GE Power Systems
COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM
General
Gas turbines can experience a loss of performance
during operation as result of deposits of contami-
nants on internal components. The deposits of atmo-
spheric contaminants on compressor parts occurs
with the ingestion of air.
The ingested air may contain dirt, dust, insects and
hydrocarbon fumes. A large portion of these can be
removed before they get to the compressor by inlet
air filtration. The dry contaminants that pass through
the filters as well as wet contaminants, such as hy-
drocarbon fumes, have to be removed from the com-
pressor by washing with hot water or a
waterdetergent solution followed by a water rinse.
Onbase Supplied Equipment
The onbase equipment supplied with this compres-
sor wash system consists of piping from the package
connection on the base, motor operated water injec-
tion valves, and the appropriate spray manifolds. In
addition, there are package connections in the drain
lines from the inlet plenum, combustion area, ex-
haust frame and the exhaust plenum.
Offbase Equipment
The offbase equipment supplied is an enclosed wa-
ter wash skid containing a wash water tank, a deter-
gent tank and a centrifugal water pump and motor
(88TW1) with a venturi eductor used to mix the de-
tergent with the wash water. A needle valve used in
conjunction with a flowmeter is used to set the deter-
gent flow to the level recommended by the detergent
manufacturer. The water tank is equipped with heat-
ers to bring the wash water to the proper temperature
and the skid itself is equipped with a heater, blower
and vent fan to maintain the skid in the proper tem-
perature range.
A00215
Functional Description
During the washing operation, water or wash solu-
tion is delivered to the gas turbine in the proper mix
ratio and the proper pressure, temperature and flow
rate to wash the gas turbine compressor. Refer to
Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaning GEI41042M,
Table 3 for proper pressures, temperatures, and flow
rates for this gas turbine.
System Requirements
Water used for washing turbine parts should be rea-
sonably clean so that it does not cause fouling or cor-
rosion in itself. Distilled or deionized water is
recommended. Water quality requirements are listed
in Table 1 of GEI41042M. Oily or varnished oil de-
posits on internal gas turbine parts require that a de-
tergent solution be used during the washing
operation. The detergent shall meet the require-
ments in Table A1 of GEI41042M.
Compressor Washing Frequency
The frequency of compressor washing depends
upon the severity and type of atmospheric contami-
nation which fouls the compressor and reduces per-
formance. The recommended method for
establishing the frequency is to monitor gas turbine
performance, comparing the routine performance
with the baseline performance to observe the trends.
The comparison will show performance trends. If
the performance has fallen significantly, and com-
pressor fouling is suspected, it should be verified by
visual inspection. This visual inspection should in-
clude inspection of the compressor inlet bellmouth,
inlet guide vanes and the first and possibly the se-
cond stage of the compressor blades. If the perfor-
mance loss is due to compressor fouling,
compressor cleaning should be initiated. For oily de-
posits, a waterdetergent wash followed by a water
rinse is required. If only dry deposits are found, wa-
ter alone may be sufficient.
1 COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM

NOTE
Inspection should be made for the source of the
oily deposits. If possible, corrective action
should be taken.
CAUTION
The differential temperature between the wash
water and the interstage wheelspace tempera-
ture must not be greater than 67C (120F) to
prevent thermal shock to the hot gas parts. For
wash water of 82C (180F), the maximum
wheelspace temperature must be no greater
than 149C (300F) as measured by the wheel-
space thermocouple readings on the turbine
control panel.
Washing System Operation
Online Washing
Online washing is done with the unit at full speed
and the load at or less than 95% rated load. Certain
precautions must be taken when performing an on
line wash during low ambient temperature condi-
tions; see Gas Turbine Compressor Cleaning
GEI41042M and TIL 11533 for further informa-
tion.
Offline Washing
Offline water washing should be scheduled during
a normal shutdown, if possible. This will allow
enough time for the internal machine temperatures
to drop to the required levels for the washing. The
time required to cool the machine can be shortened
by maintaining the unit at crank speed. During this
cooling of the turbine, the wash water is to be heated
to the proper level.
COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM
GE Power Systems
Mandatory Precautions
When doing an offline wash it is extremely impor-
tant that all water be drain from all piping and that all
valving be returned to its normal running position.
Failure to do so may result in damage to the gas tur-
bine and/or its components. Refer to TIL 11792 for
further information.
Before water washing of the compressor begins, the
turbine blading temperature must be low enough so
that the wash water does not cause thermal shock.
To reduce this difference, the wash water may be
heated and the turbine kept on crank until the wheel-
space temperatures drop to an acceptable level. The
wheelspace temperatures are read at the control pan-
el.
WARNING
The water wash operation involves water un-
der high pressure. Caution must be exercised to
ensure the proper positioning of all valves dur-
ing this operation. Since the water may also be
hot, necessary precautions should be taken in
handling valves, pipes, and potentially hot sur-
faces.
NOTE
Before water washing the compressor, inspect
the inlet plenum and gas turbine bellmouth for
large accumulations of atmospheric contami-
nants which could be washed into the compres-
sor. The deposits can be removed by washing
with a garden hose.
Water Wash Procedures
To perform cleaning designed for this particular
unit, refer to the system schematic and the device
summary to verify the wash system equipment fur-
nished. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate
section(s) below.
Offline Compressor Wash Procedure
On the water wash skid, in the Annunciator/Control
Panel, the following settings must be initiated:
2 A00215

1. Water Temperature Setpoint switch to HOT.
2. Operation Selector switch to MANUAL.
NOTE
It will take approximately 915 hours for the
water to heat up to the proper washing tempera-
ture.
Make certain the turbine is shut down.
Select the Water Wash On/Off Line control dis-
play on the turbine control primary operator inter-
face and click on the OFFLINE WW ON target. At
this time, the turbine is prohibited from firing.
Select CRANK at the Master Select of the Main Dis-
play at the operator interface for the SPEEDTRON-
IC Mark V control.
Initiate a turbine START signal.
The turbine will accelerate to full continuous crank
speed. The cranking motor will maintain the unit on
crank until the stop signal is given.
The cooldown procedure must be continued until
the wheelspace temperatures are within 67C
(120F) of the wash water temperature.
NOTE
The turbine may be allowed to cool down on
slow roll if time permits.
During the crank cycle, manually place the follow-
ing in the positions indicated and in the order listed:
1. The flow through false start drain valves must be
diverted from the sludge tank to a wash water ef-
fluent tank.
NOTE
The false start drain flow or any flow that goes
normally to the sludge tank must be diverted
from its normal path into the sludge tank, to a
wash water effluent drain to prevent an over-
flow of the sludge tank. Additionally, the false
start drain effluent should be visible to evaluate
the effectiveness of the wash cycle.
A00215
GE Power Systems
2. Close the hand valves on the flame detectors.
3. Arrange any valves in the exhaust plenum drain
piping to divert effluent from the sludge tank to
the waste water tank. Open the main wash water
drain valve at the bottom of the exhaust plenum.
4. Open the inlet plenum drain valve.
5. If a valve is installed in the line supplying com-
pressor discharge air to the false start drain
valve, close it.
6. Switch the motor controller for the turbine ex-
haust frame cooling fan motors, 88TK1 and
88TK2 in the manual ON position (if pro-
vided).
NOTE
This step is necessary to prevent water wash
from entering the exhaust frame cooling sys-
tem during the wash cycle.
The atomizing air system (if provided) is isolated in
the following manner:
1. Close butterfly valve on inlet side of atomizing
air system from AD8 line.
2. Open all low point drains in the atomizing air
lines.
3. Open the atomizing air separator drain valve (if
provided).
4. Open vent valve on suction side of CA2, booster
atomizing air compressor.
5. Open vent valve on pressure side of CA1, main
atomizing air compressor.
6. Open the breaker at the motor control center for
88AB, the drive motor for the booster atomizing
air compressor, CA2.
Using the schematic for the cooling and sealing air
system, the cooling and sealing air circuitry should
be isolated in the following manner:
1. Close the valves in the fifthstage compressor
extraction air lines.
1. Close the valves in the eleventhstage compres-
sor extraction air lines.
3 COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM

2. Close any and all compressor discharge extrac-
tion valving (ADn).
3. Open the drain valve on the bearing sealing air
separator.
4. Open needle valve (low point drain on AD3)
upstream of WW9 connection for drainage dur-
ing the wash cycle, (if provided).
5. Open low point drain on bearing sealing air line,
(if provided).
6. If the turbine has a selfcleaning inlet filter,
close the block valve and open the drain valve on
the supply line to the selfcleaning filters.
The water wash skid should now be checked for op-
erational readiness. Determine if the following
conditions exist:
1. The water tank is full.
2. The detergent tank is full.
3. The water temperature is at the required level.
4. The valve on the main wash pump suction side is
open.
5. The shutoff isolation valve in the water supply
line to the skid is closed. This is done to prevent
unheated water from entering the water tank
once a wash is initiated.
To minimize thermal shock to the hot gas path parts
the operator must verify that all turbine wheelspace
temperatures have cooled to within 67C (120F)
[149C (300F) maximum] of the wash water tem-
perature.
When doing a water/detergent wash, refer to the de-
tergent manufacturers instructions for the proper
detergent/wash ratio.
Open the water wash valve at the compressor using
the pushbutton 20TW1/PB. This pushbutton is lo-
cated near the 20TW1 valve near the inlet plenum.
Allow the turbine to reach crank speed.
Initiate the appropriate devices on the water wash
skid. The following devices can be manually started
COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM
GE Power Systems
by using the respective pushbuttons in the motor
control panel:
1. Start the main wash pump
2. Open detergent isolation valve on line between
the venturi and detergent tank.
3. While monitoring the flow meter, adjust the
flow metering valve as necessary until the prop-
er detergent/water mix ratio is obtained. Refer to
detergent manufacturers recommendations.
4. Wash/detergent solution should run into the
compressor for approximately 35 minutes . Al-
low enough flow time to displace water in the
lines between the wash skid and the compressor
wash manifold nozzles.
5. Initiate the turbine STOP signal and close
20TW1 using the pushbutton station.
6. Close detergent isolation valve. (This valve
should be closed at all times, except when being
used to add detergent.)
7. Shut off the main wash pump.
During the coastdown and immediately afterward,
allow the turbine to soak for approximately 20 min-
utes. After the soak time is complete initiate a tur-
bine START signal.
Open the water wash shutoff valve, 20TW1, using
the pushbutton station 20TW1/PB at the turbine.
Allow the turbine to reach full continuous crank
speed.
Start the water pump on the skid. Rinse the compres-
sor by pumping clear water from the skid with the
main wash pump. Rinse the compressor for 1520
minutes or until the rinse water runs clear.
After washing is complete, initiate a turbine STOP
signal and shut off the water pump. Allow the tur-
bine to dry while coasting down.
NOTE
Experience will determine the proper time in-
tervals for the various wash operations or
whether repetition of the above procedure is
necessary to restore lost performance.
4 A00215

Return all valves on the skid to their normal position.
Close wash water injection solenoid valve,
20TW1, using the pushbutton station.
After the turbine has stopped, initiate a turbine
START signal with the master operation selector
switch in the CRANK position.
Allow the turbine to accelerate to crank speed.
Allow the turbine to dry for 20 minutes at crank
speed.
Initiate a turbine STOP signal.
Click on the OFFLINE WW OFF target on the
Water Wash On/Off Line control display.
NOTE
When OFFLINE WW OFF is selected, the
permissive is in place to allow the turbine to
fire and the permissive is removed to allow the
20TW1 valve to be opened.
Return all valving to their previous fullspeed op-
eration positions.
NOTE
Allow the water to drain from the lines while
the above restorations are being performed.
A00215
GE Power Systems
CAUTION
It is important that the line that allows waste
fuel to drain to the sludge tank be kept open af-
ter water washing and during normal turbine
startup and operation, so that fuel or water
which may accumulate in the exhaust plenum
can continuously drain out of the plenum. Ac-
cumulation of waste fuel in the exhaust plenum
is potentially hazardous.
Switch the motor controller for the turbine exhaust
frame cooling fan motors 88TK1 and 88TK2, into
the AUTO mode (if provided).
Select OFF at the Master Select of the Main Display
at the operator interface for the SPEEDTRONIC
Mark V control.
In the annunciator/control panel on the skid, set wa-
ter temperature setpoint to COLD and the Opera-
tion Selector switch to AUTO.
Initiate a turbine START signal within 24 hours after
completion of the DRY cycle and allow it to acceler-
ate to, and remain at, full speed for a minimum of
five minutes.
The gas turbine is now available for commercial ser-
vice and may be loaded.
NOTE
Check for air leakage from all drains.
5 COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM
 GE Power Systems

GE Power Systems Training

General Electric Company
One River Road
Schenectady, NY 12345

COMPRESSOR WATER WASH SYSTEM 6 A00215