How can dynamic analysis improve gas turbine feed system reliability and availability?
Gas turbine power plants are indispensable components of modern power generation, providing a substantial portion of the electricity required to meet the ever-growing demands of today's grids. These power plants must not only deliver high reliability but also maintain maximum availability, typically exceeding 90%. Achieving this level of performance involves minimising unit trips and cascade failures affecting both power plant operation and the stability of the broader electricity grid.
This paper explores the use of dynamic process model simulation to analyse gas turbine feed gas systems, ensuring their robustness and reliability, and emphasises their importance in the context of power generation. Gas turbines are at the heart of many power generation systems due to their efficiency, quick startup times, and ability to operate at varying loads. They play a critical role in supporting grid stability by rapidly responding to fluctuations in demand. As such, gas turbines are instrumental in providing essential services such as peaking power and grid balancing. The high availability and reliability of gas turbines are prerequisites for ensuring grid resilience and meeting dispatch requirements, especially during periods of peak demand or unexpected load variations. A unit trip in a gas turbine power plant can have critical consequences, the extent of which will depend on the plant and feed system configuration, and how many gas turbine and feed units (compressors and pressure reduction station) are working in parallel.
This technical paper presents an in-depth analysis of gas turbine feed gas systems in power plants, focusing on dynamic process simulations to enhance reliability and availability. This paper also outlines the key characteristics of these systems, the dynamic analysis procedure, and the significant benefits of employing dynamic simulations in the engineering design phase. The cost-effectiveness of dynamic analysis is also discussed, emphasising its potential to prevent costly process trips.
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