Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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GER-3942
damage. This fact, combined with the general • Glycols from dehydration processes
degradation of gas quality in the U.S., makes it • Calcium carbonate
especially important to carefully monitor gas • Gas hydrates and ice
quality and to take corrective actions, if neces- • Construction debris
sary, to meet GE fuel specification GEI 41040E Construction debris is common and includes
in order to prevent equipment damage. materials such as weld slag, grinding particles,
grit, portions of welding rod, metal shavings,
GE Gas Fuel Specification GEI etc. Despite gas line pigging and vigorous blow-
41040E downs, which are necessary and recommended,
some contaminants will be found in the gas sup-
In summary, this document defines for limita- ply, especially during the early commissioning
tions on particulate matter size to no more than period. During this phase, extra precautions are
approximately 10 microns, calls for the elimina- taken by installing temporary “witch hat” fine
tion of all liquids at the inlet to the gas turbine mesh strainers at the inlet to the gas control
control module and specifies the minimum and module and selected sections of gas piping with-
maximum requirements for fuel supply pres- in the turbine enclosure.
sure. Other limitations and qualifications may Once satisfactor y operation has been
also apply and the user is encouraged to review achieved and the temporary strainers no longer
the details in this document. pick up debris and contaminants, they are
A superheat temperature of at least 50 F/28 C removed. Installation of these strainers does not
above the moisture or hydrocarbon dew point is provide a substitute for a properly engineered
required to eliminate liquids. Meeting this gas clean-up system and frequent outages will be
requirement may require heating the gas if required to clean or replace the strainers if an
heavy hydrocarbons are present. Reasons for adequate filtration system is not installed.
specifying gas superheat are:
• Superheating is the only sure method for
eliminating all liquids at the inlet to the gas GAS CLEANLINESS AND
control module QUALITY ISSUES
• It provides margin to prevent the formation Gas fuel quality and cleanliness issues that
of liquids as the gas expands and cools affect the gas turbine operation are:
when passing through the control valves • Variation in heating value
Why 50 F/28 C minimum superheat? • Autoignition or hydrocarbon liquids
• It is an ASME-recommended standard • Particulates that lead to erosion and plug-
(Reference 3) that 45 F to 54F (25 to 30 C) ging
of superheat be used for combustion tur-
bine gaseous fuel.
• Calculations show the 50 F/28 C minimum
Variations in Heating Value
superheat requirement will prevent liquid Variation in the heating value as a result of
formation downstream from the control gas phase composition variation affect gas tur-
valves and is verified by field experience bine emissions, output and combustor stability.
• Some margin is provided to cover daily vari- Changes greater than 10% require gas control
ations in dew point hardware modifications, but are not a common
• Vaporization time for liquid droplets problem in a stabilized distribution systems.
decreases as superheat temperature increas- Some local distribution companies use
es propane/air injection as a method for stabiliz-
ing variations in heating value. The quantity of
Gas Fuel Contaminants air injected is well below that required to reach
the rich flammability limit of the gas and poses
Some of the contaminants that are introduced no safety issues.
into the natural gas supply as a result of the pro- Variations in heating value could be an issue
duction and transportation processes are: if gas is purchased from a variety of suppliers
• Water and salt water depending on the daily or weekly variations in
• Sand and clay gas price. In this situation, the user should
• Rust ensure that the variations are within the values
• Iron sulfate, iron and copper sulfide allowed by the contract agreement with GE. On-
• Lubricating oil, wet scrubber oil, crude oil line instruments that determine and monitor
and hydrocarbon liquids heating value are available from several suppli-
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GER-3942
ers and should be used if significant variations cases, premature ignition of the pre-mixed
are expected. gases, often called “flashback.”
Slugging of hydrocarbon liquids affects the Because of the seriousness of the problem,
energy delivered to the turbine and can result in GE specification 41040E does not allow any liq-
significant control problems and potential hard- uids in the gas fuel. Furthermore, to prevent
ware damage. For this and other reasons condensation in the gas fuel manifolds, which is
described below, all liquids must be eliminated caused by gas expansion through the control
from the gas supplied to the turbine. valves, this specification requires a minimum of
50 F/28 C of superheat at the turbine speed
Autoignition of Hydrocarbon Liquids ratio valve inlet flange. This value provides a
degree of safety and is within the ASME recom-
Removal of liquids has become more of a con- mended values for dry gas fuel (Reference 3).
cern during the past several years as gas quality
has decreased. Liquids are formed from the con- Particulates in the Gas Stream
densable higher hydrocarbons found in natural
gas, generally those higher than about pentane The gas turbine operating issues with particu-
(C 5 ), as well as moisture from water vapor. lates in the gas stream are fuel nozzle plugging,
Moisture is undesirable because it can combine erosion and deposition.
with methane and other hydrocarbons to gener- Of the three, fuel nozzle plugging has a more
ate solids in the form of hydrates. Hydrate for- severe and immediate impact on normal opera-
mation and prevention is discussed in tion. Since the gas fuel nozzle hole sizes on DLN
systems are smaller than those used in diffusion
“For mation of Solids — Particulates and
flame combustors, they are more prone to plug-
Hydrates.”
Hydrocarbon liquids are a much more serious ging. Plugging will result in poor fuel distribu-
issue because liquids can condense and collect tion from nozzle to nozzle and combustor to
over long periods of time, then result in liquid combustor and increase emissions and exhaust
slugging as gas flow rates are increased after a temperature spreads. Plugging could also lead
period of reduced power operation. This can to fuel flow split deviations between gas mani-
lead to: folds, which could lead to poor emissions and,
• Uncontrolled heat addition in worst case, to autoignition and flashback.
• Autoignition at compressor discharge tem- Eliminating plugging is especially important
perature (625 F to 825 F/329 C to 451 C during commissioning and early commercial
range) operation, or after work has been performed on
• Potential for promoting flashback and sec- the pipeline, when accumulated dirt and con-
ondary/quaternary re-ignitions struction debris can become entrained with the
fuel.
• Varnish-like deposits
If plugging occurs, the nozzles will need to be
Carry-over of liquids to the turbine can result cleaned. Since the disassembly, cleaning and
in uncontrolled heat release rates if sufficient reassembly process can take several days, the
quantities are present, resulting in possible dam- availability of the unit can be adversely impacted.
age to the hot gas path. A more common prob- Erosion problems can result if excessive quan-
lem, however, is with the exposure of small tities of particulates are present, depending on
quantities of hydrocarbon liquids to compressor the nature and size of the material. The GEI
discharge air. Dry Low NOx combustion systems 41040E fuel specification calls for removal of
require pre-mixing of gas fuel and compressor particulates greater in size than approximately
discharge air in order to produce a uniform 10 microns (see specification for added qualifi-
fuel/air mixture and to minimize locally fuel- cations) to prevent erosion and deposition.
rich NOx-producing regions in the combustor. Particles smaller than about 10 microns tend to
Typical autoignition temperatures (AIT), the follow the gas stream, rather than striking the
temperatures required for spontaneous combus- pressure containment vessel walls and, there-
tion with no ignition source, for these liquids fore, result in a significant decrease in erosion
are in the 400 F to 550 F (204 C to 288 C) range rate.
and fall below compressor discharge tempera- The gas control valves are designed to operate
ture. Exposure to compressor discharge air in a choked flow condition and are, therefore,
above the AIT will result in instantaneous igni- exposed to velocities up to the local speed of
tion of the liquid droplets, causing, in some sound. Erosion rates are exponentially propor-
tional to particle velocity and areas that experi-
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GER-3942
ence high gas velocities, such as orifices and Hydrate formation is more likely to be found
valve seats, are more susceptible to erosion. in offshore pipeline systems because of the high
Nozzle and bucket deposition can also be a pressures and cooler temperatures. Fortunately,
problem, depending on the nature and concen- all transportation companies recognize the need
tration of the particles, even for those of less to remove water to prevent hydrate formation
than 10 microns in diameter. For this reason, and resulting pipeline equipment blockage
GEI 41040E limits the concentration of particu- problems. Water is typically limited to a nominal
lates from all sources and sizes to no more than value of between 4 and 7 lbs per million stan-
600 ppb at the first stage nozzle inlet. dard cu ft. (64.1 to 112.1 kg/mmscm). It is
removed to this level by treatment equipment
Formation and Carry-Over of Solids: that use chemical scrubbing with methanol or
Particulates and Hydrates ethylene glycol; some carry-over of the scrub-
bing liquid may occur. Occasionally, a process
Most solids found in natural gas are due to upset may occur and spillover of inhibitors into
the slow oxidation and corrosion of the pipeline the gas supply can present a hazard by raising
and are in the form of fine iron oxide particles. the hydrocarbon dew point.
Construction debris such as weld slag, metal Other preventative methods include gas heat-
shavings, sand and even foreign objects are also ing upstream from pressure-reducing stations to
commonly found in new pipelines, especially maintain the gas temperature above the hydrate
during the initial commissioning phase. formation temperature.
Another type of solid material that may be pre-
sent is gas hydrates. Gas hydrates are crystalline Formation and Carry-Over of
materials that are formed when excess water is pre- Liquids: Hydrocarbons and Moisture
sent in a high-pressure gas line. These solids are
formed when water combines with natural gas As the gas fuel is brought to the gas turbine, it
compounds, including condensates, when the gas often passes through a series of pressure-reduc-
temperature is below the equilibrium hydrate for- ing stations before it enters the gas control mod-
mation temperature. Although commonly associat- ule. Further pressure reductions then take place
ed with ice-type crystals, formation temperatures before the gas enters the gas manifolding sys-
can be significantly above 32 F/0 C at pipeline tem. At each pressure-reducing station, the gas
delivery pressures. Hydrates can deposit in stag- will also experience a temperature reduction
nant areas upstream and downstream from orifice due to the Joule-Thompson effect.
plates, valves, tee sections and instrumentation Temperature reductions for a typical natural
lines, causing plugging and lack of process control. gas are shown in Figure 2, which are approxi-
Figure 1 shows hydrate formation lines for mately equal to 7 F for every 100 psid (5.6 C per
two water concentrations for the natural gas list- 1,000 kPa) reduction in pressure, with no heat
ed in Table 3. Location of these lines will vary transfer to or from the gas. Actual temperature
with gas composition and fall above or below the reduction will vary depending on the gas com-
saturated hydrocarbon vapor line. position and local heat transfer conditions.
A system with gas entering the site at 900
psia/6,205.3 kPa and 60 F/16 C can experience
1400 a temperature reduction of 31 F/17.2 C prior to
1200
entering the gas module at the maximum allow-
Hydrate Formation Line able pressure of 450 psia/3,102.6 kPa for FA-
1000 H20 = 23 ppmv
technology machines. Further temperature
Pressure psia
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GER-3942
Table 2
REPORTED HEATING VALUES AND C6+ HYDROCARBONS THROUGHOUT THE U.S.
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GER-3942
ry or the field to analyze the gas sample and Samples must also be taken at the actual
determine the gas composition. The analysis will pipeline pressure and temperature to avoid gas
check for the presence of both hydrocarbons expansion and possible liquid condensation.
and non-hydrocarbons. Once the gas’ composi-
tion is determined, the hydrocarbon and mois- Comparison of Standard and Extended Analysis
ture dew point can be calculated using one of Consider the gas analysis shown in Table 3,
several available software packages. which was taken from an operating power plant
gas supply. In this case, an extended analysis was
Standard Gas Analysis to C6+ performed and the standard analysis mathemati-
A common method for heating value determi- cally generated by summing the C 6+ con-
nation is to use the standard analysis. The stan- stituents. The calculated dew point from the
dard analysis is performed in accordance with extended analysis is more than 23 F/12.8 C
ASTM D1945 (Reference 7) or GPA 2261-95 above that calculated from the standard analysis.
(Reference 8) and lumps together all hydrocar- In extreme cases, differences of as much as
bons above C6 and reports them as “C6+.” The 100 F/56 C have been obser ved. The results
results of the standard analysis should not be shown in Table 3 also illustrate the need for rep-
used for dew point determination unless assur- resentative gas sampling and accurate analysis
ance can be given that no hydrocarbons above due to the sensitivity of the dew point calcula-
C6 are present (i.e., C6 may be present, but no tion to small concentrations of the heavier
C6+). hydrocarbons. Where possible, the gas analysis
Small quantities of heavy hydrocarbons above should be determined to within less than 10
C 6 raise the dew point significantly. Using a ppmv.
standard analysis can result in an artificially low Use of the standard analysis for dew point cal-
dew point determination (see example below). culation could lead to falsely concluding that
Instead, an extended analysis should be used the gas has an acceptable degree of superheat,
except where no C6+ compounds are present. or the superheater could be undersized based
on these results. An exception to this generaliza-
Extended Gas Analysis to C14 tion may be made when the gas is exceptionally
This type of analysis checks for the presence dry and where no hydrocarbons above C6 are
of the heavy hydrocarbons and quantifies their detected. In this situation, a standard analysis is
amounts to the level of C14. The extended anal- acceptable for dew point calculation. Typical
ysis is more complicated and expensive than the hydrocarbon dew point values for this gas would
standard analysis, and not all laboratories can be in the -30 F to -70 F (-34 C to -57 C) range.
provide this service. It is, however, the only type Care must be taken when selecting an analytical
of analysis that will result in an accurate dew service, however, to ensure that the laboratory
point determination. An analysis procedure for has the capability to analyze beyond C6.
C1 through C14 is described in GPA 2286-95 Further information on trace constituents
(Reference 9). that may be present in natural gas can be found
When choosing a lab to perform the gas anal- in Gas Research Institute report GRI-94/0243.2
ysis, one should always seek a facility that special- (Reference 10).
izes in petroleum product testing and analysis.
They are familiar with the unique aspects of nat- Dew Point Measurement
ural gas analysis and sampling; many offer ser- A method for measuring natural gas hydro-
vices and advice that cannot be obtained else- carbon and moisture dew points has been avail-
where. able for almost 60 years. The U.S. Bureau of
Analysis to the single-digit ppmw level should Mines developed a dew point tester in 1938
be requested, but nothing less than two digits (Reference 11) that works on the principle of a
(tens of ppmw) should be accepted. It is impor- chilled mirror. The mirror is contained within a
tant to confirm that the reported laboratory val- pressure vessel and is exposed to the gas stream
ues are obtained by measurement and not at pipeline pressure. The mirror is gradually
through a simple mathematical normalization cooled until condensation droplets begin to
procedure to six decimal places. It should be appear on the surface of the mirror. Two sepa-
clear that when dealing with concentrations at rate dew points, moisture and hydrocarbon, are
this level, absolute cleanliness is essential and measured depending on the nature of the
samples can be easily contaminated in the field. droplets on the mirrored surface. This type of
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GER-3942
Table 3
COMPARISON OF STANDARD AND EXTENDED
GAS ANALYSES ON CALCULATED HC DEW POINT
measurement provides a direct reading of dew from expansion and the risk of liquid condensa-
point without the need to apply corrections. tion. Dew point measurements complement the
Pressure within the chamber can be varied to gas samples and help with model calibration.
determine the effect on dew point. The advantages of the Bureau of Mines dew
point tester are:
Bureau of Mines Dew Point Detector • Elimination of the uncertainty associated
The simple instrument developed by the with sampling and analysis as the primary
Bureau of Mines has been commercialized by at means of dew point determination
least one manufacturer in the U.S. The princi- • Simple and easy to use
ple of operation is described above. This type of • Claimed accuracy is +/-0.2 F (+/-0.1 C) for
instrument is portable and intended for spot an experienced user
sampling, requiring an operator with some skill • Identifies moisture, hydrocarbon, glycol and
and experience to achieve repeatable results. alcohol dew points
GE has experience with this instrument and can • No electrical power required — intrinsically safe
provide a limited amount of information and
advice on its use. Automatic Dew Point Monitor
This method of determining dew point has An on-line device to automatically determine
become the preferred approach because it is a hydrocarbon dew point has many advantages
direct measurement requiring no calibration or over the difficulties involved with gas sampling
calculation and interpolation of physical proper- and extended analyses. As of August 1996, how-
ties data of complex hydrocarbon compounds. ever, only one commercial manufacturer has
For gas system modeling, however, gas samples been identified that makes this type of equip-
and subsequent analysis are still required in ment. The advantages of automatically monitor-
order to determine temperature reductions ing hydrocarbon dew point include:
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GER-3942
• Elimination of the uncertainty associated sure drop is reached for a given volumetric flow
with sampling and analysis as the primary rate of gas.
means of dew point determination For peaking units, it is acceptable to install
• Potential for automatically adjusting gas one filter vessel, but for base loaded units, two
temperature with changes in hydrocarbon units located in a duplexed arrangement are
dew point as a result of both transient and required. The duplexed arrangement permits
long term gas composition changes isolation of one vessel for maintenance while the
• Elimination of unnecessary heat addition other is in operation. Under no circumstances
and possible decrease in overall plant effi- should a bypass line be installed with the inten-
ciency tion of using the bypass line for maintenance
• An alarm to alert plant operators that purposes.
potential damage may result if corrective Sizing of the equipment can be determined
action is not taken, e.g. increase superheat based on discussions with the vendor. In gener-
temperature al, the only considerations for sizing are dirt
GE is in the process of evaluating a monitor holding capacity and allowable pressure drop,
of this type and expects to field test a unit dur- which determine the size of the vessel and the
ing late 1996 and early 1997. number of elements. If the gas is to be heated
prior to filtration, then the filter elements must
Gas Liquids Detector meet the maximum gas temperature require-
An alternative liquids detection device has ments.
been used by Gasunie, a pipeline transportation Special considerations must be given to start-
company in the Netherlands. This device ing up a new installation or after work has been
extracts a small gas sample that is cooled to the conducted on the gas supply line. Under these
maximum allowable dew point for incoming gas. circumstances, construction debris will most
If liquids are condensed, then the gas supplier is likely be present and will be carried along with
shut off until corrective action is taken. A com- the gas as the flow rate increases. Fine mesh
mercial supplier in Europe sells a device that strainers are installed in the gas line as last
works on this principle. chance filters immediately upstream from the
control valves and the gas manifolds to protect
the fuel nozzles from plugging. The strainers at
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR the inlet to the gas manifolds are temporary and
CLEAN-UP EQUIPMENT will be removed prior to commercial operation.
Forty micron strainers will prevent short-term
AND SIZING nozzle plugging but do not fully protect against
When specifying gas clean-up equipment, it is long-term erosion problems. For this reason,
important that consideration be given not only installation of last-chance strainers should not
to equipment size and removal capabilities, but be considered a substitute for a properly design
also to the overall solids and liquids removal simplex or duplex particulate filter or filter/sep-
process. If liquid separation equipment is arator.
required, including a coalescing filter, then The strainer in the inlet supply pipe is perma-
solids removal is automatically taken care of. nently installed (removable for cleaning purpos-
If the gas is known to be dry, meets the 50 es) and protects the fuel nozzles and acts as a
F/28 C minimum superheat requirement and flag to indicate non-compliance with GEI
no liquids removal equipment is installed (e.g., 41040E. A well-designed filtration system will
some LNG meet this requirement), then a par- prevent particulate build-up on the strainer
ticulate removal filtration system will be once the initial dirt and other contaminants
required. have been removed from the system.
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GER-3942
In special circumstances, an additional heater both liquid and solid contaminants from the gas
may be required upstream from the pressure stream. There are several ways to accomplish
reducing station if the incoming gas pressure is this, the most common being the use of cen-
unusually high, above approximately 1,000 trifugal separators, slug and mist eliminators fol-
psia/6,895 kPa, or if the gas has a high moisture lowed by gas filters and combination
content. In this situation the expansion and liquid/solid separators.
cooling downstream from the pressure-reducing The first item that is required for selecting
valve may require upstream heating to avoid the the correct equipment is a detailed analysis of
formation of hydrates and slugging of con- the available gas. This should include a gas sam-
densed hydrocarbons that would other wise ple analysis from various sources, such as after
remain in the gas phase throughout the liquids pressure reduction or compressor station, or
removal process. This heater, most likely, will another source that will be representative of the
not provide sufficient energy to meet the 50 gas just upstream from the combustion gas tur-
F/28 C minimum superheat requirement at the bine.
gas control module inlet, while at the same time, The second stage in the selection process is
may prevent collection of free liquids for the equipment sizing. Since the efficiency of the
reasons stated above. equipment in item 1 above will fall with a reduc-
Heaters are commonly found upstream from tion throughout, it is recommended that the
scrubbers and filter/separators. While this may design point of inertial separation equipment be
be acceptable for some applications, this selected at 5% to 10% below the maximum
arrangement is not recommended for gas tur- expected flow rate. Most inertial separators will
bine applications. Heating the fuel upstream maintain high efficiency up to 10% above the
from a separator will raise the gas temperature, design flow rate; check with the supplier for
possibly above the dew point, and little or no liq- details.
uids will be removed. A lack of liquids in the Equipment should be located as close as pos-
separator drain tank is no guarantee that the sible to the combustion gas turbine. This is espe-
fuel will meet GEI 41040E requirements. cially true of the superheater since liquids can
Further heating may be required in order to condense in the line downstream from the
meet the 50 F/28 C minimum superheat heater after the unit has shut down — the short-
requirement. er the line, the lower the volume of conden-
sates.
Processing Equipment
To ensure the correct equipment is specified
Processing Equipment Description
for a given gas fuel, the following should be A brief description and simplified sketches of
investigated before supplying and installing any the various types of clean-up equipment follows.
gas processing equipment to a particular site.
• For an existing power plant, an accurate gas Dry Scrubbers
sampling and analysis from the site taken Dr y scrubbers are multiple-cyclone (multi-
upstream and prior to any fuel gas treat- clones) inertial separators that remove both liq-
ment equipment, and also at the combus- uids and solid materials without the use of
tion gas turbine fuel gas manifold. scrubbing oils or liquids. A typical cross-section
For new construction, the sample should is shown in Figure 4. They are virtually mainte-
be taken from a flowing gas stream in the nance-free except for blowdown of the drain
pipeline as near as possible to the proposed tank. A multi-clone scrubber will operate with a
site high separation efficiency greater than about a
• Site reviews of in-line gas treatment equip- 4:1 turndown in volumetric flow rate. Only one
ment by manufacturers’ technical represen- gas turbine should, therefore, be placed down-
tatives stream of each dry scrubber. A dry scrubber is
• Fuel gas treatment equipment flow design not generally recommended for slugging condi-
review by the responsible engineer tions; however, a modified dry scrubber design
to handle slugs can be made available.
Dry scrubbers should be combined with coa-
DESIGN STEPS FOR SIZING lescing filters in order to provide protection
AND LOCATION over the entire operating range of the gas tur-
Fuel gas conditioning requires the removal of bine. Both vertical and horizontal configura-
tions are available. Typically, vertical units are
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GER-3942
GT25724 GT25725
Figure 4. A vertical multi-clone dry scrubber Figure 5. Vertical gas separator (inertial vane-
type)
used for the relatively small volumetric flow inside of the tube or from the outside of the
rates for a single gas turbine; the horizontal tube. A baffle at the inlet to the filter housing
units are used to treat larger volumetric flow will deflect liquid slugs and larger particulates to
rates experienced in gas pipelines. the sump. The wet gas containing fine droplets
In some cases, a dry scrubber may be installed flows though the filter where the droplets col-
to protect a pressure-reducing station serving lide with the fibrous filter material. The droplets
multiple gas turbines. In this situation, some liq- coalesce with others and form larger droplets
uid carry-over can be expected when the gas that are then removed from the filter element
demand is low because of low load or out of ser- by gravity and collected in the sump.
vice operation that extends the turndown A sectional view of a coalescing filter is shown
beyond the manufacturers recommendations. in Figure 6. The gas enters the inside of the fil-
ter elements and flows outward. Very small liq-
Gas Separator uid droplets are coalesced into larger droplets as
A gas separator operates on a similar inertial they travel through the filter elements. These
separation principle as the multi-clone dr y large droplets then fall away from the outer sur-
scrubber. Figure 5 shows a sectional view of a face of the elements and are collected in the
typical gas separator of this type. Wet gas passes bottom of the vessel. A properly sized filter will
through an inlet baffle to remove liquid slugs prevent the re-entrainment of liquid droplets
and then through a series of angled vanes that into the gas stream, but the efficiency of this
impart inertial forces on the remaining liquid device will drop off dramatically if operated
droplets. The droplets strike the vanes and are beyond its design flow rate.
removed from the flow stream by gravity. Vane Coalescing filters should always be preceded
separators are available in either vertical or hori- by a stage 1 liquid and solid removal device to
zontal configurations and are recommended for prevent the entry of gross amounts of contami-
applications where slugging can occur. nation. Filter elements require periodic replace-
ment; duplexing may be desirable. Installation
Coalescing Filter of coalescing filters should be seriously consid-
Coalescing filters are normally used in con- ered where gas compressors are located; these
junction with a dry scrubber where removal of are the only devices capable of removing the
practically all liquid droplets is required. fine oil mists that are sometimes introduced into
Typically, coalescing filters will remove all the gas stream from the compressor.
droplets and solids larger than about 0.3
microns. The filter unit consists of a vertical Combination Separators
pressure vessel that contains a number of paral- The filter separator combines changeable fil-
lel tubular filter cartridges. Depending on the ter elements along with vane mist eliminator in
supplier, inlet gas flow can be either from the a single vessel, as illustrated in Figure 7. The gas
first passes through the filter elements, enabling
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GER-3942
Outlet
Coalescing
Filter
Elements
Drain
Connection
Multi-Clone
Inertial
Separator
Inlet
Drain
Connection
GT25726
Figure 6. Coalescing filter
GT25728
Figure 8. Absolute separator
Inlet
Inlet
Chamber Vane
Filter Separators
Elements
Absolute Separator
The absolute separator shown in Figure 8 is a
Outlet
two-stage device similar to the filter/separator,
except the unit is configured in a vertical
arrangement and the method of separation is
reversed. Here, multi-cyclones or vanes are used
to inertially separate the larger droplets in the
first stage.
Drain Tanks The partially cleaned gas passes on to stage 2,
which consists of coalescing filters. Flow through
GT25727 the filters is from the inside out. The coalesced
Figure 7. Combined filter-separator droplets form on the outside of the filter and
are then drained by gravity to a collection tank.
There are several advantages to this type of liq-
smaller liquid particles to be coalesced while the uid removal device, including a higher removal
solids are removed. Because of the coalescing efficiency in the droplet diameter range of 0.01
effect, the vane is able to remove more free liq- microns to 4 microns. Inertial removal of solids
uid particles than either the dry scrubber or the and liquids in the primary separator section also
vertical gas separator alone. This combines the unloads the filter elements in the second sec-
efficiency of the vane separator with that of the tion, allowing fewer to be used and reducing the
coalescing filter in one vessel. overall vessel diameter.
As with the coalescing filter described above,
the filter separator maintains its guaranteed sep-
aration efficiency from 0% to 100% of its design
flow capacity. Filter separators are often used in
lieu of filters when high liquid rates are expect- Fuel Heating
ed. The filter separator also removes solids from
the gas stream, but must be taken off-line peri- Fuel heating to raise the temperature of the
odically in order to replace the dirty filter ele- gas to 50 F/28 C above the hydrocarbon dew
ments. For this reason, base-loaded units require point may be required per the GEI 41040E fuel
a duplex arrangement that permits mainte- specification. Three basic types of heater are
nance to be performed on one unit while the available; each has economic, maintenance and
other is in service. operating advantages and disadvantages.
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GER-3942
Exhaust Stack
Hot Gas
Discharge
Water Filled
Burner
GT25730
Figure 10. Indirect- fired gas heater
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GER-3942
Dual-Source Heaters
These gas fuel heaters are similar to the waste-
heat-fired heater but can also be fired using a
remote gas burner. The advantage of this type of Warm Water
Discharge to HRSG
heater is that the remote burner can be used if
the gas turbine is operating in simple-cycle GT25731
mode and during startup to ensure that the gas Figure 11. Waste-heat gas fuel heater
is completely free of liquids during all phases of
the operation. Figure 12 shows a simplified If the gas is dry with ample superheat and the
schematic — less control valves — that illustrates expected daily, weekly and monthly variations
the dual heat source. are well known, then a simplex or duplex partic-
ulate filter, as shown in Figure 13, is all that may
Equipment Arrangement be required. An example of this type of applica-
tion is a site burning LNG where the supplier
For sites where the specific quality of the gas has guaranteed no hydrocarbons higher than
is unknown, a vertical gas separator followed by
C5 and where the gas temperature delivered to
either duplex multi-tube filters or filter separa-
the site is well above the hydrocarbon dew point.
tor and superheater is recommended. Each of
the duplex units must be designed for 100% of For example, a gas with a moisture and hydro-
the system flow rate so that one can stay on-line carbon dew point of less than -50 F/-46 C and a
while maintenance is being performed on the gas delivery temperature of about 55 F/13 C
other. would meet this description.
The following are six gas conditioning sys- Allowance must be made for temperature drop
tems, from the simplest scrubber to the most through the pressure-reducing station, but with a
complex skid package engineered specifically to superheat temperature of 105 F/35 C, there
meet the individual need of a customer. should be no concerns with liquid condensation.
Auxiliary
Heater Return to
Heat
Auxiliary Fuel
Recovery
Steam
Generator
From I/P
Feedwater
Supply
GT25732
Figure 12. Simplified schematic for a dual-source gas fuel heater
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GT25733 GT25735
Figure 13.Simple particulate filtration used for Figure 15.Dry scrubber installed to protect
dry gas filter separator against excessive
slugging conditions
There is a need for particulate removal,
regardless of the quality of the gas, since particu- ter/separator and superheater are required as
lates can be generated by spallation of rust and before. The heat input can be minimized
other corrosion products within the pipeline. upstream, heating to a level that avoids hydrate
Stainless steel piping is required downstream for mation and allowing the downstream
from the particulate filter. filter/separator to remove liquids by physical
If the gas is wet but without excessive liquids separation.
and no slugging potential upstream from the The hydrate formation temperature may be
pressure-reducing station, then single- or above or below the hydrocarbon dew point tem-
duplexed-filter/separators are recommended, perature, depending on gas composition and
followed by a heater that will provide a mini- moisture content. If it is above the hydrocarbon
mum of 50 F/28 C of superheat. Figure 14 dew point, then a re-arrangement of equipment
shows this arrangement with a single filter/sepa- may be beneficial to avoid installation of two
rator. heaters. A minimum superheat temperature of
If the pressure drop through the pressure- 50 F/28 C must be maintained at the gas mod-
reducing valve is greater than about 300 ule inlet.
psi/2,068 kPa and the temperature reduction If multiple units are present on-site, a com-
could cause slugging downstream, then a dry mon clean-up system is often used to protect the
scrubber upstream from the filter separator may pressure-reducing station, but individual
be required depending on the manufacturer’s filter/separators and heaters must then be
recommendations. Figure 15 shows this arrange- installed downstream to protect each unit.
ment. Figure 18 shows the arrangement of individual
If the gas is wet and slugging is present in the filter/separators and superheaters.
incoming gas supply, a dr y scrubber may be Figure 19 shows a typical gas compression sys-
required upstream from the pressure reducing tem used where the incoming gas supply pres-
station. Figure 16 illustrates this arrangement. A sure is too low to meet the GEI 41040E pressure
filter separator is also required to provide pro- requirements. In this situation, advantage can
tection over 100% of the flow range and to mini- be taken of the heat of compression to avoid the
mize any liquid carry-over to the heater. cost of a gas superheater. Sufficient heat is nor-
If the incoming gas has a potential for mally added to the gas stream that the gas is
hydrate formation, a dry scrubber and heater superheated, much greater than the 50 F/28 C
may be required upstream from the pressure- minimum requirement.
reducing station, as shown in Figure 17. A fil-
GT25734 GT25736
Figure 14.For wet gas with non-slugging Figure 16.Incoming wet gas with slugging
conditions upstream from pressure- potential upstream from pressure-
reducing station reducing station
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GT25737 GT25739
Figure 17.Dry scrubber and heater to protect Figure 19.Two-stage gas compressor providing
pressure-reducing station from build- more than 50 F/28 C superheat
up of gas hydrates
ingly. It is not sufficient, however, to indepen-
dently select equipment based on claimed high
efficiency alone; the entire system must be evalu-
ated and preferably modeled to determine the
overall system sensitivity to changes in gas com-
position, pressure temperature and mass flow
rate. GE offers an engineering survey service
that will provide answers to these questions.
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS IF
WET GAS IS PRESENT
If wet gas is known to be present at the gas
module inlet, it is highly recommended that the
unit be shut down where practical until the
extent of the problem can be determined. A fail-
ure to take action significantly increases the risk
GT25738 of an incident that may result in hardware dam-
Figure 18.Common protection for pressure- age ranging from combustor or fuel nozzle dam-
reducing station and multiple-gas age to stage 1 nozzle and bucket damage.
turbines, each individually protected If the recommendations contained in this
report have been followed, then the problem
Attention must be paid to potential spill-over could be as simple as a tripped fuel heater. If
of compressor lubricating oil, however, and this is a pre-existing condition and clean-up
installation of a coalescing filter or absolute sep- equipment has not been installed or is inade-
arator should be provided as part of the com- quate, then one or more clean-up equipment
pressor package. If the heat loss in the gas line suppliers or GE Global Ser vices Engineering
to the turbine is excessive, then a coalescing fil- should be consulted for advice.
ter and superheater may be required down- As a minimum, if wet gas is known to be pre-
stream from the compressor station in order to sent, then free liquids must be removed and the
regain the 50 F/28 C superheat. gas superheated.
Depending on the recirculation intercooler
exit temperature, the recirculation line may be
introduced at the compressor inlet or upstream GE GAS FUEL SYSTEM
from the gas clean-up equipment. There is some ENGINEERING SURVEY
advantage to introducing the recirculation line
upstream from the clean-up equipment in that SERVICE
the volumetric flow through the separation To assist customers with the design of new gas
equipment will be closer to a constant value as fuel systems or to survey existing systems, GE
load on the gas turbine increases or decreases. offers an engineering service to evaluate pro-
The gas clean-up systems described here are posed or existing designs and to make recom-
only examples. The specific needs of each indi- mendations for upgrades to meet current fuel
vidual site must be carefully assessed, and the specifications. The sur vey may include a site
equipment and system design selected accord- visit, gas analysis and modeling of the system to
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GER-3942
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This document is the result of several discus-
sions with customers and GE personnel in the Table 1A
Power Generation division and at the Corporate SATURATED HYDROCARBON
Research and Development Center. The author COMPOUNDS TO C14
would like to acknowledge the contribution the
many people involved without whom this compi-
lation would not have been possible. CH4 Methane C8H18 Octane
C2H6 Ethane C9H20 Nonane
C3H8 Propane C10H26 Decane
C4H10 Butane C11H24 Undecane
C5H12 Pentane C12H26 Dodecane
C6H14 Hexane C13H28 Tridecane
C7H16 Heptane C14H30 Tetradecane
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© 1996 GE Company
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LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Variation of heating value and C6+ for U.S. and Canadian natural gas
Table 2. Reported heating values and C6+ hydrocarbons throughout the U.S.
Table 3. Comparison of standard and extended gas analyses on Calculated HC dew point
Table 1A. Saturated hydrocarbon Compounds to C14
Colin Wilkes
Colin Wilkes graduated with an MS in 1967 Cranfield, United
Kingdom, after serving an apprenticeship at the National Gas Turbine
Establishment. He joined the Aircraft Engine Group of GE in Evendale,
Ohio, as a combustion engineer and transferred to Schenectady in 1970,
where he worked on residual fuel and Dry Low NOx combustion. He
led a development team that ran a successful field test of a dual-fuel Dry
Low NOx combustor that was the prototype for today’s DLN-1 system.
Colin left GE in 1981 and continued his career in gas turbine combus-
tion before rejoining GE in 1993 as a technical leader, Dry Low NOx
Systems. In this capacity, he provides systems engineering support for
new product development and production units.