Combustion Heavy Duty
Combustion Heavy Duty
Combustion Heavy Duty
GEI 41040m
Revised, January 2011
GE Energy
These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment nor to provide for every possible contingency to
be met in connection with installation, operation or maintenance. Should further information be desired or should particular
problems arise which are not covered sufficiently for the purchaser's purposes the matter should be referred to the GE Company.
General Electric Company, 2011. GE Proprietary Information. All Rights Reserved.
GEI 41040m
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
II.
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4
FUEL GAS CLASSIFICATION ............................................................................................................... 9
A. Natural Gas, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) ................................ 9
B. Gasification Fuels ................................................................................................................................ 10
C. Process Gases ....................................................................................................................................... 11
III. FUEL PROPERTIES ............................................................................................................................... 11
A. Heating Values ..................................................................................................................................... 11
B. Modified Wobbe Index (MWI) ............................................................................................................ 12
C. Superheat Requirement ........................................................................................................................ 13
D. Hydrocarbon Dew Point ...................................................................................................................... 15
E. Moisture Dew Point ............................................................................................................................. 15
F. Flammability Ratio .............................................................................................................................. 16
G. Gas Constituent Limits ........................................................................................................................ 16
H. Gas Fuel Supply Pressure .................................................................................................................... 16
IV. CONTAMINANTS ................................................................................................................................... 17
A. Particulates ........................................................................................................................................... 17
B. Liquids ................................................................................................................................................. 17
C. Sulfur ................................................................................................................................................... 17
D. Trace Metals ........................................................................................................................................ 19
V. SOURCES OF CONTAMINANTS ......................................................................................................... 19
A. Particulates ........................................................................................................................................... 19
B. Liquids ................................................................................................................................................. 19
C. Sulfur ................................................................................................................................................... 19
D. Trace Metals ........................................................................................................................................ 19
E. Air ........................................................................................................................................................ 20
F. Steam ................................................................................................................................................... 20
G. Water .................................................................................................................................................... 21
H. Fuel ...................................................................................................................................................... 21
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Hydrocarbon and Moisture Superheat Requirements ........................................................................... 15
Figure 2. Moisture Dew Point as a Function of Concentration and Gas Pressure for a Typical Natural
Gas Fuel ................................................................................................................................................ 16
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1a. Fuel Gas Classification ........................................................................................................................... 5
Table 1b. Representative GE Fuels Experience* ................................................................................................... 5
Table 2a. Fuel Gas Specification (see Note 1 and 2) ............................................................................................. 6
Table 2b. Allowable Gas Fuel Contaminant Levels............................................................................................... 7
Table 3. Test Methods for Gaseous Fuels ............................................................................................................ 9
GEI 41040m
APPENDIX
APPENDIX 1. DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................................................... 22
APPENDIX 2. PARTICLE SIZE LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................... 23
APPENDIX 3. EQUIVALENT CONTAMINANT RELATIONSHIPS
(ALL MACHINES EXCEPT FB, H-CLASS) ........................................................................ 24
APPENDIX 4. MINIMUM GAS TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENT CALCULATIONS ...................... 25
APPENDIX 5. REQUESTED FUEL ANALYSIS DATA FOR GE EVALUATION .................................. 26
APPENDIX 6. RELATED SPECIFICATION DOCUMENTS ..................................................................... 27
GEI 41040m
I. INTRODUCTION
General Electric heavy-duty gas turbines have the ability to burn a wide variety of gaseous fuels as
classified in Table 1a. The properties of these gases can vary significantly due to the relative
concentrations of the reactant and inert constituents. Because of GEs long history and large installed
base, GEs experience with various fuel gases is broad and extensive. Table 1b summarizes this
experience by frame size (B/E-class or F-class) and combustion system type (Dry Low NOx or
Diffusion).
The fundamental combustor operability criteria must be satisfied regardless of the fuel that is being
utilized by the turbine:
Robustness to auto-ignition
Robustness to flashback
Emissions compliance (NOx, CO, UHC, Smoke)
Acceptable combustion dynamic pressures
Robustness to lean blowout
The composition, reactivity, heating value, and contaminant levels of the fuel lead to selection of
combustor design features to optimize these operability requirements. Prior to the mid-1970s, diffusion
combustors were the standard choice for gas turbines because of their simplicity and relative fuel
flexibility. As emissions regulations became more stringent, water or steam injection systems were added
to these diffusion combustors to reduce flame temperatures and lower NOx emissions. Further tightening
of emissions requirements coupled with the desire for water-free low-emissions solutions led to the
introduction of lean-premixed combustors in the late 1980s such as GEs Dry Low NOx (DLN)
combustors. These lean-premixed combustion technologies were typically optimized for low-emissions
operation on natural gas fuels and had characteristically lower fuel-flexibility than diffusion combustors.
As technology advances to achieve higher efficiency and lower emissions, some models and combustion
systems impose restrictions on the physical and chemical properties of the fuel gases that can be utilized
in order to protect the gas turbine and to burn these fuels in an efficient and robust manner. These
restrictions are continually being updated as technology improves. Tables 2a and 2b provide a screen for
fuels that are acceptable across most frame sizes and combustor types. Table 2a specifies the allowable
fuel properties and constituents, and Table 2b lists the limitations on contaminants.
Fuels that fall outside of these limits are frequently acceptable for many specific applications; for
example, a high hydrogen fuel can be used with diffusion flame combustors in most cases. The
relationship between technologies can also be seen in the fuels experience shown in Table 1b. Additional
approaches such as fuel heating and transfer fuels can extend the range of usable fuels. Because GE is
continuously improving its products and increasing fuel flexibility, strict limits are not specified here by
combustion system. Consultation with GE will allow a determination of the options available for specific
fuel choices. Appendix 5 describes the information GE needs to evaluate potential fuel gases.
Table 3 identifies the acceptable test methods to be used for determining fuel gas properties shown in
Tables 2a and 2b and discussed in the balance of this fuel specification.
The balance of this fuel specification provides more detailed description of the factors used in evaluating
potential fuels as well as descriptions of the pretreatment that is sometimes required to ensure robust gas
turbine operation.
GEI 41040m
LHV
Btu/scf
MAJOR COMPONENTS
Methane
2300-3200
Propane, Butane
- Air Blown
100-150
- Oxygen Blown
200-400
Process Gases
300-3000
Gasification Gases
B/E-Class Experience
Diffusion
DLN
Min
Max
Min
Max
0
100
74
100
0
58
0
26
0
90
0
16
0
100
0
7
0
95
0
18
0
76
0
15
0
68
0
42
F-Class Experience
Diffusion
DLN
Min
Max
Min
Max
0
100
85
100
0
15
0
15
0
15
0
15
0
5
0
5
0
47
0
3
0
60
0
5
0
24
0
28
Notes
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
% of total (reactants + inerts)
*This experience is given as reference only and in no way guarantees robust operation on all combinations of fuels
within this experience. For Fuel Gas Specification, see Table 2a.
GEI 41040m
MAX
MIN
Varies with
unit and
combustor type
Varies with
See Note 3
unit and
combustor type
see note 4
1160
775
NOTES
See Note 5
See Note 6
- Absolute Limits
54
40
See Note 7
+5%
-5%
See Note 8
Flammability Ratio
See Note 9
2.2:1
Methane
100
85
% of reactant species
Ethane
15
% of reactant species
Propane
15
% of reactant species
% of reactant species
Hydrogen
Trace
% of reactant species
Carbon Monoxide
Trace
% of reactant species
Oxygen
Trace
% of reactant species
15
% of total (reactants +
inerts).
Report
See Note 11
Sulfur
Report
See Note 12
GEI 41040m
Machine Model
MS3000
MS5000
B, E, F, 6C, FB and HCLASS
MS3000,MS5000
B, E and F, 6C, FB and H- CLASS
Trace Metals
Lead (Pb)
Vanadium (V)
Calcium (Ca)
20
10
40
40
Magnesium (Mg)
12
1.00
0.240
0.080
0.5
0.120
0.040
2.0
0.480
0.160
2.0
0.480
0.160
20
1.00
0.24
0.080
(Na/K)=3
10
0.50
0.12
0.040
(Na/K)=<1
0.30
0.072
0.024
600
30
7.2
2.4
Above 10
microns
0.3
0.072
0.024
All fuel properties must meet the requirements from ignition to base load unless otherwise stated.
2.
Values and limits apply at the inlet of the gas fuel control module, typically the purchasers
connection, FG1.
3.
Minimum and maximum gas fuel supply pressure requirements are furnished by GE as part of the
unit proposal.
4.
The minimum fuel gas temperature must meet the required superheat as described in section IIIC.
Separate requirements are included for hydrocarbon and moisture superheat. The maximum
allowable fuel temperature is defined in GER 4189 (2).
5.
Heating value ranges shown are provided as guidelines. Specific fuel analysis must be furnished to
GE for thorough analysis. (See section IIIA).
6.
GEI 41040m
7.
The upper and lower limits for MWI shown are what can be accommodated within the standard dry
low NOx fuel system designs. Fuels outside of this range can often be utilized and may need
additional design and development effort. Performance fuel heating may be restricted on fuel with
high inert content to stay above the minimum MWI limit.
8.
Variations of MWI greater than + 5% or 5% may be acceptable for some applications, (i.e., on units
that incorporate gas fuel heating). GE must analyze and approve all conditions where the 5%
variation is to be exceeded. See also Section III-B for applications where the MWI varies between
the +-5% limits.
9.
There is no defined maximum flammability ratio limit. Fuels with flammability ratio significantly
larger than those of natural gas may require a startup fuel. Further discussion and documentation on
measurement and calculation of flammability limits are covered in references 5 and 6, Bureau of
Mines Bulletins.
10. Candidate fuels, which do not meet these limits, should be referred to GE for further review. All
fuels will be reviewed by GE on a case-by-case basis. (see section IIIG).
11. When fuel heating for thermal efficiency improvements is utilized (e.g. Tgas > 300F) there is a
possibility of gum formation if excess aromatics are present. Contact GE for further information.
12. The quantity of sulfur in gas fuels is not limited by this specification. Experience has shown that fuel
sulfur levels up to 1% by volume do not significantly affect oxidation/corrosion rates. Hot corrosion
of hot gas path parts is controlled by the specified trace metal limits. Sulfur levels shall be
considered when addressing HRSG Corrosion, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Deposition,
Exhaust Emissions, System Material Requirements, Elemental Sulfur Deposition and Iron Sulfide.
(refer to Section IVC).
13. The contamination limits identified represent the total allowable limit at the inlet to the turbine
section. These limits will be reduced if comparable contaminants are present in the compressor inlet
air and combustion steam/water injection. Consult with GE for limits for specific applications.
14. Sodium and potassium, from salt water, are the only corrosive trace metal contaminants normally
found in natural gases. Na/K =28 is nominal sea salt ratio. Other trace metal contaminants may be
found in Gasification and Process Gases. GE will review these on a case-by-case basis.
15. The fuel gas delivery system shall be designed to prevent the generation or the admittance of solid
particulate to the gas turbine gas fuel system. This shall include but not be limited to particulate
filtration and non-corrosive (i.e. stainless steel) piping from the particulate filtration to the inlet of
the gas turbine equipment. Fuel gas piping systems shall be properly cleaned/flushed and maintained
prior to gas turbine operation. (See section IVA).
16. The fuel gas supply shall be 100% free of liquids. Admission of liquids can result in combustion
and/or hot gas path component damage. (See section IIIC) GE will require an input signal from the
conditioning system liquid level indication closest to the GE Speed Ratio Valve or Gas Control
Valve. This liquid level indication will be brought into the turbine controller and used as a signal to
stop Gas Turbine operation when the liquid level reaches a fault level. It is highly recommended that
this device have redundancy. The supplier of the gas conditioning system should provide this signal.
GEI 41040m
METHOD
GPA 2166(3)
ASTM D 1945
GPA 2286(4)
Heating Value
ASTM D 3588
Specific Gravity
ASTM D 3588
Compressibility Factor
ASTM D 3588
ASTM D 1142
ASTM D 3246
Hydrocarbon and water dew points shall be determined by direct dew point measurement (Chilled
Mirror Device). If dew point cannot be measured, an extended gas analysis, which identifies
hydrocarbon components from C1 through C14, shall be performed. This analysis must provide an
accuracy of greater than 10 ppmv. A standard gas analysis to C6+ is normally not acceptable for dew
point calculation unless it is known that heavier hydrocarbons are not present, as is most often the
case with liquefied natural gases.
2.
This test method will not detect the presence of condensable sulfur vapor. Specialized filtration
equipment is required to measure sulfur at concentrations present in vapor form. Contact GE for
more information.
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integration of the gas turbine with the gasification plant is required to assure an operable system.
Due to the low volumetric heating value of both oxygen and air blown gases, a special fuel
system and fuel nozzles are required.
C. Process Gases
Many chemical processes generate surplus gases that may be utilized as fuel for gas turbines. (e.g. tail
or refinery gases). These gases often consist of methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ethane, ethene,
propane, propene, and carbon dioxide that are normally byproducts of petrochemical processes. The
hydrogen and carbon monoxide contents of these fuels result in a high rich-to-lean flammability limit.
These types of fuels often require inerting and purging of the gas turbine gas fuel system upon unit
shutdown or a transfer to a more conventional fuel. When process gas fuels have extreme
flammability limits such that the fuel will auto ignite at turbine exhaust conditions, a more
conventional start-up fuel is required. Additional process gases that are utilized as gas turbine fuels
are byproducts of steel production. These are:
1. Blast Furnace Gases
Blast Furnace Gases (BFGs), alone, have heating values below the minimal allowable limits.
These gases must be blended with other fuels such as coke oven gas, natural gas or hydrocarbons
such as propane or butane to raise the heating value above the required lower limit.
2. Coke Oven Gases
Coke oven gases are high in hydrogen and methane and may be used as fuel for non-DLN
combustion systems. These fuels often contain trace amounts of heavy hydrocarbons, which may
lead to carbon buildup on the fuel nozzles. The heavy hydrocarbons must be scrubbed or
removed from the fuel prior to delivery to the gas turbine.
3. COREX Gases
COREX gases are similar to oxygen blown gasification fuels and may be treated as such. They
are usually lower in H2 content and have heating values lower than oxygen blown gasification
fuels.
III.
FUEL PROPERTIES
A. Heating Values
The heat of combustion, heating value or calorific value of a fuel is the amount of energy generated
by the complete combustion of a unit mass of fuel. The US system of measurement uses British
thermal units (Btu) per pound or Btu per standard cubic foot when expressed on a volume basis. The
heating value of a gas fuel may be determined experimentally using a calorimeter in which fuel is
burned in the presence of air at constant pressure. The products are allowed to cool to the initial
temperature, and a measurement is made of the energy released during complete combustion. All
fuels that contain hydrogen release water vapor as a product of combustion, which is subsequently
condensed in the calorimeter. The resulting measurement of the heat released is the higher heating
value (HHV), also known as the gross heating value, and includes the heat of vaporization of water.
The lower heating value (LHV), also known as the net heating value, is calculated by subtracting the
heat of vaporization of water from the measured HHV and assumes that all products of combustion
including water remain in the gaseous phase. Both the HHV and LHV may also be calculated from
the gas compositional analysis using the procedure described in ASTM D 3588. For most gas fuels, a
standard gas analysis to C6+ is adequate for determination of heating value, but an extended C14
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analysis (4) may also be used if available. Gas turbines do not operate with condensing exhaust
systems and it is common gas turbine industry practice to utilize the LHV when calculating the
overall cycle thermal efficiency.
B. Modified Wobbe Index (MWI)
Gas turbines can operate with fuel gases having a very wide range of heating values, but the amount
of variation that a specific fuel system design can accommodate is limited. The fuel nozzles are
designed to operate within a fixed range of pressure ratios, and changes in heating value can be
accommodated by increasing or decreasing the fuel nozzle area or gas temperature. A measure of the
interchangeability of gas fuels for a given system design is the modified Wobbe index, or MWI . This
term is used as a relative measure of the energy injected to the combustor at a fixed pressure ratio and
is calculated using the fuel lower heating value, the specific gravity with respect to air and the fuel
temperature. The mathematical definition is as follows:
LHV
SGgas x Tgas
(1)
LHV
MWgas
x Tgas
28.96
(2)
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GEI 41040m
fuel nozzle changes. It is expected that as the fuel properties vary from one extreme limit to the next,
some controls adjustments to change combustor operation may be required to operate the combustion
system with optimum dynamics and emissions performance. Currently, these controls changes are
performed manually, on-line and without the need for an outage. Accordingly, if the variability
described above is encountered on a frequent (daily, weekly) basis, then an automatic compensation
system may be preferable to constant monitoring with manual intervention.
Exceptions to the fuel specification must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
C. Superheat Requirement
The superheat requirement is establish to ensure that the fuel gas supply to the gas turbine is 100%
free of liquids. Superheat is the temperature difference between the gas temperature and the
respective dew point. The requirement is independent of the hydrocarbon and moisture concentration.
Dependent upon their constituents, gas entrained liquids could cause degradation of gas fuel nozzles,
and, for DLN applications, premixed flame flashbacks or re-ignitions. Condensation of moisture must
be avoided to prevent the formation of gas hydrates and collection of water in low points of the gas
fuel system. The superheat requirement is specified to provide enough margin to compensate for the
temperature reduction as the gas expands across the gas fuel control valves. The requirements are
applicable at all operating conditions and apply to all units including those installed with either
standard or DLN combustion systems. Exceptions are units burning coal derived low Btu fuels, the
requirements for which must be determined on a case-by-case basis. The superheat requirements take
into account the gas temperature drop and the relationship of the moisture and hydrocarbon dew point
lines to the gas fuel pressure. Because of differences between the dew point line characteristics in the
region of interest (less than 700 psia), the opportunity for moisture condensation as the gas expands is
less than that for hydrocarbons. Advantage has been taken of this physical property to provide users
with two separate requirements in order to minimize the cost of superheating. In addition, the
superheat requirements depend on the expansion ratio across the control valves and can therefore be
expressed as a function of the incoming gas pressure at the inlet to the gas fuel control system.
To avoid hydrocarbon condensation the superheat requirement is:
Tsh = 2.33 x
(Pgas
) - 2.8 x (Pgas
)
100
100
2
(3)
where:
Tsh is the hydrocarbon superheat requirement in F (incremental temperature above the hydrocarbon
dew point)
Pgas is the gas fuel delivery pressure at the inlet to the gas turbine control system, psia
To avoid moisture and hydrate formation the superheat requirement is:
Tsm = 5.15 x
(Pgas
)- 7
100
(4)
where:
Tsm is the moisture superheat requirement in F (incremental temperature above the moisture dew
point)
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GEI 41040m
The superheat requirements are shown graphically on Figure 1 for moisture and hydrocarbons. Both
should be determined and added to the respective dew points (moisture and hydrocarbon) at the gas
turbine fuel delivery pressure. The higher of the two values, superheat plus dew point, will determine
the preliminary minimum gas fuel temperature that is required in order to meet the superheat
requirements. In some cases, the hydrocarbon dew point may be low enough that the requirement for
meeting the moisture superheat will dominate. However, if the hydrocarbon dew point is close to the
moisture dew point, and the hydrocarbon dew point varies sufficiently, the moisture and hydrocarbon
superheat requirements may reverse on which one dominates. In order to avoid this situation, GE has
developed a breakpoint strategy. The breakpoints that will be used are based on gas supply pressure,
as seen in the table below:
Gas Supply Pressure
-25F
-35F
-50F
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Figure 2. Moisture Dew Point as a Function of Concentration and Gas Pressure for a Typical Natural
Gas Fuel
F. Flammability Ratio
Fuel gases containing hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide will have a ratio of rich-to-lean
flammability limits that is significantly greater than that of natural gas. Typically, gases with greater
than 5% hydrogen by volume fall into this range and require a separate startup fuel. GE will evaluate
the gas analysis to determine the requirement for a start-up fuel. Fuel gases with large percentages of
an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide will have a ratio of rich-to-lean flammability limits
less than that of natural gas. Flammability ratios of less than 2.2 to 1 based on volume at ISO
conditions (14.696 psia and 59 F), may experience problems maintaining stable combustion over the
full operating range of the turbine.
G. Gas Constituent Limits
Gas constituent limits are specified to assure stable combustion through all gas turbine loads and
modes of operation. A detailed gas analysis must be furnished to GE for proper evaluation. See
reference (3) for the recommended sampling procedure and ASTM D1945 for a C6+ analysis
procedure.
H. Gas Fuel Supply Pressure
Gas fuel supply pressure requirements are dependent on the gas turbine model, the combustion
system design, the fuel gas analysis and unit specific site conditions. As part of the unit proposal, GE
will furnish minimum and maximum gas fuel supply pressure requirements.
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GEI 41040m
IV. CONTAMINANTS
Dependent on the type of fuel gas, the geographical location and the forwarding means, there is the
potential for the raw gas supply to contain one or more of the following contaminants:
1.
2.
3.
Sand, clay
4.
Rust
5.
Iron sulfide
6.
7.
8.
Naphthalene
9.
Gas Hydrates
It is critical that the fuel gas is properly conditioned prior to being utilized as gas turbine fuel. This
conditioning can be performed by a variety of methods. These include, but are not limited to: media
filtration, inertial separation, coalescing and fuel heating. Table 2b identifies the trace metal, particulate
and liquid contamination limits. It is critical that fuel gas conditioning equipment be designed and sized
so that these limits are not exceeded. For further information on gas fuel conditioning, see publication
GER 3942 (8).
A. Particulates
Contamination limits for particulates are established to prevent fouling and excessive erosion of hot
gas path parts, erosion and plugging of combustion fuel nozzles and erosion of the gas fuel system
control valves. The utilization of gas filtration or inertial separation is instrumental in ensuring that
the particulate requirements as defined in Table 2b are met. GE recommends the use of stainless steel
piping downstream of this last level of filtration to prevent the generation of corrosion-derived
particulates.
B. Liquids
As identified in Table 2b, zero liquids are allowed in the gas turbine fuel gas supply. Refer to Note 16
of table 2b for current input requirements and turbine controller actions. The introduction of liquids
with gas fuel can result in nuisance and/or hardware damaging conditions. These include rapid
excursions in firing temperature and gas turbine load, primary zone re-ignition and flashback of premixed flames. In severe conditions, liquid carryover to the first stage turbine nozzle may result in
damage to downstream hot gas path components. When liquids are identified in the gas fuel supply,
phase separation and heating must be employed to achieve the required superheat level.
C. Sulfur
There are several concerns relative to the levels of sulfur contained in the fuel gas supply. Many of
these are not directly related to the gas turbine but to associated equipment and emissions
requirements. These concerns include but not limited to:
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inlet to the gas control valves to avoid deposition, depending on the sulfur vapor concentration.
The sulfur vapor concentration can be measured by specialized filtering equipment. Contact GE
for further information on this subject.
7. Iron Sulfide
The presence of sulfur in the gas may promote the formation of iron sulfides. Under certain
conditions, iron sulfide is a pyrophoric material that can auto ignite at atmospheric pressure and
temperature when exposed to air. Extreme care must be taken when servicing gas fuel cleanup
equipment to avoid accidental exposure to oxygen and subsequent combustion of filter material.
D. Trace Metals
Sodium is the only trace metal contaminant normally found in natural gas. The source of sodium in
natural gas is salt water. Limits on trace metals are established to prevent the formation of corrosive
deposits on hot gas path components. These deposits can be detrimental to gas turbine parts life. In
addition to sodium, additionally harmful trace metal contaminants can be found in gasification and
process gases. GE will determine limits on these contaminants on a case-by-case basis.
V. SOURCES OF CONTAMINANTS
A. Particulates
The major source of particulates is from corrosion products in the pipeline. These products are
continuously formed over the life of the pipeline at rates that are determined by the corrosive
components and water content of the gas. For this reason most gas suppliers control moisture content
to avoid the possibility of water condensing and forming acid with CO2 or H2S.
B. Liquids
Gas at the wellhead is typically produced in a wet saturated condition and is treated to remove water
and heavy hydrocarbon liquids. Depending on the degree of treatment and the supply pressure, the
gas may be delivered in a dry condition. After pressure reduction it is possible for condensates to
form as the gas cools during expansion. The condensates may be either water or hydrocarbons or
both. Carry over of lubricating oil from compressor stations is another source of liquids.
C. Sulfur
Sulfur is usually combined with either hydrogen as H2S or carbon as COS. It is produced with the
natural gas. Typically the gas supplier will limit H2S to a concentration of less than approximately 20
ppmv by removing sulfur in a treatment system. Sulfur may also be present in very low
concentrations (< 100 ppbv) in the form of elemental sulfur vapor.
D. Trace Metals
The details of various sources of alkali contaminants in the following text apply to all classes of
machines.
Contributions to the alkali content of the combustion gases can come from any of the material
streams supplied to the combustor; fuel, air, water or steam. The basic parameter which can be used
to define the allowable alkali metal content admitted to the turbine is Xt, the combined sodium and
potassium content of the combustion gas at the entry to the first stage nozzle. This concentration must
not exceed the values stated in Table 2b. Since there is no simple test method for measuring Xt in an
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operating turbine, it must be calculated from the alkali metal contents of the fuel, air, water and steam
flows.
T(Xt) = A(Xa) + F(Xf ) + S(Xs) + W(Xw)
Where T = total flow to turbine (= A + F + S + W):
Xt = alkali contaminant concentration in total flow as Na.
A = Air flow,
Xa = contaminant concentration in air.
F = Fuel flow,
Xf = contaminant concentration in fuel
S = Steam flow,
Xs = contaminant concentration in steam.
W = water flow
Xw = contaminant concentration in water.
The allowable levels of alkali contamination in the different flows entering the gas turbine are
discussed below.
E. Air
There are four sources of alkaline metal contained in the compressor discharge air, (a) Inlet filter
carryover of sodium chloride in ambient air (b) carryover of sodium dissolved in water used for
evaporative cooling (c) carryover of sodium dissolved in water used for inlet fogging and (d)
carryover of sodium from water used for on-line water washing.
When concentrations of trace metals in fuel, water or steam are not precisely known, a value of 0.005
ppmw, GER 3419 (10), can be used for systems with or without evaporative coolers. This value, based
on experience, would cause an insignificant contribution to the overall contamination level and have
a minor impact on parts lives.
For systems with inlet foggers, the water carry over is 100% compared with approximately 0.003%
for evaporative coolers and the potential sodium carry over is therefore proportionally higher. The
maximum inlet fogging water flow rate is approximately 1/3 of the natural gas flow rate and,
depending on the sodium concentration, could use up a significant portion of the total allowed at the
turbine inlet. Refer to GEK 101944 (11) for information on water purity requirements. If it is
anticipated that the specification could be exceeded, General Electric should be consulted for
recommendations on the selection of the water source and use of proper air filtration equipment.
F. Steam
Steam for gas turbine injection is typically taken from a suitable extraction point on a steam turbine
or HRSG. The limiting purity requirements for this steam are those for the steam turbine. These
limits are defined in GEK 72281 (12).
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G. Water
The maximum alkaline metal (sodium plus potassium) content of water to be used for injection is
discussed in GEK 101944 (11). The maximum water injection rate is approximately equal to the fuel
injection rate. If the alkali content approaches the maximum allowable value stated in GEK 101944
(11)
, it may use all of the allowable margin at the turbine inlet, leaving none available for the fuel. If it
is anticipated that the specification could be exceeded, General Electric should be consulted for
recommendations on the selection of the water source.
Note that the concentration of sodium in steam and water, at the levels specified, can be measured
directly using an on-line sodium analyzer or, in the laboratory, with an ion or pH meter fitted with a
sodium specific electrode or by an atomic absorption spectrometer fitted with a graphite furnace.
H. Fuel
The final source of contamination to be considered is the fuel. Most cases of alkaline metal
contamination and corrosion of hot gas path components are related to liquid fuel contamination. It is
rare that natural gas will contain trace metals, but gasification fuels may contain alkalis carried over
from the gas clean up system. The issues and requirements with gas fuels are discussed separately in
the prior sections.
21
GEI 41040m
APPENDIX 1
I.
DEFINITIONS
A.
Dew Point
This is the temperature at which the first liquid droplet will form as the gas temperature is
reduced. Common liquids found in gas fuel are hydrocarbons, water and glycol. Each has a
separate and measurable dew point. The dew point varies considerably with pressure, and both
temperature and pressure must be stated to define properly the gas property. Typically, the
hydrocarbon dew point will peak in the 300 to 600 psia range.
B.
C.
Gas Hydrates
Gas hydrates are semi-solid materials that can cause deposits that plug instrumentation lines,
control valves and filters. They are formed when free water combines with one or more of the
C1 through C4 hydrocarbons. Typically the formation will take place downstream of a pressure
reducing station where the temperature drop is sufficient to cause moisture condensation in a
region of high turbulence. Because hydrates can cause major problems in the gas distribution
network, the moisture content is usually controlled upstream at a dehydration process station.
D.
E.
Glycol
Glycol is not a natural constituent of natural gas but is introduced during the dehydration
process. Various forms of glycol are used, di-ethylene and tri-ethylene glycol being two most
common. In some cases glycol is injected into the pipeline as a preservative. In most cases,
glycol may only be a problem during commissioning of a new pipeline or if an upset has taken
place at an upstream dehydration station.
F.
Odorant
Odorants are injected into natural and LP gas to make leaks readily detectable. The odorant
commonly used for natural gas is tertiary butyl mercaptan, while ethyl mercaptan is used for LP
gas.
G.
Superheat
This is defined as the difference, gas temperature minus liquid dew point. The difference is
always positive or zero. A negative value implies that the value is being measured at two
differing states of pressure and temperature and is not valid. A measured gas temperature below
the theoretical dew point means that the gas is in a wet saturated state with free liquids present.
H.
Saturation Line
This is the same as the dew point line.
I.
22
GEI 41040m
APPENDIX 2
I.
Settling Velocity
(inches/min)
Specific Gravity
(relative to water)
Equivalent Spherical
Particle Diameter (microns)
14
10
23
13
14
23
23
GEI 41040m
APPENDIX 3
I.
(5)
(6)
where:
A, F, S and E are the mass flows of air, fuel, injected steam/water and combustion gases at the turbine
inlet, respectively
XA, XF, XS, and XE are the contaminant concentrations (ppm by weight) in the inlet air, in the fuel,
in the injected steam/water, and in the combustion gases at the turbine inlet, respectively.
The fuel equivalent concentration of contaminants (XFe ) is (dividing (5) and (6) by F)
XFe = XE x (1+ A/F + S/F) = XF + XA x (A/F) + XS x (S/F)
(7)
For example for a natural gas contaminated with salt at a sodium concentration of 0.1 ppm, an air
sodium contamination of 5 ppb, and a steam contamination of 5 ppb, the equivalent sodium in the
fuel for A/F =50 and S/F=1 is from equation (7)
XFe = 0.1 + 0.005(50) + 0.005(1) = 0.355ppm
(8)
This is the amount of sodium considered to come from a fuel source only, which gives the same
sodium concentration at the turbine inlet as from the combined three sources.
The turbine inlet concentration, XE, is found by rearranging (7)
XE = XFe /(1 + A/F + S/F) = 0.355/(1 + 50 + 1) = 0.006827 ppm = 6.827 ppb (9)
These values are well within the sodium specification values of 1 ppm on a fuel basis (XFe), and 20
ppb for the turbine inlet concentration (XE). XE and XFe values for all contaminants are given in
Table 2b.
24
GEI 41040m
APPENDIX 4
I.
25
GEI 41040m
26
ASTM Method
ASTM D 3588
Nominal
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GEI 41040m
APPENDIX 6
I.
27
GEI 41040m
14. ASME Handbook Water Technology for Thermal Power Systems, chapter 12
15. Aspen HYSYS, a process modeling tool for conceptual design and performance improvement of
petroleum and oil & gas processes. Aspen Technology, Inc., 200 Wheeler Road., Burlington MA
01803, +1-781-221-6400
g
28
GE Energy
General Electric Company
www.gepower.com