GT10 Load Gear Box Failure

Turbine Outage Report

18-Aug-09
Revision 1.0

Turbine Failure Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A.
B.
C.
D.
1.
2.
3.
4.

BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................................................................1-1
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS...........................................................................................................................................1-1
ANALYSIS SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................................1-1
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................................1-2
RECOMMENDATION 1.............................................................................................................................................1-2
RECOMMENDATION 2.............................................................................................................................................1-2
RECOMMENDATION 3.............................................................................................................................................1-2
RECOMMENDATION 4.............................................................................................................................................1-2

PART 2 - BACKGROUND
A.
B.
C.

TECHNICAL UNIT HISTORY...................................................................................................................................2-1

PRODUCTION HISTORY..........................................................................................................................................2-2
OTHER UNITS HISTORY........................................................................................................................................2-2

PART 3 - INCIDENT SUMMARY

A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
C.
D.

GENERAL CONDITIONS..........................................................................................................................................3-1
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS............................................................................................................................................3-1
INITIAL FAILURE INDICATION..................................................................................................................................3-2
UNIT SHUTDOWN..................................................................................................................................................3-2
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS...........................................................................................................................................3-3
REPAIR.................................................................................................................................................................3-3
STUDIES AND TESTING..........................................................................................................................................3-3

PART 4 - FAILURE ANALYSIS

A.
B.
C.

INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................................4-1
STUDY AND TEST RESULTS....................................................................................................................................4-1
RESULTS DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................................4-3

PART 5 - FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

A.
B.
C.
D.

REVENUE SUMMARY..............................................................................................................................................5-1
EXPENSE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................................5-1
INSURANCE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................................5-1
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................5-1

PART 6 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
C.

CONCLUSIONS.......................................................................................................................................................6-1
RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................................................................................6-1
RECOMMENDATION 1.............................................................................................................................................6-1
RECOMMENDATION 2.............................................................................................................................................6-1
RECOMMENDATION 3.............................................................................................................................................6-1
RECOMMENDATION 4.............................................................................................................................................6-1
FURTHER ACTION.................................................................................................................................................6-1

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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 SUMMARY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS............................................................................................................................1-2
TABLE 2 DETAILED SEQUENCE OF EVENTS............................................................................................................................3-2
TABLE 3 LOST REVENUE CALCULATION................................................................................................................................5-2
TABLE 4 TOTAL CAPEX AND EXPENSES.................................................................................................................................5-2
TABLE 5 TOTAL INSURANCE CLAIM CALCULATION................................................................................................................5-2
TABLE 6 TOTAL COST AND LOST REVENUE CALCULATION.....................................................................................................5-2
TABLE 5 SAMPLE TABLE SELECT THE WHOLE TABLE COPY AND PASTE WHERE DESIRED.............................................................6-2

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TABLE OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1 SAMPLE TABLE SELECT THE WHOLE FIGURE, COPY AND PASTE WHERE DESIRED.........................................................6-2

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Turbine Failure Report

PART 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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A.

Background
On August 14, 2009 during normal operation at 30 MW & 1 MVAR, GT10 lost all active power
producing a loud noise heard by the operations crew.
With the breaker closed the operator tried to load up the unit again unsuccessfully creating only a
speed increase on the turbine.
Under these circumstances it was decided to open the unit breaker creating high vibration readings
on the generator transducers. Following this action operator shut the turbine down for further
investigation.
With GT10 on cooldown it was noticed that when ratcheting only the turbine rotor was turning and
the generator rotor was not moving. This indicated a Load Gear box failure determined but most
likely on the quill shaft.
Once the load gear box covers were removed severe damage was found on the low speed quill shaft.

B.

Sequence of Events
Summary of the sequence of events:
DATE
2009/08/14
2009/08/14

TIME
07:49:00
07:49:03

2009/08/14

07:49:03

2009/08/14

07:49:07

2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14

08:04:34
08:05:17
08:20:31
08:33:28
08:36:55
08:54:17
09:00:00

2009/08/15

09:00:00

DESCRIPTION
GT10 operating at 30 MW & 1 MVAR.
All active power is lost Loud Noise heard by operators
L30A87 Loss of MW transducer feedback alarm came in
the HMI
Generator running with 0 MW and 1 MVAR. Turbine speed
went up to 5477 RPM and System frequency remained at
60.01 Hz
52G breaker opened by Operator
L30A154 Excitation Limiter Operating alarm came in.
L30A81 Generator Field Ground alarm came in
L30A40 High Vibration Alarm came in
Turbine shut down by operator
Turbine at Zero Speed and left on Cooldown
Investigation starts involving electrical and mechanical
technical crews.
Unit cool. Load gear box covers removed. Quill shaft
damage identified at low speed shaft.
Table 1 Summary Sequence of Events

C.

Analysis Summary
As a result of the analysis and inspection of the unit we can clearly state that the mechanical failure of
the low speed quill shaft resulted in a complete loss of active load. Generator kept running as a
synchronic compensator and no electrical stress was suffered.
Once the breaker was opened the vibration levels were really high so a mechanical inspection of the
bearings should be conducted while the unit is down.
Full inspection and refurbishment of damaged components from the load gear box must take place
according to MJB and Engineering specifications.
As a ground fault alarm followed the incident a full set of electrical testing will take place on the
generator rotor to determine if any damage was caused during the event.
Electrical protections should be reviewed to determine if this kind of event where the generator rotor
becomes a synchronic compensator is a risk and generator breaker must trip.

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Financial analysis will be done once the different proposals are defined by MJB and Engineering
department.

D.

Conclusions and Recommendations

1.

Recommendation 1
A full inspection of the LGB by MJB on site to analyze if it is possible to replace the damage
parts in the field. This will reduce cost and time if parts available. An MJB representative
should come to site as soon as available.

2.

Recommendation 2
Evaluate replacement of the installed LGB with the GE LGB that we have in stock if they are
compatible. Information has been sent to Engineering department and MJB for their study.
Replies should be available next week.

3.

Recommendation 3
If it is determined that the GE LGB cannot be used we should start looking for a refurbished
or new LGB to replace the failed one.

4.

Recommendation 4
Send MJB repair request for the failed LGB to determine timeline and cost to repair the
damage on a specialized shop in UK if recommendation #1 is not possible.

Energas S.A.

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Turbine Failure Report

PART 2 BACKGROUND

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Turbine Failure Report

A.

Technical Unit History

GT10 was purchased from PDI. Commissioning and start up was completed in June 2007.
The turbine has 17819 Fired Hours, 117 Fired Starts and 30 Emergency Trips.
During December 2008 an extended combustion inspection took place on the unit due to 1st Stage
Nozzle damage which required replacement.
After the inspection the unit was brought back to service without any problems and satisfactory
performance.
No abnormal conditions or operation parameters were detected previous to the failure. Some
examples below:
Oil sample from June 2009 doesnt show any problems.

Vibration Analysis reports from start up to July 2009 dont mention any concerns in respect to the
gear box. Last acceleration spectrum readings on that bearing.
Equipo GT 10 5A ESPAM 7/9/2009

0.60
0.55
0.50
0.45
0.40

0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
910

Energas S.A.

1820

2730

3640

4550

Hz

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5460

6370

7280

8190

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B.

Production History
GT10 always operated on Base Load. On April 14th, 2009 one HV cable failed and the unit has been
operated at derated load preselected at 30 MW and 1 MVar.

C.

Other Units History

N/A.

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PART 3 INCIDENT SUMMARY

A.

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B.

General Conditions
On August 14, 2009 during normal operation at 30 MW & 1 MVAR, GT10 lost all active power
producing a loud noise heard by the operations crew.
With the breaker closed the operator tried to load up the unit again unsuccessfully creating only a
speed increase on the turbine.
Under these circumstances it was decided to open the unit breaker creating high vibration readings
on the generator transducers. Following this action operator shut the turbine down for further
investigation.
No work was conducted on the unit before or during the incident.
Weather conditions were normal.

C.

Sequence of events
DATE
2009/08/14
2009/08/14

TIME
07:49:00
07:49:03

2009/08/14

07:49:03

2009/08/14

07:49:07

2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14
2009/08/14

08:04:34
08:05:17
08:20:31
08:33:28
08:36:55
08:54:17
09:00:00

2009/08/15

09:00:00

DESCRIPTION
GT10 operating at 30 MW & 1 MVAR.
All active power is lost Loud Noise heard by operators
L30A87 Loss of MW transducer feedback alarm came in
the HMI
Generator running with 0 MW and 1 MVAR. Turbine speed
went up to 5477 RPM and System frequency remained at
60.01 Hz
52G breaker opened by Operator
L30A154 Excitation Limiter Operating alarm came in.
L30A81 Generator Field Ground alarm came in
L30A40 High Vibration Alarm came in
Turbine shut down by operator
Turbine at Zero Speed and left on Cooldown
Investigation starts involving electrical and mechanical
technical crews.
Unit cool. Load gear box covers removed. Quill shaft
damage identified at low speed shaft.
Table 2 Detailed Sequence of Events

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Turbine Failure Report

1.

Initial Failure indication

Initial Failure indication was complete loss of active power and a loud abnormal noise from
the unit heard by the operations crew.
At that point the only present alarm did not indicate any other problems so the operators
proceed to load the unit again. When increasing governor digital set point instead of gaining
load the turbine gained speed leading to think the unit was disconnected from the grid.
Breaker closed condition was verified locally at the MCC and after consulting with the
electrical crew it was decided to open the breaker.

2.

Unit Shutdown
The unit didnt trip from turbine or generator protections. After the breaker was opened high
vibrations were recorded by the transducers on the generator end sensors. Electricians
performed some measurements on the excitation system and determined the generator rotor
was turning at a low speed and it was decided to shut the turbine down using the STOP
command from the HMI. As the turbine was coasting down higher vibrations were recorded
and a High Vibration alarm came in.

Energas S.A.

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3.

D.

Corrective Actions
After the unit was shut down it was left on cool down to be able to inspect the gear box.
No corrective actions were taken at this point.

Repair
Repair time and scope will be established by MJB in combination with Sherritt Power engineering
department.

E.

Studies and Testing

Study of the failure was performed by means of analyzing the unit operational trending as follows:
Active and Reactive power trend

The trending shows that at 07:49:03 all active load was lost and no disturbances from the grid were
present at that time.
Reactive power remained steady at 1 MVar which was the preselected reactive load set point. That
indicates excitation didnt trip when the mechanical link between the turbine and the generator was
lost.
Under these conditions the turbine kept running at 102.73% of rated speed (5275 RPM) which was the
DSP value when the active load was dropped. The generator remained turning at synchronous speed
operating as a synchronous compensator. The magnetic link with the grid was never lost and the
frequency at that time was 59.86 Hz.

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No electrical protections actuated at or after the moment of the load gear box failure. Parameters are
listed below:

GT10_Dfrec
GT10_DVolt
1
GT10_DVolt
2
GT10_DVolt
3
GT10_DAmp
1
GT10_DAmp
2
GT10_DAmp
3
GT10_DPow
erF
GT10_DWAT
T

Hz

Before
60.01

kV

13.367

kV

13.367

kV

13.242

After
59.86
13.36
7
13.36
7
13.24
2

kA

1.255

kA

1.232

kA

1.226

0.99

0
0

GT10_MVA
GT10_DVAR

MVA
MVAR

30.56
30.592
97
1.42

MW

1.08
1.08

Gas Valve Operation

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Fuel valve operated according to the sudden power loss reducing its position from 51.16% to 15.17%
opening. There was a speed overshoot which was controlled and brought back to 5275 RPM
according to the governor set point. Theres no indication of malfunction on any control component
regarding gas control valve.

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Vibration Trend with breaker closed

Vibration Trend with breaker open

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When analyzing the trending before and after the breaker was opened we can clearly identify there
was a step change when the load gear box quill shaft failed but the unit kept operating with both
rotors at a pretty similar speed to previous conditions. Some vibration spikes are shown in 39VA-4A
and 4B corresponding to the transducers installed on the gear box side generator bearing. The
vibration levels stayed below alarm levels.
Once the breaker was opened the generator rotor lost its link with the grid and started coasting down
creating a speed differential between the quill shaft and load gear box bull. This speed differential
was reflected by the vibration readings increase. This reinforces the fact that the generator was
turning at synchronous speed after the quill shaft failure.

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Turbine Failure Report

PART 4 FAILURE ANALYSIS

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A.

Introduction
After reviewing all the trends it was decided to open up the load gear box to quantify the damage
extent.

B.

Study and Test Results

As a result of the investigation it was confirmed that the low speed quill shaft was damaged. Pictures
show findings.
Quill Shaft View

Quill Shaft Cover which was probably detached by axial displacement

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Quill Shat close up were damage can be observed

Traces of iron filing

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Turbine Failure Report

Raul removing a tooth piece corresponding to the quill shaft

C.

Results Discussion

As a result of the analysis and inspection of the unit we can clearly state that the mechanical failure of the low
speed quill shaft resulted in a complete loss of active load. Generator kept running as a synchronic
compensator and no electrical stress was suffered.
Once the breaker was opened the vibration levels were really high so a mechanical inspection of the bearings
should be conducted while the unit is down.
Full inspection and refurbishment of damaged components from the load gear box must take place according
to MJB and Engineering specifications.
As a ground fault alarm followed the incident a full set of electrical testing will take place on the generator
rotor to determine if any damage was caused during the event.
Electrical protections should be reviewed to determine if this kind of event where the generator rotor
becomes a synchronic compensator is a risk and generator breaker must trip.

Energas S.A.

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Turbine Failure Report

PART 5 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

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A.

Revenue Summary
Discuss the lost Revenue Summary, ensure that we reference the realistic figures based on gas supply
and availability, do not pad this number.
DESCRIPTION
Lost Days
Average Net Daily Capacity
Price per MWhr
Hours per day
Lost Revenue

TOTALS
X
X
X
24
$x,xxx,xxx

Table 3 Lost Revenue Calculation

B.

Expense Summary
Detail the expenses to put the unit back in service and discuss the various line items.
DESCRIPTION
Capex
Capex 1
Capex 2 (Add lines as required)
Total Capex
Expenses
Expense 1
Expense 2
Total Expenses
Total Capex and Expenses

TOTALS
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx

Table 4 Total Capex and Expenses

C.

Insurance Summary
Detail the insurance claim related to the failure if any, include all relevant details, what was the
deductable (with explanation), what adjustments if any were made (and why), were there any
additional claims due to other reasons etc.
DESCRIPTION
Expediting Recovery
Business Interruption
Deductable
Adjustments
Total Insurance Clain

TOTALS
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx

Table 5 Total Insurance Claim Calculation

D.

Financial Analysis Summary

Summarize the total cost and revenue lost along with any further descriptions etc. I am not sure
what we are doing for a detail calculation here, but we should put something in with respect to

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timing of the payments etc. to provide some context to the numbers, it looks better than it actually is
by the time we factor in any delays in payment from insurance etc.

DESCRIPTION
Total Estimated Lost Revenue
Total Expense Summary
Total Insurance Claim
Total Cost and Lost Revenue

TOTALS
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx
$x,xxx,xxx

Table 6 Total Cost and Lost Revenue Calculation

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PART 6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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A.

Conclusions

Full inspection and refurbishment of damaged components from the load gear box must take place according
to MJB and Engineering specifications.
As a ground fault alarm followed the incident a full set of electrical testing will take place on the generator
rotor to determine if any damage was caused during the event.
Electrical protections should be reviewed to determine if this kind of event where the generator rotor
becomes a synchronic compensator is a risk and generator breaker must trip.

B.

C.

Recommendations
1.

Recommendation 1
A full inspection of the LGB by MJB on site to analyze if it is possible to replace the damage
parts in the field. This will reduce cost and time if parts available. An MJB representative
should come to site as soon as available.

2.

Recommendation 2
Evaluate replacement of the installed LGB with the GE LGB that we have in stock if they are
compatible. Information has been sent to Engineering department and MJB for their study.
Replies should be available next week.

3.

Recommendation 3
If it is determined that the GE LGB cannot be used we should start looking for a refurbished
or new LGB to replace the failed one.

4.

Recommendation 4
Send MJB repair request for the failed LGB to determine timeline and cost to repair the
damage on a specialized shop in UK if recommendation #1 is not possible.

Further Action
Will be defined at a later stage.

Energas S.A.

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