October, 2002 Tracking down the root cause of a high exhaust temperature spread can be approached in a very logical

and timely manner. As an example, let us consider an MS5001P gas turbine that develops a High !Tx Spread. The first step would be to consider the elements which could contribute to the High !Tx Spread.
Typical Combustion Liner Typical Dual Fuel Nozzle

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Exhaust Plenum Thermocouple Arrangement

Typical Transition Piece Diagram

Given that all GE frame size gas turbines respond to load changes with an accompanying Swirl Angle change, it would be prudent to step the unit through some load changes while carefully recording the following variables: Load (Generator Power Output, megawatts) Individual Exhaust Thermocouple readings (degrees Fahrenheit) Fuel Nozzle Pressures (if running on liquid fuel, psig) Dilutent Flow (steam or water injection). This can be turned on and off, Ambient Temperature (F)

Utilizing the Shuman Swirlometer along with the appropriate Swirl Angle Chart, one can determine if the High or Low temperature spots change location (Thermocouple) with load changes. The Swirlometer below relates the combustion cans to the exhaust thermocouples when viewing upstream from the exhaust end.

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Once the Exhaust Temperature Thermocouple data has been gathered for each load change, the data can be entered into an Excel spreadsheet. The temperatures can be plotted as location versus TX for each load level. The plots will establish the Low and High spots and using the Swirlometer establishes which can(s) are the most likely contributor(s). The next chart shows Swirl Angle versus Load. Once you derive the Swirl Angle, you can determine if the same combustion can(s) is (are) contributing to the Low or High temperature spots.

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If the Swirl calculations above do not indicate that the Low and High spots are shifting with changes in Load, the most likely cause of the spread is faulty instrumentation. Thermocouple and Exhaust Arrangement

If the instrumentation is not causing the problem, one must then considers the other potential contributors. It is very helpful to analyze the fuel oil pressure readings to the various fuel nozzles to see if the anomaly is due to nozzle or check valve plugging.

If fuel nozzle pressures are not an issue, or if swapping the position of the fuel nozzles does not cause the problem to migrate, combustion system hardware damage and/or a significant internal air leak is the root cause.
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The key is to watch the temperature trends very closely. A continually increasing trend or a step change in temperature suggests you should shut down the gas turbine at once. The next plot shows what can happen when this advice is not heeded.

Exhaust temperature spreads can be a serious problem and perhaps we can help. Please contact PAL Engineering if you have any questions.

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