Aeroderivative Gas Turbines

LM2500 to LM2500+DLE Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Plant Repowering

Authors: Michael T. McCarrick GE Energy Kenneth MacKenzie P.Eng. City of Medicine Hat

LM2500 to LM2500+DLE Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Plant Repowering

Michael T. McCarrick GE Energy Kenneth MacKenzie P.Eng. City of Medicine Hat

Abstract
The province of Alberta, Canada developed annual emission intensity limits for the power generation sector in order to preserve air quality by reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide (SOx), nitrogen dioxide (NOx), and primary particulate matter. Effective January 1, 2006, all new gas-fired power plants were required to meet Annual Emission Intensity Limits for NOx. In the Spring of 2006, the City of Medicine Hat (COMH) LM2500 gas turbine units were due for their 50,000-hour major overhaul cycle, and COMH was faced with this new NOx emission requirement, along with an increasing power load demand for the city. Working closely with GE Energys Aero Services group, COMH decided to upgrade the two LM2500 gas turbines to two LM2500+DLE gas turbines to meet the new emissions requirements and boost power output to support the growing needs of the city. This paper will describe the engineering design challenges to modify the existing LM2500 gas turbine package to accept the longer and more powerful LM2500+DLE gas turbine, and the results of the evaluations of the additional mass flow impact on steam production and combined cycle plant performance. This paper will also detail the upgrade execution outages and commissioning experience of the LM2500+DLE gas turbines at the COMH plant. The actual operational performance results will be outlined to show the approximately 30% increase in gas turbine power output, 5% decrease in gas turbine heat rate, and the annual reduction in NOx emissions of up to 900 tons per year. The ISO exhaust flow of the LM2500-PE engines, at 499,000 lb/hr was significantly lower than the previous Frame 5 ISO engine exhaust rate of 716,000 lbs/hr. Thus, the steam production from the respective Unit 10 and 11 HRSGs decreased to 6.1 MWe as measured in steam turbine electric power output. However, the combined cycle heat rate improved to 7,500 BTU/kWe-Hr (LHV) as a result of the turbine replacements. Figure 3 shows the heat balance for the 1998 configuration with the LM2500-PE. The present configuration of the plant is shown in Figure 1. Units 10 and 11, the subject of this paper, were originally installed in 1990 as refurbished General Electric (GE) Frame 5M gas turbines operating in simple cycle with a heat rate of 13,900 BTU/kWe-Hr (LHV). A summary of past and present unit configurations is shown in Table 1. In 1993, single-pressure HRSGs were constructed for both units to improve plant efficiency and increase plant capacity, achieving a combined cycle heat rate of 8,880 BTU/kWe-Hr (LHV) with a corresponding steam turbine power production of 10.1 MWe. Figure 2 shows the heat balance for the 1993 configuration. In 1998 the Frame 5M units were replaced with GEs LM2500-PE model aeroderivative gas turbines in an attempt to improve reliability and further improve efficiency. The LM2500 is derived from the CF6 family of aircraft engines used on a variety of commercial aircraft and is a hot-end drive, two-shaft gas generator with a free power turbine. The LM2500-PE features a Single Annular Combustor (SAC) and a 6-stage power turbine. engine driving a generator. Over the intervening years, the plant grew into a strictly Rankine-cycle steam plant and finally into todays configuration, a fully combined cycle plant.

Background and Description of Original Plant Configuration

The City of Medicine Hat (COMH) Electric Utility is a municipally owned utility in Alberta, Canada that operates a natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant with a 209 MW ISO capacity. The plant began in 1910 with a single-cylinder natural gas-fired

Simple Cycle Heat Rate LHV BTU/MWe-Hr) Frame 5M LM2500PE LM2500PR 13.90 9.74 8.88

Gas Turbine Generator Power (MWe) 17.9 20.4 27.0

HRSG HP Steam (lb/hr) 91,000 55,000 62,000

Steam Turbine (MWe)

Combined Power Combined Cycle (MWe) Heat Rate LHV BTU/MWe-Hr) 28.0 26.5 33.9 8.9 7.50 7.08

10.1 6.1 6.9

Table 1 Units 10 and 11 Performance Summaries (at 15C 60%RH 666m el.) 2

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

LM2500 Gas Turbine History and Evolution to the LM2500+/+G4

In the early 1970s, the LM2500 gas turbine was derived from the CF6-6 flight engine, which to date has accumulated over 300,000,000 flight hours on a variety of commercial aircraft. The LM2500 utilized a 16-stage compressor section with inlet guide vanes and 6-stages of variable stator vanes with a 2-stage high-pressure turbine (HPT) section exhausting into a 6-stage free power turbine. The original design had twin-shank HPT blades and an ISO power rating of 17.9 MW with 35.8% simple cycle thermal efficiency. In 1992 a single-shank HPT blade was introduced that allowed for a higher firing temperature while maintaining the expected 25,000-hour hot section life on natural gas. The ISO power rating was correspondingly increased to 23.8 MW with a 37.5% simple cycle thermal efficiency.

In 1997, the LM2500 was upgraded to the LM2500+ when a zero stage blisk was added to the front end of the compressor section to provide a total of 17 stages of compression and boost the compression ratio from 20:1 to 23:1. Some material changes in the HP turbine section and enlarging of the free power turbine flow function raised the ISO power rating to 31.3 MW with 39.5% simple cycle efficiency. The major differences between the LM2500 and the LM2500+ gas turbines are shown in Figure 4. The LM2500+G4 gas turbine, the most recent uprate to the LM2500 family, was introduced in 2005. The LM2500+G4 provides approximately a 10% power increase over the LM2500+ model and was considered for this use in this project, however, the electric generator could not handle the LM2500+G4 output across the full range of ambient conditions, and the LM2500+ was selected for the COMH Repowering Project. As of this writing, the LM2500/+/+G4 models have over 51,000,000 operating hours in power generation, marine, cogeneration, and mechanical drive applications.

Figure 4 LM2500 vs. LM2500+ Cross-Sectional View (SAC Versions Shown)

Standard Annular Combustor (SAC) vs. Dry Low Emissions (DLE) Technology
The original LM2500 gas turbines operated with a standard annular combustor that utilized a single compressor diffuser passage and a single row of 30 fuel nozzles, and NOx emissions abatement was accomplished with water or steam injection to suppress the firing temperature and reduce the formation of NOx. In 1995, a Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustion technology

was introduced to achieve 25 ppmvd NOx emissions without water or steam injection. The DLE combustor uses 30 premixers comprised of 75 staged injectors and a 4-passage compressor diffuser. The LM2500+DLE gas turbine has over 2,400,000 operating hours, and can achieve 25 ppmvd NOx and 25 ppmvd CO from 75% to 100% load. The SAC and DLE Combustors are compared in Figure 5 below.

Dry Low Emissions

Single Annular Combustor

Figure 5 DLE (Triple Annular Combustor) vs. Single Annular Combustor (SAC)

Repowering Drivers and Benefits

The original LM2500-PE gas turbines were scheduled to achieve their 50,000-hour major overhaul cycle in 2006, and the COMH was faced with four options: 1. Rebuild the existing LM2500 SAC engines at the depot to achieve Zero Time. 2. Replace existing LM2500 SAC engines with identical new LM2500 SAC units. 3. Replace the LM2500 SAC engines with new LM2500 DLE engines. 4. Increase the capacity and reduce emissions by replacing the LM2500 SAC engines with LM2500+ DLE engines. To comply with emissions reductions commitments made to regulatory agencies, and to increase plant capacity with a marginally improved heat rate, it was decided to pursue Option 4, replacement of the engines with the LM2500+ DLE engines, known formally as the LM2500-PR model.

2. Increased Power Output

The COMH electrical load in the 21st century has been growing at an average of 2% per year, with corresponding increases in air-conditioning load peaks during the summer months. Replacing the LM2500-PE with a similar engine would obviously do nothing to increase plant capacity to meet this increasing load. On the other hand, the LM2500-PR offered a modest 7.4 MWe increase in combined cycle capacity per unit, well within the regulatory limits set on the amount of electrical generation the City may hold.

3. Improved Heat Rate

The LM2500-PR features a higher compression ratio (23:1) than the LM2500-PE (20:1), and consequentially is a more efficient turbine. The guaranteed simple cycle heat rate for the LM2500-PR was 9,238 Btu/kWeHr LHV versus the guarantee rate for the LM2500-PE at 9,743 Btu/kWeHr LHV, a 5% improvement.

1. Emissions Reductions
In prior years, the COMH had made commitments to the regulator, Alberta Environment (AENV) that would see NOx abatement technologies implemented on Units 10 and 11 prior to renewal of the environmental permit in 2009. The LM2500-PE units had historically and consistently produced NOx emissions of approximately 170 ppmvd, equivalent to a mass emission of 125 pounds per hour of NOx. Under the AENVs 2006 Emission Intensity Limits for NOx, new units in the 20 to 60 MW range (that range covers the LM2500 models) would be required to achieve an intensity of less than 0.4 kg/MW-Hr. As shown in Table 2, the original LM2500-PE units produced NOx emission intensities well in excess of the 2006 Limits. NOx abatement equipment such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or water/steam injection would have been necessary to achieve the 2006 limits using the LM2500 SAC engine. The LM2500-PR was predicted, and has proven capable in meeting the 2006 limits.
NOx conc. (ppvmd) (ref.15% O2) LM2500-PE LM2500-PR 170.00 21.60 NOx mass emission (kg/Hr) 57.0 10.0 Combined HP Steam (lb/hr) 91,000 55,000 Steam Turbine (MWe) 10.1 6.1

Technical Challengers Encountered in LM2500 to LM2500+DLE Repowering

1. Accommodation of Longer Engine
By far the biggest challenge in the project was altering the turbine compartments to fit the longer engines. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the plenum wall was moved 13-13/16 and the main structural base was extended a proportionate amount. The front engine mounts were changed from the top-hung "horseshoe" frame to a link style system supported from the subbase, which also required extension. The original turbine compartment crane was removed and replaced with a higher capacity unit due to the increased weight of the PR engine. The engine-lifting beam required extensive modifications as a result of reduced headroom from the modifications.

2. Capacity of Generator
The generator supplied in 1998 with the original LM2500-SAC package is a Brush Electric Machines Ltd. Type BDAX-7-167ESS rated at 35,412 KVA at a 0.85 Power Factor. On cold winter days, the LM2500-PR turbine is capable of producing 30.1 MW with a corresponding turbine inlet temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This power output matches exactly the Brush generator capability at the 0.85 Power Factor and thus no changes to the generator were required. The mechanical coupling connecting the turbine to generator was found to be inadequate for the higher mechanical power transmission duty of the PR turbine and was replaced.
6

Table 2 NOx Intensities Comparison at Site Conditions

3. Fuel System
The original LM2500-PE engines required a natural gas fuel supply delivered at 385 psig and 100 Degrees F at the skid base. The new LM2500-PR engines require a significantly higher inlet pressure of 520 psig. A review of the entire gas system was conducted to ensure that the gas delivery system piping and vessels were capable of the increased operating pressure. This review revealed that the ANSI Class 300 flanges and piping were indeed capable of the increased pressure, but that the stainless steel filter vessels would need alteration of nozzle reinforcement before being recertified for the higher design pressure. A local pressure vessel shop performed this alteration during the package conversion activities.

4. Control System
The existing Woodward Netcon control system was removed and replaced with a MicroNet Plus digital controller. This required new control cubicles to be built and installed next to the existing Turbine Control Panels (TCP). The field wiring between the MTTB and the TCP was installed prior to the outage, and then terminated once the outage began.

5. Inlet Air Filtration

As a result of the Stage 0 Blisk incorporated in the LM2500-PR, the airflow through the filter house to the engine increased from 499,000 lb/hr to 612,000 lb/hr. Consideration was given to increasing the size of the filter house, but the penalty in power output created by the additional inlet pressure drop was predicted to be only a few hundred kilowatts.

Figure 6 LM2500 vs. LM2500+ Turbine Compartment Plan

Figure 7 LM2500 vs. LM2500+ Turbine Compartment Elevation

Outage Summary
The upgrades of Units 10 and 11 were planned as back-to-back outages of 30 days each. Unit 11 was the first outage executed, and took 14 days longer than expected due to fit-up, alignment, and clearance issues. However, the lessons learned on the first conversion expedited the second, as its duration was 30 days per the plan.
Unit 10 Unit 11 Average

Corrected Heat Rate LHV (BTU/ MWe-Hr) 8.865 8.904 8.885

Gas Turbine Corrected Power (MWe) 27.1 27.0 27.0

Corrected Power Margin %

Corrected Heat Rate Margin %

Average LHV, Btu/lb

0.75 0.25 0.5

4.1 3.7 3.9

19,998 20,049 20,024

Table 3 Performance Test Summary

Performance Testing
Both new gas turbines were tested in general accordance with ASME PTC-22, "Gas Turbine Power Plants." Table 3 summarizes corrected power output and heat rate of the two LM2500+DLE 6-Stage (PR) units. The guaranteed power output is 26,903 kW. The guaranteed heat rate is 9,248 Btu/kWhr (9,757 kJ/kW-hr). The tested units yielded corrected power output and heat rate better than guaranteed values. The actual combined cycle unit heat balance for Units 10 and 11 is shown in Figure 8. The combined cycle heat rates for Units 10 and 11 improved from 7.5 to 7.1 BTU/MWe-Hr, an improvement of 5.6%. Figure 9 is compiled from plant data and contrasts the respective combined cycle heat rates with those of the sister unit, an LM6000-PD.

Figure 8

Conclusion
In general, the two units have been performing very well and have delivered a 30% increase in power output, and over a 5% reduction in combined cycle heat rate. A few issues remain outstanding at time of writing: Turbine compartment temperatures have been high during the hot summer months, and ventilation air modifications are planned for the fall of 2007. The power turbine thrust balance pressure is in alarm on both units, and both the cause and solution are under investigation by GE. Unit availability and reliability for the first two quarters of 2007 have been very high at 98.7% and 99.9% respectively.
Figure 9 Comparison of Heat Rates and Load

References
1. Alberta Regulation No. 33/2006, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Emissions Trading Regulation. 2. Figures 6 and 7 provided courtesy of Fern Engineering of Pocasset, Massachusetts. Fern provided engineering design services for the package modifications, and have provided similar services on other Gas Turbine projects. 3. GER 4250 The LM2500+G4 Aeroderivative Gas Turbine for Marine and Industrial Applications by Gilbert H. Badeer, GE Energy September 2005.

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