4 Common Problems To Watch Out for in Gas Turbines

Gas turbines need regular maintenance to operate efficiently and effectively. As you or a professional perform routine inspections, pay attention to these four common gas turbine problems to watch out for. They’ll help you find issues earlier and resolve them quickly.

Corrosion

All things that enter the turbine can potentially cause a reaction with metal components. These reactions can lead to different types of corrosion. Some types can strip away metal, while others can generate a buildup of corrosion products.

Oxidation is one corrosion type to watch out for in gas turbines. It has rates that increase with high temperatures. Hot corrosion causes cracking in extreme stress areas, such as the turbine blade’s base.

Fatigue

Thermal fatigue is a common issue to watch out for in gas turbines. Frequent cycling, corrosion interfering with heat transfer, and combustion issues leading to temperature differences come from extreme temperatures.

Microscopic cracks happen when you have a fatigued gas turbine. These small cracks make it easy for corrosion to grow and create larger cracks, resulting in blade failure.

Foreign Object Destruction

Gas turbines can sustain serious damage from random, foreign objects entering the compressor. Most items include tools and debris left behind during maintenance or broken components.

Small pieces of debris can slowly become destroy large turbines. This problem is avoidable. Ensure staff and professionals follow proper maintenance procedures to avoid catastrophic damage.

Abrasion and Erosion

Some materials will erode the surface of the gas turbine instead of binding to it. Erosion can cause blade profile changes, clearances, and airflow.

Abrasion is similar to erosion. But it’s when a moving surface rubs against a stationary one. A properly used turbine shouldn’t suffer from abrasion. Degradation plays a role in a turbine beginning to suffer from abrasion. Abrasion can occur due to the following:

• Thermal creep
• Fouling
• Improper tuning and maintenance
• Excessive wear in seals and bearings
• Misalignment in couplings and components

These issues can build upon one another, increasing vibrations and stress on seals and bearings. This problem causes more abrasion and misalignment.

Turn to Advanced Turbine Support for professional generator robotic inspections. We’ll keep an eye out for these common gas turbine problems to help you avoid them or fix them quickly. We’re the best in the industry, and you’ll soon understand why.