Systems and methods for control of operating life of a gas turbine

• US 9,476,361 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Morgan, Rex Allen, Davis, Lewis Berkley Jr., Jordan, Harold Lamar, Baker, Scott Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Carlos A
• Application Number:
  US13/937,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• 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 9/28 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: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/11 to prolong engine life

Abstract

A system includes a gas turbine system including a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the gas turbine system and configured to control operations of the gas turbine system. The system further includes a life consumption model configured to determine an operating life of the gas turbine system based on both a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system and operating conditions of the gas turbine system. The controller is configured to utilize at least the life consumption model to derive a control action for the gas turbine system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a gas turbine system comprising a compressor, combustor, and a turbine;

a controller communicatively coupled to the gas turbine system and configured to control operations of the gas turbine system; and

a life consumption model configured, during the gas turbine system operating under a load operating condition, to determine an operating life of the gas turbine system based on both a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system and operating conditions of the gas turbine system, wherein the controller, during the gas turbine system operating under the load operating condition, is configured to utilize at least the life consumption model to derive and output a control action for the gas turbine system, and the operating conditions comprise actual operating conditions or statistically derived estimates of most likely operating conditions during the load operating condition;

wherein the life consumption model is configured, during the gas turbine system operating under the load operating condition, to calculate an actual life consumption rate for the gas turbine system based on both the health status of the one or more components of the gas turbine system and the operating conditions of the gas turbine system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the life consumption model is configured to utilize both a life consumption target rate for the gas turbine system and the actual life consumption rate to determine the operating life of the gas turbine system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the life consumption model is configured to adjust the life consumption target rate based on the actual life consumption rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to utilize the life consumption model to adjust at least one performance-targeted operating condition for the gas turbine system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to utilize one or more combustion boundary models for the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to utilize the at least one adjusted performance-targeted operating condition and operational limits for the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to utilize a performance health of one or more components of the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system, and wherein the performance health represents a current performance health state of the one or more components relative to a performance health state of the one or more components when the one or more components were new.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising an actuator coupled to the gas turbine system, and wherein the control action comprises controlling the actuator.

9. A method, comprising:

during a gas turbine system operating under a load operating condition;

receiving at least one turbine operating condition of the gas turbine system, wherein the at least one turbine operating condition comprises an actual operating condition or a statistically derived estimate of a most likely operating condition during the load operating condition;

receiving a health status of at least one component of the gas turbine system;

modeling an operating life of the gas turbine system based on the at least one turbine operating condition and the health status of the at least one component;

calculating an actual life consumption rate for the gas turbine system based on the at least one turbine operating condition and the health status of the at least one component; and

outputting a control action based on at least the operating life of the gas turbine system for controlling the gas turbine system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein modeling the operating life of the gas turbine system comprises utilizing a life consumption target rate for the gas turbine system and the actual life consumption rate to model the operating life of the gas turbine system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein modeling the operating life of the gas turbine system comprises adjusting the life consumption target rate based on the actual life consumption rate.

12. The method of claim 9, adjusting at least one performance-targeted operating condition for the gas turbine system based on the operating life of the gas turbine system.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising deriving the control action based on the at least one adjusted performance-targeted operating condition and operational limits for the gas turbine system.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable code stored thereon, the code comprising instructions for:

during a gas turbine system operating under a load operating condition;

receiving at least one turbine operating condition of the gas turbine system, wherein the at least one turbine operating condition comprises an actual operating condition or a statistically derived estimate of a most likely operating condition during the load operating condition;

receiving a health status of at least one component of the gas turbine system;

modeling an operating life of the gas turbine system based on the at least one turbine operating condition and the health status of the at least one component;

calculating an actual life consumption rate for the gas turbine system based on the at least one turbine operating condition and the health status of the at least one component; and

outputting a control action based on at least the operating life of the gas turbine system for controlling the gas turbine system.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for modeling the operating life of the gas turbine system comprises instructions for utilizing a life consumption target rate for the gas turbine system and the actual life consumption rate to model the operating life of the gas turbine system.