a leaner, greener power turbine

A Leaner, Greener Power Turbine
Using dry low-emissions combustion technology, a turbine manufacturer developed a lighter, more efficient, more reliable power system for compressor-drive applications.

by Michael Valenti,
Associate Editor

Engineers at the Dresser-Rand Turbo Products Division in Olean, N.Y., have used modular design and aircraft-engine technology to develop a new turbine that the company says is more efficient and reliable than its predecessors. The target markets for the Vectra are primarily mechanical drives, i.e., compressor drives for oil-field applications, gas pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing. The Vectra was specifically designed to match up with the new GE Marine and Industrial Engines LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbine.

The design improvements in the Vectra will increase its maximum continuous operating speed to 6,500 rpm, boosting the Vectra's thermal efficiency to 39.9 percent. The mass flow of the new turbine will reach 180 pounds per second, and its output will be 40,200 horsepower, or 30 megawatts. Because the Vectra operates at higher speeds, the turbine will no longer require a gear box in most gas-pipeline applications.

The Vectra weighs only 7,000 pounds, 65 percent of the typical figure. The Vectra's modular design is also expected to reduce maintenance downtime to about one-third of that required by previous designs. An innovative lubrication system obviates the need for a separate lubrication skid.

The Vectra is equipped with GE Marine & Industrial Engine's DLE technology to keep nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide levels to below 25 parts per million, and unburned hydrocarbons to less than 2 parts per million. The DLE system mixes fuel and air before combustion to control flame temperature and increases combustor resident time.

A sidebar to the article describes the OP-16 gas turbine from the Dutch firm Opra Optimal Radial Turbine b.v., a 1.3-ton machine that can replace a 16-ton diesel engine in providing up to 2 megawatts of power for a wide variety of industrial applications.

The above was adapted from an article in the August issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine. To obtain a copy of this issue, click here.