MD&A Gas Turbine Compressor Rotor Blade Re-staking in the UK

When an overseas steam-side client asks you back to manage a gas turbine project, that confirms confidence in your project leadership, full-scope knowledge, and technical depth. Mechanical Dynamics & Analysis (MD&A) is a GE® 9FA turbine full-service provider.

MD&A was contracted to manage and apply their hands-on skills to disassemble, inspect, re-stake, and reassemble a 9FA gas turbine with DLN 2.6 Gas Only configuration in the United Kingdom, ultimately saving both time and project cost for the owner/operator.

Throughout each stage of the project, comprehensive inspections were performed, assessed and verified by MD&A experts, drawing on our world-class experience and knowledge.

MD&A arrived and immediately set up the foreign material exclusion zone inside the turbine compartment, removed all piping and ducting, then addressed the forward can assemblies. We worked closely with the customer to help procure specialized ITH equipment specific for their gas turbine.

The upper half combustion system transition pieces were soon removed allowing compressor blade inspection. The rotor was pushed downstream to take as-found turbine clearance measurements.

Visual inspection of the Stage 17 rotor blades showed migration downstream. At this point in the project, flowpath staking work was performed and NDE-verified on all R-17 compressor blades.

With re-staking complete, reinstallations and close-out inspections began.

While reinstalling the transition pieces, MD&A detected misalignments from a previous major outage. An inner floating seal had not been properly engaged. A new seal was installed by MD&A and work continued.          

Setback readings were then taken and reviewed by MD&A experts. Consensus was reached to continue buildout of the combustion system.

Next, the majority of the turbine and combustion piping was installed and a close-out inspection of the combustion system was performed with the owner/operator. The upper half turbine shell manway cover was installed and work began on the turbine compartment roof sections.

Ducting work soon followed, leading to pressure testing of the turbine compartment. Positive and negative ventilation were tested and passed.

The turbine compartment was then cleaned and the site team demobilized. On-site work was completed in 26 days.

Throughout the project, sequenced and unobstructed photographs were taken of all inspection findings and details. Communication & follow-through was key to this & all projects success.

Specific recommendations were prepared for the owner/operator that included well-defined borescope examination locations and intervals, monitoring locations, and precise rationale for each task.    

Every MD&A project concludes with a comprehensive report featuring specific recommendations in addition to spare parts review.

Bringing such expertise onsite not only assures success, but also offers a learning process for all participants. During the critical lift meeting, MD&A professionals added an experience-based recommendation going forward, suggesting a jacking system upgrade that would further improve efficiency for the customer on future projects.

This project exemplified many of the knowledge-based benefits brought to a project by MD&A, including:

• Forward-looking analysis and communication with all project participants.
• Globally recognized attention to detail.
• Project management skills and coordination.
• Clear understanding of the owner/operator’s schedule and cost.
• A strong commitment to all rotating equipment as part of a complete gas turbine/steam turbine/generator portfolio.
• Specific commitment to long-term operation of large-frame gas turbines.

MD&A’s technical directors and service technicians bring decades of experience to each project regardless of OEM, a process now proven in more than 20 countries worldwide.

We invite you to discuss any gas turbine, steam turbine or generator rotor issues with us today. Call our Turbine-Generator Repair Facility in the U.S. at (314) 880-3000.

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