Operating Experience With 750/1000-KW Gas Turbines

After giving a brief survey of some of the salient design features of the Mark TA 750/1000-kw gas turbine, an account is given of some of the different categories of application found for this machine on all six Continents of the World, indicating the economic factors which have led to the selection of gas turbines rather than alternative types of prime mover. The main portion of the paper deals with the operating experience which has been obtained on turbines burning natural gas, distillate, and crude oil fuels. The operation of twenty-nine Mark TA turbines which are now in service has been noteworthy for its complete freedom from blade breakages or other major failures. The few service troubles which have arisen, in nearly all cases, have been concerned with the operation of auxiliary equipment, and further development work is actively in progress on these items, in conjunction with the specialist manufacturers concerned, where necessary. The paper ends with an assessment of likely future trends in the application of medium-power gas turbines. Attention is given to the integration of the turbine with packaged assisted circulation boilers in order to provide compactness and flexibility of output.