System and method for gas turbine operation

• US 9,255,525 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ewens, David Spencer, Huey, John Rogers, Lindenmuth, Marc Gavin
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US13/691,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/100, 701/101, 701/102, 701/22, 701/113, 607/73, 607/78, 607/26, 607/93, 608/06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: F02C 9/20 by throttling; by adjusting vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/28 Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/54 by throttling the working fluid, by adjusting vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/053 Explicitly mentioned power
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/08 to produce clean exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/11 to prolong engine life
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/335 Output power or torque

Abstract

A system includes a controller configured to control one or more parameters of a gas turbine engine based on a feedback and a predicted lifespan of one or more components of the gas turbine engine to substantially maintain at least one of power output or heat rate above a threshold level in response to degradation or fouling of the gas turbine engine.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a controller configured to control one or more parameters of a gas turbine engine based on a feedback and a predicted lifespan of one or more components of the gas turbine engine, wherein the controller comprises instructions disposed on a non-transitory, machine readable medium, wherein the instructions are configured to;

operate the gas turbine engine;

determine a base power output, a base heat rate, or a combination thereof based on new and clean operation of the gas turbine engine at base load;

obtain a corrective parameter;

determine a target power output, a target heat rate, or a combination thereof based at least in part on the base power output, the base heat rate, or a combination thereof and the corrective parameter;

monitor a power output, a heat rate, or a combination thereof of the gas turbine engine;

compare the power output to the target power output, compare the heat rate to the target heat rate, or a combination thereof;

adjust the one or more parameters of the gas turbine engine such that a difference between the power output and the target power output, the heat rate and the target heat rate, or a combination thereof is less than a threshold value, wherein the difference between the power output and the target power output, the heat rate and the target heat rate, or the combination thereof is caused at least partially by degradation and/or fouling of the gas turbine engine;

determine at least one base output value based on the base load of the gas turbine engine;

determine at least one predicted lifespan of at least one component of the gas turbine engine at the base load;

determine at least one target lifespan of one or more components of the gas turbine engine;

determine at least one calculated output value based at least in part on the at least one base output value and the at least one target lifespan;

monitor at least one output value of the gas turbine engine;

compare the at least one output value to the at least one calculated output value; and

adjust at least one operating condition of the gas turbine engine such that at least one difference between the at least one output value and the at least one calculated output value is less than at least one threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power output or heat rate is within approximately 10% of the base output value, wherein the base output value is based on a base output value of the gas turbine engine new and clean.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of a power plant that includes the gas turbine engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a memory and at least one processor.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising a sensor configured to generate an input signal to the controller, wherein the input signal is indicative of the parameters of the gas turbine engine.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an ambient temperature sensor, an ambient pressure sensor, an ambient humidity sensor, a compressor inlet temperature sensor, an inlet pressure sensor, or an exhaust pressure sensor, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising an actuator configured to adjust an operating condition of the gas turbine engine.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator comprises at least one of an inlet guide vane actuator, or a fuel flow control valve actuator, or a combination thereof.

9. A method, comprising:

operating a gas turbine engine;

determining a base output value based on new and clean operation of the gas turbine engine at base load;

obtaining a corrective parameter;

determining a target output value based at least in part on the base output value and the corrective parameter;

monitoring an output value of the gas turbine engine;

comparing the output value to the target output value; and

adjusting an operating condition of the gas turbine engine such that a difference between the output value and the target output value is less than a threshold value, wherein the difference between the output value and the target output value is caused at least partially by degradation and/or fouling of the gas turbine engine;

determining at least one base output value based on the base load of the gas turbine engine;

determining at least one predicted lifespan of at least one component of the gas turbine engine at the base load;

determining at least one target lifespan of one or more components of the gas turbine engine;

determining at least one calculated output value based at least in part on the at least one base output value and the at least one target lifespan;

monitoring at least one output value of the gas turbine engine;

comparing the at least one output value to the at least one calculated output value; and

adjusting at least one operating condition of the gas turbine engine such that at least one difference between the at least one output value and the at least one calculated output value is less than at least one threshold value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the output value comprises at least one of a power output, or a heat rate, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the base output value corresponds to operation of a new gas turbine engine, or a clean gas turbine engine, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the corrective parameter comprises at least one of an ambient temperature, an ambient pressure, an ambient humidity, a compressor inlet temperature, an inlet pressure loss, or an exhaust pressure loss, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating condition comprises at least one of a firing temperature, an exhaust temperature, a fuel flow rate, an emissions flow rate, or an inlet guide vane angle, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising maintaining the operating condition less than a maximum operating condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the maximum operating condition is based at least in part on a predicted lifespan of a component of the gas turbine engine at the base load.

16. A method, comprising:

operating a gas turbine engine;

determining a base output value based on a base load of the gas turbine engine;

determining a predicted lifespan of a first component of the gas turbine engine at the base load;

determining a target lifespan of one or more components of the gas turbine engine;

determining a calculated output value based at least in part on the base output value and the target lifespan;

monitoring an output value of the gas turbine engine;

comparing the output value to the calculated output value; and

adjusting an operating condition of the gas turbine engine such that a difference between the output value and the calculated output value is less than a threshold value.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the target lifespan is based on at least one predicted shutdown of the gas turbine engine.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predicted shutdown of the gas turbine engine is based on a replacement or repair of a second component of the gas turbine engine different from the first component.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the target lifespan is less than the predicted lifespan.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the calculated output value is greater than the base output value.

21. The method of claim 16, comprising:

determining at least one base output value based on new and clean operation of the gas turbine engine at the base load;

obtaining at least one corrective parameter;

determining at least one target output value based at least in part on the at least one base output value and the at least one corrective parameter;

monitoring at least one output value of the gas turbine engine;

comparing the at least one output value to the at least one target output value; and

adjusting at least one operating condition of the gas turbine engine such that at least one difference between the at least one output value and the at least one target output value is less than at least one threshold value, wherein the at least one difference between the at least one output value and the at least one target output value is caused at least partially by degradation and/or fouling of the gas turbine engine.