Ideal Driver

Aeroderivative Gas by Tayo Montgomery, GE Industrial

AeroDerivative Gas Turbines,
Evendale, OH

Turbine Provides
Efficient Power
For LNG
Processing
ith the increased demand for natural gas, liq-
uefied natural gas (LNG) is getting a second
look as a fuel option in the United States, Europe
and South America. As LNG development and oper-
ational costs continue to decline, the need remains for
reliable gas turbines to drive LNG production compressors. Now
the choice has broadened with GE’s LM6000 aeroderivative gas tur-
bine, an ideal driver for refrigerant compressors.

LNG Production: A Brief Look

When natural gas deregulation took hold in the mid-1970s,
sparking the availability of natural gas reserves, LNG production
greatly decreased. However, with the current heightened interest in Table 1
energy matters, LNG production is increasing. GE LM6000 Gas Turbine Mechanical Drive Specifications*
For example, LNG accounts for about 1 percent of the U.S. nat- Power output (shp) 60,000
ural gas supply. The 220 Bcf of LNG imported into the U.S. in 2000 Heat rate-LHV (Btu/shp-hr) 5980
is small compared to the more than 21 Tcf of gas that was consumed
Exhaust gas temperature (oF) 853
in the U.S. in 2000.1
Currently only two LNG import terminals are in operation in Exhaust gas flow (lb/s) 280
the U.S.: the Distrigas facility in Everett, MA and the Trunkline Number of shafts 2
facility in Lake Charles, LA. Maximum sustainable LNG import Pressure ratio 28.5
capacity at these two facilities in 1999 was assumed to be 352
Shaft speed (rpm) 3600
Bcf. Two additional facilities, one at Cove Point, MD and the
other at Elba Island, GA (currently idled), are expected to reopen Base plate enclosure dimensions 30' 6" L x 13' 9" W x 14' 6" H
in 2003, adding 529 Bcf of sustainable capacity. According to * 59oF, 60% relative humidity, sea level,
announced plans, it is further assumed that Elba Island will no inlet/exhaust losses on gas fuel with no NOx - media
receive one to two shipments (less than 5 Bcf) to test the facility
prior to it being fully reactivated.2
The cost to produce LNG has dropped about 30 percent in the
past 10 years, making this fuel a viable and economic choice. LNG
is also attractive in countries that lack pipeline infrastructures. In
Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia, for example, LNG is processed in
liquefaction plants and shipped by tanker to regasification and
power generation facilities primarily in Japan, South Korea and
Taiwan. LNG is also available throughout the Caribbean, South
America and Euro-pean countries such as Spain and France.3

LM6000 Aeroderivative Gas Turbine

LNG production is an extremely demanding environment that
relies on the regular delivery of fuel in order for the process to be
profitable. In the past, frame gas turbines or steam turbines were the
power choice for many LNG production facilities. However, GE’s
LM6000 gas turbine for mechanical drive service offers numerous
benefits to LNG producers.
With output greater than 50,000 shaft horsepower (shp),
aeroderivative gas turbines such as the LM6000 are capable of
handling variable speeds at varied loads. This flexibility is demon-
Figure 2

54 Pipeline & Gas Journal/October 2001/pipelineandgasjournalonline.com

strated on every flight by the engines aboard commercial and
military aircraft from which aeroderivative gas turbines are
derived.
The LM6000 was first introduced as the PA model in
December 1992, using a single annular combustion system with
few changes from the world’s most successful aircraft engine
for wide-body airframes—the CF6-80C2. At the same time, GE
began development of Dry Low Emissions (DLE) technologies,
culminating in the LM6000PB model introduced in December
1994. As the LM6000 fleet approached the one million-hour
mark, with an installed base of over 100 engines, GE consis-
tently obtained availability above 97 percent. The next step
was to increase power by 6.5 percent to 43.5 megawatts and
efficiency by 2 to 42 percent.
The launch of GE’s LM6000PC/PD aeroderivative gas turbine
was announced in 1996 and the first unit went into commercial
operation in a power generation application in late 1997. The
mechanical drive version of this gas turbine has been available Figure 1: Results from GE’s LM6000 Variable Speed Tests.
since early 1998.
The LM6000 opens an entirely new business opportunity, begin rotation of the high-pressure rotor. Once the combustion sys-
with interest being paced by applications requiring variable tem has ignited, this rotor can generate significant starting torque to
speed drivers with outputs greater than 50,000 shp. Table 1 pro- begin rotation of the low-pressure rotor as well as the driven equip-
vides an overview of LM6000 performance specifications. ment, whether a generator rotor or compressor train, without the
Although some exploratory interest was generated when the need for additional helper motors (see Figures 3a and 3b).
LM6000 mechanical drive version was first announced, signifi-
cantly greater interest within both gas compression and marine The Benefits
applications has been expressed since June 2000—especially The LM6000 is one of the world’s most efficient simple cycle
with increasing energy prices. gas turbine. It remains a popular favorite with a wide variety of
Typical applications for the LM6000 are new designs of large industrial and power generation customers throughout the world.
oil and gas production facilities, for gas reinjection, transmis- As of June 2001, 454 LM6000 engines had been shipped, with 283
sion, processing and liquefaction. GE is supporting several of those in operation (152 are LM6000PC/PD engines with a total
ongoing application studies using the LM6000 as the driver. of 1.24 million operating hours).
GE Oil & Gas in Florence, Italy is currently developing an The gas turbine offers users high reliability and availability. For
LM6000 mechanical drive package to serve these expanded instance, the LM6000 fleet will accumulate 5 million hours in serv-
market requirements. This GE Power Systems business offers ice by the end of 2001, with the high-time engine logging more
extensive experience designing, manufacturing and testing reli- than 70,000 hours. The high-time LM6000PC/ PD engine has accu-
able mechanical drive packages for GE’s complete line of LM mulated in excess of 33,000 hours in operation.
gas turbines. With the overall high efficiency in excess of 40 percent comes a
As a world leader in compression and turbogenerators prod-
ucts and services, GE Oil & Gas serves the oil and gas, LNG,
pipeline, refinery and petrochemical industries.

Thorough Testing
GE conducted thorough testing on the LM6000 PC/PD
model. Phase 1 tested the power generation (constant speed)
operation, with engine performance and mechanical integrity
being the primary focuses. Phase 2 commenced in June 1997
and addressed the mechanical drive operation, with the focus-
es being on low pressure turbine aerodynamics, variable speed
operation, and confirmation of speed-load characteristics. Phase
3 focused on gas and liquid fuel DLE operation, including emis-
sions characteristics and variable load operation.
A test sequence was then conducted on the LM6000PC engine.
The test engines used more than 1,300 instruments, including
temperature rakes, accelerometers, strain gauges, thermocouples, Figure: 3a
and pressure transducers. Both static and rotating instrumentation
was used.
This machine completed all development testing in 1997.
Operation up to 53 megawatts output was evaluated, and no fail-
ures, unexpected results or limitations were encountered at any
point in the test program. Performance, margins, and all other test
results were as predicted. Detailed component design studies
were carried out including confirmation that blade frequencies
and modes were well within established design practices of GE’s
complete line of aeroderivative gas turbines. Figure 1 shows the
results of the LM6000 mechanical drive testing.
There are no hardware differences on an LM6000PC gas tur-
bine for power generation or the mechanical drive applications,
with the exception of variable inlet guide vanes. These compo-
nents are identical to those used in the DLE version and are
required to allow for variable speed operation (see Figure 2).
A primary advantage of the LM6000 is its starting torque capa-
bility. As a two-rotor machine, the LM6000 uses a 200 hp starter to
Figure: 3b
Circle #142
56 Pipeline & Gas Journal/October 2001/pipelineandgasjournalonline.com
reduction in CO2 emissions. That means
LNG producers will see one-third less CO2
emissions per horsepower generated with
an aeroderivative gas turbine versus a
frame unit.
Other advantages of the LM6000
include:
䡲 Variable speed from 50 to 105 per-
cent of design speed;
䡲 Compact, lightweight, modular design;
䡲 Rapid maintenance and repair turn-
around offered through GE’s experi-
enced service technicians; and
䡲 DLE capability for emissions reduction REFERENCES
to 25 ppm NOx and 25 ppm CO. 1 “Terminal Fever,” Power Engineering, May 2001
2 “Assumptions to the Annual Energy Outlook, Oil
Conclusion & Gas Energy Module”,
GE continues to support several appli- www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/assumption/oil_gas.html
cation studies in the LNG industry where 3 “Infrastructure needed for global gas delivery,”
its LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine can Power, May/June 2001
be a cost-effective driver. P&GJ
Tayo Montgomery is the LM6000
Technical Sales Manager with GE
Industrial AeroDerivative Gas Turbines in
Evendale, OH.