Gas Turbine Engine Performance (Evaluating the Impact of Cyclic Maintenance Strategies)

and other process equipment in a secure web-based environment and allows users to; • Run your process more efficiently. • Improve your operating margins. • Avoid unnecessary shutdowns. • Improve your maintenance management decisions. GAS TURBINE PERFORMANCE is subject to degradation over time. When gas turbine engines are run, they become fouled with airborne contaminants such as oil, pollen, soot, unburned fuel, soils and salt which encrust compressor components. Generally, axial flow compressor deterioration is the major cause of loss in gas turbine output and efficiency. Fortunately, much can be done through proper operation and maintenance procedures to minimize fouling type losses. On-line compressor wash systems are available that are used to maintain compressor efficiency by washing the compressor while at load, before significant fouling has occurred. Offline systems are used to clean heavily fouled compressors. The washing of gas turbine compressors is the most effective method of preventing fouling. Customer experience demonstrates that cleaning maximizes: • Power output • Fuel efficiency • The life of machine components (e.g. bearings and blades) COMPRESSOR WASHES The process of cleaning (washing) the gas turbine is generally achieved by one of three main methods. Engine Stripping This is where the engine is taken off-line, stripped and hand cleaned. This method is by far the most costly, due to the associated labor costs and excessive downtime. As a result, this is very rarely used for performance recovery alone. Shot Blasting Abrasive contact, or blasting, using crushed nut shells, coke, peach stones or similar are fed into the inlet air stream whilst the engine is running to remove contaminants. Here the performance improvement tends to be short-lived with the added drawback of possible damage to the protective coatings on blades.