General Electric Company

John Carver Maters

Jason Dean Fuller

Cyron Frank Kay

William Forrester Seely

Timothy Andrew Healy

Sreedhar Desabhatla

David August Snider

Jonathan Carl Thatcher

Michael Joseph Alexander

Thomas Raymond Farrell

Samuel Bryan Shartzer

William Robert Pearson

Garth Curtis Frederick

David Terry Trayhan, Jr

John Andrew Leonard

Seth Harmon Chapman

John Noel Cunningham

Shashidhar Nibhanupudi

Sudeep Pathak

Valerie Suzanne Vernet

Eugene A Post

Kelly M Graf

Douglas C Morgan

Luls M Flamand

Garth Frederick, Ii

Valerie S Vernet

John N Cunningham

Luis M Flamand

One embodiment includes a system including an actuation system of a gas turbine system including an actuator, a positioner including one or more sensors, a motor, and a controller communicably coupled to the positioner and the motor. The actuator is coupled to one or more inlet guide vanes (IGVs) or variable stator vanes (VSVs) and configured to move the IGVs or VSVs, the positioner is configured to position the actuator so that the actuator moves the IGVs or VSVs to a desired angle, the motor is configured to drive the actuator, and the controller is configured to establish one or more baselines for one or more types of data obtained by the sensors at initialization of the gas turbine system, derive a deviation from the baselines, and perform a preventative action if a deviation that meets or exceeds a threshold is derived.

System and method for turbomachinery vane prognostics and diagnostics

Systems and methods include an actuation system of turbomachinery includes a first actuator configured to control pitch of vanes of the turbomachinery and a first positioner configured to position the first actuator to control the pitch of the vanes. The actuation system also includes a second actuator configured to control the pitch of the vanes of the turbomachinery and a second positioner configured to position the second actuator to control the pitch. The actuation system also includes a controller system communicably coupled to the first and second positioners where the controller system is configured to drive the first positioner in an operation mode based at least in part on a set point. The controller system is also configured to set the second positioner in a diagnostic mode and obtain data from the first positioner and the second positioner where the data indicates operating conditions of the turbomachinery.

System and method for turbomachinery vane diagnostics

A gas turbine system includes a compressor. The compressor has a plurality of inlet guide vanes disposed at an inlet of the compressor. Furthermore, the compressor may have at least one unison ring coupled to a plurality of variable stator vanes disposed between the inlet and an outlet of the compressor. The gas turbine system includes a first actuator that may adjust a first pitch of the plurality of inlet guide vanes and a second actuator that may adjust a second pitch of the plurality of variable stator vanes. A first electric motor may drive the first actuator, while a second electric motor may drive the second actuator.

System for turbomachine vane control

A method for initializing a generator may include sending a field reference voltage to an exciter that may provide a direct current (DC) current and a DC voltage to a rotor of a generator based on a current set point that corresponds to the field reference voltage. The method may then include receiving a voltage feedback signal output by the generator, determining one or more locations of one or more poles of the generator based on the voltage feedback signal, and sending one or more firing signals to one or more switches of a starter after determining the locations of the poles, such that the switches couple the voltage to a stator of the generator.

Systems and methods for initializing a generator

Embodiments of the present invention employ a closed loop controls philosophy, which actively controls the starting means of a powerplant machine, throughout the start-up process. Here, the present invention may provide a method for adjusting a nominal operating schedule of the starting means, which may have the form of a Load Commutated Inverter (LCI). Embodiments of the method may adjust the nominal operating schedule based, in part, on an operating parameter, which is associated with the gas turbine. The operating parameter may include, but is not limited to: a rotor speed, a desired start-up time, or the like. Here, the control system may receive data on the operating parameter associated with the gas turbine.

Method for starting a turbomachine

The present invention has the technical effect of reducing the start-up time associated with starting a powerplant machine. An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of starting a powerplant machine, such as, but not limiting of, a turbomachine. An embodiment of the method of the present invention provides a new philosophy for starting a turbomachine. This new philosophy involves testing the turbomachine systems before the start-up process begins.

Method of starting a turbomachine by testing operational support systems during the purging process

A method and algorithm are provided to operate a gas turbine at baseload in an emission compliant capable mode to avoid combustion dynamics while operating with cold fuel and hot fuel combustion hardware. The method includes performing a gas turbine operational sequence such as a startup to an emission compliant capable mode. A gas fuel temperature is measured. The gas turbine is operated in the emissions compliant capable mode according to a designated fuel split for avoiding combustion dynamics when a temperature for a gas fuel is below a designated value. A determination is made whether a modified wobbe index for the gas fuel is below an emissions compliant value. An alarm is activated if the modified wobbe index is below the emissions compliant value to notify the operator of a potential emissions shift.

Operating a turbine at baseload on cold fuel with hot fuel combustion hardware

An embodiment of the present invention may seek to match the generator and grid voltages before the powerplant machine reaches the grid matching speed during the start-up process. An embodiment of the present invention may provide a predictive algorithm, or the like, to control the acceleration rate of the powerplant machine to target a particular phase angle differential between the powerplant machine and the grid when the powerplant machine reaches the grid matching speed. Here, the phase angle difference may be targeted such that a generator breaker may be closed immediately after the powerplant machine accelerates beyond the grid matching speed. This may avoid the generator experiencing a phase angle differential, which may add to the power transient associated with the generator breaker closure.

Method of synchronizing a turbomachine generator to an electric grid

Embodiments of the invention can provide systems and methods for using a combustion dynamics tuning algorithm with a multi-can combustor. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling a gas turbine engine with an engine model can be implemented for an engine comprising multiple cans. The method can include obtaining operating frequency information associated with multiple cans of the engine. In addition, the method can include determining variation between operating frequency information of at least two cans. Furthermore, the method can include determining a median value based at least in part on the variation. Moreover, the method can include inputting the median value to an engine model, wherein based at least in part on the median value, the engine model determines an engine control action. In addition, the method can include outputting a control command to implement the engine control action.

Systems and methods for using a combustion dynamics tuning algorithm with a multi-can combustor

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Liberty, SC, United States of America

John Carver Maters