Abstract
In this study, an assessment of degradation and failure modes in the gas-path components of twin-shaft industrial gas turbines (IGTs) has been carried out through a model-based analysis. Measurements from twin-shaft IGTs operated in the field and denoting reduction in engine performance attributed to compressor fouling conditions, hot-end blade turbine damage, and failure in the variable stator guide vane (VSGV) mechanism of the compressor have been considered for the analysis. The measurements were compared with simulated data from a thermodynamic model constructed in a Simulink environment, which predicts the physical parameters (pressure and temperature) across the different stations of the IGT. The model predicts engine health parameters, e.g., component efficiencies and flow capacities, which are not available in the engine field data. The results show that it is possible to simulate the change in physical parameters across the IGT during degradation and failure in the components by varying component efficiencies and flow capacities during IGT simulation. The results also demonstrate that the model can predict the measured field data attributed to failure in the gas-path components of twin-shaft IGTs. The estimated health parameters during degradation or failure in the gas-path components can assist the development of health-index prognostic methods for operational engine performance prediction.
Highlights
Industrial gas turbines (IGTs) are widely used to generate electricity or drive rotating machinery such as pumps and process compressors
This study has demonstrated that it is possible to predict the performance of a twin-shaft engine for different failure events and degradation modes of gas-path components attributed to fouling conditions, hot-end blade damage, and variable stator guide vane (VSGV) system failure
During degradation and failure in gas path components attributed to fouling conditions, hot-end blade damage, and faults in the VSGV system using a nonlinear gas turbine model constructed from the Simulink library
Summary
Industrial gas turbines (IGTs) are widely used to generate electricity or drive rotating machinery such as pumps and process compressors. Performance of gas turbine engines gradually deteriorates over the service life due to degradation of the gas-path components such as the compressor, the combustor, and the turbines. These physical faults gradually evolve over a prolonged period of operation and lead to degradation of the individual gas-path components. Engine performance is represented by a set of so-called health parameters such as efficiency and flow capacity of individual components. These health parameters deviate from initially healthy baseline values as the engine components degrade. Estimation of health parameters from engine data is often referred to as gas path analysis [1,2]
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