Optimum Use of Existing Sensor Information for Gas Turbine Diagnostics

Gas Path Analysis, (GPA), has been proven a powerful tool for Gas Turbine fault detection and isolation. Restriction on GPA effectiveness is mainly due to limited instrumentation imposed by sensor technology and plant integrity. The main concept proposed in the past for overcoming this situation is based on exploiting existing sensor information from different operating conditions. In this paper, potential problems in diagnosis based on methods implementing the above concept are evaluated and a novel method is described. The new method is based on safer assumptions regarding the fault appearance on Gas turbines. The main idea is to exploit different sensor deviation values produced on the same operating point defined through different operating parameters. Application of the proposed method shows significant improvements regarding reliable Gas Turbine Diagnosis.