Enhancing Reliability and Reducing O&M Expenditures in Advanced Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plants

Explosive growth in power plants in the US and elsewhere is occurring through combined cycle advanced gas turbine technology. Significant fuel expenditure savings are possible through such technology. Much of the recent advances have been possible through the transfer of aero engine design tools, elevated temperature materials, coatings, and sealing technologies. A balanced approach that melds the aero engine technologies and longstanding field experience from large industrial frame gas turbines is key to ensuring Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Durability (RAM-D) design objectives are met. Future costs associated with power generation and distribution with these advanced gas turbine combined cycle power plants will undoubtedly be driven by major decisions of OEMs pertaining to design and validation approach, material selection, reparability, design criteria, and design features for quicker maintainability.In this paper, MHI’s approach for enhancing RAM-D performance and reducing O&M expenditures of advanced combined cycle gas turbines are described.Copyright © 2001 by ASME