System and method for controlling a gas turbine system and associated non-volatile computer-readable medium

Abstract

System for controlling a gas turbine system (10), comprising: a gas turbine system (10) comprising a compressor (16), a combustor (18) and a turbine (22); a control unit (38) coupled to the gas turbine system (10) for data transmission and designed to control operating sequences of the gas turbine system (10); and a lifetime consumption model (45) configured to determine an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10) based on both a health status (72) of one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) and operating conditions (68) of the gas turbine system (10), wherein the lifetime consumption model (45) is configured to calculate an actual lifetime consumption rate (76) for the gas turbine system (10) based on both the health status (72) of the one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) and the operating conditions (68) of the gas turbine system, and wherein the control unit (38) is designed to use at least the lifetime consumption model (45) to derive a control measure for the gas turbine system (10), characterized in that the lifetime consumption model (45) is configured to use both a lifetime consumption target rate (79) for the gas turbine system (10) and the actual lifetime consumption rate (76) to determine the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10), and is further configured to adjust the lifetime consumption target rate (79) based on the actual lifetime consumption rate (76).

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gas turbines and, in particular, to a system and method for controlling the gas turbines.

[0002] The performance of gas turbine systems in general can degrade over time. Certain systems, such as an industrial control system, may provide functionality that enables control and analysis of the gas turbine system. The industrial control system may, for example, include control units, field devices, and sensors that store data used in controlling the turbine system. Certain industrial control systems may use modeling to optimize the industrial control system. It would be beneficial to improve modeling to account for degrading gas turbine performance in order to maintain and / or maximize gas turbine performance.

[0003] EP 1 937 943 B1 describes a system and method for controlling a gas turbine system having the features of the preambles of patent claims 1 and 7.

[0004] US 7,810,385 B1 describes a method for determining the remaining service life of a turbine component, e.g., a turbine airfoil, suffering from creep damage in order to reuse a component that still has an acceptable remaining service life. The damaged component is removed and scanned with an optical scanner to generate a 3D solid model of the damaged component, which is compared to a 3D solid model of a corresponding undamaged component to determine the extent of creep damage on the damaged component and the length of time the component can remain in use before suffering critical damage.

[0005] US 7 203 554 B2 discloses a model-based predictive control system and method that control actuators of a gas turbine system in a manner that extends the lifetime or the time until the next maintenance or reduces the number of parts to be replaced. SHORT DESCRIPTION

[0006] Certain embodiments that are consistent with the scope of the originally claimed invention are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather are intended merely to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the invention. Thus, the invention may encompass various forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

[0007] According to a first embodiment, a system for controlling a gas turbine system comprises a gas turbine system with a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The system also comprises a control unit coupled to the gas turbine system for data transmission and configured to control operating sequences of the gas turbine system. The system further comprises a lifetime consumption model configured to determine an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system based on both a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system and operating conditions of the gas turbine system. The control unit is configured to use at least the lifetime consumption model to derive a control measure for the gas turbine system. The lifetime consumption model is configured that it calculates an actual lifetime consumption rate for the gas turbine system based on both the health of the one or more components of the gas turbine system and the operating conditions of the gas turbine system, and is further configured to use both a target lifetime consumption rate for the gas turbine system and the actual lifetime consumption rate to determine the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system. Furthermore, the lifetime consumption model is configured to adjust the target lifetime consumption rate based on the actual lifetime consumption rate.

[0008] The control unit of the aforementioned system may be designed to use the lifetime consumption model to adjust at least one power-oriented operating condition for the gas turbine system.

[0009] The control unit of the aforementioned system may be designed to use one or more combustion boundary models for the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system.

[0010] The control unit of the aforementioned system may be configured to use the at least one adjusted power-oriented operating condition and operating limits for the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system.

[0011] The control unit of the aforementioned system may be configured to use a performance-related health of one or more components of the gas turbine system to derive the control action for the gas turbine system, wherein the performance-related health represents a current performance-related health state of the one or more components relative to a performance-related health state of the one or more components when the one or more components were new.

[0012] The operating conditions of the aforementioned system may include actual operating conditions, statistically derived estimates of most likely operating conditions, or a combination thereof.

[0013] The system may include an actuator coupled to the gas turbine system, wherein the control action includes controlling the actuator.

[0014] According to a second embodiment, a method for controlling a gas turbine system comprises receiving at least one turbine operating condition of a gas turbine system and receiving a health status of at least one component of the gas turbine system. The method also comprises modeling an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system using a lifetime consumption model based on the at least one turbine operating condition and the health status of the at least one component. The lifetime consumption model calculates an actual lifetime consumption rate for the gas turbine system based on both the health status of the one or more components of the gas turbine system and the operating conditions of the gas turbine system.The method further includes outputting a control action based on at least the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system for controlling the gas turbine system. Furthermore, modeling the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system includes using a target lifetime consumption rate for the gas turbine system and the actual lifetime consumption rate for modeling the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system. The method further includes modeling the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system including adjusting the target lifetime consumption rate based on the actual lifetime consumption rate.

[0015] The method may include adjusting at least one performance-oriented operating condition for the gas turbine system based on the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system.

[0016] The method may include deriving the control action based on the at least one adjusted power-oriented operating condition and operating limits for the gas turbine system.

[0017] The method may include the at least one turbine operating condition comprising an actual operating condition or a statistically derived estimate of a most likely operating condition.

[0018] According to a third embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable code stored thereon is provided. The code includes instructions that, when executed on a processor of the gas turbine system, cause the processor to perform the steps of the inventive method for controlling a gas turbine system described above and below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a turbine system having a model-based control (MBC) unit using an ARES (adaptive real-time machine simulator) model and a LV (lifetime consumption) model, according to aspects of the present method; Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for generating the LV model for the turbine system of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for using the LV model described in Fig. 2 was generated when controlling the turbine system of Fig. 1 is. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] One or more specific embodiments of the present invention are described below. In order to succinctly describe these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation may be described in the description. It should be recognized that in developing such an actual implementation, as with any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the designers' specific goals, such as meeting system and business requirements that may differ from one implementation to the next. It should further be recognized that this development effort could be complex and time-consuming for one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, but would nevertheless be routine in design, manufacture, and production.

[0021] When elements of various embodiments of the present invention are presented, the terms "a," "an," "the," "the," and "the" are intended to mean that one or more of the elements are present. The terms "comprising," "containing," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that additional elements may be present besides those listed.

[0022] With the system disclosed herein, a model (e.g., LV model (lifetime consumption)) can be created to determine an operating lifetime of a gas turbine system (i.e., how long the gas turbine system will operate before replacement is necessary) and to use this model in controlling the operation of the gas turbine system. For example, a control unit that controls the operation of the gas turbine system is coupled to the gas turbine system for data transmission. The control unit is designed to use at least the LV model to derive a control action for the gas turbine system (e.g., controlling an actuator coupled to the gas turbine system). The control unit can also use power-oriented operating conditions, combustion limit models, operating limits (e.g., emission limits, anti-surge limits for compressors, etc.).) and / or the performance-related health of one or more components of the gas turbine system. The LV model used by the control unit determines the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system based on a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system and / or operating conditions (e.g. actual operating conditions and / or statistically derived estimates of the most likely operating conditions) of the gas turbine system. The LV model calculates an actual lifetime consumption rate (i.e. actual consumption rate of the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system) for the gas turbine system. The LV model uses both the actual lifetime consumption rate and a target lifetime consumption rate (i.e. target consumption rate of the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system) for the gas turbine system to determine the operating lifetime.The LV model further adjusts the target lifetime consumption rate based on the actual lifetime consumption rate. In certain embodiments, the lifetime consumption rate may be used by the controller to adjust one or more of the performance-oriented operating conditions of the gas turbine system. The LV model may be used in determining an improved load operating condition for the gas turbine system based at least in part on the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system. The LV model may facilitate the mitigation of machine-to-machine variations in multiple gas turbine situations.

[0023] Against this background, Fig. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a turbine system 10 (e.g., gas turbine system) in which the presently disclosed methods for determining an operating lifetime of the turbine system 10 and using the operating lifetime in controlling the performance of the turbine system 10 may be used. The illustrated turbine system 10 includes a gas turbine 12 coupled to a load 14, such as an electric generator. The gas turbine 12 includes a compressor 16, a plurality of combustors 18, each including at least one fuel nozzle 20, a turbine 22, and an exhaust section 24. As illustrated, one or more shafts 26 connect the load 14, the compressor 16, and the turbine 22. The compressor 16 and the turbine 22 each include a rotor having blades that rotate within a stator or shroud.During operation, the compressor 16 takes in air 30 and delivers compressed air 32 to the combustion chambers 18 and / or fuel nozzles 20, which then inject fuel 34 (or a fuel-air mixture) into a combustion region within the combustion chambers 18. The fuel-air mixture, in turn, combusts within the combustion chambers 18 to produce hot combustion gases 36 that drive blades within the turbine 18. When the turbine 18 is driven to rotate the shaft 26, the compressor 16 is caused to compress the air 30 into the combustion chambers 18 and / or fuel nozzles 20.

[0024] The illustrated turbine system 10 also includes a control unit 38 that can generally control the operations of the turbine system 10. In certain embodiments, for example, the control unit 38 can be coupled to a plurality of sensors 40 (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, distance sensors, flow sensors, vibration sensors, flame sensors, or other suitable sensors) arranged throughout the gas turbine 12. The control unit 38 can communicate with the sensors 40 (e.g., via a network or bus) to obtain information about the turbine 12. For example, the control unit 38 can communicate with a temperature sensor 40 coupled to the exhaust section 24 of the gas turbine 12 to receive an exhaust temperature.As another example, a flow sensor 40 coupled to the fuel nozzle 20 of the gas turbine 12 may communicate to the controller 38 the time-related amount of liquid fuel being delivered to the fuel nozzle 20. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the controller 38 may also exchange data with certain components of the turbine system (e.g., the compressor 16, the combustor 18, the turbine 22, inlet vanes (e.g., inlet guide vanes (IGV)), valves, pumps, actuators, or other suitable components) to control or modify the operation of the gas turbine 12. For example, the controller 38 may exchange data with the compressor 16 of the gas turbine 12 to instruct the field device to open or close an air inlet to allow more or less air 30 to flow into the compressor 16.The control unit 38 may additionally exchange data with a fuel actuator on the gas turbine 12 to selectively control the fuel flow, fuel distribution, and / or fuel type routed between the fuel supply 34 and the combustion chambers 18. The control unit 38 may further exchange data with additional actuators to adjust a relative position of the IGV, adjust the air return to the compressor inlet (inlet bleed heat), or activate other control settings on the gas turbine 12.

[0025] Operations performed by the control unit 38 also include sensing or modeling operating parameters, modeling the operating lifetime of the system 10, modeling operating limits, applying operating limit models, or applying scheduling algorithms that control the operation of the gas turbine 12 (e.g., based on operating limits, power-oriented operating conditions, the operating lifetime of the system 10, etc.), such as regulating fuel flow to the combustor 18. The control unit 38 uses the operating limits, the power-oriented operating conditions, combustion limit models, and / or the operating lifetime of the system 10 to generate control outputs such as those previously described.

[0026] The illustrated turbine system 10 further includes a model-based control (MBC) unit 42. The MBC unit 42 may include non-transitory code or instructions stored in a machine-readable medium (e.g., memory 41) and used by a processor (e.g., processor 43) to implement the methods disclosed herein. The MBC unit 42 may generally use one or more models (e.g., the ARES (Adaptive Real-time Engine Simulator) model 44 and / or the LV (Lifetime Consumption) model 45, which may be stored in the memory 41) to simulate the operation of a system (e.g., the turbine system 10) and / or an operational lifetime of the system. Depending on the result of the models (e.g. the ARES model 44 and / or the LV model 45), the MBC unit 42 can determine several parameters of the gas turbine 12 that are suitable for a change (e.g.to improve or modify the performance of the turbine system 10). In certain embodiments, the MBC unit 42 may be coupled to the control unit 38 for data transmission to receive information regarding the operation of the turbine system 10 (e.g., via the sensors 40). For such embodiments, the MBC unit 42 may additionally, depending on the result of the model (e.g., the ARES model 44 and / or the LV model 45), provide the control unit 38 with commands regarding one or more parameters of the gas turbine 12 that may be recommended for modification to modify the operation of the gas turbine system 10. In other embodiments, the MBC unit 42 may be part of the control unit 38 (e.g., as hardware, software, or a combination thereof) or may serve as the control unit 38, whereby the MBC unit 42 is able to directly communicate data with the sensors 40 and / or the components (e.g.,the compressor 16, the combustors 18, the turbine 22 or other suitable components) of the turbine system 10 so that it receives information and controls the operation of the turbine system 10.

[0027] For the Fig. 1, the ARES model 44 can simulate the operation of a model turbine system (e.g., modeled on the turbine system 10). For example, the ARES model 44 can receive input data regarding the operation of the gas turbine 12 either directly from the sensors 40 (e.g., via the network) or indirectly from another source (e.g., via the control unit 38 or provided by an operator). As a specific example, the ARES model 44 may receive input data from the sensors 40, including a temperature for the exhaust section 24, a flow rate for the fuel 34 flowing into the fuel nozzle 20 of the combustor 18, a flow rate for the air 30 flowing into the compressor 16, the ambient conditions near the turbine system 10, the speed of the turbine 22, the clearance between turbine and / or compressor blades and the surrounding shroud, exhaust emissions, vibration, combustion dynamics, and so on.In certain embodiments, the ARES model 44 may further receive input data about the turbine system 10 from an operator or user. For example, in certain embodiments, an operator may provide the MBC unit 42 with additional input data about the turbine system 10, such as information that may not be captured by the sensors 40.

[0028] For the Fig. 1, the LV model 45 can determine the operating lifetime of the system 10 (e.g., gas turbine 12). The LV model 45 can receive input data regarding the operation of the gas turbine 12, for example, either directly from the sensors 40 (e.g., via the network) or indirectly from another source (e.g., via the control unit 38 or provided by an operator). This input data can include a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., compressor 16, combustor 18, turbine 22, exhaust section 24, etc.). The input data can also include actual operating conditions. The input data can also include statistically derived estimates of the most likely operating conditions. The operating conditions can include the power (e.g.,load power) of the gas turbine 12, the flow, the pressure, the temperature and / or the specific humidity at the compressor inlet, the pressure and / or the temperature at the compressor outlet, the pressure and / or the temperature at the turbine outlet, the emission values (e.g. NO. x, CO, etc.), vibration amplitude, vibration frequency, spacing, grinding conditions, and other operating conditions. Other operating conditions may include flame temperature, combustion dynamics, and the temperature of metal parts (e.g., turbine casings, combustors, etc.). The input data may be used by the LV model 45 to calculate an actual lifetime consumption rate for the system 10. A target lifetime consumption rate based on a number of operating hours for the system 10 is provided to the LV model 45. The LV model 45 uses both the target lifetime consumption rate and the actual lifetime consumption rate to determine the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system 10. In certain embodiments, the LV model 45 may adjust the target lifetime consumption rate based on the actual lifetime consumption rate.For example, if the lifetime of the system 10 is consumed too quickly, the LV model 45 may adjust (e.g., lower) the lifetime consumption target rate. As described in more detail below, the control unit 38 uses the LV model 45 (e.g., the operating lifetime) to derive a control action for the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., control actuators) to determine an improved load operating condition for the gas turbine system 10.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 66 for generating a lifetime consumption model 45 for the turbine system 10 of Fig. 1. The method 66 may be implemented as executable code instructions stored on a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium such as the memory 41 described above. The method 66 includes receiving (e.g., at the processor 43) one or more turbine operating conditions 68 for the gas turbine system 10 (block 70). The operating conditions 68 may be actual operating conditions and / or statistically derived estimates of the most likely operating conditions, as described above. Some of the operating conditions 68 may include, for example, operating parameters such as the power (e.g., load power) of the gas turbine 12, the flow, pressure, temperature, and / or specific humidity at the compressor inlet, the pressure and / or temperature at the compressor outlet, the pressure and / or temperature at the turbine outlet, emissions levels (e.g., NOx, CO, etc.), and other operating conditions.In certain embodiments, the operating conditions 68 may include cycle information regarding operating parameters such as firing temperature and / or exhaust gas temperature. The method 66 also includes receiving (e.g., at the processor 43) a health status 72 (e.g., operating condition, external condition, etc.) of one or more components (e.g., compressor 16, compressor blades and / or vanes, combustor 18, fuel nozzle 20, turbine 22, turbine blades and / or vanes, exhaust section 24, etc.) of the turbine system 10 (block 74). Based on the health status 72 of one or more components of the system and the one or more operating conditions 68, the method 66 includes determining (e.g., via the processor 43) an actual lifetime consumption rate 76 (e.g., degradation rate of the system 10 and / or components of the system 10).The method 66 includes using both the actual lifetime consumption rate 76 and a lifetime consumption target rate 79 based on a number of operating hours for the system 10 to model the operational lifetime of the system 10 (block 80) to generate the LV model 45. The method 66 includes adjusting (e.g., via the processor 43) the lifetime consumption target rate 79 based on the actual lifetime consumption rate 76 (block 82) to generate an adjusted lifetime consumption target rate 84. For example, if the lifetime of the system 10 is consumed too quickly, the LV model 45 may adjust (e.g., decrease) the lifetime consumption target rate 79. However, if the lifetime of the system 10 meets expectations, the lifetime consumption target rate 79 may not be adjusted. As previously mentioned, the LV model 45 (e.g.,the operating lifetime of the system 10) is used (e.g., via the MBC unit 42 and / or the control unit 38) to derive a control action for the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., control actuators) to determine an improved load operating condition for the gas turbine system 10. This enables an active and adaptive use of an integrated control approach that combines the performance of the system 10 and lifetime consumption objectives of the hot gas paths in an overall control strategy for the system 10. With this integrated control approach, the performance of the system 10 is maintained as the gas turbine performance degrades due to operation.

[0030] Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 86 for using the LV model 45 shown in Fig. 2, when controlling the turbine system 10 of Fig. 1. The method 86 may be implemented as executable code instructions stored on a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium such as the memory 41 described above. The method 86 includes determining (e.g., via a processor 43 utilizing performance target algorithms) one or more performance-oriented operating conditions 88 or design operating conditions (block 90). The operating conditions 88 (i.e., expected conditions at certain parameters) may include, but are not limited to, an expected achievable performance of the system 10 over an ambient operating range. The performance-oriented operating conditions 88 may be determined via schedules programmed into the control unit 38 or via a model integrated into the control unit 38. The upper bounds of boundary conditions 92 are used as input data in determining the performance-oriented operating conditions 88.These boundary conditions 92 represent nominal or design operating parameters (e.g., temperatures, pressures, gas flows, etc.) for the turbine system 10. Operating boundary models may be defined by one or more physical boundaries of the turbine system 10, and the upper limits of the boundary conditions 92 represent desired conditions for the turbine system 10 at each boundary.

[0031] The method 86 also includes modeling (e.g., via the processor 43) the operational lifetime of the system 10 (block 94) to generate the LV model 45, as previously described in method 66 of Fig. 2. The method 86 further includes adjusting one or more of the performance-oriented operating conditions 88 (e.g., power demand) based on the operational lifetime of the system 10 from the LV model 45 (block 96) to generate one or more adjusted performance-oriented operating conditions 98.

[0032] The method 86 also includes the determination of combustion boundary models 100 (e.g. for emissions such as NO xand CO and / or the combustion dynamics) (block 102). The combustion boundary models 100 may be determined via the ARES model 44 of the MBC unit 42. The method 86 also includes determining the performance-related health 104 for one or more components (e.g., compressor 16, compressor blades and / or vanes, combustor 18, fuel nozzle 20, turbine 22, turbine blades and / or vanes, exhaust section 24, etc.) of the system 10 (block 106). The performance-related health 104 represents a current performance-related health of the one or more components relative to a performance-related health of the same one or more components when they were new. The performance-related health 104 may be expressed, for example, as a ratio of the current performance-related health to the performance-related health when new (i.e.,A ratio of less than 1 for the performance-related health 104 would thus represent a loss or decline in performance for the one or more components. A ratio of 1:1 for the performance-related health 104 indicates that the component's performance is not impaired.

[0033] The method 86 may further use (e.g., via a processor 43 operating with scheduling algorithms) operating limits 108 or constraints, the system operating lifetime from the LV model 45, the combustion limit models 102, and / or the performance-related health 104 of one or more components to derive a control action (block 110) for the gas turbine system 10. Operating limits 108 may include compressor surge limits, turbine outlet Mach number limits, flow limits, emissions limits, flame temperature limits, combustion dynamics limits, plant-level limits based on output or exhaust conditions, or other limits. The method 86 also includes outputting the control action for the turbine system 10 (block 112). Control actions may include controlling actuators (e.g.,Fuel valve actuator) of the turbine system 10 to selectively control fuel flow, fuel split, and / or a fuel type routed between the fuel supply 34 and the combustion chambers 18. Control actions may also include controlling actuators to adjust a relative position of IGV, adjust air return to the compressor inlet (inlet bleed heat), or activate other control settings of the turbine system 10. In certain embodiments, control actions include modifying target operating requirements for the turbine system 10. Modifying target operating requirements may include selecting between effector (e.g., actuator) position requirements that correspond to target and limit values for the operation of the turbine system 10. Alternatively, modifying target operating requirements may include modifying a target (e.g.,power up to a target level) in order to meet a specific limit. When modifying a target to meet a specific limit, integrated computer-based models of the turbine system 10 may be used to provide an estimate of the modified target based on knowledge of the machine health and associated boundary conditions. The LV model 45 (e.g., the operating lifetime of the system 10) is used, along with the other factors described above, to derive the control action for the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., control actuators) (e.g., via the MBC unit 42 and / or the control unit 38) to determine an improved load operating condition for the gas turbine system 10.This enables the active and adaptive use of an integrated control approach that combines system 10 performance and lifetime consumption objectives of the hot gas paths into an overall control strategy for system 10. With this integrated control approach, system 10 performance is maintained as gas turbine performance degrades during operation. The LV Model 45 can facilitate the mitigation of machine-to-machine variations in situations involving multiple gas turbines 12.

[0034] Technical effects of the disclosed embodiments include providing methods for determining an operating lifetime of the turbine system 10 and for using the operating lifetime along with other factors in controlling the performance of the turbine system 10. Disclosed embodiments enable developing a model (e.g., LV model 45) for determining the operating lifetime of the turbine system 10 and using this model 45 in controlling the operation of the gas turbine system 10. The LV model 45 may be used in determining an improved load operating condition for the turbine system 10 based at least in part on the operating lifetime of the turbine system 10. The LV model 45 may facilitate the mitigation of machine-to-machine variations in situations with multiple gas turbines 12.The disclosed embodiments enable active and adaptive use of an integrated control approach that combines system 10 performance and hot gas path lifetime consumption objectives into an overall control strategy for system 10. With this integrated control approach, system 10 performance is maintained as gas turbine performance degrades during operation.

[0035] In this written description, examples are used to disclose the invention, including the best mode contemplated, and also to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using devices or systems and performing methods incorporated therein. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims and may include other examples that occur to one skilled in the art. These other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not depart from the precise language of the claims or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the precise language of the claims.

[0036] A system comprises a gas turbine system having a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The system also comprises a control unit coupled to the gas turbine system for data transmission and configured to control operations of the gas turbine system. The system further comprises a lifetime consumption model configured to determine an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system based on both a health status of one or more components of the gas turbine system and operating conditions of the gas turbine system. The control unit is configured to use at least the lifetime consumption model to derive a control action for the gas turbine system.

Claims

[1] System for controlling a gas turbine system (10), comprising: a gas turbine system (10) comprising a compressor (16), a combustor (18) and a turbine (22); a control unit (38) coupled to the gas turbine system (10) for data transmission and designed to control operating sequences of the gas turbine system (10); and a lifetime consumption model (45) configured to determine an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10) based on both a health status (72) of one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) and operating conditions (68) of the gas turbine system (10), wherein the lifetime consumption model (45) is configured to calculate an actual lifetime consumption rate (76) for the gas turbine system (10) based on both the health status (72) of the one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) and the operating conditions (68) of the gas turbine system, and wherein the control unit (38) is designed to use at least the lifetime consumption model (45) to derive a control measure for the gas turbine system (10), characterized by , that the lifetime consumption model (45) is configured to use both a lifetime consumption target rate (79) for the gas turbine system (10) and the actual lifetime consumption rate (76) to determine the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10), and is further configured to adjust the lifetime consumption target rate (79) based on the actual lifetime consumption rate (76). [2] The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit (38) is configured to use the lifetime consumption model (45) to adjust at least one power-oriented operating condition (88) for the gas turbine system (10). [3] The system of claim 2, wherein the control unit (38) is configured to use one or more combustion limit models (100) for the gas turbine system (10) to derive the control action for the gas turbine system (10); and / or wherein the control unit (38) is configured to use the at least one adjusted power-oriented operating condition (98) and operating limits (108) for the gas turbine system (10) to derive the control action for the gas turbine system (10). [4] The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit (38) is configured to use a performance-related health (104) of one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) to derive the control action for the gas turbine system (10), and wherein the performance-related health (104) represents a current performance-related health state of the one or more components relative to a performance-related health state of the one or more components when the one or more components were new. [5] The system of claim 1, wherein the operating conditions (68) comprise actual operating conditions, statistically derived estimates of most likely operating conditions, or a combination thereof. [6] The system of claim 1, comprising an actuator coupled to the gas turbine system (10), and wherein the control action comprises controlling the actuator. [7] A method for controlling a gas turbine system (10), comprising: Receiving at least one turbine operating condition (68) of a gas turbine system (10); Receiving a health status (72) of at least one component of the gas turbine system (10); Modelling an operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10) using a lifetime consumption model (45) based on the at least one turbine operating condition (68) and the health status (72) of the at least one component, wherein the lifetime consumption model (45) calculates an actual lifetime consumption rate (76) for the gas turbine system (10) based on both the health status (72) of the one or more components of the gas turbine system (10) and the operating conditions (68) of the gas turbine system (10); and Outputting a control action based on at least the modeled operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10) for controlling the gas turbine system (10); characterized by , that the lifetime consumption model (45) uses both a lifetime consumption target rate (79) for the gas turbine system (10) and the actual lifetime consumption rate (76) to determine the operating lifetime of the gas turbine system (10), and that it adjusts the lifetime consumption target rate (79) based on the actual lifetime consumption rate (76). [8] A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable code stored thereon, the code comprising instructions which, when executed on a processor (43) of the gas turbine system (10), cause the processor (43) to perform the steps of the method for controlling a gas turbine system (10) according to claim 7.

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