An inspection is designed to keep you in the know. Doesn’t matter if you’re always keeping up with maintenance and use the best quality products.
Wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? Neglecting a regular inspection can give you consequences ranging from producing inferior product to using up far more money than you should. Fortunately, this simple obligation has far-reaching consequences that affects everyone in and around your business. Your yearly turbine inspection should be just about due, with the winter season ready to put stress on your equipment. Borescope services can look at your business from top-to-bottom and figure out just what’s missing.
Brush up on your industry know-how with the list below.
History Of Steam Turbines
The past few centuries have seen some incredible technological advancements coming into the fold. It’s through our need for faster and more efficient are we able to craft the everyday equipment we take for granted. Steam turbines have been in use since the late 1800’s for electricity production. Look to travel, mass manufacturing, and the construction of massive cities for just a few of the common uses involving the turbine. Taking good care of yours means respecting the history that brought you here while still staying up-to-date on the latest maintenance tips.
The State Of American Production
Before looking into borescope services, learn more about American turbines and where they stand involving worldwide production. To date the United States remains the single largest producer of natural gas around the globe, as determined by a 2016 study, and extracts nearly 750 billion cubic meters of natural gas on average. It’s thought natural gas is the second most heavily consumed energy source in the country. This is unlikely to change going forward, even with eco-friendly initiatives rising to the forefront of many people’s minds.
Basic Parts Of A Gas Turbine
It’s important to know the parts of your turbine inside and out. This will give you a better idea on what to prioritize in the event of a power failure or where the damage can be located during a clog. The three primary modules in your average gas turbine include the compressor module, the combustion module, and the turbine module. A combined cycle gas turbine (or CCGT) plant is able to achieve a thermal efficiency of 60% or so in base-load operation, with a single cycle steam power plant only limited to efficiencies of 35%.
Common Sources Of Damage
Borescope services are necessary to spot subtle sources of damage. These can appear right under your nose and go unchecked for weeks, taxing your machine and costing you money. Salt particles, for example, are notoriously damaging to turbines and are a major source of requests for borescope services. Once salt particles fix themselves to turbine blades they start attracting other particles, such as dirt and debris. This can decrease your turbine’s power output by as much as 15%. Imagine what you could be putting that 15% toward instead.
Scheduling Borescope Services This Year
It’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution. Failing to keep up with regular borescope services can constantly put you in the position of needing parts removal services or outright new installations. Gas turbines operate at a much higher temperature than steam turbines, the former often reaching a height of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the latter’s 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The two types of land-based gas turbines (heavy frame engines and aeroderivative engines) can be analyzed in matter of days with turbine support services.
Knowledge is power. Stay ahead of the game and reach out to borescope inspection services this month.