Advanced Technology Gas Turbines and Planned Optimization of Combined Cycle
Power Plants

Course Overview

The course deals with the design and general operation and maintenance characteristics of gas and steam turbines in a combined cycle power plant with emphasis on the major plant components, and the performance of the plant.  Overall design and operation concepts along with basic operation and maintenance problems for the various pieces of TurboMachinery (gas turbines, steam turbines, and boiler feed water pumps) are discussed.  Discussions and design parameters of the Heat Recovery and Steam Generating (HRSG) systems, the feed water heaters and the condensers are also included. 

Planned Optimization of the Combined Cycle Plant, for maximum efficiency and power is emphasized throughout the course.  Cycle efficiency and part load characteristics are discussed in depth.

An emphasis is placed on providing practical information with minimal theory.  This part of the course is aimed at engineers and operational personnel who need a broad-based introduction to practical optimization, operation and design considerations of a major combined cycle power plant.  Discussion throughout the course especially of plant problems and optimization by the participants with the instructor and amongst themselves is encouraged so as to maximize the course experience.

The course also deals with the computation of the performance of the combined cycle power plant.  Course participants will be taken through the computations of the Combined Cycle Power Plant on software supplied and the proper correction factors applicable in all the sections of the plant.  Attendees should bring their lap top computers so that sample computations can be carried out in conjunction with the instructor.

Course Benefits

• Course attendees are automatically registered in the “Turbomachinery Round Table” a web site where engineers who have attended these courses can dialog with each other or Professor Boyce for many years after the course
• Improved job performance and decision making capabilities where plant operations are involved
• Integrated understanding of practical plant machinery, design, operation, and maintenance requirements
• Unbiased technology transfer between participant

Course Materials

• The Handbook for Cogeneration and Combined Cycle Power Plants, by Dr. Meherwan P. Boyce, P.E. published by ASME Press 2004
• The Gas Turbine Engineering Handbook, Third Edition, by Dr. Meherwan P. Boyce, P.E. published by Elsevier Press April, 2006
• Special notes will be provided and a copy of the ASME Steam Tables.

DAY 1

Overview of Combined Cycle Power Plants
Various types and sizes of combined cycle power plants used in the power and petrochemical industry are discussed.  Operation characteristics of the plants to operate at part load while maximizing efficiency is emphasized both for combined cycle applications and petrochemical compressor drives.

Cycle Analysis  and Power Augmentation
Analysis of various types of cycles including intercooled, reheat and regeneration cycles, combined cycles, cogeneration cycles and optimization of the cycle based on the performance of the various components will be discussed.

Power Augmentation
Methods of increasing cycle efficiency and the output power are studied, such as inlet evaporative and refrigeration cooling, interstage cooling, water and steam injection.  State of the art developments in gas turbine technology are reviewed, especially the characteristics of operating gas turbines over a large operating range while maximizing the performance of the entire system.

High Efficiency Maintenance
Maintaining high efficiency at part load operations is a challenge and thus this will include the examination of techniques which will allow the gas turbines at off design loads to operate at its maximum, within the entire plant system ensuring high operating efficiency of all components.

Performance and Mechanical Equipment Standards
The ASME and API standards applicable to the various pieces of Machinery will be discussed

DAY 2

Advanced Gas Turbine Characteristics
This day is devoted to the examination of design changes in Advanced Gas Turbines, from changes in cycle characteristics, to changes in design characteristics of compressor and turbine blading, high inlet temperatures, increased pressure ratios, new DLN combustors for low NOx characteristics

Axial Flow Compressors and Turbines
Key aero-thermodynamic considerations of axial and centrifugal compressors are covered including the effect of surge on gas turbine operation.  This section also covers mechanical, performance and aerodynamic aspects of gas turbines, including new cooling schemes for gas turbines to operate at turbine inlet temperatures of 1350ºC -1450ºC.

Combustors and Fuels
A description of combustor types, chamber design, fuel atomization, ignition and combustor arrangements are presented.  Dry low NOx combustors and their problems with “Flash Back” will be discussed.  Fuel treatment of natural gas and other fuels before using them in the gas turbine will be studied, to ensure that the turbine combustion will meet specifications covering emissions and ensuring maximum combustion liner life.

Materials Metallurgy and Coatings
This covers the material aspects of gas turbine blading, turbine wheel alloys, and future materials are discussed.  Common failure modes and cases are presented.  Coatings as applied to both the Hot Section Components and the compressor will also be discussed under this section.

DAY 3

Steam Turbine Technology
The design of the steam turbines will be undertaken in this section.  The design of the high pressure turbine, which is usually an impulse turbine, will be discussed and the IP and LP turbines, which are usually reaction turbines, will also be studied separately

HRSG Technology
The study of the HRSG will be undertaken in conjunction with the feed water heaters, dearators, and economizers, plus the preheaters, evaporators, and superheaters of each stage.  A study of the temperature distribution as a function of the heat input is also studied with various optimization techniques to assure maximum effectiveness of the HRSG.

Condensers
A study of the condensers and the computation of the degree of fouling will be examined.  The study will include techniques of computing the fouling in the tubes and the quality of the steam entering the unit.  The effect of the fouling on the condenser pressure and the effect of that pressure on the entire power output of the plant.

Feed Water Pumps  
The design characteristic of the feed water pumps will be undertaken.  Most of these pumps have centrifugal impellers and so a study of the flow in these impellers will be conducted and the performance characteristics of these pumps will be studied.

DAY 4

Instrumentation and Condition Monitoring
An overview of techniques and instrumentation used for monitoring and diagnostics of gas turbines is presented.  Techniques covering diagnostics based on performance and mechanical characteristics will be discussed.  Systems for gas turbines will be analyzed.

Case Histories
Case histories of various types of turbine failures and maintenance problems of gas turbines used in various operations from power plants to offshore compressor installations are discussed.  The student is acquainted with the many types of failures that occur in gas turbines, and to the reasons that cause the problems.

DAY 5

SPECIAL SESSION
Combined Cycle Plant Performance
Performance computations will be as per various ASME PTC Codes.  Techniques for computing performance of the advanced gas turbines in design and off design operation and in combined cycle modes will be studied.  Most new advanced gas turbines operate at very high turbine firing temperatures.  Thus variation in this firing temperature significantly affects the performance and life of the components in the hot section of the turbine.  The compressor pressure ratio is high which leads to a very narrow operation margin, thus making the turbine very susceptible to compressor fouling.  The turbine is also very sensitive to backpressure exerted on it by the heat recovery steam generator.  The pressure drop through the air filter and dirty compressors also results in major deterioration of the performance of the turbine, thus emphasis will be placed on this computation.

Steam Turbine computations will also be carried out in detail.  Workings of the Mollier Charts and the Steam Tables will be used to compute performance of the Steam Tables.  Correction factors of the steam turbine will also be discussed.

It is suggested that attendees bring with them their lap top computers so that sample computations can be carried out in conjunction with the instructor.

Advanced Technology Gas Turbines and Planned Optimization of Combined Cycle Power Plants

 

Professor Meherwan P. Boyce, PhD, P.E., CEng (UK), is the managing Partner of The Boyce Consultancy Group, LLC.  He is a Fellow ASME, IMechE (UK) & IDGTE (UK); has 45 years of experience in the field of TurboMachinery in both industry and academia. His industrial experience covers 20 years as Chairman and CEO of Boyce Engineering International Inc., founder of Cogen Technologies Inc., and five years as a designer of compressors and turbines for gas turbines for various gas turbine manufacturers. His academic experience covers a 15 year period, which includes the position of Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University and Founder of the TurboMachinery Laboratories and The TurboMachinery Symposium, which is now in its thirty-eighth year. He is the author of several books such as the Gas Turbine Engineering Handbook (Third Edition, Elsevier), Cogeneration & Combined Cycle Power Plants (Second Edition, ASME Press), and Centrifugal Compressors, A Basic Guide (PennWell Books).  Professor Boyce is a contributor to several Handbooks; his latest contribution is to the Perry’s Chemical Engineering Handbook Seventh and Eight Editions (McGraw Hill) in the areas of Transport and Storage of Fluids, and Gas Turbines. Dr. Boyce has taught over 150 short courses around the world attended by over 3000 students representing over 300 Corporations.  He is chair of ASME PTC 55 Aircraft Gas Turbine Committee which is writing the specifications for the testing of aircraft gas turbines.  He is also a member of the ASME Ethics Review Board.  He is a Consultant to the Aerospace, Petrochemical and Utility Industries globally, and is a much-requested speaker at Universities and Conferences throughout the world.

Dr. Boyce is Past Chairman of the Plant Engineering & Maintenance Division of ASME, the ASME Conferences Committee and the Electric Utilities Committee of the of ASME’s International Gas Turbine Institute

Dr. Boyce was the pioneer of On-Line Condition Based Performance Monitoring.  He has developed models for various types of Power Plants and Petrochemical Complexes.  His programs are being used around the world in Power Plants, Offshore Platforms, and Petrochemical Complexes. He is a consultant for Major Airlines in the area of Engine Selection, Noise and Emissions.

Dr. Boyce has authored more than 150 technical papers and reports on Gas Turbines, Compressors Pumps, Fluid M0echanics, and TurboMachinery.  He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (USA) the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (UK) and the Institution of Diesel and Gas Turbine Engineers (UK), and member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and several other professional and honorary societies such as Sigma Xi, Pi Tau Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Phi.  He is the recipient of the ASME award for Excellence in Aerodynamics and the Ralph Teetor Award of SAE for enhancement in Research and Teaching.  He is also a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom

In 2002 Dr Boyce was chairman of two major conferences the Advanced Gas Turbine and Condition Monitoring Conference sponsored by DOE and EPRI, and the Gas Turbine Users Associations Conference.

Dr. Boyce is also on the Board of Advisors for the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma; the Board of Advisors for the TurboMachinery Symposium, Texas A& M University; the Industrial Advisory Board of the Department of Computer Science, Southwest Texas State, and the Board of Advisors to the University of Texas Dental Branch.  Dr. Boyce is Chairman of the “Virtuosi of Houston” a Premier Youth Chamber Orchestra, and past President of the Houston Galveston Stavanger Sister Cities Society.  He is President of the Board of Directors of the Trade Winds/Beach Club Condominiums Owners Association in Galveston, Texas, and was also Vice President of the Board of Directors of The Huntingdon Council of Co-Owners, Houston, Texas.  He is also a Founder Director of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce, and is still Vice President of the World Zoroastrian Organization.  He is the Holder of the Bharat Scout (India’s equivalent to the Eagle Scout) and a Member of the Board of Directors Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America.

Dr. Boyce received a B.S. (1962) and M.S. (1964) in Mechanical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the State University of New York, respectively, and a Ph.D. in (Aerospace & Mechanical engineering) in 1969 from the University of Oklahoma.

March 22-26, 2010
Moody Gardens Hotel
1 Hope Blvd
Galveston, Texas 77554 USA

Tel. +1 409 741 8484.
Toll Free US/CAN +1 888 388 8484.
reservations@moodygardens.com
www.moodygardenshotel.com

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Course Schedule & Costs

This course is divided into two parts. The first part deals with design and general operation and maintenance characteristics of  gas and steam turbines in a combined cycle power plant and the last day of the course is devoted to the computation of the performance characteristics of the combined cycle plant and the characteristics of the plant. 

Five Day Course: $3,995

Limited registration is available and it is suggested you register early to ensure participation. 

All attendees are required to register at the Registration Desk between 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. on the first day of the course:
Monday                       10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday                        9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday                  9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday                      9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday                           9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Cancellation

Due to limited space, limited registration is available and it is suggested you register early to ensure participation. An attendee will not be considered as registered unless his fees are paid in full.  A refund, less 15% administration charge, will be made if cancellation is received in writing 10 business days before the start of the course.  Substitutions may be made at any time.  We are happy to hold a rain check credit towards a future course.

Register Now for this Course