Lars E. Bakken

Axial compressor deterioration caused by saltwater ingestion

Gas turbine performance deterioration can be a major economic factor. An example is within offshore installations where a degradation of gas turbine performance can mean a reduction of oil and gas production. This paper describes the test results from a series of accelerated deterioration tests on a General Electric J85-13 jet engine. The axial compressor was deteriorated by spraying atomized droplets of saltwater into the engine intake. The paper presents the overall engine performance deterioration as well as deteriorated stage characteristics. The results of laboratory analysis of the salt deposits are presented, providing insight into the increased surface roughness and the deposit thickness and distribution. The test data show good agreement with published stage characteristics and give valuable information regarding stage-by-stage performance deterioration.

Axial Compressor Deterioration Caused by Saltwater Ingestion

Gas turbine performance deterioration can be a major economic factor. An example is within offshore installations where a degradation of gas turbine performance can mean a reduction of oil and gas production. This paper describes the test results from a series of accelerated deterioration tests on a GE J85-13 jet engine. The axial compressor was deteriorated by spraying atomized droplets of saltwater into the engine intake. The paper also presents the overall engine performance deterioration as well as deteriorated stage characteristics. The results of laboratory analysis of the salt deposits are presented, providing insight into the increased surface roughness and the deposit thickness and distribution. The test data show good agreement with published stage characteristics and give valuable information regarding stage-by-stage performance deterioration.Copyright

The Impact of Surface Roughness on Axial Compressor Performance Deterioration

Gas turbine performance deterioration can negatively affect overall production capacity of power plants and cause major economic losses. Gas turbines deteriorate from fouling in the compressor section, and online washing is often applied to recover their performance. The success of online washing depends on site-specific issues, and current systems are inconsistent in use and their effectiveness is difficult to test. The objective of this work is to determine the fundamental mechanisms of axial compressor performance deterioration and recovery through online washing.Empirical data from online washing of RB211-24G at an offshore site were analyzed in the initial phase of research. Empirical data from accelerated salt deterioration and online water washing of a GE J85-13 jet engine were unique to this project. First overall compressor deterioration and single stage performance deterioration were measured using inter-stage gas path instrumentation. Secondly, salt deposits were analyzed to characterize the stage surface roughness and fouling distribution. Finally, recovery through online washing was evaluated. Quasi-one-dimensional models were developed for the GE J85-13 to aid in the test data analysis and to verify the applicability of deterioration loss models to fouled compressors.The study shows that detection of compressor deterioration can be hampered by nonlinear sensitivities to fouling. Engine control modes must be accounted for to avoid misreading the deterioration rate and production capacity. Flow rate was found as the most sensitive deterioration parameter in the GE J85-13. Fouling affected all parts of the stage characteristics reducing flow, pressure and head. The models successfully reflected the deterioration mechanisms although the effects of deterioration were under-predicted. This study shows the importance of applying Reynolds corrections to deteriorated compressors.Online washing efficiency is predominantly affected by the water flow rate. Small droplets and low flow rates increase the fouling in the aft stages, and increased injection time cannot compensate for low flow rates. For effective water washing of the entire compressor section the recommended water-to-air ratio is between 0.8 to 2%.The major contributions of this work are presented in four papers contained in the Appendices.

Wet Gas Performance of a Single Stage Centrifugal Compressor

This paper evaluates the performance analysis of wet gas compression. It reports the performance of a single stage gas centrifugal compressor tested on wet gas. These tests were performed at design operating range with real hydrocarbon mixtures. The gas volume fraction was varied from 0.97 to 1.00, with alternation in suction pressure. The range is representative for many of the gas/condensate fields encountered in the North Sea. The machine flow rate was varied to cover the entire operating range. The compressor was also tested on a hydrocarbon gas and water mixture to evaluate the impact of liquid properties on performance. No performance and test standards currently exist for wet gas compressors. To ensure nominated flow under varying fluid flow conditions, a complete understanding of compressor performance is essential. This paper gives an evaluation of real hydrocarbon multiphase flow and performance parameters as well as a wet gas performance analysis. The results clearly demonstrate that liquid properties influence compressor performance to a high degree. A shift in compressor characteristics is observed under different liquid level conditions. The results in this paper confirm the need for improved fundamental understanding of liquid impact on wet gas compression. The evaluation demonstrates that dry gas performance parameters are not applicable for wet gas performance analysis. Wet gas performance parameters verified against results from the tested compressor is presented.Copyright

Prospects for Sub Sea Wet Gas Compression

Wet gas compression technology renders possible new opportunities for future gas/condensate fields by means of sub sea boosting and increased recovery for fields in tail-end production. In the paper arguments for the wet gas compression concept are given. At present no commercial wet gas compressor for the petroleum sector is available. StatoilHydro projects are currently investigating the wet gas compressors suitability to be used and integrated in gas field production. The centrifugal compressor is known as a robust concept and the use is dominant in the oil and gas industry. It has therefore been of specific interest to evaluate its capability of handling wet hydrocarbon fluids. Statoil initiated a wet gas test of a 2.8 MW single-stage compressor in 2003. A full load and pressure test was performed using a mixture of hydrocarbon gas and condensate or water. Results from these tests are presented. A reduction in compressor performance is evident as fluid liquid content is increased. The introduction of wet gas and the use of sub sea solutions make more stringent demands for the compressor corrosion and erosion tolerance. The mechanical stress of the impeller increases when handling wet gas fluids due to an increased mass flow rate. Testing of different impeller materials and coatings has been an important part of the Statoil wet gas compressor development program. Testing of full scale (6–8 MW) sub sea integrated motor-compressors (dry gas centrifugal machines) will begin in 2008. Program sponsor is the Asgard Licence in the North Sea and the testing takes place at K-lab, Norway. Shallow water testing of a full scale sub sea compressor station (12.5 MW) will begin in 2010 (2 years testing planned). Program sponsor is the Ormen Lange Licence.Copyright

Online Water Wash Tests of GE J85-13

Gas turbine performance deterioration can negatively affect overall production capacity of power plants and cause major economic losses. Gas turbines deteriorate from fouling in the compressor section, and online washing is often applied to recover their performance. The success of online washing depends on site-specific issues, and current systems are inconsistent in use and their effectiveness is difficult to test. The objective of this work is to determine the fundamental mechanisms of axial compressor performance deterioration and recovery through online washing.Empirical data from online washing of RB211-24G at an offshore site were analyzed in the initial phase of research. Empirical data from accelerated salt deterioration and online water washing of a GE J85-13 jet engine were unique to this project. First overall compressor deterioration and single stage performance deterioration were measured using inter-stage gas path instrumentation. Secondly, salt deposits were analyzed to characterize the stage surface roughness and fouling distribution. Finally, recovery through online washing was evaluated. Quasi-one-dimensional models were developed for the GE J85-13 to aid in the test data analysis and to verify the applicability of deterioration loss models to fouled compressors.The study shows that detection of compressor deterioration can be hampered by nonlinear sensitivities to fouling. Engine control modes must be accounted for to avoid misreading the deterioration rate and production capacity. Flow rate was found as the most sensitive deterioration parameter in the GE J85-13. Fouling affected all parts of the stage characteristics reducing flow, pressure and head. The models successfully reflected the deterioration mechanisms although the effects of deterioration were under-predicted. This study shows the importance of applying Reynolds corrections to deteriorated compressors.Online washing efficiency is predominantly affected by the water flow rate. Small droplets and low flow rates increase the fouling in the aft stages, and increased injection time cannot compensate for low flow rates. For effective water washing of the entire compressor section the recommended water-to-air ratio is between 0.8 to 2%.The major contributions of this work are presented in four papers contained in the Appendices.

A Revised Compressor Polytropic Performance Analysis

The compressor polytropic head and efficiency analysis are based on the assumption that the compression process follows the path of a constant polytropic exponent n. Both the ASME PTC10-97 and the ISO 5389 refer to the polytropic analysis by John M. Schultz. The procedure utilizes a head correction factor and two compressibility functions to obtain a solution of the integral Δhp = ∫vdp. Present computer technology renders possible a direct integration of the compression path where the variation in actual gas properties along the path is included. This method eliminates the averaging of gas properties which the Schultz procedure includes. This paper reports deviation in compressor performance using the Schultz procedure with different average gas properties. The implementation of a direct integration procedure, employing actual gas properties from the new GERG-2004 equation of state, is given. The GERG-2004 equation of state has proven to give accurate density values both in the vapour and liquid phases. Depending on how the polytropic compression analysis is implemented, the work has revealed up to 4% deviation in polytropic head and efficiency for some specific compressors. This adds an extra uncertainty in compressor performance verification. Even though the API 617 allows up to 4% deviation, some compressors have to meet a more stringent demand, for instance 2% at the Snohvit LNG plant. Future challenges within oil and natural gas production are related to wet gas compressors. The present paper points out the advantages in using a direct integration method for wet gas performance predictions as this takes phase changes along the compression path into account.Copyright

Performance Deterioration of Intake Air Filters for Gas Turbines in Offshore Installations

Efficient inlet air filtration is a key element for limiting fouling, erosion, and corrosion in the compressor section of offshore gas turbine installations. Current filtration systems are normally successful in preventing serious erosion and corrosion problems in the compressor section, but significant performance deterioration caused by compressor fouling still remains a challenge. This performance deterioration increases fuel consumption and emissions and has a particularly severe economic impact when it reduces oil and gas production. Operating experience from different offshore installations has shown that the deterioration rate in gas turbine performance increases when the turbines are operating in wet or humid weather and that the differential pressure loss over the intake system is affected by ambient humidity. An experimental test rig has been built in the laboratory at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in order to increase understanding of the fundamentals related to gas turbine inlet air filtration. This paper presents the results from an experimental investigation of the performance of gas turbine inlet air filter elements that have been in operation offshore. Performance under both dry and wet conditions is assessed. Different types of filter elements show significantly different changes in differential pressure signature when exposed to moisture, and all of the tested filter elements demonstrate a loss of accumulated contamination after operating in wet conditions. Hence, contaminants originally accumulated by the filter elements are re-entrained into the airstream on the downstream side of the filters when they are exposed to moisture. The change in differential pressure signature as a result of operating in wet conditions demonstrates another weakness of solely applying differential pressure for condition monitoring of the filter system.Copyright

Wet Gas Performance Analysis

The growing interest in wet gas compressors calls for accurate methods for performance prediction. Present evaluation methods for compressor and pump performance fail when evaluating the compression of gases containing liquid. Gas compression performance predictions given in ASME PTC-10-97 and ISO 5318 are based on the method John M. Schultz proposed in 1962. This method assumes a polytropic compression path and is based on averaged gas properties of inlet and outlet condition. The polytropic compression path is defined by keeping pvn constant, where n is constant along the compression path. When employing the Schultz method there is a challenge in defining the polytropic constant. This is seen in cases where dry gas compressors are exposed to wet components and compressor efficiency estimates exceed 100%. Today’s computer technology makes a direct integration of the polytropic head (∫vdp) possible where actual fluid properties along the compression path are included. Phase changes along the compression path are included with this method. This enables a detailed prediction to be made of the actual volumetric flow rate for the various compressor stages. This paper reports the implementation of the direct integration procedure for wet gas performance prediction. The procedure enables generic wet gas compression to be studied which forms the foundation for performance analysis with variations in operation at conditions and fluid components and properties.Copyright

Gas Turbine Operation Offshore: On-Line Compressor Wash at Peak Load

On-line compressor wash is discussed for a RB211 compressor driver running at peak load at the Statoil Heidrun offshore platform. The oil field’s economy is directly linked to oil production; however, the production rate is limited by driver and gas compressor capacity. From this perspective, the power output and gas turbine uptime become decisive economic factors. The economic potentials related to successful on-line washing are given. This work is based on a series of trials with on-line compressor washing over a two-year period. Results include effect of different on-line washing procedures and washing fluids. The field test campaign has shown no significant improvements with on-line compressor washing at peak load. Understanding the gas turbine performance deterioration is of vital importance. Trending of its deviation from the engine baseline (datum maps) facilitates load-independent monitoring of the gas turbine’s condition. Peak load turbine response to compressor deterioration is analyzed. Instrument resolution and repeatability are key factors that sometimes are more important than absolute accuracy in condition trending. As a result of these analyses, a set of monitoring parameters is suggested for effective diagnostics of compressor degradation in peak load operation. Avenues for further research and development are suggested as our understanding of the deterioration mechanisms at peak load remains incomplete.Copyright