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Engineer out a problem with the Gas Turbine Purge and Vent valve systems.

MV Tech were asked to attend a client’s site during the summer of 2008 to engineer out a problem with the Gas Turbine Purge and Vent valve systems which was causing unnecessary failures leading to increased downtime and loss of generation.

Electrically operated solenoid valves are used to control the air supply to pneumatically driven valves located in the Fuel Gas module. The fuel gas to this module is preheated prior to entry and thus the internal temperature of the module is high, causing the solenoids to fail prematurely.

A solenoid replacement caused the Technician to navigate through various controls equipment as the previous arrangement was extremely difficult to work on. The Fuel Gas module is also classified as a Zone 2 area ( ATEX regulations) and therefore requires considerations and suitable measures to be put in place to allow work to be carried out in this area.

The solution offered and installed on both machines was to relocate all electrically operated solenoid valves and cabling to a location external to the module.

After a careful planning and design process, all management of change documentation was completed . The solenoids were replaced with improved design Maxseal ICO4S solenoids and located on a stainless steel panel adjacent to the Fuel Gas module entrance door. The panel was supplied via a 22mm air supply to a 1” NPT Air header manifold with 12 ¼” NPT down facing ball valves. These in turn fed the inlet of the new solenoid valves. The outlet was installed with a local instrument pressure gauge and piped in 3/8” Swagelok tube to a bulkhead fitting installed through the enclosure wall. The outlet port of the bulkhead fitting was then piped where possible in one length to the quick exhaust valves located on the purge and vent valves.

After successful installation of this project it was commissioned and placed in service. Currently to date no further GT start up failures or trips have been associated with the Purge and Vent valve systems. Prior to this installation it was common to have several failed starts or trips per unit per year.

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MV Technical Solutions Ltd, 2 Old Bank Chambers, Dartford Road, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 8AB, England Work+44 (0)1354 655485 Cell+44 (0)7909 684436