A year has gone by since Abel Rochwarger, chief engineer at Gas Turbine Controls (GTC), shared with CCJ ONsite’s editorial team his report on an incident in which the Mark V control system on a GE F-class gas turbine inexplicably shut down all the unit’s lube-oil pumps causing extensive damage. Rochwarger said the customer’s team …
‘Self-inflicted logic forcing’ associated with the Mark V remains a mystery Read More »
The main technical program at Frame 6 meetings begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning (June 11 in 2019), following Monday’s engine familiarization workshop and welcome reception and dinner. Roundtable discussions led by members of the steering committee and one of the two invited vendor presentations fill the first-day program until the vendor fair and reception at …
Safety a high-profile discussion topic at Frame 6B meetings Read More »
The Frame 6B OEM was responsible for the Wednesday technical program and split the day with the morning dedicated to fleet-wide topics suggested by the steering committee and the afternoon divided among three discussion-focused breakout sessions catering to specific user interests. A “state of the frame” presentation launched the GE Day program with highlights of …
The user-only compressor session in 2018 didn’t include any new topics, at least while the editors were in the room. At most 6B meetings, discussions include filter experience (HEPA in particular in recent years), online and offline washing, corrosives and particulates in the air impacting compressor cleanliness (and how to remove them), inlet bleed heat, …
With much of the time at Frame 6 meetings devoted to user presentations and deep discussion, there remains limited time for vendor presentations. Each year, the steering committee chooses two third-party vendor presentations in tune with what owner/operators are experiencing in the field. The topics selected for the 2018 meeting dealt with combustion hardware and …
Vendor presentations on combustion hardware, fire safety applicable to all engines Read More »
Discussion on the turbine section always is robust at Frame 6 Users Group meetings, likely because there are many “senior” machines in the fleet—those with well over 100k operating hours. Current thinking of the OEM and a few others is that an end-of-life inspection should be done at about 100,000 hours and that the rotor …
User discussion: Some 6B turbines nearing replacement age Read More »
Turbine Tip No. 2, from the Dave Lucier’s PAL Turbine Services O&M solutions library, applies to General Electric Frame 5 models K-LA and M-P, and early 6Bs, 7Bs, and 7Cs, equipped with Y&F fuel regulator and Speedtronic™ Mark I, II, and IV controls. Overfiring a gas turbine during startup can be a serious condition, particularly …
How manual controls help in troubleshooting legacy GE gas turbines Read More »
High wheel-space temperature issues were discussed by an owner/operator with three 42-MW 6Bs (Model 6581B) that had been commissioned in 2003. Two units completed their second major inspections in 2018, the third in 2019. High temperatures were noticed in the second and third turbine stages of one machine during startup following the major inspection. The …
Frame 6 user presentations get high marks from attendees Read More »
More power? Better heat rate? Faster ramp rate? FSNL in less than 10 mins? Lower load points? More Fuel Flexibility? Longer maintenance intervals? PSM will be presenting a live webinar at the 7FUG 2020 Digital Conference on June 30, entitled “What else do you need from your 7F power plants?” All GT owner/operators are able …
PSM: Rotor repair and lifetime extension solutions Read More »
The first presentation after opening remarks reviewed how GE communicates with its customers and the value to plant personnel of the OEM’s Technical Information Letters (TILs), Product Service Safety Bulletins (PSSBs), Product Service Information Bulletins (PSIBs), and GEKs covering installation, product specifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, technical recommendations, etc. There’s much owner/operators can learn by becoming familiar …
