System and method for monitoring a gas turbine

• US 8,370,046 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vittal, Sameer, Jiang, Xiaomo, Bernard, Michael Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Coung H
• Application Number:
  US12/704,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20110196593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 701/100, 701/31.7, 701/31.6, 60/390.91, 731/120.1, 705/4, 705/35, 705/7.28, 415/55.7, 415/55.1, 422/220, 422/600, 422/6, 422/600.6, 702182-184
• US Class Current: 701/100
• 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 2230/80 Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A system for monitoring a gas turbine includes a memory containing information from comparable gas turbines and an input device that generates a unit data signal and a risk signal. A processor in communication with the memory and the input device incorporates the unit data signal into the database, projects information for the gas turbine, and calculates a conditional risk that the gas turbine will reach a limit. An output signal includes repair or maintenance schedules. A method for monitoring a gas turbine includes receiving information from comparable gas turbines, adding information from the gas turbine to the information from comparable gas turbines, and projecting information for the gas turbine. The method further includes calculating a conditional risk that the gas turbine will reach a limit and generating an output signal containing repair or maintenance schedules.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the performance of a gas turbine under service, comprising:

a. a memory element containing a database of parameter information from comparable gas turbines;

b. an input device, wherein the input device is configured to generate parameter information from the gas turbine under service and a risk value for the gas turbine under service;

c. a processor in communication with the memory element and the input device, wherein the processor is configured to incorporate the parameter information from the gas turbine under service into the database of parameter information from comparable gas turbines, project parameter information for the gas turbine under service, and calculate a conditional risk that the projected parameter information for the gas turbine under service will reach a predetermined parameter limit; and

d. wherein the processor is configured to generate at least one of repair or maintenance scheduling information.

2. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a fleet model in the database, wherein the fleet model includes parameter information from comparable gas turbines.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the database of parameter information from comparable gas turbines includes data reflecting at least one of operation, repairs, or maintenance of the comparable gas turbines.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the parameter information from the gas turbine under service includes data reflecting at least one of operation, repairs, or maintenance of the gas turbine under service.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the at least one of repair or maintenance scheduling information based on a comparison of the conditional risk and the risk value.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the at least one of repair or maintenance scheduling information includes a projected useful life of a component in the gas turbine under service.

7. A computer-implemented method for monitoring the performance of a gas turbine under service, comprising:

a. receiving parameter information from comparable gas turbines in a computing device;

b. adding parameter information from the gas turbine under service to the parameter information from comparable gas turbines in the computing device;

c. projecting parameter information for the gas turbine under service in the computing device;

d. calculating with the computing device a conditional risk that the projected parameter information for the gas turbine under service will reach a predetermined parameter limit; and

e. generating an output with the computing device, wherein the output contains at least one of a repair or a maintenance schedule for the gas turbine under service based on the conditional risk.

8. The method as in claim 7, further comprising comparing the conditional risk to a predetermined risk value in the computing device.

9. The method as in claim 8, further including delaying repair or maintenance if the conditional risk is less than the predetermined risk value.

10. The method as in claim 8, further including accelerating repair or maintenance if the conditional risk is not less than the predetermined risk value.

11. The method as in claim 8, further comprising generating a risk output in the computing device that contains the predetermined risk value.

12. The method as in claim 7, further including calculating a statistical accuracy of the projected parameter information for the gas turbine under service in the computing device.

13. The method as in claim 7, further comprising calculating a projected useful life of a component in the gas turbine under service in the computing device.

14. The method as in claim 7, further comprising receiving the parameter information from comparable gas turbines in the computing device from a database of parameter information of comparable gas turbines.

15. The method as in claim 7, further comprising generating parameter information from the gas turbine under service in the computing device.

16. A computer-implemented method for monitoring the performance of a gas turbine under service, comprising:

a. receiving a fleet model containing parameter information from comparable gas turbines in a computing device;

b. adding parameter information from the gas turbine under service to the parameter information from comparable gas turbines in the computing device;

c. projecting parameter information for the gas turbine under service in the computing device;

d. calculating with the computing device a conditional risk that the projected parameter information for the gas turbine under service will reach a predetermined parameter limit; and

e. generating an output with the computing device, wherein the output contains at least one of a repair schedule, a maintenance schedule, or a projected useful life for the gas turbine under service based on the conditional risk.

17. The method as in claim 16, further comprising comparing the conditional risk to a predetermined risk value in the computing device.

18. The method as in claim 17, further comprising generating the output with the computing device based on the predetermined risk value.

19. The method as in claim 16, further including calculating a statistical accuracy of the projected parameter information for the gas turbine under service in the computing device.

20. The method as in claim 16, further comprising generating the parameter information from the gas turbine under service in the computing device.