On-line system and method for processing information relating to the wear of turbine components

• US 7,149,632 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Xia, Hong, Sarshar, Hamid Reza, Elliott, Richard Anthony, Gao, Dongming
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, MARY CATHERINE
• Application Number:
  US10/249,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 702 33- 36, 702/56, 702/105, 702113-115, 702/122, 702182-185, 702187-188, 73/18.4, 73577-578, 700287-290, 700 32- 34, 345966-970
• US Class Current: 702/34
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/023 Transition ducts between combustor cans and first stage of the turbine in gas-turbine engines; their cooling or sealings
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A method comprises storing data relating to the wear of a component of at least one turbine system in a database of a system for processing wear related information, generating a displayable menu containing a plurality of user-selectable links respectively associated with software modules of the system, and receiving an on-line selection of one of the user-selectable links to enable the associated software module of the system to generate displayable content including information relating to the wear of the component of the turbine system. The selected module may enable a quantitative amount of the wear of the component or qualitative wear range characterizing the amount of the wear of the component to be input and received on-line. Alternatively, the selected module may enable a component type to be input and received on-line and display a component fleet leader.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing data relating to wear of a component of at least one turbine system in a database of a system for processing wear related information;

generating a displayable menu for an interface, the menu containing a plurality of user-selectable links respectively associated with software modules of the system; and

receiving an on-line selection through the interface of one of the user-selectable links to enable the associated software module of the system to generate displayable content including information relating to the wear of the component of the turbine system;

wherein the wear of the component of the at least one turbine system comprises the wear of a material in one or more of the following turbine components;

transition piece body assembly component, bull horn cover, side seal, AFT frame creep, combustion liner assembly component, flow sleeve, cross fire tube and fuel nozzle; and

the module associated with the selected link enables the displayable content to depict as a digitized photograph, on-line, an example component having a standardized level of wear.

2. In an on-line system for processing wear related data, a method of identifying a component fleet leader from among a plurality of a same type of components in respective turbine systems, the method comprising:

processing an on-line user selection of a component type of the turbine system;

searching a database of the on-line system based on the on-line user selection; and

processing information retrieved from the database as a result of the search including identifying that component from among the plurality of components corresponding to the user-selected component type which has been in operation in its respective turbine system for the longest cumulative time as the component fleet leader.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein selected component type is one of the following turbine component types:

transition piece body assembly component, bull horn cover, side seal, AFT frame creep, combustion liner assembly component, flow sleeve, cross fire tube and fuel nozzle.

4. A system for processing wear related information, the system comprising:

a database for storing data relating to wear of a component of at least one turbine system; and

a computer system executing a software application including a plurality of software modules to (i) generate a displayable menu containing a plurality of user-selectable links respectively associated with the software modules, and (ii) process a received on-line selection of one of the user-selectable links to enable the associated software module to generate displayable content including information relating to the wear of the component of the turbine system;

wherein the wear of the component of the at least one turbine system comprises the wear of a material in one or more of the following turbine components;

transition piece body assembly components, bull horn cover, side seal, AFT frame creep, combustion liner assembly components, flow sleeve, cross fire tube and fuel nozzle; and

the module associated with the selected link enables the displayable content to depict as a digitized photograph, on-line, an example component having a standardized level of wear.