Raising the reliability of advanced gas turbines ; The introduction of high-temp gas turbin...

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Raising the reliability of advanced gas turbines ; The introduction of hightemp gas turbines has been anything but trouble-free, with models from all manufacturers falling short of reliability and durability expectations. Still, confidence in the technology remains high, thanks in part to the solutions launched by manufacturers, users, insurers, and service specialists
Power, Mar/Apr 2002 by Swanekamp, Robert
An improved design, with a thicker second-stage vane and a different welding process, was validated at the other W501G installation--the city of Lakeland's (Fla) McIntosh site--and has operated for over 1000 hours with no further operating restrictions, according to the supplier.

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24/02/2011

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The combustor problem was observed during dynamics testing at approximately 2200 Hz. The cause was identified as insufficient aerodynamic damping as a result of closed-loop steam cooling of the transition section. New, tuned resonators resolved the problem, Siemens-Westinghouse reports, and as a further precaution, a combustor dynamics monitor was added as standard supervisory instrumentation. Burner mods The GT24/26 gas turbine, developed by ABB, Baden, Switzerland (now owned by Alstom, Midlothian, Va), took a different road toward high thermal efficiency than high-firing models like the W501G and the GE 7F. Rather than significantly raising the firing temperature, the GT24/26 features an innovative sequential combustion system that extracts more efficiency from the machine, similar to the reheat cycle of a steam plant (POWER, September/October 2001, p 37). But when first introduced, both the GT24 (the 60-Hz version) and the GT26 (the 50-Hz version) experienced reliability problems similar to other OEMs' models (Fig 3). In response, Alstom assembled a large team of engineers to redesign and progressively implement modifications across the fleet, known as the "B uprate" changes. These included EV burner modifications where the number of burners was decreased in the GT24 from 30 to 20, and in the GT26 from 30 to 24. A retractable burner also was introduced, enabling access to the burners for maintenance and inspection. Other B uprate changes were the introduction of single-crystal materials for critical blade rows to improve creep resistance at the higher operating temperatures; improved seals and cooling in the low-pressure turbine; and thermal barrier coatings added in critical areas. A single-shaft combined-cycle unit in Enfield, England, was the first GT26B to enter service, and the first to operate at a higher temperature than the other modified GT26Bs. An Alstom team that has been on site for the past year reports that there have been no forced outages caused by the gas turbine during a year of base-load operation, and that the plant is expected to be officially handed over from Alstom to Enfield Energy Centre early this year. Rotor redux In combustor design, it seems that GE leads the pack. As long as plants restrict themselves to one fuel--natural gas--and install fuel-gas preheaters to eliminate moisture (POWER, March/April 2001, p 60), the OEM's most advanced version of dry low-NOx combustors (DLN-2.6) is consistently meeting single-digit emissions limits, while most other DLN designs control emissions to the 25 ppm level. GE has impressed this fact on several state regulatory agencies, scoring a competitive advantage in siting powerplants in those locations (Fig 4). Challenges with GE's F-class machines are more focused on rotor durability in the cycling mode. In "Banking on Advanced Gas Turbines: Prospects for a Financial Meltdown," a 2000 study by WEFA Inc, Eddystone, Pa, researchers discussed the problems that have affected both compressor and turbine rotors. Advanced Search Find Articles in free and premium articles 6

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24/02/2011