The first day was dedicated to end users. The end user day consisted of numerous case studies on noteworthy events and lessons learned. Users Q&A session was added in the end of the User day where questions listed as part of the pre-conference questionnaire was discussed in detail between end users.

Some of the Key lessons discussed:

• Experience of using alternative parts for V94.3A unit
  • A presentations was made reviewing condition of the alternative turbine components after 1st cycle of operation.
  • Comparison of alternative refurbished and new parts condition after operation.
• Atep upgrade experience and HGPI
  • New parts and accessories installed during upgrade and inspection.
  • Casing, compressor, rotor, combustor and turbine modifications.
  • Testing and results after the upgrade.
• Casing hot air leakage
  • Scope of the unit and findings.
  • Preventative works done during the outage.
  • Indication of heat & CO distribution.
  • Corrective works done and full works scope.
• H2 automatic purge system
  • H2 purge system hardware.
  • Results after implementation.
  • Flow measurements, integration time of the controller.
  • Problems encountered.
• Earth fault of generator
  • Repair procedure of Generator.
  • Earth fault of generator stator.
  • Root cause and thermal analysis.
  • Generator repair time schedule
     

Many more topics were discussed including a lot of technical information and experience sharing between end users during the user Q&A session.

If you own and operate a V94.3A gas turbine and are not part of GTUsers Users Group, please visit now GTUsers.com and register.

Ansaldo Energia day
Ansaldo Energia joined the end users of AE94.3A and SGT5-4000F gas turbine in Rome, for a profitable interaction. A remarkable opportunity to get in touch and face up the most relevant topics related to the operation and maintenance selected by the utilities.
Ansaldo day included the following main topic areas:

• Maintenance updates
• Compressor vane rings study
• H2 experience and development
• Digitalization & AE products
• AE product portfolio update
• Steam turbine services & solutions for cycling power plants
• Generator repair experience's on site
• AE meet the specialists

AE summarizing comments:

Starting from the awareness of the existing fleet, the market and the energy transition challenges and opportunities, Ansaldo Energia presented its vision of this gas turbine improvement, thanks to its 20+ years  field and upgrading experience. These values, together with the continuous AE94.3A frame technology development make up a wide offering product portfolio, including digital and decarbonization solutions, that have been presented to the end users to support them in a sustainable and competitive energy transition.

And of course most importantly; AE answered with detailed replies to end user questions during the Q&A session. Again GTUsers with the SteerCo collected end user questions in advance and all questions were replied in detail by Ansaldo with lively discussion.

OEM Siemens Energy day

Siemens Energy gave detailed lectures and presented products like Advanced Turbine Efficiency Package (ATEP) and Advanced Plant Efficiency Package (APEP), which help us all to further decarbonize, but also solutions for grid stability like the Rotating Grid Stabilizer, which is needed for the energy transition. Some of the other highlights from Siemens day were:

•  Options and roadmap for H2 deployment in SGT5-4000F.
•  Service of the future - gas turbines in decarbonized energy world.
•  New burner technology for future emission requirements.
•  World-class portfolio for operational flexibility.
•  Digitalization portfolio.
•  Market place to meet the experts.

SE summarizing comments:
We thoroughly enjoyed this successful conference and were able to take home 2 important Key Take Aways:
Energy Transformation: Gas turbines are an important enabler and honestly, we can't do it alone - but together!

And of course most importantly; SE gave detailed replies to end user questions during the Q&A session. Again GTUsers with the SteerCo collected end user questions in advance and all questions were replied by SE with lively discussion.

MECHANICAL DYNAMICS & ANALYSIS

MD&A, longtime supporters of GT Users were delighted to be able to present in person to the 2022 V94.3A User Group.

MD&A’s San Antonio Service center is an industry leader in gas turbine component repair, our facility has leading-edge equipment and repair techniques with proven expertise on multiple-frame gas turbine hot gas path and combustion components.

Our enhanced Siemens V94.3A Turbine new parts use proprietary advanced technology. The improved designs of the components, based on the extensive repair history of these OEM products, extend the service life by minimizing oxidation, creep, and metal temperatures.

MD&A presentation – ‘Review of MD&A V94.3A4X New Make Components After their 1st Service Interval & Life Time Extension Case Studies’  covered;

•     HGP Components Replacement  Options
•     Reliability Risks of Gas Turbine Components
•     Life Time Extension (LTE) – Quick Case Studies
•     Rewards of LTE
•     MD&A V94.3A4 1B and 1V Fleet Leaders Performance
•     Combustion Tuning
•     Obsolescence of HGP Components
•     Risk Mitigation

Arnold Group, The most advanced Turbine Insulation combined with high performance heating System.

Werner Arnold & Pierre Ansmann from Arnold Group made a presentation of their succesfull Advanced Single Layer Turbine Warming System including detailed axial flow steam turbine case study.
It is based on accurate 3-dimensional shaped insulation blankets for perfect fitting to turbine surface.

  Benefits:

• Increased IMA (In Market Availability)
• Decreased Startup costs/time
• Reduced thermal fatigue and longer component MTTR (mean time to repair)
• Operational flexibility
• Increased monitoring and diagnostics for CBM (Condition based maintenance) programs

  Arnold full services for gas turbines include:

• Flexible Gas Turbine Insulation Systems
• Flexible Steam Turbine Insulation Systems
• Mobile On-Site Machining Services
• Supply of temporary workers for Mechanical Field Service 
• Steam turbine heating system for fast startups

Bohemia Market

Bohemia Market presented Cybersecurity concerns of DCS and GT control Systems. What is cybersecurity and how safe is your control system?

Equipment:

• DCS
• GT controls
• HMI
• Process cards and stations

Personnel:

• Employees
• External Contractors
• Default Passwords
• Compromised Devices
• Undocumented Equipment

CVE - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program identify, define, and catalog publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Bohemia Market has mapped and identified vulnerabilities in its Knowledge Base Spare Parts Database and assists Clients to Identify, Evaluate an Act convert ing Cyber-Security Requirements into Actionable Tasks:

• Risk Identification
• Risk Register
• Actions
• Deliverables

Minimax

Identify and control fire risks on gas turbines

Industrial gas turbines, which are used in the oil and gas industry, for example, drive generators for power generation or compressors (mechanical drives) for gas compression or gas liquefaction. The operating temperature inside turbine acoustic enclosures can reach up to 120°C and the surface temperature of the turbine itself up to 800 °C. Oils leaking from the leaks in oil pipelines can easily
get ignited on these hot surfaces. Once lit, a fire can quickly spread to other areas due to the high air flow rate actually used for cooling. Long downtimes and higher costs are often the result.
 
The flexible fire protection solution: TurbineProtect

TurbineProtect combines industrial fire detectors and fire detection systems and suppression control with various fire protection technologies such as:

• CO2 High and low-pressure fire extinguishing systems
• Oxeo inert gas fire extinguishing systems (with argon or nitrogen)
• Minifog ProCon XP high-pressure water mist suppression systems

This enables a reliable integrated fire protection solution that can be individually customised to therequirements on site. Other solutions according to customer requirements are also possible.

We take the challenge

Fire protection solutions for the entire hydrogen production facilities!
Contact us for more information

In the V94.3A user conference there were also present multiple other important 3rd party service providers:

Hartmann Valves

Liburdi

Freudenberg

Sulzer