Background: Legacy Turbine Users Group The Legacy Turbine Users Group (LTUG), formed by Power Users earlier this year to facilitate the transfer of knowledge among members of the Frame 5, 6B, and 7EA Users Groups, greatly benefits owner/operators of these engines. With the number of experienced O&M personnel in decline because of staff reductions and […]
Frame 6B users draw on over 40 years of operating experience Read More »
Most drum-level control systems employ 3-element logic, with feedback to the controller on drum level, steam outlet flow, and feedwater inlet flow. Data provided by pressure and temperature transmitters are used to enhance the accuracy of the steam-flow value. To illustrate: If the drum-level instrument is a dP-style level transmitter, a pressure transmitter is installed
Shared by David Lucier, founder and GM, PAL Turbine Services LLC Use correct names of gas-turbine components to avoid confusion Components and auxiliary systems for GE gas turbines have specific names. It is important to use correct names when communicating with the manufacturer or service companies to be sure you’re understood. For some, it may
TURBINE TIPS for all models of legacy GE gas turbines Read More »
All in one explosion-proof gas calorimeter which features Continuous measurement, High accuracy & High-speed response. Continuous measurement By combining an optical sensor and a sound velocity sensor to perform unique calculations, the system is not affected by interference from gases that do not have heat content, such as N2, CO2, and O2. OIML R140 Class A equivalent
Riken Keiki gas monitoring system essential for future turbine operations Read More »
By Clyde V Maughan, Maughan Generator Consultants (retired) This historical perspective on turbine-driven generators, in four parts, is based on Clyde Maughan’s recollections from a 72-year career in turbine/generator design, manufacturing, and service—half that time with General Electric Co, the remainder as an independent consultant. Having joined GE in 1950, and having worked closely with
Generators: A brief history Read More »
Stator windings Groundwall insulation. Before the turn into the 20th century, insulating materials were natural products: shellac, cotton, paper. The rudimentary stator-winding designs were at low voltage and low temperatures, and apparently functioned fairly well as long as duties were kept sufficiently low. With inevitable trends to larger generators, with higher voltages and higher thermal
Generator History, Part 1: Electrical insulation systems Read More »
Stator windings Slot support systems. From the beginning, stator bars were held in the slots by wedges of treated paper or hardwood. The electromagnetic forces were low (almost non-existent), the groundwall insulation was soft, and bars had little cause to vibrate. The wedges held the bars in the slots and kept them from falling out
Generator History, Part 2: Winding support systems Read More »
Originally, generators were cooled by once-through open air flow. Contamination problems led to closed ventilation systems, with water-to-air heat exchangers to remove the thermal losses—the TEWAC cooling system (Totally Enclosed Water-to-Air Cooling). This type of system is still very popular for small generators. But by the 1930s, ratings were reaching a size where the ability
Generator History, Part 3: Generator cooling methods Read More »
The mechanical duties on rotor forgings are extremely demanding on the high-speed generators typically coupled to gas and steam turbines, and great effort has gone into development and optimum application of these forgings. Thus, a few words on this topic are in order here. Rotor body forging The main rotor body forgings reached a crisis
Generator History, Part 4: Generator rotor forgings Read More »
Clearly, this article, presented in the four sections bulleted below, provides a very general overview of generator history, with more left unsaid than said. No doubt there are errors of omission as well as commission. But hopefully the reader has gained a better appreciation for the efforts that went into the generator designs of today.
Generators: Wrap-up Read More »
