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Suspended micrometric particles are always present in the air swallowed by gas turbines. These solid particles can overpass the filters of heavy-duty gas turbines and deposit onto the internal surfaces of the compressor, leading to the overtime reduction of the machine performances, and, as a result, to the fuel consumption augmentation. A widely employed method to slow down the engine degradation is to wash the engine frequently. Over the years, the washing techniques have been continuously improved in order to reach the best compromise between low fluid consumption and high washing capabilities. In this work, an experimental campaign has been carried out to estimate the washing effectiveness on a multistage axial-flow compressor fouled with micrometric soot particles. The cleaning fluids tested in the present work were demineralized water and two cleaners provided by ZOK International Group ltd: a commercial cleaner available on the market (ZOK 27), and a new, under development, environmentally-sensitive formula. The fluids have been tested employing three droplet size distributions (with mean diameters of 20 μm, 50 μm, and 100 μm). The washing effectiveness has been assessed through image post-processing techniques by analyzing the pictures of the stator vanes and rotor blades taken in fouled and washed conditions. From the present investigation, two results arise. The finest droplets show a greater capability to remove soot deposits showing how, when the washing operation takes place during quasi-idle operating condition, the turbulent-driven motion spread smaller particles on a wider blade region. The second results is the demonstration how a environmentally-sensitive chemical formula allows the obtainment of good results in terms removal capability for the same amount of product. This finding could help the plant manager to operate the gas turbine with less constraints in terms of cost and rules.

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In this paper, several experimental tests have been carried out on a multistage compressor unit. A detailed analysis has been carried out considering soil and soot ingestion, as well as the air relative humidity (ranging from 50 %RH to 80 %RH) and compressor rotating velocity. Several combinations of particle diameter, material, and operating conditions have been considered. The amount of contaminant at the compressor outlet has been measured and the capture efficiency of the whole machine has been determined. Over the exposure time, the capture efficiency ranges from 0.2 to 0.6 according to the powder type and compressor inlet conditions. The capability of the compressor to collect particles changes over time as a function of the condition, even if, several tested cases appear characterized by an almost constant capture efficiency trend. In addition, the performance degradation has been monitored over time and, with the reference of the particle concentration, the present experimental campaign covers about 500 operating hours of an actual installation. After a detailed evaluation of experimental uncertainty, the performance losses due to particle contamination has been assessed. The losses in the compressor performance have been estimated by means of the pressure ratio of the axial stages. The maximum degradation has been estimated equal to 0.53 % per hour for the compressor pressure ratio. Soot particles appear stickier, especially in the presence of higher humidity and represent the most detrimental operating conditions for the compressor unit.

No abstract