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ROCHEM Fyrewash Ltd
5-6 Sun Valley Business Park
Winnall Close, Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 0LB
ROCHEM Fyrewash Inc
23707 West Hardy Road
Spring
Texas
77373
It doesn’t take much to impact the performance of a gas turbine. With a combination of sensitive components and extreme highs of pressure and temperature, small problems can snowball into disasters if you’re not paying attention.
06.11.23
Fortunately, we can reveal the seven secrets that will help you avoid those small problems in the first place, keeping your turbine running smoothly and efficiently…
When it comes to : gas goes in, electricity comes out. Simple! As long as your turbine is following this rule, you can sit back and relax, right? Wrong!
Even modern turbines should be inspected annually, with six-monthly checks advised for older equipment. To supplement these thorough inspections, it’s wise for operators to carry out a quick daily check for obvious issues. That way you’re likely to notice small problems and can deal with them before they become too big (and expensive!) to handle.
Create a regular maintenance routine that sets out specific tasks and when they should be completed.
Daily tasks might include: quick surface inspection; check fluid levels; monitor temperature and flow rate. A weekly job could be inspecting for specific problems e.g. leaks.
Monthly, you should be changing and reviewing the turbine’s performance to check for unexpected changes.
By creating and sticking to a maintenance schedule, you will avoid issues developing or at least notice them in time to take action.
Regularly washing from your gas turbine compressor should definitely feature on your maintenance plan. This helps you sustain performance levels and avoid unnecessary damage to delicate equipment through corrosion and erosion.
A quick guide to effective compressor cleaning is:
The great thing about is that you can schedule off-line work for quieter times.
Instead of urgently shutting down the turbine and carrying out repairs at the peak of production, pick a time that suits you best. This will minimise the impact of downtime and keep your turbine in tip-top condition.
If you haven’t updated your maintenance kit or methods for a while, it could be worth seeing what’s new on the market. For example, installing an to see the inner workings of your gas turbine compressor will let you instantly see what’s going on.
You may spot a nozzle out of place or foulants building up that you would never have noticed otherwise. You could even invest in robotic testing/boroscope inspections for hard-to-reach areas, increasing safety for your staff.
Nobody knows your turbine better than you, but it may still hold some secrets best revealed by a generator testing company. Now and then, it’s a good idea to ask a professional to diagnose any issues with equipment you may not have noticed or can’t quite pinpoint.
Finally, keep detailed records of and any maintenance carried out.
This will provide you with a whole host of valuable information such as any dips in productivity; performance related to specific maintenance; the need for unexpected/repeated repairs, allowing further investigation; timeline of maintenance, avoiding unnecessary repetition of tasks; and an insight to how your turbine works to help external mechanics or new staff instantly familiarise themselves with the equipment.
When you think about it, the seven secrets to gas turbine care aren’t really secrets at all; they’re mostly about knowing your turbine, careful ownership and getting well ahead of any issues.
However, it’s definitely worth using these ‘secrets’ as your guide while you go about your business. This way you should prolong the life and of your equipment.
At Rochem, we are long-established experts in the field of gas turbine compressor cleaning which, as we now know, is an essential part of turbine maintenance.
Our chemicals and equipment help engineers around the world keep their sites running smoothly and safely. to see how we can help you, too.
Post written by Martin Howarth
An extensive knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering together with hands on experience with gas turbines provides a bedrock for his work at Rochem.
