METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A COMPRESSOR AND A GAS TURBINE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for mounting a compressor and a gas turbine of a first type at a position of an existing power plant where previously a compressor and a gas turbine of a second type were mounted on a foundation specifically designed for this second type, wherein the types differ from each other at least with regard to the position and / or the number of anchor points at which the compressor and the gas turbine are connected to the foundation directly and / or via support structures.

[0002] US 2014 / 250916 A1, GB 702487 A, EP 0246470 A1 and EP 2278128 A2 disclose methods and designs for mounting turbines on a foundation.

[0003] The US 2014 / 250916 A1 reveals only a first gas turbine with a bearing and a first foundation.

[0004] Compressors and gas turbines in power plants are installed on foundations specifically designed for them. In other words, each foundation is designed to provide anchor points at the positions and in the number required to connect the compressor and gas turbine to the foundation via their respective support structures. This allows for the transfer of weight forces and operational forces into the foundation through these support structures. The position and number of anchor points are design-specific and determined by the manufacturer. Therefore, they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Thus, compressors and gas turbines from one manufacturer cannot be mounted on foundations designed for compressors and gas turbines from another manufacturer.When a power plant's compressor and gas turbines need replacing, operators typically choose to order the new compressor and turbine from the same manufacturer that supplied the original components, even if a competitor offers a better price. Only if the new components can no longer be obtained from the original manufacturer, for example, because the company has gone out of business, are offers from other manufacturers considered. In this case, the old foundation is replaced with a new one, specifically adapted to the new compressor and turbine. However, foundation replacement is very time-consuming, resulting in extended power plant downtime and correspondingly high costs.Furthermore, the renewal of a foundation can lead to the loss of the operating license, requiring a new approval process with uncertain downtime.

[0005] Starting from this state of the art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative method of the type mentioned at the outset, which enables the power plant operator to replace compressors and gas turbines of a first type with those of a second type without suffering any significant disadvantages.

[0006] To solve this problem, the present invention provides a method of the type mentioned above, characterized in that the new compressor and the new gas turbine are mounted on the existing foundation using an adapter structure. The adapter structure compensates, in particular, for the different positions and / or number of anchor points of the two designs, so that the new compressor and the new gas turbine can be mounted using their support structures. A significant advantage of the method according to the invention is that compressors and gas turbines can be replaced by those of a different design without requiring any modification or renewal of the existing foundation. Accordingly, despite the change in design, no additional power plant downtime or permitting procedures are to be expected.

[0007] According to the present invention, the existing foundation has several upwardly projecting foundation blocks, and the adapter construction comprises a number of metallic base plates corresponding to the number of foundation blocks, at the

[0008] The top surfaces of the superstructures are positioned, defining anchor points for the new compressor and / or for the new gas turbine and / or for support structures of the new compressor and / or the new gas turbine, with the base plates each being positioned on and attached to one of the foundation blocks.

[0009] Preferably, the base plates are attached to the foundation blocks using existing anchor bolts that are anchored in the foundation blocks and whose free ends protrude upwards from the foundation blocks. Accordingly, no modification of the existing anchor bolts is necessary for the installation of the base plates.

[0010] Advantageously, the base plates feature downward-extending side walls that are positioned laterally against the corresponding foundation block during assembly. This allows forces acting perpendicular to the vertical to be transferred into the foundation not only via the anchor bolts but also via these side walls.

[0011] The base plates and / or the side walls extending downwards from them preferably have a thickness of at least 40 mm. Thus, the thickness of a base plate arranged below the compressor is preferably in the range of 90 to 110 mm, and the thickness of a base plate arranged below the gas turbine is preferably in the range of 40 to 60 mm.

[0012] According to the present invention, at least two structures in the form of compressor mounting blocks are provided on the upper surface of a first base plate. The compressor to be mounted, or a support structure for it, is placed on these blocks and attached to them. These compressor mounting blocks compensate for positional and height differences between the anchor points of the old compressor and the anchor points of the new compressor. Preferably, structures in the form of gas turbine mounting blocks are provided on the upper surface of a second base plate. Support structures mounted on the gas turbine are attached to these gas turbine mounting blocks. These gas turbine mounting blocks also compensate for positional and height differences between the anchor points of the old gas turbine and the anchor points of the new gas turbine.

[0013] According to the present invention, a structure in the form of a bracket is provided on the upper side of the second base plate, to which a support structure in the form of a central guide, provided on the gas turbine to be mounted, is attached. Forces acting transversely to the vertical are then introduced into the foundation via this bracket.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention provides an adapter construction characterized in that it is designed for attachment to foundation blocks of a power plant foundation and defines anchor points for a compressor and / or a gas turbine and / or for support structures of a compressor and / or for support structures of a gas turbine, wherein the compressor and / or the gas turbine has / have a predetermined design.

[0015] Preferably, the adapter construction comprises several metallic base plates, each designed for arrangement and attachment to one of the foundation blocks, with structures provided on the tops of the base plates that define the anchor points.

[0016] Advantageously, at least two structures in the form of compressor mounting blocks are provided on the upper side of a first base plate, which are designed in such a way that the compressor and / or at least a compressor support structure of the same can be placed and fastened onto them.

[0017] On the upper side of a second base plate, structures in the form of gas turbine mounting blocks are preferably provided, which are designed in such a way that the gas turbine and / or at least a gas turbine support structure of the same can be placed and fastened onto them.

[0018] Advantageously, a structure in the form of a bracket is provided on the upper side of the second base plate, which is designed to attach a support structure in the form of a central guide to it, provided for the gas turbine to be mounted.

[0019] According to one embodiment, downward-extending side walls are provided on the base plates, which are designed to be positioned against one of the foundation blocks during the assembly of the respective base plate.

[0020] Advantageously, the base plates and / or the side walls extending downwards from them have a plate thickness of at least 40mm.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention proposes to use an adapter construction according to the invention when carrying out a method according to the invention.

[0022] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawing. This drawing includes Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a compressor and a gas turbine mounted on a power plant foundation using an adapter structure; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the in Figure 1 Figure 3 shows the foundation with the adapter structure attached to it; Figure 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of a first part of the adapter structure and of anchor bolts of the foundation; and Figure 4 shows an enlarged perspective view of a second part of the adapter structure and of anchor bolts of the foundation.

[0023] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a compressor 1 and a gas turbine 2 of a first design, arranged on a foundation 4 within a power plant 3. The foundation 4 is specifically designed for a compressor and a gas turbine of a second design, which are not shown in detail here. The compressor 1 and gas turbine 2 of the first design differ from the compressor and gas turbine of the second design at least in that the position and number of anchor points differ, where the compressor and gas turbine are connected to the foundation 4 directly and / or via associated support elements. Further differences may also exist, particularly with regard to the external dimensions of the components.In order to still be able to mount the compressor 1 and the gas turbine 2 on the foundation 4, an adapter construction 7 is placed on the foundation 4, which in this case has two cuboid foundation blocks 5 and 6, which compensates for the different positions and / or the different number of anchor points of both types of construction.

[0024] In the present case, the adapter structure 7 comprises two metallic base plates 8 and 9, each designed to be positioned on and attached to one of the foundation blocks 5 and 6. The base plates 8 and 9 are attached via the existing anchor bolts 10 of the foundation 4, which are anchored in the foundation blocks 5 and 6 and whose free ends project upwards from them, as shown in the Figures 3 and 4As indicated, vertically downwards from base plates 8 and 9, side walls 11 extend, designed such that, in the assembled state, they are positioned laterally against the associated foundation block 5, 6. In the case of the first base plate 8, these side walls 11 abut all four sides of foundation block 5, and in the case of base plate 9, they abut three sides of foundation block 6. The thickness of the first base plate 8 and its side walls 11 is 100 mm, and the thickness of the second base plate 10 and its side walls 11 is 50 mm. Structures are positioned on the upper surfaces of base plates 8 and 9, defining anchor points for support structures of the compressor 1 and the gas turbine 2, respectively. The base plate 8 comprises two structures in the form of compressor mounting blocks 12, onto which compressor support structures 13 are placed, so that the compressor 1 rests on the compressor mounting blocks 12.The second base plate 9 comprises, firstly, structures in the form of two gas turbine mounting blocks 14, to which rod-shaped gas turbine support structures 15, mounted on the gas turbine 2, are attached. Secondly, the second base plate 9 comprises a structure in the form of a centrally arranged bracket 16, to which a support structure in the form of a central guide 17, provided for the gas turbine 2, is attached. Forces acting primarily vertically, in particular the weight forces of the compressor 1 and the gas turbine 2, are transferred via the adapter structure 7 into the foundation 4 through the compressor support structures 13 and the gas turbine support structures 15. The central guide 17 primarily serves to transfer forces acting transversely to the vertical, which may occur during the operation of the compressor 1 and the gas turbine 2, into the foundation 4 via the adapter structure 7.

[0025] To mount compressor 1 and gas turbine 2 of the first type at the position in power plant 3 where a compressor and gas turbine of the second type were previously mounted on the foundation 4 specifically designed for this second type, the adapter structure 7 is first attached to the foundation 4. In other words, the base plates 8 and 9 are mounted to the foundation blocks 5 and 6 via the existing anchor bolts 10. In a second step, compressor 1 and gas turbine 2 with their support structures are then positioned on the adapter structure 7, whereupon the compressor support structures 13, the gas turbine support structures 15, and the central guide 17 are attached to the corresponding superstructures. The attachment can be either temporary or permanent, using a welding process or similar method.

[0026] The key advantage of using adapter construction 7 is that compressor 1 and gas turbine 2 can be mounted on the existing foundation blocks 5 and 6, even though these foundation blocks 5 and 6 are not designed to support compressor 1 and gas turbine 2. Consequently, it is not necessary to modify or renew the existing foundation 4. Therefore, despite the change in design, no additional power plant downtime or permitting procedures are expected.

[0027] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by the preferred embodiment, the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples and other variations may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Method for mounting a compressor (1) and a gas turbine (2) of a first design at a position of an existing power plant (3), at which position a compressor and a gas turbine of a second design were previously mounted on a foundation (4) specifically designed for this second design, wherein the designs differ from each other at least in terms of the position and / or the number of anchoring points, at which the compressor and the gas turbine are connected directly and / or via supporting structures to the foundation, wherein the new compressor (1) and the new gas turbine (2) are mounted on the existing foundation (4) using an adapter construction (7), wherein the existing foundation (4) has a plurality of upwardly projecting foundation blocks (5, 6), and in that the adapter construction (7) comprises a number of metallic base plates (8, 9) corresponding to the number of foundation blocks (5, 6), on the top side of which structures are positioned, which structures define anchoring points for the new compressor (1) and / or for the new gas turbine (2) and / or for supporting structures for the new compressor (1) and / or the new gas turbine (2), wherein the base plates (8, 9) are each positioned on one of the foundation blocks (5, 6) and are fastened to it.

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the base plates (8, 9) are fastened to the foundation blocks (5, 6) by way of existing anchor bolts (10) which are anchored in the foundation blocks (5, 6) and the free ends of which project upwards from the foundation blocks (5, 6).

3. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that downward extending side walls (11) are provided on the base plates (8, 9), which side walls are positioned so as to bear laterally against the assigned foundation block (5, 6) during assembly.

4. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base plates (8, 9) and / or the side walls (11) extending downwards from them have a plate thickness of at least 40 mm.

5. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least two structures in the form of compressor mounting blocks (12) are provided on the top side of a first base plate (8), onto which structures the compressor (1) to be mounted or in each case one supporting structure (13) thereof is placed and to which it is fastened.

6. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that structures in the form of gas turbine mounting blocks (14) are provided on the top side of a second base plate (9), to which structures supporting structures (15) mounted on the gas turbine (2) are fastened.

7. Method according to Claim 6, characterized in that a structure in the form of a bracket (16) is provided on the top side of the second base plate (9), to which structure a supporting structure in the form of a central guide (17) provided on the gas turbine (2) to be mounted is fastened.