Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Uprate Options For The Ms900A Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine: Jennifer E. Gill GE Power Systems Schenectady, NY
Uprate Options For The Ms900A Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine: Jennifer E. Gill GE Power Systems Schenectady, NY
ABSTRACT 2055F/1124C
The GE MS9001 heavy-duty gas turbine has gone The paper also describes options for reducing
through a series of uprates since its original emissions, tradeoffs and expected reductions, and,
introduction to the market in 1975. These uprates are GE programs for uprating, either as a single project
made possible by technology advances in the design or phased in over time.
of new machines based on information accumulated
through tens of thousands of fired hours, new INTRODUCTION
materials and GEs continuing research. The past decade has seen unprecedented pressures
This paper will discuss evolutionary design on both utilities and independent power producers to
advances in critical components for the GE MS9001 hold the line on new investments, to become more
series of turbines. It will also discuss how the latest effective in operations and maintenance, and to be
E technology advances can be applied to enhance more efficient in producing power. Modernizing and
the performance, extend the life and provide uprating their installed fleet of turbines is emerging
economic benefits by increased reliability and as an economically attractive solution. An uprate
maintainability of all earlier MS9001B and offers these benefits:
MS9001E turbines. Performance improvements in output and heat
The following E technology uprate packages rate
will be described: Extension of inspection intervals while
MS9001 B to E turbine uprates shortening their duration
MS9001E firing temperature increase to Availability and reliability improvements
2020F/1104C Emission reductions
MS9001E firing temperature increase to
GT25018
COMPONENTS
*Base Load Distillate Fuel, Includes 0/0 Inches H2O Inlet/Exhaust Pressure Drops
GT18469 I
Efforts to advance the combustion system are
driven by the need for higher firing temperatures and
Figure 2. MS9001 Performance History for compliance with regulatory requirements to
reduce exhaust emissions. Relatively simple parts in
2
GER-3928A
Top Coat
Bond Coat
GT11701D
3
GER3928A
Aft
End
Transition Transition
Piece Piece
GT21369A.ppt
4
GER-3928A
Fuel Nozzle to
Floating Collar
Transition
T/P H Block to
Place Seal
Crossfire Tube, Bullhorn
Frame
Retainer & Stop
GT20550
5
GER3928A
hot compressor discharge air to yield lower Outer Casing Flow Sleeve
TURBINE COMPONENTS
There have been significant design and material BUCKETS
improvements made to the turbine components since
the first MS9001B was manufactured. The improved
Stage 1 Bucket (FS2H)
Hours
Four major changes have been made since the
9B 9E ExtendorTM
original MS9001B stage 1 bucket was introduced.
Combustion Liners 3,000 8,000 24,000
GT21321A.ppt
Design.
Flow Sleeve
The original designs sharp leading edge has been
blunted to allow more cooling air to flow to the
Secondary Fuel leading edge, which reduces thermal gradients and,
Nozzle Assembly
Case,
Combustion
therefore, cracks. The Blunt Leading Edge (BLE)
Outer
design, shown in Figure 11, was used as the first
Transition
MS9001E stage 1 bucket.
Compressor Piece
Discharge Casing
GT25007A
Materials.
Figure 9. MS9001 dry low NOx combustion system The original MS9001B stage 1 bucket was IN-
component designs can withstand higher firing 738, a precipitation-hardened, nickel-base super
temperatures due to advanced materials and coatings, alloy. In 1987, the material was changed to an
as well as the addition of air cooling for some of the Equiaxed (E/A) GTD-111, also a precipitation-
components. This section will describe the evolution hardened, nickel-base super alloy, a greater low cycle
of these technologies. The latest technology fatigue strength than IN-738. GTD-111 also provides
components now used in current production the industry standard in corrosion resistance.
MS9001E can be retrofitted to earlier models.
Coatings.
6
GER-3928A
Cooling A A
Core Plug Hole
Enlarged
View A-A
GT24908.ppt
GT21361A
7
GER3928A
8
GER-3928A
Materials. 1
Bucket material has recently been improved. The 1 Modify Existing Third Stage Shrouds
stage 3 bucket was originally made of U-500, a as Shown Above. GT24909.ppt
9
GER3928A
cooling and sealing technology. This section will two vanes per segment with a total of 18 segments.
discuss the design improvements brought about in As illustrated in Figure 16, the interface between the
each generation. A comparison of the cross-sections support ring and nozzle was moved downstream.
of each generation is shown in Figure 16. At the same time that the number of vanes per
Several design modifications were made to the segment was reduced, the shape of the airfoil was
original MS9001B stage 1 nozzle to develop the optimized and the vanes were rotated to reduce the
MS9001E clean fuel stage 1 nozzle. One of the most throat area. The new airfoil shape and reduction in
dramatic changes was made in response to the vane throat area increased the pressure ratio. Installing this
fillet cracking problem (Figure 17) caused by high design into an MS9001B can increase the pressure
thermal stress induced by the high thermal gradient ratio by as much as 6%.
across the sidewall/vane interface. By decreasing the The suction side wall thickness of the nozzle
number of vanes per segment, structural redundancy airfoil at the pitch section was increased by 13%,
and the thermal stresses were reduced, thus which effectively reduced the aerodynamic-induced
minimizing the vane fillet cracking. The original 9B mechanical stress and increased the creep life of the
stage 1 nozzle had four vanes per segment and part. The stress level was further reduced by the
required 12 segments. The clean fuel nozzle has only addition of an internal center rib. The center rib is
shown in Figure 18.
The Universal Fuel Nozzle was developed from
the clean fuel nozzle in response to the need to burn
Center Rib
residual fuels, as well as clean fuels. The airfoil
shape was rounded making it more blunt and the
entire cooling system was redesigned. The pressure
side cooling holes were replaced with slots and placed
closer together to provide more uniform
Core Plugs cooling(Figure 19). Trailing edge cooling was also
added as seen in Figure 19. This improved cooling
GT24913
design decreased surface metal temperature by as
much as 5% thus minimizing cracking, airfoil
Figure 18. Stage 1 nozzle airfoil pressure side film ballooning, and trailing edge bowing.
cooling modification
The nozzle support ring interface was moved
Pressure Side Film Holes Replaced With Slots to Provide Better Coverage
Closer Spacing
Better Exit Condition
Modification Introduced With OSW Cooling Redesign
Modified Slot
Outer Sidewall Pattern
Center Rib
Pressure Side
Film Cooling
Holes
Fillet
SuctionCracks
Side
Flow Old Hole
Film Cooling Pattern
Holes Core Plugs
Trailing Edge
Cooling Holes GT24924
Inner Sidewall
GT21363A
Improved
Seal
Hook
Machining
Relief
Chordal Hinge
Seal
Lug Maching Relief GT24932
Figure 20. Stage 1 nozzle improved sidewall sealing with chordal hinge
further downstream in line axially with the nozzle- The leakage between the nozzle segments was
retaining ring interface. This change was decreased by improving the sidewall, or spline seals.
implemented to minimize torsional forces exerted on The second major change was to improve the
the sidewall near the nozzle-retaining ring interface. sidewall cooling. As the firing temperature increased
In 1992, a tangential support lug consisting of an over the development of the MS9001E, the nozzle
integrally cast side support lug with a milled radial was exposed to higher temperatures, causing
slot was introduced to the stage 1 nozzle inner side oxidation and erosion to occur on the sidewalls. To
wall. A support pin and bushing were also added to reduce the oxidation and surface erosion, the cooling
secure the nozzle segment. A lockplate and a single effectiveness was increased. The overall cooling
retainer bolt were used to keep the support pin in effectiveness was improved by relocating some of as
place. This arrangement provided additional seen in Figure 21.
tangential support for the nozzle. When the chordal hinge nozzle was introduced, the
The forth and current generation of stage 1 nozzle original tangential pin hardware was replaced with a
is the chordal hinge nozzle introduced in 1994. This single piece bushing/tangential pin to secure the
nozzle is the result of two major design changes nozzle and a flat lockplate with two retainer bolts
maintaining the philosophy of burning both clean and was used to keep the bushing/tangential pin in place
heavy fuels. The first design change was made to (Figure 22). More recently the tangential pin
reduce the leakage between nozzle segments and hardware has been eliminatedfield inspections have
between the nozzle and support ring. The chordal indicated that the hardware is not required. In
hingewhich incorporates the latest in GE Aircraft addition to eliminating the hardware, the forward
Engine sealing technology, was added. The chordal flange on the support ring has been eliminated
hinge refers to a straight line seal on the aft face of (Figure 23). These design modifications make the
the inner side wall rail which ensures that the seal is universal nozzle and chordal hinge nozzle completely
maintained even if the nozzle rocks slightly. The interchangeable with no support ring modifications
chordal hinge and the new sidewall seal design are required.
illustrated in Figure 20. The chordal hinge reduces As seen in (Figure 16), the 9B stage 1 nozzle and
the leakage between the nozzle and the support ring. the 9E clean fuel nozzle support ring interface is
11
GER3928A
located further upstream than either the Universal or either the one- or two-piece stage 1 shroud with new
Chordal Hinge stage 1 nozzle. Therefore, to install tuning pins in conjunction with the GTD-222 stage 2
the chordal hinge stage 1 nozzle in a unit that nozzle. (The original one piece shroud must have the
currently has the 9B stage 1 nozzle or the 9E clean aft cooling hole size reduced in order to realize the
fuel nozzle, a new support ring must also be full performance benefit). Because the existing
provided. As previously mentioned, when installing MS9001B stage 2 nozzle is not air cooled, installing
the chordal hinge stage 1 nozzle in a machine that this air-cooled stage 2 nozzle will result in an output
currently has the Universal stage 1 nozzle, a new loss of approximately 1.0% due to the air extracted
support ring is not required because the location of from the system for cooling airflow.
the support ring interface is the same for both
designs.
Throughout the development of the MS9001 stage
1 nozzle, the nozzle material, FSX-414, has not been
changed. FSX-414 is a cobalt-base super alloy which
provides excellent oxidation, hot corrosion and
thermal fatigue resistance, and has good welding and
casting characteristics. This materials superior
properties warrant its continued use in this
application.
GT24895
13
GER3928A
program in 1991 (Figure 27) and consists of two Honeycomb seals are made of a high-temperature,
pieces rather than one. The original one piece design oxidation resistant alloy with 1/8 inch cell size and 5
did not provide adequate LCF life at the higher firing mil foil thickness is brazed between the teeth on the
temperature. The two piece design is film cooled shrouds. Cutter teeth on the leading edge of the
using airflow from the stage 2 nozzle to inhibit shrouded stage 2 and 3 bucket tip rails will cut the
cracking. The film cooling required additional flow honeycomb material away when contact occurs
which translates into a performance loss. This during transients. This produces steady-state running
performance loss can be regained by installing the clearances which are, on an absolute basis, no larger
GTD-222 stage 2 nozzle with the appropriate tuning than the difference between the steady-state and the
pins for the stage 1 shroud. The two-piece stage 1 transient clearances. The effective clearance is
shroud design is only required for the actually tighter than the absolute clearance, since the
2055F/1124C firing temperature. resulting groove in the honeycomb provides a tighter
The main advantage of the two piece design is that labyrinth seal than could be obtained with solid
it allows the damaged caps to be replaced without materials.
having to remove the shroud block bodies or turbine Installation of honeycomb shrouds requires
nozzles. Each piece of the shroud block is made of a buckets with cutter teeth. As previously mentioned,
different material. The body and hook fit are made of current production stage 2 and 3 buckets have cutter
310 stainless steel and the cap is made of FSX-414. teeth. Additionally, buckets with fewer than 48,000
GE is currently developing a new one piece design hours of service can have cutter teeth applied in a
shroud to regain the lost performance associated with qualified service shop.
the two piece design. This new shroud will be made
of Haynes HR-120 which, in conjunction with some
design modifications to the original one piece design, COMPRESSOR COMPONENTS
will provide sufficient LCF life at 2055F firing The first four stages of the MS9001B compressor
temperature. The new design will also incorporate were completely redesigned for the MS9001E model.
improved inter-segment seals to reduce leakage. This Because new compressor casings and all new
material is used in the latest design stage 1 shroud for compressor rotor and stator blades would be required
the MS6001B as well as the MS7001EA. This to upgrade the MS9001B compressor to the later
design will be available in early 1998. design compressors, this is usually not economically
feasible and not typically quoted as part of a turbine
uprate.
Stage 2 and 3 Shroud Blocks (FS2T
Instead, the existing MS9001B compressor can be
and FS2U) re-bladed with the same design/length blades, with
Stage 2 and 3 shroud blocks provide bucket tip special blade coatings or materials available for
sealing. The original seal was labyrinth seal. In an certain applications. Until recently, a NiCad coating
effort to provide better sealing in this area, was applied to the first 8 stages of the compressor.
honeycomb material was recently applied to both the NiCad coating helps prevent corrosion pitting on the
stage 2 and 3 shrouds. Honeycomb seals are designed blades by combining a tough barrier coating of nickel
to reduce bucket tip leakage, resulting in an with a sacrificial cadmium layer. NiCad coating has
improvement heat rate and output. Honeycomb been replaced by GECC1. GECC1 provides the same
shrouds are illustrated in Figure 28. protection as NiCad without the use of cadmium.
Honeycomb will allow contact between the bucket Both GECC1 and NiCad possess outstanding
tip and casing shrouds during transient operation and corrosion resistance in neutral and sea salt
will provide relatively tight clearances during steady environments.
state operation. The cold clearances for the labyrinth
seal were set based on avoiding contact between the High Pressure Packing Seal (FS2V)
shrouds and the bucket tips during transients.
The seal between the compressor discharge casing
Honeycomb seals are designed for contact between
inner barrel and the compressor aft stub shaft is
the bucket tips and shrouds to occur during
called the High Pressure Packing (HPP). The HPP is
transients, thus providing relatively tighter clearances
designed to regulate the flow of compressor discharge
during steady-state operation.
air into the first forward wheel space. The HPP
14
GER-3928A
clearance determines the amount of flow to the wheel turbine, any reduction in this flow will result in an
space. Ideally this flow is limited to the amount increase in performance. This upgrade has been
required for first forward wheelspace cooling. With tested in the field, but the performance benefit has not
the conventional labyrinth tooth/land seal packings on yet been quantified. Brush seals for the No. 2 bearing
the inner barrel, the minimum clearance that can be are illustrated in Figure 30.
tolerated is dictated by the expected rotor
displacements during transient conditions and by
wheelspace cooling requirements. If a rub does occur, HIGH-FLOW INLET GUIDE
the labyrinth teeth can be damaged and cause VANES (FT6B)
excessive leakage through the packing. A 20 mil rub A widely used product of the MS7001F
is equivalent to a loss of approximately 1% in output. development program is the GTD-450 reduced
Two different designs have been used to reduce camber, high-flow inlet guide vane shown in Figure
leakage through the HPP. New units built since 31. The new design, introduced in 1986, was quickly
April, 1994 have shipped with a honeycomb seal on applied across the entire GE heavy-duty product line
the inner barrel (similar to the design used for stage 2 to enhance field unit performance. The reduced
and 3 shrouds previously described). Retrofitting camber, high-flow inlet guide vane is a flatter, thinner
honeycomb seals would involve removing the rotor, inlet guide vane designed to increase air flow while
and replacing the aft stub shaft with a new design remaining directly interchangeable with the original
with cutter teeth. The inner barrel would also have to IGV. The reduced camber IGV, when open to 84,
be replaced. A new brush seal arrangement has been can increase power up to 4.3% and decrease heat rate
developed that provides the same level of by up to 0.7% (depending on the model of the gas
performance improvement associated with turbine) while improving corrosion, crack and fatigue
honeycomb seal and requires fewer modifications to resistance. Opening the IGVs to 86 increases the
the unit. The HPP brush seal is shown in Figure 29. output an additional 0.4% at the expense of the heat
Rub-tolerant brush seals are designed to withstand rate, which will increase by 0.2%.
rotor excursions and maintain clearances in this The enhanced IGVs have higher reliability due to
critical area. Metallic brush material is used in place the use of a special precipitation-hardened,
of one of the labyrinth teeth on the inner barrel. With martensitic stainless steel, GTD-450, which is
brush seals at the high pressure packing, the unit will improved over the type 403 previously used (Figure
be able to sustain initial performance levels over an 32). Material developments include increased tensile
extended period of time because the inevitable rub strength, high-cycle fatigue, corrosion-fatigue
will not increase the clearance. In order to retrofit a strength and superior corrosion resistance due to
brush seal, the existing inner barrel must be removed higher concentrations of chromium and molybdenum.
and replaced with an inner barrel of a brush seal. The The modification kit includes new tight clearance,
inner barrel with brush seal is designed for use with self-lubricating IGV bushings. A new rack and ring
the existing compressor aft stub shaft with high/low assembly, which controls guide vane positioning, can
lands. High pressure packing brush seals, which are be provided for improved reliability. GTD-450 IGVs
available for both the 9B and the 9E, provide 1.0% are available for the 9000IE and the 90001B.
increase in output and 0.5% improvement in heat rate
when replacing the original labyrinth design. The
high pressure packing brush seal provides 0.2% PACKAGING OF MS9001
improvement in both output and heat rate relative to SERIES UPRATES
the honeycomb design.
Each of the advanced technology components
described can be installed in any of the existing
No. 2 Bearing Brush Seals MS9001 units with little or no modification.
The Frame 9E is a three bearing machine that The major component design improvements are
includes two air seals in the No. 2 bearing housing outlined in Figure 33. While some of these
one on either side of the bearing. The brushes provide components provide performance benefits
a tighter seal than the original labyrinth seal. Since individually (Figure 34), the most dramatic
any air that leaks past these seals into the bearing performance benefits are obtained through increases
housing does not perform any additional work in the in firing temperature. Generally, increases in firing
15
GER3928A
17
GER3928A
however dozens of customers have realized the 3568, GE Industrial & Power Systems, August
performance benefits associated with many of the 1994.
latest technology components on a individual basis. 5. Dunne, P.R., Uprate Options for the MS7001
Heavy-Duty Gas Turbine, GER-3808, GE
Industrial and Power Systems, 1995.
INSTALLING INDIVIDUAL 6. Johnston, J.R., Performance and Reliability
MS9001E PARTS FOR Improvements for Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines,
GER-3571, GE Industrial & Power Systems,
UPGRADE/MAINTENANCE August 1994.
Some customers may prefer to order certain 7. GEA-12526 (8/95), 12220.1 (1/94) MS9001E
components only as individual parts. For these Gas Turbines: Conversions, Modifications and
customers, GE can develop a staged uprate program Uprates.
to meet their individual needs. Design technology
benefits, and material and maintenance improvements
allow upgrade components to be integrated on an
individual basis as an alternative to a complete uprate
package. As new technology parts are installed,
completion of the uprate can be scheduled and
controls modified to achieve the new design firing
temperature or other uprate objectives.
SUMMARY
GE has an advanced technology uprate package
available to uprate all GE design MS9001 heavy-
duty gas turbines. These advanced uprate technology
packages provide significant savings derived from
reduced maintenance, improved efficiency, output,
reliability and life extension. Regulatory
requirements may necessitate the need for emission
controls due to changes in emission levels when
uprating the gas turbine, and modifications are
available to significantly reduce emissions. Todays
technology and enhanced production components
allow customers to bring their aging turbines back to
better than new condition based upon these offerings.
REFERENCES
1. Beltran, A.M., Pepe, J.J. and Schilke, P.W.,
Advanced Gas Turbines Materials and
Coatings, GER-3569, GE Industrial & Power
Systems, August 1994.
2. Brandt, D.E. and Wesorick, R.R., GE Gas
Turbine Design Philosophy, GER-3434, GE
Industrial & Power Systems, August 1994.
3. Brooks, F.J., GE Gas Turbine Performance
Characteristics, GER-3567, GE Industrial &
Power Systems, August 1994.
4. Davis, L.B., Dry Low NOx Combustion
Systems For Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines, GER-
18