Towards an automated system for industrial gas turbine acceptance testing

To prove to a customer that a new or overhauled gas turbine satisfies its contractual performance, mechanical and emissions target, an acceptance test is normally performed by the manufacturer. Such acceptance tests typically involve running the turbine through its operational envelope based on a predefined test schedule, with information regarding the thermodynamic and mechanical performance as well as exhaust emission levels gathered. Decisions relating to acceptance and subsequent certification are made on the basis of agreed criteria. At present, these tests proceed in a time-consuming, sequential manner which relies heavily on manual intervention. Proposed is an automated system for acceptance testing which will directly address the aforementioned issues through improvements in efficiency and throughput. The proposed system will provide a data archive and access system which will automate data acquisition, facilitate real-time fault diagnostics and create and manage all test documentation. In this paper, an overview of the requirements for acceptance testing is presented and the principal components of an automated system for industrial gas turbine acceptance testing are identified.