General Electric Company

Iris Ziqin Hu

Hua Zhang

James Michael Storey

Constantin Dinu

Bradly Aaron Kippel

Douglas Scott Byrd

Timothy Andrew Healy

Dean Matthew Erickson

Carl Gerard Schott

Thomas Raymond Farrell

Yimin Huang

David Trayhan

Gerald Wilson Grove

Lane Porter

Matthew S Kight

In one embodiment, a turbine system includes a compressor, an intake section including a filter house and an inlet duct. The intake section is coupled to the compressor, and the filter house is upstream from the inlet duct. The turbine system also includes one or more sensors disposed in the intake section, and a processor configured to receive sensor data from the one or more sensors, one or more filter degradation rates for one or more filtration stages of the filter house, or some combination thereof, predict a compressor degradation rate for the compressor using a compressor degradation prediction model that provides a function of performance of the compressor based on the sensor data, the one or more filter degradation rates, or some combination thereof, and perform one or more preventative actions based on the compressor degradation rate prediction.

System and method for condition-based monitoring of a compressor

A system and a method for predicting and optimizing remaining hardware life of gas turbine components. Operating parameters of the gas turbine which may impact remaining hardware life are sensed and tracked using a plurality of sensors in communication with a control system including a computing device. Remaining hardware life is predicted using a physics-based hardware lifing model. The hardware lifing model may include an output of a filtration model configured to monitor contaminants based on a pressure drop across a filter. Optimizing the remaining hardware life is achieved by the control system adjusting one or more operation settings of the gas turbine.

System and method for monitoring hot gas path hardware life

A steam cycle system includes a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) which receives exhaust gases, a steam turbine coupled to the HRSG which receives a first steam flow generated by the HRSG, and a condenser which condenses a second steam flow output by the steam turbine. The condenser includes a plurality of heat exchanger tubes, a fan, and a steam collection header. The system includes one or more sensors which measure one or more properties of the steam flow. The system includes a closed-loop controller communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors. The controller receives data from the one or more sensors, determines a flow rate of the second steam flow through the steam header using the one or more sensors, calculates whether the flow rate of the steam is within a threshold, and adjusts one or more operating parameters of the fan.

System and method for higher plant efficiency

The present application provides a fuel conditioning system for delivering a flow of fuel to a nozzle in a gas turbine engine. The fuel conditioning system may include a fuel compressor to increase the pressure of the flow of fuel, a pressure reduction valve to decrease the pressure of the flow of fuel, and a heater downstream of the pressure reduction valve. The pressure reduction valve may include a rotary control valve.

Fuel conditioning system

A combustor for a gas turbine includes a main fuel injector for receiving compressor discharge air and mixing the air with fuel for flow to a downstream catalytic section. The main fuel injector includes an array of venturis each having an inlet, a throat and a diffuser. A main fuel supply plenum between forward and aft plates supplies fuel to secondary annular plenums having openings for supplying fuel into the inlets of the venturis upstream of the throats. Each diffuser transitions from a circular cross-section at the throat to multiple discrete angularly related side walls at the diffuser exit. Gaps between circumferentially and radially spaced diffusers at their exits are eliminated. With this arrangement, uniform flow distribution of the fuel/air, velocity and temperature is provided at the catalyst inlet.

Multi-sided diffuser for a venturi in a fuel injector for a gas turbine

A combustor for a gas turbine includes a main fuel injector for receiving compressor discharge air and mixing the air with fuel for flow to a downstream catalytic section. The main fuel injector includes an array of venturis each having an inlet, a throat and a diffuser. A main fuel supply plenum between forward and aft plates supplies fuel to secondary annular plenums having openings for supplying fuel into the inlets of the venturis upstream of the throats. The diffusers transition from a circular cross-section at the throat to multiple discrete angularly related side walls at the diffuser exits without substantial gaps therebetween. With this arrangement, uniform flow distribution of the fuel/air, velocity and temperature is provided at the catalyst inlet.

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Greer, SC, United States of America

Iris Ziqin Hu