Delivering mobile air for aero-derivatives in support of a lower carbon economy

In support of a lower carbon renewable energy market, aero-derivative gas turbines play a significant role, with rapid deployment of turbine packages being a key benefit. However, when it comes to a suitable filtration system this presents a major challenge to satisfy the environmental demands for every potential location writes Luke Varndell, division commercial and sales manager at Parker Hannifin.

Although gas turbines have generally become larger and more significant installations, the shift to an energy system with a greater contribution from renewables has seen a surge in the deployment of much smaller aero-derivative type gas turbines.

Renewables like wind and solar power certainly have the benefit of using a low-carbon resource. However, the variable nature of these types of generation has prompted the widespread deployment of gas-fired machines.

Acting as an adjunct to renewables, they provide the necessary reliability and stability to compensate for the inherent reliability issues that are associated with natural resources. It’s for this reason that aero-derivative gas turbines are being selected for their stability function and these in particular will play a huge role in decarbonisation globally.

As technologies develop to offer more advanced energy storage solutions and grid infrastructure, aero-derivative gas turbines will be essential in the transition to an energy sector with a greater renewable energy mix.

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Grid stability is critical to power generation and aero-derivative gas turbines have the ability to provide rapid response, allowing operators to quickly ramp up during times of peak electricity demand or ramp down their power output to balance fluctuations in renewable energy generation and therefore help to stabilise the grid frequency.

The use of these smaller, mobile power installations also supports carbon reduction by minimising the carbon intensive infrastructure that comes with a larger, permanent gas turbine plant. The smaller footprint allows for installations to be deployed closer to where power is needed, reducing transmission and distribution losses, hence improving energy efficiency. In turn, offering a solution that supports a drive towards a lower carbon footprint.

Smaller aero-derivative machines can also be deployed on-site and generate in a matter of only a few months and certainly less than a year. This quality is prompting far more interest in these more mobile and quicker to deploy machines. For example, they are used as a bridging power supply while a new larger power generation plant is developed and brought online.

In this kind of application, these more mobile power units can meet the immediate demand for power and then be removed once the full-scale installation is commissioned. Speed of deployment and the flexibility of aero-derivative turbines are also driving their use in other market sectors and applications.

Aero-derivative machines are deployed in the wake of natural disasters that damage power plants or other infrastructure forcing outages, for example. They have proven to be hugely valuable in terms of what they can deliver to local communities at short notice.

Furthermore, these units are not only very powerful in terms of filling short-term demand but their flexibility and versatility mean that they can be deployed anywhere in the world. There are options for both 50 and 60 Hertz machines so they can be used on any continent. They are also adept in locations where limited infrastructure is in place, supporting intermediate power demand as other national assets are developed.

Aero-derivative units can be easily transported on HGV trailers as a series of modules and, upon arriving on site, it is a relatively simple procedure to connect the various modules together, supply a gas source and an electrical connection and quickly begin generating power from a relatively small footprint.

But alongside the turbine, generator, instrumentation and control systems, another extremely important module is the air filtration system.

Choosing the optimal filtration system

As with any gas turbine, effective air filtration is vital to system performance and machine longevity.

Poor filtration allows contamination, fouling and even erosion of turbine components that can severely impact the aerodynamic efficiency while accelerated wear significantly increases maintenance costs.

These smaller machines still require appropriate filtration solutions, but they also need systems that can be deployed quickly. However, because of the broad range of different environments that are possible for deployment, one of the key challenges facing filtration systems is producing a solution that can be sufficiently versatile that it can be used anywhere.

Examples of environmental conditions could be high or low temperatures, high humidity requiring water removal, or the kind of harsh conditions associated with high levels of dust and particulates. Each of these parameters will dictate the use of a different type of filtration configuration and that naturally requires a certain amount of flexibility in order to adapt to the specific performance requirements in all the various possible locations.

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Depending on the location of the specific installation and the related owner requirements there is a range of ‘off-the-shelf’ filtration systems that have been adapted to match and suit the environmental conditions.

Although each system is individually customised, by simplifying the designs and making them as interchangeable as possible a portfolio of base options allows turbine packaging companies to cater to all the different deployment scenarios.

This in turn allows turbine packaging firms to build up an inventory of components that can be shipped with a short lead time for rapid deployment. It’s an approach that allows suppliers to meet the high demand for aero-derivative machines without the cost and time considerations needed for a bespoke filtration system design.

Versatile, flexible, and easy to deploy

To facilitate the market further, the new range of filtration systems has also been designed for ease of transportation, ease of installation and a reduced footprint. Given the core benefits of the aero-derivative deployment, these are among the most important attributes of any filtration solution.

All of the options have been produced to satisfy all of the primary filtration needs with the added advantages of exchangeability between designs, in-built versatility across a range of filtration choices and additional options that can even augment the power generation system.

Examples include active inlet air cooling for hotter climates or warming to prevent icing. Even the harshest environment has been considered and catered for. Where possible, all the components also present ‘plug and play’ flexibility and are interchangeable, in addition to accommodating all other site equipment related to the gas turbine assembly.

A transition piece can accommodate a range of different types of filter unit as required, for example, and each filter is also able to use the same acoustic products. All of these options are designed for packaging in an optimised footprint given the solution had to be as compact as possible for ease of transport.

With the flexibility and interchangeability of Parker Hannifin’s solutions, existing installations can also benefit from upgrades to optimise air treatment and therefore provide additional power options tailored to varying environmental conditions. 

A design philosophy that avoids having multiple different iterations of each component requires versatility across the range of individual components. This is needed to achieve the performance required while also accommodating all the other site equipment that is being supplied to support the gas turbine operation.

Furthermore, by continually deploying its very latest technical advancements into the aero-derivative suite of options, gas turbine packages are constantly improving in terms of their ease of transport, small footprint, low mass, and interchangeability.

These key attributes also play a key role in the reduction of carbon and go hand in hand with the transition to a greener energy sector of the future. It all adds up to a very powerful package.