Method for managing lifespans of high temperature gas turbine components and its implementation through computer program

• US 20040073400A1
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jun-Hee, Masada, Junichiro, Kallianpur, Vinod, Kuwabara, Masamitsu, Soechting, Friedrich, Tomita, Yasuoki
• Application Number:
  US10/268,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/181
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/11 to prolong engine life

Abstract

It provides a method for managing the remaining life of a high temperature component used in a gas turbine that enables a state of fatigue of a high temperature component to be evaluated and controlled with a high level of accuracy, and a program medium for performing the method for managing the remaining life of a high temperature gas turbine component on a computer. In the method for managing the lifespan of a high temperature component used in a gas turbine, the lifespan of a high temperature component being evaluated is set within an operating area bounded by a component life limit line that is determined on the basis of field data giving the correlation between the operating time and operating cycles for the state of fatigue from past high temperature components. As the program medium, a medium is employed that is provided with a program in which this method is used for managing a lifespan of a high temperature component used in a gas turbine.

Claims

1. A method for managing a lifespan of a high temperature component provided in a gas turbine, wherein a lifespan of the high temperature component being evaluated is set within a component life limit that is determined based on field data giving a correlation between operating time and operating cycles for the states of fatigue from past high temperature components.

2. The method for managing a lifespan of a high temperature component provided in a gas turbine according to claim 1, wherein the life limit and data on the operating time and operating cycle of the high temperature component are imported into a computer, and a state of fatigue of the high temperature component at an arbitrary operating time is monitored by determining this state of fatigue as a position relative to the life limit.

3. The method for managing a lifespan of a high temperature component provided in a gas turbine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a state of fatigue of the high temperature component within an operating area bounded by the life limit is determined as a track, and a subsequent operating time and operating cycle is decided based on a trend of this track and on a position of the high temperature component within the operating area at the current point in time.

4. The method for managing a lifespan of a high temperature component provided in a gas turbine according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the past component is formed from a different material from the high temperature component, the life limits of the two materials are revised based on a ratio of fatigue cycles in order to obtain the same material distortion.

5. A computer program for managing the lifespan of a high temperature component in a gas turbine, wherein said program

refers to operating time and operating cycle data of the high temperature component and a component life limit set on a basis of field data, said component life limit being based on a correlation between operating time and operating cycles for fatigue crack from past high temperature components;

determines a state of fatigue of the high temperature component at an arbitrary operating time as a position within an operating area bounded by the life limit.