Gas Turbine Performance
KEMA's consultancy in the field of gas turbine performance originates from thorough experience with preventive and corrective measures to improve performance
Air filtration and compressor cleaning
Compressor blade fouling leads to both production loss and efficiency loss, therefore costing the gas turbine operators lots of money. Based on experiences from KEMA’s R&D and consulting activities you can lose up to several tens of millions of €/$’s. To minimize this problem two basic approaches or, as in most cases, a combination of the two are possible:
There is not something like an generic optimal filter installation. From financial analysis it becomes clear that the significant saving potential is the right combination of preventive measures (air filtration) and corrective measures (compressor cleaning). The most profitable financial solution depends on the area, dust load, type of weather and type of operation. KEMA’s services focus on achieving the right balance between performance improvement and financial costs without the need to evaluate the performance every day again.
Gas turbine lubrication
KEMA has significant experience in oil business. For more than 30 years the Dutch electricity companies discuss their oil problems with KEMA. This leads to a specific and unique knowledge of using oil in the steam and gas turbines. In 1980 KEMA has introduced their independent recommendations for lubricating oil for steam turbines.
In the past, several problems were encountered in the Netherlands and Denmark with respect to lubricating oils for gas turbines. These included rapid degradation of the oil, flocculation of degradation products and remarkable analytic results. In a dedicated project a total of 16 gas turbines were involved including ones built by GE, Alstom, Rolls Royce, Siemens, Dresser Rand and Solar. These gas turbines have been selected on criteria such as age, abundance and future applications. Also operation mode and the brand of lubricating oil used were considered. 12 different types of oil of 4 different suppliers have been evaluated.
The monitoring program covers a wide range of classical chemical analyses. KEMA’s consulting covers a broad range of lubrication of gas and steam turbines and also selection criteria for oil to use. KEMA supports you in the oil business with knowledge on the application of additives, inhibitors and filtration techniques leading to the best performance of your gas turbine.