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WTUI Conference and Exhibition, March 20-23, Palm Springs
LM turbine users: WTUI only two weeks away, register today
President Jon Kimble and the officers, directors, and session chairs for the Western Turbine Users Inc (WTUI) are putting the finishing touches on the program, exposition, and special events for the organization’s 21st annual meeting at the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, March 20-23.
Kimble took a few minutes from his day job at Wellhead Services Inc to talk to the editors about WTUI’s mission: The sharing of technical information to advance the operability and reliability of General Electric Co’s line of aeroderivative gas turbines—specifically, the LM2500, LM5000, LM6000, and LMS100 engines.
He proudly recalled that the group started as an informal gathering of a few engineers and managers. Over the years, Kimble continued, the dedication and innovative efforts of the users; improvements/modifications made by the OEM in response to user experiences; and the collaboration of the users with GE and the repair depots—Air New Zealand, Avio, IHI, MTU Maintenance, and TransCanada Turbines—have combined to place these engines among the most reliable gas turbines in electric generation service.
Word continues to spread regarding the value of attending this conference and attendance has grown steadily over the years. Upwards of 1000 participants are expected to gather in Palm Springs for this year’s conference. If you are an LM owner/operator and not yet registered for the meeting, access www.wtui.com now.
Sal DellaVilla, CEO of Strategic Power Systems Inc (SPS), Charlotte, said, “If you have never participated in a Western Turbine User’s conference, it’s difficult to imagine how much you have missed.” He should know: SPS has been intimately involved with the organization since its incorporation, gathering fleet-wide data on engine performance and preparing technical reports on each meeting.
DellaVilla offered this advice for first-timers: “Attend the sessions and listen carefully, meet fellow users at social events, speak with vendors at the expo, and you leave Palm Springs with more knowledge than you ever thought you could absorb.”
Technical program, exhibit hall
The formal event begins Sunday afternoon, March 20, with new-user orientation at 4 pm. This 90-minute session offers first-time attendees a valuable introduction to LM engines, terminology, nomenclature, and other hands-on knowledge and experience to prepare for group discussions the following day.
The exhibit hall opens at 5:30, immediately following orientation. Participating equipment/services providers number 144 this year; they occupy more than 21,000 square feet of booth space. Maximize face-to-face time in the exhibit hall by planning your visits ahead of the show using the floor map and alphabetical listing of exhibitors attached.
View exibit hall layout and company list
The technical program (as of March 1) gets rolling in high gear Monday morning shortly after the depot and OEM presentations during the General Session. [link to program] Note that there are five breakout sessions during the 2.5-day meeting. Combined, they provide more than nine hours of presentation and discussion time for each of the engines currently supported by WTUI.
View technical program schedule
All registered attendees are invited to two special presentations on Tuesday morning. Mark Axford of Axford Turbine Consultants LLC, Houston, will update the group on the status of the worldwide gas turbine business and SPS will conduct its annual fleet performance update. The latter allows users to benchmark their operations against those of their peers.
Tuesday afternoon, six industry experts will present on subjects of interest to the group that are not engine-specific. For example, there will be a compelling panel discussion on the tracking of cycles and critical parts and an update on NERC regulatory activities.
Social program
No user-group meeting is complete without a robust social program. A round of golf, a game of tennis, and group receptions and dinners are vital to establishing new professional relationships.
View social events schedule and details
Live coverage
An outage, staffing issue, or personal matter may prevent you from attending the WTUI meeting you don’t want to miss. This year you can keep in touch with your colleagues through daily reports via CCJ ONsite, a new, exclusive interactive news service from the editors of the COMBINED CYCLE Journal and the session “note-takers” from Strategic Power Systems.
The best part: This service is sponsored by Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Support Inc at no cost to users. If there’s a post you have a question about or want to comment on there’s an easy electronic reply form. The editors will deliver your message to the appropriate session chair for consideration by the group.
WTUI social events schedule
Golf, tennis, and more….
Social events are critical to the success of every user group because they enable people to meet in a relaxed environment and expand their networks for problem-solving. The Western Turbine Users is hosting several functions in 2011 that you won’t want to miss; some would not have been possible without financial support from sponsors identified on signage in the Exhibit Hall. Please thank them when you have the opportunity.
The headline events are listed below. Note that buses will board passengers for the golf tournament, Monday night reception, and spouse tour right outside the lobby of the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel. The tennis tournament will be at the Plaza Racquet Club, which is within walking distance. There are special fees for the golf and tennis tournaments and the spouse tour.
Sunday events
The golf tournament, the first official function of the 2011 WTUI Conference, will be conducted Sunday, March 20, at the Indian Canyons Golf Course (north course), which is less than four miles from the hotel. Tournament Chair and Board Member Jim Bloomquist says buses will pick up golfers outside the main entrance of the hotel at 6 a.m. He expects more than 100 participants.
Format will be a four-person, 18-hole shotgun scramble. Prizes will be awarded at the Monday luncheon for lowest team score, men’s and women’s longest drive, and closest to the pin. Bloomquist reports that the course is surrounded on three sides by breathtaking, colorful, natural mountain vistas, sheltered from the wind and nestled at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains.
The north course is 6943 yards (par 72). It was designed by the noted architect, William P Bell, and is steeped in tradition. The course meanders through Palm Springs’ stylish “Canyon” region which boasts a wide array of authentic mid-20th-century homes and stunning mountain views. It is accentuated by thousands of palm, olive, and other native trees.
The course has six challenging water hazards. The largest, located between the ninth and 18th holes, hosts the course’s visual centerpiece—the historic Walt Disney fountain which shoots water jets over 100 ft high.
The tennis tournament, chaired by WTUI Past President Jim Hinrichs, will be at the Plaza Racquet Club, a stone’s throw from the hotel. Players are requested to gather in the Renaissance lobby at 11 a.m. and warm up for the tournament by walking to the nine-court facility. The outing is planned for three hours. About a dozen participants are expected.
Those unable to participate on Sunday, can schedule a game at another time by calling the racquet club at 760-323-8997. Rental racquets, ball machine, and backboard are available. The courts are well-lit for nighttime activity.
The group’s Sunday evening welcome reception, which includes the opening of the exhibition, runs from 5:30 to 8:30 in the Convention Center (see map, p 10). More than 800 user and vendor participants are expected. WTUI Treasurer Wayne Kawamoto of Corona Energy Partners Ltd says, “Don’t miss it!”
Monday events
Spouse tour is a cultural journey, steeped in history, along the San Andreas Fault in the comfort of a luxury motor coach. Boarding is at 8:45 a.m. just outside the Renaissance lobby; a 3 p.m. return is expected. Dress comfortably!
An entertaining naturalist guide will share interesting facts and stories along the way, bringing your eco-adventure and the desert to life. You’ll learn about desert plants, animals, geology, pioneer history, and Indian culture as you explore the tortured landscape of the San Andreas Fault zone.
A visit to the historically accurate replica Cahuilla Indian Village, which sits on the documented archeological site of the tribe’s ancient village of Palteewet, offers an opportunity to learn about customs, ceremonies, and the everyday lives of these people.
Lunch, of course, is included. Afterwards there’s an opportunity to stroll El Paseo Drive—the so-called Rodeo Drive of the Desert—which features over 300 world-class shops, boutiques, galleries, etc, that line the floral and statue-filled shopping district.
The Monday night reception will be at The Living Desert, a zoo dedicated to the preservation of desert animals of North America and Africa, which face many challenges to their survival. Buses will pick up participants outside the Renaissance lobby at 5:45 p.m. Expect to return by 10 p.m. Dress is casual. Comfortable shoes and a light jacket are recommended—the latter because of an expected cool evening breeze.
IMPORTANT: You MUST have your conference badge with you to attend this event. NO EXCEPTIONS.
When you exit the bus at The Living Desert, you will have a short journey through the desert to your destination, the African village of Wa Tu Tu. During the safari, you will share rare experiences with desert animals up close.
Posted in 2011 WTUI Conference & Exhibition
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ORAP® performance data analysis
Changing duty cycles and gas turbine reliability—a look back
By Salvatore A DellaVilla Jr, CEO, Strategic Power Systems Inc
In June of 1892, a jubilant Charles Scott, the young Westinghouse engineer who had assisted Tesla when he’d first come to Pittsburgh, announced this first commercial use of the whole Tesla system, including the long problematic induction motor, in the Electrical Engineer. ‘The aggregate time lost…was, by actual count, less than 48 hours during three-fourths of a year….’
From Jill Jonnes’ Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World
Forty-eight outage hours over three-quarters of a year translates to a reliability factor of 99.3%. Thus, from the very start of the electric power industry, the reliability of each product developed—such as the first ac induction motor—was recognized as a key performance indicator required for commercial acceptance and economic viability.
The industry has grown and the technologies it relies on have advanced, but there continues to be a need to understand how powerplant equipment is performing relative to market expectations for high reliability. Changing patterns in demand have resulted in challenging duty cycles that require operating flexibility and this will impact the reliability and capability of plants powered by gas turbines.
For more than 20 years, data from the ORAP® program obtained from numerous operating powerplants worldwide have provided the opportunity to assess and understand trends in equipment duty and performance. The following analysis reviews ORAP data compiled for aero, “E,” and “F” class engines in electric generation service to identify operational differences based on equipment size/output and performance. Two 10-year periods are compared: 1991-2000 and 2001-2010. The data pool is described in the table.
Every performance assessment should begin with snapshot of how the equipment or generating facility was operated during the period under review. Service hours, or the amount of time power was supplied to the grid—that is, the elapsed time from breaker close to breaker open—is a key metric (Fig 1). Service hours also can be characterized by service factor, or the percentage of time the unit is generating power.
In addition, the number of successful starts (Fig 2), the service hours per start (Fig 3), and the power generated (Fig 4) are important considerations necessary for understanding equipment duty cycle or mission profile. Data presented in the illustrations reflect the operation of a typical (or average) unit in the specific technology class (aero, “E,” “F”).
The following assessment was developed using this information.
For aeros during the period 1991-2000 there was a continual year-over-year decrease in service factor, driven by a decrease in service hours. Example: In 1992, the aeros operated just over 6000 hours (85% service factor), with 126 hours per start (48 annual starts); production was 190,900 MWh.
By 2000, annual service hours would gradually, but continually, decrease to just over 4990 hours (70% service factor), and the hours per start would decrease by more than 40% to 70. However, the annual number of starts increased by 50% to 72, while power prod
uction dropped by about 12%. This was a clear shift in duty from a typical base-load paradigm to a cycling mission profile.
For the 2001-2010 period, with year 2001 excluded, service hours were more consistent on a year-over-year basis. The service factor was between 40% and 47%, 
with units operating between 3100 and 3300 hr/yr. Service hours per start declined (to between 25 and 40) as did annual service hours.
The number of annual starts remained high—from 65 up to 122—which is consistent with cycling duty. However, generation declined by more than 40% compared to the previous 10-yr period (1991-2000). Once again, this reflects a clear shift in operating duty.
From a reliability perspective, it is important to note that the number of trips from load have decreased significantly year over year—from a high mark of 10-15 annual trips during the 1991-2000 period to from four to nine for 2001-2010. The time to respond, or to repair also improved significantly.
“E” class units had a very consistent mission profile year over year for 1991-2000, as evidenced by the following:
- Annual service hours of 3100 to 3600 and a consistent service factor of about 49%.
- An increasing number of annual starts (from 50 to 86), and a decreasing number of hours per start (from 65 to 41).
- Increased generation—from 245,500 to just over 346,000 MWh on an annual basis.
- Two to three annual trips from load, with a time-to-repair of 30 to 100 hours—a consistently high level of reliability.
From 2001 through 2010, service factor declined and fluctuated slightly, but over time could be seen as relatively consistent in the range of 34% to 41%. Annual service hours fluctuated between 2400 and 3100, while service hours per start increased from 44 to 56.
Power production was fairly consistent throughout the period, ranging from 252,700 to 308,300 MWh annually. The reliability of “E” class machines remained high with only two trips from load on an annual basis and with the time-to-repair dropping to 30 to 60 outage hours.
The bottom line: Over the full 20-yr survey period, the duty cycle of “E” class units has remained relatively consistent across all metrics.
“F” class. Fluctuating service hours characterized the years 1991 through 2000. “F” class technology was introduced to the market in this period and the data provide some interesting insights, as follows:
- From 1991 though 1995, (1) service hours fluctuated from a high of 6500 to a low of 3300; (2) hours per start ranged from 233 down to 90; and (3) production averaged over 728,700 MWh. During the next five-year period (1996-2000), service hours declined to just over 3870. A substantial change in mission was reflected by the decrease in average service hours per start to just over 50. This metric, together with an increase in annual starts to more than 90, suggest that “F” class engines typically operated in a cyclic duty cycle during the last five years of the 20th century. Interestingly, power production decreased by only 4% during the period.
- From 2001 through 2010, the operation and duty cycle of “F” class turbines can be characterized as “more consistent year over year.” Service factor ranged from 50% to 60%, averaging about 55% on an annual basis. Production increased to more than 850,324 MWh annually. These units clearly remained in cyclic duty service with 60 to 90 annual starts and from 44 to 60 service hours per start.
- The reliability performance of “F” class units improved year over year. Annual trips dropped from an average of 18 to just over four during 1991-2000 and to between two and five from 2001 through 2010. The size of “F” class engines contributed a longer time-to-repair (average of 80 outage hours per trip) compared to “E” and aero units.
Clearly, the market expects units that can start faster and more frequently, and stay online for shorter missions across all technology classes. And this holds true for units in combined-cycle applications, as well as simple-cycle.
Customers will demand more challenging missions in the near future, including faster starts and load-following capability—in particular to accommodate “must take” power from intermittent renewables resources (wind and solar). For more on this subject, visit www.integrating-renewables.org. The consequent impacts on component life limits, repair cycles, and maintenance requirement are not fully understood at this time.
Back to the beginning. In 1892, Tesla’s first commercial 100-hp, single-phase ac induction motor helped to launch an industry with a bent on product improvement and high reliability. The 99.3% reliability achieved on the first try wasn’t too bad.
The industry definitely has come a long way since then. As a point of reference, a typical 100-hp, three-phase induction motor specified for powerplant service today has a running reliability of 99.82%.
Posted in 2011 WTUI Conference & Exhibition
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