Gas turbines clocks half a million hours
In spring 2007, Siemens’s SGT-400 industrial gas turbine fleet exceeded 500,000 hours of commercial operation. Individual lead packages have completed more than 54,000 hours, equivalent to more than six years of continuous operation.
With a terminal power rating of 12.9 MWe for electrical generation, and a shaft output power of 13.4 MW for mechanical drive, the two-shaft SGT-400 is a compact and reliable prime mover for a wide range of applications.
In the decade since the introduction of the SGT-400 in 1997, more than 100 units have been sold into 18 countries in four continents. Their applications vary from providing power for pipeline compressor stations in Alaska to generating power & heat for the community in Germany; from working offshore in oil and gas pumping applications in West Africa to providing secure and efficient heat and power to ceramics industries in South East Asia. All the units are supported by the Siemens global field service network.
The SGT-400 is the highest efficiency gas turbine core in its class with 36.2 per cent efficiency at shaft output, minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Utilisation of the exhaust heat in cogeneration applications has demonstrated total energy efficiency levels of 87 per cent. Dry Low Emissions technology is fitted as a standard option, controlling NOx emissions on gas and liquid fuels.
As evidence of the acceptance by industry of the SGT-400 as a proven machine, Siemens has achieved type approval from 3rd party certifying bodies such as Lloyds, and the product has also been approved by major Oil and Gas companies for power generation and mechanical drive.
Recent sales have included supply of two SGT-400 gas turbines to the Co-op City power plant located in Bronx, New York. Also included in the order were a SST-300 steam turbine and the balance of plant distributed control system.
With an installed capacity of 40 MW, this power generating facility will provide enough base-load capacity (24 MW) to meet the electricity needs of Co-op City's 60,000 residents. Additional power (16 MW) will be sold back into the power grid to generate revenues that will fund capital improvement projects. The power plant is expected to be commissioned in fall 2007.
Co-op City is the largest cooperative housing development in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. Located in the Bronx in northeast New York City, it consists of nearly 16,000 residential units with over 60,000 residents. The existing complex was built in 1971 by an organization that is now known as Riverbay. In 2000, Riverbay began large-scale renovations, including replacing piping, rehabilitating parking garages, repairing facades and installing new windows and elevators. And repowering their power plant.
The repowering of the existing plant will allow Riverbay to produce power for its residents at a lower cost and sell surplus power to the surrounding areas. Funds generated from the sale of power will assist with the repayment of capital project loans for renovations.
A further SGT-400 genset has been ordered by Maruti Suzuki in India. Siemens in India and the Siemens manufacturing facility in Lincoln, UK, will work as one team on this project. Lincoln will provide the gas turbine generator package, and the Indian business will be responsible for the balance of plant - including the exhaust stack and damper, liquid fuel storage and forwarding, cabling and pipework - together with the site erection, commissioning and testing.
Until now, the Industrial turbine business in India has concentrated on steam turbine packaging, but has now formed a small, dedicated team specially to work on the Maruti project. UK and India are working closely together to ensure that the engineering, quality and on-time delivery on this project all meet stringent requirements for a seamless delivery.
Maruti Suzuki currently produce over 600,000 vehicles each year in India, for home market consumption as well as export, and ambitious expansion plans will increase this to one million vehicles in the coming years. The SGT-400 will be used to increase the power output at the Manesar factory, where three gas turbines are already in operation. There is also scope for adding a steam turbine to convert the plant to a combined cycle in the future.
Commercial operation is planned for early 2008. Initial operation will be using liquid fuel until the expanding natural gas network reaches the site in 2009.
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