Case Study: 4% Power Recover by Improved Cleaning Efficiency with a Crankwash Manifold Upgrade
ECT performed a comparison test of gas turbine cleaning hardware on a Frame 6 that is operated under an LTSA by an OEM for a power generation Company in California. The Company had been performing gas turbine compressor washes with their existing hardware with marginal results. The plant operators were not able to achieve a high level of cleaning and the incumbent product generated too much foam with an associated high disposal cost.
To improve the wash program, ECT engineers recommended a two step process:
Step 1: a switch to our ethoxylated amine product PowerBack as an alternative to the ethoxylated alcohol based product that was being used at the plant;
Step 2: use of ECT’s patented Portable Manifold with the existing wash skid.
Our engineers performed a review of the operating parameters of the as delivered skid and customized a portable ring to deliver the proper flow to the gas turbine. Using the design points from the site’s pump skid, the requisite pressure and flows were achieved. The implementation cost was less than $5000. ECT was able to deliver better cleaning results – as shown by a 4% compressor performance improvement. The improved cleaning was achieved using only a single rinse, which reduced the rinse effluent by approximately 350 gallons. This improvement in generated power recovery for the Company is resulting in a savings of approximately $600,000.00 annually with a payback period measured in hours.
Our client even commented: “Your nozzles kick butt! That was the best wash this turbine has ever had. We gained back about 1.4 MW of power. Your calculations were dead on as well. My pump discharge was 65 psig and the drawdown time worked out to almost exactly 20 GPM.”
The Company is experiencing similar results on sister sites and has started to expand the program throughout North America.
Let ECT show you how we can improve your wash program to achieve maximum power from your gas turbine.
