Efficiency Maps for Tracking Component Degradation in Combined Cycle Power Plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Combined cycle power plants face challenges in diagnosing performance degradation due to the combined operation of gas and steam turbines, making it difficult to determine which component is causing efficiency decreases.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system using a processor and memory to build efficiency maps through an in situ adaptive tabulation algorithm, comparing operational parameters to baseline efficiencies and identifying degrading components by interpolating and storing new states in a binary tree database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If combined cycle power plant operates with gas turbine and steam turbine together, then overall power generation efficiency increases, but difficulty in diagnosing performance degradation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the combined cycle system into separate analytical components by creating individual efficiency maps for the gas turbine cycle and steam turbine cycle. This allows independent monitoring and diagnosis of each cycle's performance, resolving the diagnostic difficulty while maintaining the combined operation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces efficiency maps as an intermediary diagnostic tool that translates complex combined cycle performance data into separate, interpretable efficiency metrics for each turbine cycle, enabling accurate performance degradation detection without disrupting the integrated power generation system.
2Measurement precision
If efficiency maps are built with high measurement precision, then component degradation tracking accuracy improves, but data storage and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a hybrid approach where commonly queried efficiency points are pre-calculated and stored in lookup tables, while less frequently accessed points are calculated on-demand. This partial pre-computation strategy achieves high measurement precision for critical parameters while reducing overall data storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary calculation and storage of efficiency map data at key operating points before actual performance monitoring begins. This advance preparation enables rapid, accurate degradation tracking during operation without requiring extensive real-time computational resources or storage capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory computer readable medium stores instructions that are executed by a processor of a monitoring that when executed, the processor receives a state of at least one operational parameter of the turbomachinery. Then, the processor determines whether the state is within a region of accuracy of a stored record of a stored state stored in the memory. When the state is within the region of accuracy, the processor determines at least one operating condition from the stored record. Alternatively, when the state is not within the first region of accuracy, the processor stores the state as a new record in the memory.