Gas turbine rotor life management and extension
The history of GE’s B, E, and F fleets dates back over a half century. As the OEM, GE knows exactly what’s in your gas turbine—and which version of rotor can replace it.
Our history
Gas turbine rotor OEM expertise and experience
When it comes to rotor life management and extension, GE has the advantage. Our OEM knowledge, analysis of gas turbine rotor behavior, and site-specific operating conditions help us determine full residual part life capabilities. GE has the knowledge, history, and expertise to perform a full rotor life assessment, addressing all phases of the lifecycle—for today and tomorrow.
Our service center experts can perform a complete rotor tear-down, including cleaning and inspection of all safety-critical areas of the rotor wheels and shafts.
Rotors that have undergone GE’s rotor life extension process include the latest technology improvements and are certified for continued safe operation.
Our technologies include eddy current testing, ultra-sonic testing, and magnetic particle/fluorescent penetrant inspection.
Benefits
Gas turbine rotor OEM expertise and experience
For the 7F gas turbine there have been over 30 turbine rotor modifications, more than 10 compressor rotor enhancements, and more than 100 different blade changes since 1990. When it comes to addressing gas turbine rotor needs there are many different solutions, but GE has the knowledge, history, and expertise to perform a full rotor life assessment, addressing all phases of the lifecycle—for today and tomorrow.
Proven gas turbine rotor life management
Through years of fleet and engineering analysis, we have developed proprietary gas turbine rotor manufacturing processes that cannot be duplicated. As rotor assets have aged over the last few years, our customers have worked with us to replace more than 250 B and E turbine rotors and over 500 F turbine rotors. For the 7F gas turbine there have been more than 30 turbine rotor modifications, 10+ compressor rotor enhancements, and more than 100 different blade changes since 1990.
Solutions
Gas turbine rotor life management and extension solutions
Interested in finding out which rotor life solution is right for you? Start by choosing your rotor type to see and compare the available solutions.
View by rotor type:
Rotor exchange with new rotor
Best for: Customers that are planning far in advance and looking to reduce rotor costs.
$$$$
Cost to you
1-3
Major Inspection/C-Inspection intervals gained
5,000
Additional lifetime starts gained
More details
Your goal:
Prioritizing reliability and technical capabilities. You have a long-term planning horizon for your plant, but you’re also interested in reducing your total rotor costs.
Here's what you get:
Removing and replacing your existing gas turbine rotor with a new rotor from GE delivers enhanced reliability and performance, advanced equipment and the latest materials--resetting the clock on your rotor at 144,000 or 200,000 hours and 5,000 starts.
This solution is compatible with the following gas turbine types:
Rotor exchange with refurbished rotor
Best for: Customers that want to get back in operation quickly, with lower upfront costs and greater flexibility.
$$$$
Cost to you
1-3
Major Inspection/C-Inspection intervals gained
2,400+
Additional lifetime starts gained
More details
Your goal:
Getting your rotor back in operation—FAST—with lower upfront costs and greater flexibility.
Here's what you get:
Our Rotor Exchange program provides you with a gas turbine rotor that has been inspected and if needed, improved to GE’s strict standards, with life still left on the asset. You receive a GE-certified rotor with the latest technology improvements. Best of all, you get it quickly, helping to reduce downtime, especially in emergent situations.
*Available hours and starts on refurbished assets are dependent on available inventory at the time.This solution is compatible with the following gas turbine types:
Rotor life extension
Best for: Customers that need a cost-effective solution and have a flexible outage window or a spare rotor.
$$$$
Cost to you
1-3
Major Inspection/C-Inspection intervals gained
2,400+
Additional lifetime starts gained
More details
Your goal:
Keeping your existing rotor because you have a flexible outage window and are looking for an economical solution. In addition, you may have a spare rotor that can be used as a seed rotor to extend the life of a broader range of rotors.
Here's what you get:
Our rotor life extension solution targets the rotor balancing, repair, replacement and maintenance of individual gas turbine rotor components after a full disassembly and inspection protocol. We can create a customized life extension solution for gas turbine rotor assets that allows for extended operation of two or more additional maintenance intervals.
This solution is compatible with the following gas turbine types:
Rotor reconditioning
Best for: Customers keeping their existing rotor because they have a flexible outage window.
$$$$
Cost to you
1-3
Major Inspection/C-Inspection intervals gained
More details
Your goal:
Keeping your existing rotor because you have a flexible outage window and are looking for an economical solution. In addition, you may have a spare rotor that can be used as a seed rotor to extend the life of a broader range of rotors.
Here's what you get:
If you have GT-frame rotors that are approaching their serviceable limit, you can extend their lifetime with a rotor reconditioning, which involves replacing the turbine section with a new one. The remaining life after reconditioning depends on the consumed life (mainly starts) of the compressor section.
This solution is compatible with the following gas turbine types:
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about rotor life management
Rotor life extension
How to choose between start- or hours-based extension?
Rotor life extension
Tom Freeman, Chief Consultant for GE Gas Power, takes a look at one option power plants have to address rotor life: rotor life extension.
Rotor life management
What goes into rotor life management?
Rotor life management
Matthew Ferslew, Services GT Rotor Principal Engineer for GE Gas Power, reviews GE’s rotor life strategy, which revolves around three pillars: analytical assessments, operational experiences, and variation sources.
Rotor corrosion
What is rotor corrosion and how does it impact my rotor?
Rotor corrosion
Matthew Ferslew, Services GT Rotor Principal Engineer for GE Gas Power, explains corrosion, which is a major source of variation in generator rotors. Learn about the environmental factors that can lead to corrosion, and what you can do to address the issue.
Turbine rotor configuration and using nickel-based alloy wheels
Why is it important to use wheels that have been properly forged, machined and processed?
Using wheels that have not been manufactured and properly processed can result in forced downtime, longer outages, and performance and emissions issues. The process to create rotor wheels is extremely complex and has been developed by GE and our suppliers over 50 years. GE has millions of operating hours on its nickel-based alloy wheels, and based on lessons learned and proprietary analysis, we have made more than 30 design modifications to the 7FA gas turbine rotor. This vast experience, coupled with design analytics and inspection data, have given us a full understanding of the capability of these wheels.
Compressor rotor and understanding configurations, clearances, and performance
Why is configuration management important when installing GE’s compressor packages on my 7F gas turbine?
GE has developed our compressor packages with full instrumented testing, coupled with design analytics and fleet operating experience. In addition, we have made 10 compressor rotor design changes and hundreds of blade design changes on the 7FA gas turbine over the past 30 years, so we have a comprehensive understanding of the configuration. When configuration is not fully analyzed by GE engineering, errors can be made that result in outage delays of several months and performance losses of more than 5 MW.
Specialized inspection processes and tooling
Why is it important to use a qualified inspection process during rotor life management?
GE’s inspection criteria is defined based on years of analytical modeling and inspection data in shops or in the field. Addressing inspection findings requires engineering knowledge of the rotor system, and inspecting equipment also requires calibration and maintenance. GE has completed thousands of 7FA gas turbine inspections both in the shop and in the field.
Focus on F-Class
Want to get an A+ on F-class? Explore our blog series on the F-class rotor.
Contact us
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