◽  
Mohieddine Benammar ◽  
Khashayar Khorasani
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Performance Prediction ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Modeling Methods ◽  
Turbine Performance ◽  
Component Map

Gas turbines are faced with new challenges of increasing flexibility in their operation while reducing their life cycle costs, leading to new research priorities and challenges. One of these challenges involves the establishment of high fidelity, accurate, and computationally efficient engine performance simulation, diagnosis, and prognosis schemes, which will be able to handle and address the gas turbine's ever-growing flexible and dynamic operational characteristics. Predicting accurately the performance of gas turbines depends on detailed understanding of the engine components behavior that is captured by component performance maps. The limited availability of these maps due to their proprietary nature has been commonly managed by adapting default generic maps in order to match the targeted off-design or engine degraded measurements. Although these approaches might be suitable in small range of operating conditions, further investigation is required to assess the capabilities of such methods for use in gas turbine diagnosis under dynamic transient conditions. The diversification of energy portfolio and introduction of distributed generation in electrical energy production have created need for such studies. The reason is not only the fluctuation in energy demand but also more importantly the fact that renewable energy sources, which work with conventional fossil fuel based sources, supply the grid with varying power that depend, for example, on solar irradiation. In this paper, modeling methods for the compressor and turbine maps are presented for improving the accuracy and fidelity of the engine performance prediction and diagnosis. The proposed component map fitting methods simultaneously determine the best set of equations for matching the compressor and the turbine map data. The coefficients that determine the shape of the component map curves have been analyzed and tuned through a nonlinear multi-objective optimization scheme in order to meet the targeted set of engine measurements. The proposed component map modeling methods are developed in the object oriented matlab/simulink environment and integrated with a dynamic gas turbine engine model. The accuracy of the methods is evaluated for predicting multiple component degradations of an engine at transient operating conditions. The proposed adaptive diagnostics method has the capability to generalize current gas turbine performance prediction approaches and to improve performance-based diagnostic techniques.

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