Gas Turbine Exhaust Systems Design Considerations

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS 87-GT-238

345 E. 47 St., New York, N.Y. 10017


The Society - shall not be responsible for statements or opinions advanced
in papers or in dis-
cussion at meetings of the Society or of its Divisions or Sections, or printed in its publications.
Discussion is printed only if the paper is published in an ASME Journal. Papers are available
from ASME for fifteen months after the,meeting.
Printed in USA.
Copyright © 1987 by ASME

Gas Turbine Exhaust Systems Design Considerations

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ROY A. MORRIS
Technical Director
Cullum Detuners Limited
Derbyshire — United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

The users of Gas Turbine powered equipment are very aircraft field we moved into the Gas Turbine driven
careful to ensure that they achieve their objectives in equipment arena, and since the early sixties have
terms of power output and overall efficiency, but other provided noise control equipment for power stations
important aspects of the system may be underspecified, having a total of more than 5000 Mw. installed capacity,
and cause the user serviceability and maintenance and some 40 gas compressor installations, both land
problems during the systems planned operating life. based, and for off—shore platforms.

One important area, crucial to reliable operation of The company is involved at the present time in a new
the Gas Turbine, is the power turbine exhaust system. range of aero engine test cells for the United States
If particular care is not taken on the part of the user Air Force. This is a universal test cell capable of
in specifying this component, he is likely to be testing up to ten different engine types, including
provided with the minimum standard of equipment from the large air flow turbo fans, and high fuel burn
supplier. afterburning engines. We are also providing aircraft
Hush Houses to a number of air forces and are building
This paper highlights some of the areas that should and installing equipment for power generation and gas
be considered during the preparation of specifications, compressor stations.
and in the evaluation of proposals. Specific problems
of exhaust design will be addressed to assist the user It is this wide and varied background that will be
to identify and question possible problem areas. utilized in the presentation of this paper on Gas
Turbine exhaust system design.
The paper concludes that for minimal additional input
during the initial stages of a project, long term cost The first part of the paper outlines some of the
savings could be made and that the overall system would basic considerations that are the end users
be more reliable. responsibility. If the ground rules are not clearly
defined at the start, there is the possibility that the
INTRODUCTION user will not get what he expected, and will not be in a
position to easily rectify the situation.
Cullum Detuners Limited, based in Derbyshire in the
United Kingdom, are a specialist contractor in the field ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE
of acoustic engineering from the preparation of the
initial design to the fabrication and installation of The initial acoustic performance laid down for every
all types of noise control equipment. type of installation needs careful consideration by the
specifying authority and the end user.
Our experience with Gas Turbines dates back to 1944
when we built our first exhaust augmentor for a 3000 lb. In a large number of instances the dB(A) weighting
thrust jet engine. Since that time we have designed, criteria is used to set the noise limits for has Turbine
fabricated and installed hundreds of test facilities for installations. This is or little use if the proposed
more than 35 different aero engines, and more than 30 site location includes nearby residential accommodation.
military and civil aircraft types. The facilities range Gas Turbine exhausts generate very high levels of low
from complete aero engine test cells, to aircraft trim frequency noise which the dB(A) weighting curve does not
pads and complete aircraft Hush Houses. take account of. In fact this criteria will permit
excess low frequency noise without necessarily affecting
As a natural extension to our experience in the the specified dB(A) level. Low frequency noise problems

Presented at the Gas Turbine Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, California — May 31-June 4, 1987
are extremely difficult and expensive to correct after specified there is no reason for acoustic problems to
they have occurred. occur due to interpretation of the specification when
the installation is put into operation, nor are there
The dB(A) weighting for the standard octave band limits, other than financial, to achieving very low
centre frequencies are shown in Fig.l, it clearly shows noise levels to permit 24 hour complaint free operation
how the weighting curve automatically discounts noise adjacent to residential locations.
levels at the lower frequencies. To demonstrate this
effect Fig.2 shows three different spectrums for the As an example, a 300 Mw. Gas Turbine power station
same single dB(A) value. The graphs show that the 31 Hz. using 16 gas generators, can achieve a residual noise
noise level by 15 dB. Spectrums B) and C) would be the level of 37 dB(A) at a distance of 200 metres, with a
most likely to cause complaint due to low frequency 31 Hz. level of 56 dB. In this instance the end user

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noise. Spectrum A) represents the users expectation, had carefully assessed the nightime ambient noise
i.e. a realistic interpretation of the specification. levels, applied an appropriate weighting to the low
However due to it's higher cost to achieve the low frequency octave bands, and evaluated the proposals
frequency silencing, it is most unlikely that it would very carefully before any construction work took place.
be provided by the machinery supplier. Fig.3 shows the actual performance measured from this
power station.
Figure 2 demonstrates the vagueness of specifying a
single dB(A) level for an acoustic specification. It PLANT DESIGN
can be very much to the advantage of the machinery
supplier and his acoustic equipment contractor. The initial plant design plays an important part in
the overall acoustic performance of the installation.
If the dB(A) criteria is preferred, and low frequency Important considerations include the surrounding
noise could cause a problem, then the user should topography, adjacent buildings and the location of any
specify noise levels not to be exceeded in the 31 and residential areas or specialized facilities such as
63 Hz. octave bands. This will ensure that he has hospitals.
knowledge of, the possible effects of low frequency
noise. It is common practice to use a number of individually
packaged, relatively small machines, generally in the
Other factors concerning acoustic performance which 15 to 30 Mw. range, each with their own systems and
can be overlooked, or underspecified, concern multiple ancillary plant. These installations are very difficult
set installations. Specifications are often unclear in to control from an acoustic point of view, and careful
their definition of what the overall noise level is to consideration is required by the end user in order to
include, this again is to the advantage to the machinery account for the additive effects of all the noise
supplier and can be very difficult and costly to put sources, and their effect on the overall site
right once the plant is in operation. specification.

If the users requirements are properly and carefully If possible, multiple set machines should be

+1 0-

+1.2 +1.2
0 —1.1
0
—3.2

—8.6

—10

—16.1

—20

—26.3

—30

—39.4
—40

Frequency Hz. 31

4000 8000
63 125 250 500 1000 2000

Fig. 1 — Frequency response curve of the 'A' weighting network.

2
10 0

Key

90
A

80

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70

60

50

40 Spectrums equate to 60 dB(A)

Frequency Hz. 31 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

Fig. 2 - Octave band spectrums equ valent to same dB(A) level.

110

100 -

--Unsilenced level at 200 metres

90

80
0

70

N
7
0
60
a

7
(19 50
Measured level at 200 metres ( 37 dB(A) )

40

30


Frequency Hz. 31 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

Fig. 3 - Noise levels from a 300 Mw. Power station.

3
contained within a single building, this provides for silencing system.
better control of the various components, and reduces
the number of external noise sources to the bare An example of turbine exhaust plenum generated noise
minimum. i.e. the intakes and filters, the building occurred on an installation that we provided a number
itself and the exhaust systems. of years ago. The exhaust outlet of the silencer stack
was producing an uncharacteristic 25 Hz. tone that was
Another difficulty with multiple set installations affecting the 31 Hz. octave band and causing noise
is that each machine usually utilizes a number of complaints. After some investigation a simple blanking
separate light weight acoustic enclosures. Due to the plate and flow straightener were inserted into the
nature of this type of construction and the number of exhaust plenum outlet before the silencer. The
joints and seals involved, the acoustic performance modification altered the outlet area from the plenum

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afforded by these enclosures can be severely limited. and an 8 dB improvement was immediately achieved in the
This is an important consideration for sites adjacent 31 Hz. octave band level. In effect the improvement
to residential accommodation. was gained by preventing the generation of the noise in
the first place. This example emphasises the care
If there is a possibility that the site may be needed in the original detail design of the system.
extended in the future, then the plant design and the
site acoustic performance should be carefully considered Having got the gases away from the Gas Turbine other
at the planning stage. It is not practical to expect considerations include problems associated with the use
additional equipment to be designed such that it does of bends and transition sections. These items,
not contribute to existing noise levels. particularly when placed close to the exit of the Gas
Turbine can cause serious mechanical and acoustic
When the modular type approach has been selected, is problems. Care at the initial design stage of the
in place and noise problems then occur, it is virtually plant may avoid some of these problems. A final
impossible to radically improve the overall acoustic consideration in the area of exhaust path design
performance. concerns provision of adequate space for the exhaust
ducting, silencer system and the outlet stack. Exhaust
EXHAUST GAS PATH velocities, governed by the silencer and ducting size,
are an important factor from an acoustic point of view,
The exhaust gas path away from the Gas Turbine is an and in some instances not enough thought is given to
extremely important factor in the overall system the ducting requirements and the effects of not
acoustic performance. providing the necessary space. This factor if not
given careful consideration at the planning stage will
A restrictive design for the gas path or a poorly directly affect the power output, fuel consumption and
designed ducting arrangement can generate additional overall operating efficiency of the installation.
low frequency noise, and cause long term mechanical
damage to the silencer system and associated ducting. The remainder of the paper is devoted to
The basic layout can, and should, be influenced by the considerations concerning the materials and construction
end user to ensure and encourage the optimum layout to for the various components of the silencer system. Some
be achieved. users specify the very minimum of requirements for such
an important part of the system. It is not unknown to
There are four basic gas path systems in everyday find a specification that contains two paragraphs on
use in the industry, these include axial, vertical, the silencer materials and construction, four on the
side and 45 degrees. Some extremely difficult offset paint finishes and six for the quality assurance
arrangements have also been used to meet specific controls. Quality and finish requirements are not the
machine clearance and maintenance requirements, these way to achieve a satisfactory long life exhaust system,
should be avoided if at all possible. Fig.4 shows some they go hand in hand with the design and construction,
typical gas path arrangements. and cannot be a substitute for proper material selection
and sound detail design. Users do not pay enough
The most reliable, and the lease likely to generate attention to understanding the duty and operating
noise is the axial arrangement, these are usually environment that the Gas Turbine system has to endure.
circular and form a smooth continuation of the gas path
into the silencer. Fig.5 shows a typical arrangement MATERIALS
where the centre body of the engine exhaust is
continued into the silencer in the form of an acoustic In some instances, in our experience the minority,
bullet section. This minimizes flow generated noise users are careful to specify the types of materials
and provides a good basis for a long life mechanical and finishes they want in their exhaust systems.
solution. One possible drawback of the axial outlet is Generally there are minimal or no criteria for the
that it may require more space in the plant design for materials that can be used. A standard clause in a
the silencer and associated ducting. specification might be along the lines of, "The
contractor shall ensure that the materials used shall
A more compact arrangement is afforded by the meet the specified design life". This is taking the
vertical or side outlet system. Here the exhaust gases soft option, and if permitted a supplier will provide,
are collected in an exhaust plenum behind the power "in good faith", plain carbon or Corten type steels for
turbine and are directed away from the machine through operating conditions outside their recognized safe
a rectangular outlet in the side or the top of the operating ranges. The net result of this approach is
exhaust plenum. This arrangement by it's very nature an unreliable silencer with a working life slightly
produces more turbulence than the axial outlet, this greater than the machines warranty period, the user has
can generate additional low frequency noise which in to deal with the replacement of the silencer system,
turn increases the work that the silencing system has the lost operating time and revenue from the machine.
to do acoustically. Generally these types of outlet
are of rectangular or square construction, this can There has been enough experience in the industry to
cause additional long term mechanical problems for the show that hot exhausts, these days approaching 600 deg.0

4
Outlet stack

Silencer

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Transition --- --•

a) Vertical outlet and silencer b) 45 degree outlet and vertical silencer

Vertical outlet
stack

Silencer

Offset transition
Transition —

c) Side outlet with horizontal silencer d) Offset vertical outlet

Fig. 4 — Typical gas path arrangements

continuous operation, should not be lined with any form DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
of plain carbon steel. Perforated liners should be
specified in the 316, 316L, 321 or equivalent stainless In a typical Gas Turbine exhaust silencer there are
steels, and structural components in a suitable high a number of components that are common to most systems.
operating temperature alloy steel.
These include:
If specifications are sometimes non specific with
regard to the mechanical construction of exhaust o Expansion joints/Compensators
silencers, they are virtually all non specific as to o Transition sections
the type of noise absorption materials and methods of o Ducting sections/Outlet stacks
retention that are to be used. At the very high o Silencer section
operating temperatures of silencers these days, we o Bends and Elbow sections
know of only two suitable materials that are economic o Support points
and that will not migrate out of the silencer. For o External insulation
each type of material different packing techniques
must be used in association with a packing retention Each of these items will be considered in turn.
system. The type of packing, and method of retention
are of paramount importance to the operating life and Expansion joints/Compensators
acoustic performance of the silencer, and yet most These can cause a lot of problems and may require
users pay no attention to this subject in their frequent maintenance and replacement if not specified
specifications. The results can be the use of a correctly. The main factor here is one of cost, unless
packing material that has a very short life and that the requirements are defined very carefully, the user
eventually dusts down and disappears completely. Once will be provided with a compensator of a low standard
again it will be the user who has to bear the cost and of quality. High quality reliable compensators are
inconvenience of putting the silencer right. available, and some users aware of this fact nominate
the supplier in the original specification document.

5
Other considerations when evaluating proposed point is to ensure that the correct number of
compensating joints include the degree of mal-alignment compensating joints are provided and that the ducting
that the joint can accommodate, will it operate is supported properly. In the case of outlet stacks
satisfactorily under negative and positive pressure care must be taken to ensure that all environmental
conditions, and have enough compensators been proposed loads can be accommodated with the stack operating at
for the total exhaust system to ensure satisfactory it's maximum temperature.
operation of the system.
Silencer section
Transition sections This is the most critical item in the exhaust system
In most cases the transition section forms a and consequently should be looked at very carefully. A
fundamental consideration is that of the cross sectional

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straightforward interface between the Gas Turbine
exhaust plenum and the silencer section. In these shape of the silencer. i.e. round, square or
instances as long as the materials and construction are rectangular. A minority of users specify their
acceptable there should be minimal problems. Plant preference, particularly for circular construction, but
design or site layout sometimes dictate an offset most users do not seem to have a preference. tie
transition to provide maintenance clearance over the pioneered the use of circular construction for Gas
machine, or to reduce the space taken up by the exhaust Turbine silencers from our aircraft work, and therefore
system. If the offset from the centre line is have a natural preference for this type of construction.
excessive, and there is direct impingement of the The main advantage of a circular section is it has an
exhaust gases on the section wall, then problems are inherent stiffness, and the ability to uniformly absorb
much more likely to occur. These problems include and account for the large thermal movements that occur,
regenerated noise from the duct, and the mechanical particularly during the start up sequence of the Gas
integrity of the section itself. Due to the turbulent Turbine. A disadvantage is that circular exhaust
nature of the exhaust flow in these systems it is systems are generally not as efficient from an acoustic
possible to cause the large flat surfaces of the point of view, and therefore tend to be larger than
transition to "pant", this may result in low frequency their rectangular counterparts for the same acoustic
noise generation and early fatigue of the section. A performance.
further consideration is that of surface temperature, Having specified or accepted the basic shape of the
an offset flow can cause local hot spots on the
silencer the materials of construction can then be
exterior of the transition, this may be unacceptable
considered. If the silencer comprises an external
for personnel safety. casing, acoustically lined internally, the casing may
be acceptable constructed from plain carbon steel so
Ducting and Outlet stacks long as an allowance is made for corrosion. The inner
The main considerations with these items are that
perforated liner material should be of the stainless
the correct materials have been selected and that the
steel type to ensure a satisfactory and corrosion free
construction is adequate, particularly important if operating life. The acoustic packing material should
rectangular sections are being proposed. An additional

Outlet stack

Expansion joint-- Exhaust silencer-

Centre 'bullet' - Silencing


Power turbine elements
section
exhaust duct —

Turning vanes -/

Cascade bend
Fig. 5 - Tynical arraogement of axial exhaust silencer system.
be of the stainless steel type to ensure a satisfactory whole surface is required, a much more difficult and
and corrosion free operating life. The acoustic expensive solution is required. This should be
packing material should be evaluated together with the incorporated at the design stage.
proposed methods of retention to ensure that it will
operate satisfactorily and stay in place. Finally the Engineering Data
silencer casing and lining structure should be This forms an essential part of any evaluation
evaluated for its ability to permit free thermal growth, process, and users and machinery suppliers vary widely
and avoid stress points likely to cause early fatigue in their requirements.
and failure.
The minimum data that should be requested and
The next consideration concerns the silencing evaluated, includes the following:

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elements themselves, these may be parallel splitters,
concentric splitters, acoustic bullets or a combination o Acoustic performance calculations and design
of these. The materials and general construction basis for each part of the system.
should be evaluated in the same way as the main
external body of the silencer section. In addition the o Pressure loss calculations for the overall
ability of the proposed silencer elements to meet the system.
required noise specification should be evaluated. This
is particularly important if a low noise level is o Structural calculations for support points and
required from the exhaust system, where velocity noise supporting structures.
generated by the silencer elements, could influence the
exhaust system acoustic performance. o Foundation loading calculations.

All the above points should be considered, and In some instances, particularly with consulting
clarified if necessary, when the proposals are being engineers, structural calculations are taken too far,
evaluated. A superior offer may have been discounted usually after contracts have been placed, with
on the grounds of cost, although it may have more requirements to justify every single piece of
thoroughly covered the spirit of the users requirements. construction within the system. If this level of
Specifications should not allow any contractor to information is really required then the specification
distort the requirements in order to gain an advantage document should clearly define what is to be provided.
over other prospective contractors. Theoretical calculations are a time consuming and
expensive business and in some instances existing
Bends and Elbows historical data and experience may adequately cover
Considerations are, generally, as for the ducting these requirements and provide a more realistic
sections above, but with the added problem of how the approach.
gases are being turned inside the bend section.
Turning vanes provide the best solution from a pressure CONCLUSIONS
loss and acoustic point of view, but care is needed in
their design and construction. Reliability problems The paper reflects some of the problems we have come
are likely if the vanes are not supported properly up against, during the past twenty five years of
along their length, and if their mountings into the producing Gas Turbine noise control equipment. We have
bend section do not allow for free thermal growth. In answers for the majority of the problems but new ones
addition, badly shaped blades and vanes will generate occur, the process is one of continuous development.
noise which may affect the overall exhaust acoustic
performance. Some users are very aware of the potential
difficulties with exhaust system design and
Supports construction, and take great care to avoid them. On a
These are an important feature with regard to the more general basis this is not the case and we still
long term reliability of the exhaust system. receive specifications that are too vague in their
Considerations include, the number of anchor and skid requirements, are asked to solve noise problems that
supports, the location of compensators with respect to need not have occurred, and in some cases have totally
the anchor supports, and differential expansion between replaced unreliable and ineffective silencers. These
the duct sections due to different construction silencers reflect the bad practices of twenty years
techniques. Skid supports must be able to accommodate ago, these should not be continued with the knowledge
the expected thermal growth of the ducting and must that is available today.
ensure that all external environmental loads can be
accepted by the support and transferred into the main For a small amount of additional input at the
foundation. Special consideration must be given to specification stage, and for a marginal increase in the
vertical stack sections that may be attached to the overall initial equipment cost, long term savings could
users building steelwork. These supports must be be made and the sytem would be more reliable.
designed to minimize the transfer of heat and thermal
movement into the building or supporting steelwork. As a minimum the user should be more aware of the
potential problems, and should consider the following
External Insulation points when writing specifications or evaluating
This needs to be defined in the specification proposals.
clearly and evaluated carefully. Costs can be affected
greatly by the degree to which the silencer system is o Ensure that the acoustic specification is
to be insulated, the requirements are rarely clearly defined correctly, is not open to interpretation
defined. and that low frequency noise has been taken into
account.
Personnel protection, i.e. to prevent people
touching the ducting, is inexpensive and straightforward o Consider the plant design in terms of controlling
to provide, but if a guaranteed low temperature over the the noise environment including possible future

7
requirements.

o The plant design should take into account


possible gas paths with a view to achieving an
optimum overall system performance.

o Specify minimum material requirements for the


construction of all the components in the
exhaust system. Ensure that the noise
absorption material is fit for purpose and has a
good track record.

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o Specify the compensating joint very carefully,
or nominate the supplier.

o Define the type of silencer cross section that


you prefer.

o Specify the types of silencer element that you


will allow in any proposal.

o Ensure that the silencer design and construction


will properly accommodate thermal growth.

o If external insulation is required specify the


limits that you are prepared to accept.

o Specify the level of acoustic and design


calculations that are to be provided with the
initial design.

The above points appear to make life more difficult


for the machinery builders and the acoustic equipment
suppliers. That need not be the case, and is essential
if the general quality of design and construction is to
be improved. That is surely in the interests of users,
machinery builders and acoustic equipment contractors
alike.

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