ATLANTA, GEORGIA (March 12, 2003) --- GE Power Systems' installed fleet of more than 500 F technology gas turbines has reached 7.1 million hours of commercial operation in power plants worldwide.
"We are proud that our F technology fleet has established another milestone for the global power industry, reinforcing our leadership position in advanced gas turbine experience," said Edward Lowe, gas turbine combined-cycle product manager for GE Power Systems. "In response to growing industry requirements for efficient, low-cost electricity production, we have continued to evolve our F technology and it has become an industry benchmark for economical and clean power generation."
Since the F technology was introduced more than a decade ago, GE has steadily increased the efficiency and output of its gas turbines, leading up the newest and highest performance F machine, the MS9001FB (Frame 9FB.) Designed to be the world's most advanced air-cooled, 50-hertz machine, the Frame 9FB will be available for shipping in early 2004.
Configured with GE's new High Efficiency Advanced Technology (HEAT™) steam turbine in gasfired, combined-cycle operation, the Frame 9FB will produce more than 412 megawatts and achieve net plant efficiency of 58%. By comparison, GE's Frame 9FA gas turbine has a combined-cycle output of 390.8 megawatts with net plant efficiency of 56.7%.
The newest 60-hertz F machine, the Frame 7FB, was introduced in 1999 and is capable of thermal efficiency levels exceeding 57% in combined-cycle operation, more than one point higher than the Frame 7FA. While the first Frame 7FA was rated at approximately 200 megawatts in combined-cycle service, the 7FB units are capable of more than 280 megawatts.
The mid-sized member of the F-technology family, the 70-megawatt class Frame 6FA, was introduced in 1993. This gas turbine, available for either 50- or 60-hertz operation, has proven to be a popular choice for cogeneration and CHP applications, particularly in Europe where half of these machines have been installed. In May of 2002, GE announced an uprate of the Frame 6FA, offering an output increase of 9.2% and heat rate improvement of 2.7%.
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