Compressor Performance Recovery Systems: a New Thermoeconomic Approach

Compressor fouling in a Gas Turbine (GT) is an important issue which has to be studied to define compressor performance and GT reliability. Three main aspects have to be taken into account: the type of pollutants that could enter into the compressor, with their possible effects such as blade erosion and/or corrosion; the power and efficiency losses caused by fouling;the economic loss due to increase in fuel consumption and reduction in power output. Two main solutions can be considered for reducing the fouling effect and restoring compressor performance: compressor washing and the High Efficiency Particulate Air filter (HEPA). The choice of the most effective devices for each power plant is not trivial, because of the great number of parameters to be taken into account. The aim of this study is to provide a guide to identifying and managing the best washing or filter devices for a GT in a specific power plant site, using information from the literature and GT user data from European Turbine Network (ETN) members. Two. procedures were designed in order to have a user friendly tool: "Best Cleaning Devices" was developed to help GT users in the choice of the best devices for recovering compressor performance. "Best Cleaning Time" is based on the "Best maintenance time" theory and it provides the user with an estimate about the best time to perform compressor off-line or on-line washing. The procedures are explained in detail and tested on some real cases.