Gas Turbine Maintenance Segmentation for Liquefied Gas Plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
The maintenance of heavy-duty gas turbines in liquefied gas production plants is costly and time-consuming due to their weight and structural complexity, leading to significant reductions in plant productivity and prolonged production train stoppages.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a procedure that utilizes an auxiliary group of gas turbines to maintain continuous production by sequentially substituting and maintaining groups of gas turbines, minimizing downtime and optimizing maintenance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy duty gas turbines are used in production plants, then reliability is improved, but maintenance complexity and time increase due to their weight and structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gas turbine maintenance into modular segments by creating separate maintenance groups that can be worked on independently. The production train is segmented into multiple groups, allowing maintenance to be performed on one group while others continue operating, thus reducing overall maintenance complexity and time despite the heavy-duty nature of the turbines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by planning and scheduling maintenance operations in advance. Maintenance groups are pre-organized and scheduled before actual maintenance is needed, allowing for systematic preparation and execution. This preliminary planning enables better coordination of heavy maintenance operations and reduces on-site complexity.
2Ease of repair
If entire production trains are stopped for maintenance of all gas turbines, then maintenance can be performed comprehensively, but productivity is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the production train into multiple independent groups of gas turbines. This segmentation allows maintenance to be performed on only one group at a time while other groups continue to produce gas, thus maintaining plant productivity while achieving comprehensive maintenance coverage through systematic rotation between groups.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining at least one operational gas turbine group during maintenance operations. The systematic rotation and replacement of maintenance groups guarantees that production continues uninterrupted or with minimal interruption, thus preserving plant productivity while enabling comprehensive maintenance.
3Ease of repair
If dismantling operations are performed on heavy duty gas turbines, then maintenance can be effectuated, but time and cost increase due to their weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the maintenance operation into manageable phases and groups. By dividing the dismantling and maintenance process into sequential steps and assigning them to specific maintenance groups, the patent reduces the time required for each individual maintenance operation, thereby minimizing overall maintenance time despite the heavy weight of the gas turbines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-preparing maintenance equipment, tools, and personnel before actual dismantling operations begin. This preliminary preparation reduces on-site delays and accelerates the dismantling process, thus reducing maintenance time while still enabling thorough maintenance of the heavy-duty turbines.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling the useful life of gas turbines of a production plant includes a) creating a succession of gas generator groups of gas turbines to be subjected to maintenance, b) substituting a first gas generator group of gas turbines of the succession with an auxiliary gas generator group, c) inspecting the first substituted gas generator group of gas turbines, d) substituting a second gas generator group of gas turbines of the succession with the first verified gas generator group of gas turbines, e) inspecting the second substituted gas generator group of gas turbines, and f) repeating steps b), c) d) and e) for all the gas generator groups of gas turbines of the succession.