GE continuous tuning software question

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Thread Starter

TurboYankee

We have four 7FA's. Combustor dynamics on startup is literally very shaky, and we cycle a lot. Bearing no. mounting brackets for TC's and fire protection heat detectors break loose from the tunnel wall, conduit breaks and fittings unscrew shorting out wires, and this stuff requires several hours to access for repair because you have to enter through the HRSG. The armored jacket on exhaust thermocouple wires also wears through and the wires break at the TC heads, taking them out as well.

Additionally, the HRSG duct burner vertical supports often break free from the top of the HRSGs and come crashing down on the duct burner elements. We've even had one element lose a four foot section making those duct burners unavailable until outage. So less than optimum combustor dynamics on startup alone is a financial incentive to install the continuous tuning software.

Continuous tuning is supposed to result in better combustor dynamics across the whole range of operation, and improve efficiency at the same time. At 1/4 billion dollars or more per year for gas, even small improvements in efficiency can cover the cost rather quickly, and reduction in physical damage would improve unit and duct burner availablity, reliability, and reduce maintenance costs.

But with a price tag of $1,000,000 per unit for the software package, (might be negotiable, might not), plus the cost of upgrading from Mark V's to Mark Ve's just to run the software, my question is does anyone run this software and if so, does it do the job GE says it will?
 
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