Operational experience with LM6000 PF

aero-derivative gas turbine in mechanical

drive service at Wheatstone LNG Facility
Mark Weatherwax
Pankaj Shah
Chevron Energy Technology Company
Houston, TX 77002

Chevron Australia, as part of the Wheatstone Project, operates a two-train liquefied natural
gas (LNG) facility and domestic gas plant at the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area,
12 kilometers west of Onslow on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia.

Both trains of the Wheatstone LNG facility have been successfully operating utilizing the
first installation of LM6000PF gas turbines for mechanical drive service. This paper shares
the learnings from the ten-year journey including alternative analysis, technology
qualification activities, design development, testing, risk mitigation, development of
operational capability, dry low emissions (DLE) mapping, startup and early operation of the
gas turbines for LNG production.

The learnings developed over this period include recommendations on the application of
new technology, implementation of the technology qualification plan and operation of low
NOx combustion systems with variable fuel composition.

Firstname Surname, Affiliation/Company

Introduction

Chevron Australia, as part of the Wheatstone Project, developed a two-train liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility and
domestic gas plant at the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area, 12 kilometres west of Onslow on the Pilbara
coast of Western Australia. The two-train facility has an annual average design capacity is 8.9 million tonnes per
annum (MTPA) of LNG. During the early stages of project development, a driver selection study was performed
based on the ConocoPhillips Optimized Cascade® natural gas liquefaction process to establish the LNG train
process configuration. This driver study resulted in the selection of a General Electric (GE) LM6000PF aero-
derivative gas turbines[1] for driving the refrigeration compressors in the LNG train. This was the first installation of
the LM6000PF gas turbines for mechanical drive application in the industry. For reducing the uncertainty
associated with the application of this new technology to LNG trains, a technology qualification was undertaken by
Chevron’s project team supported by the Vendor, Licensor and the Contractor [1]. A risk mitigation plan was
developed and executed for the LM6000PF mechanical drive application and included as part of the purchase
order with GE. The risk mitigations included not only the items identified in the technology qualification but also
lessons learned from other large gas turbine driven compressor strings. As part of the risk mitigation, all LM6000PF
gas turbines were scheduled to undergo a full load performance test. Subsequently, successful completion of full
load - full speed testing of the LM6000PF is documented in Patwardhan et al [2]. This testing concluded the
technology qualification phase of the project, but risk mitigation was continued throughout construction,
commissioning and early operation.

This paper covers the initial startup and early operation of the LNG train refrigeration gas compressor drivers with
a goal of highlighting lessons learned through the application of the first LM6000PFs gas turbines in mechanical
drive service. The paper will focus on decisions made during the early phases of the project and actual results of
operation of the gas turbines.

Dry Low Emissions (DLE) Operation

Operation with a wide range of fuel composition and high rates of change were considered one of the highest risks
with using LM6000PF gas turbines in mechanical drive service for the Wheatstone facility. The high firing
temperatures and short residence times of an aero-derivative gas turbine require active controls to maintain a
stable lean flame for combustion. The nitrogen content of the fuel gas varied from 6 to 15 mol% depending on the
source of fuel gas and mode of operation. Based on simulations, the anticipated rate of change in fuel quality was
7 % change in Modified Wobbe Index (MWI)/min. The design specification was written for 10 % change in
MWI/min and the string testing was performed up to 20% change in MWI/min.

The layout of the facility has six gas turbines per LNG train and all six units are fed from a common fuel system.
The fuel system incorporates two Modified Wobbe Index Analyzers and two Gas Chromatographs. The location of
these instruments was selected far enough upstream that even with all six gas turbines operating at maximum
power, the data from the MWI Analyzer would be available before the gas molecules entered the gas turbine
combustor. This design allows for the fuel system controls to adjust the split between fuel nozzles and actively
control the combustor based on the instantaneous heating value of the fuel. For this system to function at reduced
fuel flow rates (reduced power, reduced number of machines) the controls include a calculation for a time delay
based on the fuel flow to each individual gas turbine. All active control is performed with the MWI Analyzer while
the nitrogen content is updated based on the Gas Chromatograph measurements. This allows for fast response of
the combustor based on the heating value and allowing for a slower time for updates on the nitrogen concentration.

Field experience has shown this system to function and allow significantly faster than 20 %MWI/min rate of change
without DLE stage down events or combustor upsets. Tuning of the system was possible in the field because the
high pressure (HP) rotor speed reacts very quickly to differences between the actual fuel heating value and the
parameters used for calculations. This allowed for identification of field piping volumes that didn’t match the
volumes used in the control calculations and further refined the performance of the control system.

Operational upsets did allow for significantly higher than 7 % MWI/min rate of change, however the control system
was able to handle the fuel upsets without impacting operation of the gas turbines. Only review of high speed data
after the event indicated the magnitude of the rates of change that were handled by the gas turbines. Figure 1
shows the fuel MWI and rate of change during one of the upset conditions.

Figure 1- MWI Rate of Change Capability

This figure indicates the capability of the fuel system to handle large variations in fuel without impacting the
performance of the gas turbines. The maximum rate of change observed for this incident is almost an order of
magnitude higher than the normal fuel transients seen at the facility.

The ability to handle these fuel swings is the direct result of both the fuel control system and the DLE Mapping.
Significant effort was put into DLE mapping during commissioning and early operation of the LNG train. One of the
three refrigerant compressor services were operated on both LNG trains on nitrogen prior to starting up the facility.
This gave more flexibility for DLE mapping across the lower speed ranges and allowed for multiple starts to ensure
proper DLE staging under high power starts. Running on nitrogen was limited to lower speeds because of the high
discharge temperatures from the low-pressure process compressor. For this reason, DLE mapping was integrated
in the startup schedule to allow for complete mapping though out the power and speed ranges. DLE mapping
allows for the split between rings of combustor nozzles to be correctly set and ensure good margin between
combustor acoustics and lean blow-out conditions. The LM6000PF engine proved to allow for significantly larger
operational windows than previous DLE combustors. This supported the original decision to adopt the PF variant
of the LM6000 engine for improved combustion.

Mapping of the engine provides as wide of an operating range as possible to allow the gas turbine to run through
items like fuel transients without experiencing either high acoustics or lean-blow out. The larger the available
window, the farther off the controls can be without impacting stable combustion. DLE mapping with large overlap of
burner modes and large stage windows was the goal for the Wheatstone gas turbine mapping. Site specific
mapping procedures have been developed and continue to be updated as opportunities to improve the consistency
in mapping between engine are identified.

While mapping will always remain a critical part of Wheatstone operations, the use of turbine inlet temperature
dependent mapping tables and evaporative cooling have simplified the mapping of the gas turbines. The
evaporative cooling minimizes the range of temperature changes at the inlet of the gas turbine. The remaining
variation in temperature can be accommodated with the temperature dependent mapping tables. These factors are
removing the need to seasonally map the gas turbines.

High Ambient Operation

The variation in ambient conditions for air-cooled LNG facilities is a significant challenge when balancing the power
available from a gas turbine and the power required for a propane compressor. The discharge pressure of the
propane compressor floats on condensing pressure which is directly related to the ambient temperature. A
summary of the design ambient temperatures and relative humidity at the Wheatstone facility are included in Table
1.

Table 1 – Design Ambient Conditions

% Exceedance 0.05% 1% 5% 50% 95%
Case Extreme-High High-High High Average Low
Temperature (ºC) 46.0 39.6 35.1 25.3 15.2
Relative Humidity (%) 15.0 31.6 58.1 81.8 92.1

The variation in ambient conditions and resultant changes in available power from the LM6000 PF gas turbine was
recognized and discussed by Shah et al [1]. This was a significant reason for selecting the evaporative cooling at
the inlet of the gas turbine and reducing the power lapse rate of the LM6000PF. In addition, technology
qualifications were conducted to select new impellers for the refrigerant compressor that allowed for a wider
operational range to allow reducing the flow rate further prior to reaching surge.

All testing of the compressor sections met the expected impeller performance and the increased operating range
was achievable. However, in practice, factors such as noise in flow signals and system dynamics related to the
volumes of the compression loop and the relatively flat compressor curves required the surge control lines to be
further to the right than originally anticipated during design. This results in the need for additional power during
extreme high ambient conditions to avoid bogging down the gas turbine. Operations has been able to manage the
extreme high ambient conditions by being more proactive on reducing production and balancing the loads between
the three refrigeration circuits of the ConocoPhillips Optimized Cascade process.

In addition, Wheatstone has upgraded the propane and ethylene services to LM6000PF+ to provide more
operational flexibility during the high ambient conditions. At the time of this writing, Train 2 is successfully operating
with the LM6000PF+ engines installed. Operating the PF+ engines at part power is expected to increase
operational flexibility and increase the maintenance intervals for the engines since they will be fired at a lower
temperature than design.

Variable Speed Operation

The use of the LM6000PF gas turbine in mechanical drive service resulted in the first industrial application of the
engine as a true variable speed machine. Most of the design development for the package were directly related to
the variable speed application and the ability to start a loaded compressor instead of only overcoming the inertia of
a generator. To accomplish the starting sequence, sump pressurization and sump evacuation systems were
included in the design of the package.

The sump evacuation system incorporates the addition of a blower on the mist eliminator system to ensure
negative pressures within the bearing sumps. This system only operates during starting of the gas turbine and is
turned off by the time the unit reaches minimum operating speed of 3060 rpm.

The sump pressurization system includes a blower and a back-up connection from the instrument air system. This
system ensures bearing sump seals are properly pressurized until the gas turbine speed is approximately 3200
rpm. The use of the sump pressurization system allows for utilization of the full available engine torque throughout
the entire operating speed range of the gas turbine. Based on learnings from site, the blower could be deleted on
future packages and only rely on the instrument air connection. This would simplify the package. The instrument
air system needs to be suitably sized to accommodate the air usage.
Under normal operation, both systems are off and the engine functions like generator drive applications. Other
than minor controls tuning for the starting and stopping of the blower, no issues were found with these systems
during the commissioning and operational phase of the project.

The LM6000PF engine has demonstrated its ability to start compressor strings without the assistance of turning
gears or starter motors. This is a result of the ability to start the high pressure (HP) rotor and provide torque to the
low pressure (LP) rotor. Figure 2 shows two typical compressor starts relative to the LM6000PF gas turbine
capability.

Figure 2- Starting Capability

For process duty, normal operating speeds range from 3350 to 3780 rpm. Maximum operating range includes
down to the minimum operating speed of 3060 rpm. The Wheatstone LM6000PF packages have demonstrated
their ability to start centrifugal compressor strings and operate in a variable speed application.

Controls and Control Systems

The control system was recognized as a technology step-out during the initial qualification phase. The control
system that was specified had been used with aero-derivative gas turbines by other packagers and by the
packager for the Wheatstone project for industrial gas turbines. While the step-out was recognized, the level of
attention required during the commissioning phase was underestimated.

In general, all complex equipment control systems should be specified with negative testing of the control systems.
The focus is to understand the behavior of the system when not all permissives are present or when the sequence
is interrupted. During commissioning minor controls errors or inconsistencies required addressing. The gas turbine
supplier worked closely with the site teams to rectify the issues.

The controls issues covered a range of topics, key items include the following:

1. Incorporation of 1st out logic for trouble-shooting.

2. Logic definition for managing items like lock-out following an emergency shut-down sequence.
3. Proper filtering of input signals to avoid noise and control oscillations.
4. Use of limit switches for permissive that can give spurious signals based on component vibration.
5. Use of daisy-chained signals on door limit switches and motor starter cubicles preventing trouble-
shooting of individual components.

The controls issues required diligence to ensure all items were fully corrected and then implemented across the 16
gas turbine packages at site. While none were individually significant, they represented the type of issues that
arise on a new controls application that justifies an increased level of review and testing throughout the project
phases.

Planned Maintenance

As discussed by Shah et al [1], the LM6000PF is an on-condition engine meaning that maintenance is based on
the condition of the gas turbine and not strictly a time-based activity. During the engineering phase of the project
assumptions were made regarding the maintenance requirements.

Based on industry experience, the 30:1 compression ratio of the LM6000PF makes the impact of compressor
fouling more pronounced. For this reason, three items were considered to minimize the risk for the Wheatstone
Project.

1. F9 pulse pre-filters combined with E10 HEPA filters were specified.

2. Automated daily on-line water washing system was designed and installed.
3. Off-line water wash was included in the project economics every 2000 hours (4 times per year).

During initial startup of the facility, the demineralized water system was not initially available. For this reason,
neither the on-line or off-line water wash system were commissioned.

The Train 1 units have run at full load conditions for over a year and have showed no degradation in either axial
compressor or overall gas turbine performance. This is attributed to the filtration system employed since the
engines have not yet been on-line or off-line water washed.
Figures 3 through 5 show sample borescope photos from the 8000-hour inspection of the gas turbine. These
photos are without any water washing and show the cleanliness downstream of the filtration system.

Figure 3- LP Compressor Sample Borescope Photos

Figure 4- HP Compressor Sample Borescope Photos
Figure 5- Combustor Borescope Sample Photos

Another factor assisting with cleanliness of the gas turbines is potentially the evaporative cooling system. It is
anticipated that the evaporative cooling system is assisting with removing any salts that can pass through the filters
on humid days.

Dust storms occur regularly in North-west Australia and these are evident from the pulse cycling seen for the F9
pulse filters. During the first year of operation, the permanent DP across the filters has been low and none of the
filter elements have required replacement.

As a test, three of the gas turbine strings on Train 2 are running E12 HEPA filters instead of the E10 HEPA filters.
Based on the performance of the E10 HEPA filters currently installed, it is targeted to make it 3 years without water
washing.

Beyond the planned water wash schedule, the original Wheatstone maintenance strategy included the following
activities.

1. 4000-hour borescope inspection (BI).

2. 25000-hour hot gas path inspection (HGPI).
3. 50000-hour major inspection (MI).

Based on the experience gained from other sites with base loaded LM6000PF units, Wheatstone has extended the
4000-hour BI to an 8000-hour BI. The photos shown previously (in Figures 3, 4 and 5) are from the 8000-hour
inspection and no 4000-hour inspection was performed.

It was recognized early that much of the reason to shut-down and borescope is related to the package inspections
and remaining items that require replacement or repair.

The DLE bleed valves (Stage 8 and Compressor Discharge Pressure (CDP)) have had reliability issues. Based on
Service Bulletins issued by the gas turbine manufacturer there were two options to improve reliability. The first was
an overhaul for the existing valves and the second was a new manufacturer with an improved valve design. The
improvements are related to the valve bearings and seals. Wheatstone had all existing valves upgraded prior to
commissioning and purchased the spare valves from the alternative manufacturer. To trial the valves, the facility
has installed both. At time of this writing, Wheatstone has experience no failures with the DLE bleed valves from
either the overhauled valves or the new manufacturer. It should be noted that while the mechanical drive units
operate at maximum load with less actuation of the bleed valves, the power generation units operate at part load
and see significant number of bleed valve cycles.

As part of the original qualification work, reliability targets were decreased to account for the application of new
technology. This was incorporated in the original reliability analysis for the project. Based on proactively
addressing items such as the bleed valves, there have been no issues impacting reliability associated with the
selection of the LM6000PF engine versus other potential engine options.

To support the maintenance activities and ensure that Wheatstone LNG facility operates with high reliability, a
significant amount of effort has been aimed at increasing our operational capability with regards to the LM6000PF
and DLE systems. Based on working with other users, a Gas Turbine Team was structured that includes
maintenance and control systems specialists. In addition, there was a focus on control system specialists that have
DLE mapping experience.

The benefits in this operational capability focus can been seen in the planning and tooling that has been designed
and purchased for the Wheatstone facility in addition to the positive experience with DLE mapping at the site. The
operations capability of the Operations team coupled with the experience from the equipment manufacturer has
allowed for decisions to be made that improve the availability of the facility while understanding the constraints for
the equipment.

Conclusion

The use of an LM6000 gas turbine in a mechanical drive application has been successfully demonstrated at the
Wheatstone LNG facility. This technology has met and exceeded the expectations from the original qualification
phase.

The qualification attempted to address novelties in the design as well as address lessons from LM6000 power
generation applications. Two categories of risks were developed; technology qualification and lessons learned.
During the execution of this project, both were found to be equally important. Lessons associated with DLE
mapping and bleed valves greatly assisted the Wheatstone project. Both areas would have been considered
“proven” from a technology qualification perspective since they don’t constitute new technology.

While the high risk items such as large variations in fuel and the first application of variable speed were technically
challenging, they have been successfully demonstrated for the Wheatstone project.

The application of new complex technology that is integrated in a complex process requires close collaboration
between the equipment manufacturer, liquefaction technology licensor, engineering and construction contractor
and the operator. All parties must work closely to ensure that the units will operate as anticipated. The first of a
kind application of LM6000PF for mechanical drive service on Wheatstone LNG trains was a success ultimately
because of the close collaboration between all parties involved.
REFERENCES

1. Shah, P., Weatherwax, M., Chapeaux, M., Masani, K., Meher-Homji, C., 2013, Refrigeration
Compressor Driver Selection and Technology Qualification, @ 17th International Conference &
Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas, Paper Number 2-5, LNG17.
2. Patwardhan, S., Meher-Homji, F., Musardo, A., Weatherwax, M., Cappetti, D., Iannuzzi, G., 2016, Full
Speed String Test on LM6000PF Gas Turbine Driven Refrigeration Compressors, @ 45th
Turbomachinery & 32nd Pump Symposia.