GAS TURBINE

Gas turbine is not a standalone unit. It has a complex operating procedure and number of Pre-
requirements that must be met before giving the start command to the Gas turbine. The whole
procedure includes Gas Compressor, Air Compressor, Cooling Towers and at the exhaust end there is
Waste heat recovery boiler (WHRB). Each component of the system is further discussed below.

Gas Compressor:
To meet the Gas pressure requirement of the GT for combustion it is necessary to use a Gas
Compressor. There are various types of Gas compressors depending on its working principle and the
output required. At GulAhmed we have a screw type compressor with rated suction of 2600 m3/hr at
0.5 Bar and discharge pressure of 22 Bars. It is a two-stage compressor, at first stage the suction gas
goes thru a gas filter and enter the screw chamber, where it is mixed with oil residues in order the
increase the compression ratio, the mixture of oil and gas is then compressed by the two rotating shafts
with screw like thread. The gaps between the two shafts decreases towards the end, resulting in
compression of gas. At first stage the gas is compressed from pressure of 1.5bar to 5bar. This 5bar
pressure is then made input of the second stage, where the gas once again enters the compression
chambers. Following the same working principle gas is compressed from 5bar to 24 bar pressure.

After the gas is out from the second stage, it is entered into an Oil separator where the oil merged with
the gas is separated out and only pure gas is passed into the Gas Chamber for combustion. The gas once
again passes thru a Gas filter before being supplied to the Gas chamber. The gas output is fluctuating
which is not acceptable for combustion, therefore there are Gas vessels attached before the gas enters
the Combustion chamber which regulate the flow of the gas acting as a Capacitor.

There are various safeties to avoid any interruption in the gas supply since it has direct impact on the
Gas Turbine. The safeties implemented are, Gas inlet pressure if falls below 0.3 it will cause shutdown of
the compressor. If 1st stage compressor outlet pressure is more than 16bar, Gas outlet temperature of
compressor D more than 105 degrees, Oil pressure more than 25bar, and Oil temperature more than 75
degrees will result in the Shutdown of the complete Gas Compressor.

Oil in the Gas Compressor plays an important role. It is constantly being flowed in a closed loop and is
used for lubrication of the compressor bearings, slides, shafts and all other moving parts. It is also being
used for cooling; it is circulated in the jackets of the compressor in order to keep the temperature down.
After Cooling and lubricating the oil is collected in a sump where it pumped to Heat Exchangers. This
whole process is repeated continuously.
 GAS TURBINE

AIR COMPRESSOR:
Air compressor works in the same as the Gas compressor. The requirement of air pressure is lesser and
therefore the overall size of the air compressor is smaller than the Gas compressor. Air is taken in at
ambient pressure and temperature and passed into the compression chamber, where it is compressed
from ambient pressure to around 5bar pressure. This compressed air is introduced to condensation
chamber where the moisture from the air is soaked and dried air is passed to the Gas Turbine for
instrument controlling, actuators and torching gas. Moreover, this air is also used in the Offline wash as
Sealing Air.

Oil is used in a closed loop just like the gas compressor it lubricates and cools the mechanically moving
parts and is cooled in an Oil cooling tube.

AIR INTAKE TO GT COMPRESSOR:

The intake air for combustion in Gas Turbine firstly passes thru various stages of filtration. The suction
air is at ambient pressure and temperature, this atmospheric air composes of dust particles and
impurities which can be harmful if passed into combustion chamber. To avoid such a situation, the
intake air first passes thru number of Back Filters. Back filters are membranes such that they block all
the dust particles and impurities and let the clean air pass thru them. After back filters, the filtered air
then passes thru Cartridge Filters which are paper thin and block the microscopic particles present in the
air. This filtered air is still at the ambient atmospheric temperature, to increase the density of the air for
better combustion this filtered air is then passed thru the Chilling Coil which increases the density of the
air and also decreases its temperature. Now this cool air is passed on to the Intake duct to GT
Compressor.

G.T. AIR COMPRESSION:

The air enters the compression chamber thru the inlet guide veins (IGVs) that control the volume of the
inlet air as per the requirement for the combustion. There are number of stages, each stage comprising
of a Stator and a Rotor. The circumference of each stage continues to decrease in later stages. The air
passes thru the stages of the compressor and the air is compressed and let in the combustion chamber.

There are two main phenomena; Surging and Choking that must be avoided at all costs. Surging is  a
combination of the lack of airflow, consequent rise in pressure, and the high speed of the compressor.
Whereas, compressor choking is When the mass flow increases , pressure decreases and density
decreases. In order to avoid this, a bleed valve is present that opens in case of choking and bypasses the
air into the exhaust of the GT.
 GAS TURBINE
Bleed air is bled off from various positions on the compressor of a gas turbine engine and used to lower
the temperature of those internal parts of the engines which may suffer from excessive heat.

CONSTRUCTION:
Construction of Gas Turbine begins from the air intake filters, Inlet guide veins (IGVs) and the Axial type
compressor. After the air is compressed, it is brought into the annular combustion chamber. Combustion
chamber consists of gas valves around the neck of the chamber, spark plugs, and an air inlet from the air
compressor for the pilot ignition. The hot gasses from the combustion flows towards the turbine side
where there are two turbines coupled together, NGP and NPT. NGP is also called Gas producing turbine
and NPT is also called Power Turbine. The hot gasses from combustion rotate the blades of gas
producing (NGP) shaft which as a result rotates the power turbine (NPT). NPT is attached to a gearbox at
the other end which rotates the alternator and energy is produced.
Further there are external components attached for operational purposes. Starting motor, Actuators,
Fuel oil pump and Lube oil pump.

WORKING:
The working principle of gas turbine is sequentially easy to understand. At first the turbine input i.e. air
and gas for combustion are mixed in a 1:11 ratio. The air inlet involves 2 stages of filters. First one is
back filter and the second one is paper filter. This filtered air is introduced to the compression side of
the gas turbine.