Abstract

Examining the impact of preheating the wash fluid on the efficiency of online compressor cleaning in industrial gas turbines

Author(s): Scott Gomez

 In this work, the impact of wash fluid preheating on the efficiency of online compressor washing in commercial gas turbines is examined. With the use of a roller brush, crude oil was evenly sprayed to the compressor cascade blades' surfaces, and carborundum particles were absorbed into the tunnel to produce accelerated fouled blades. Using the heat coil that was provided in the tank, demineralized water was warmed to 500C. When the total pressure loss coefficient and exit flow angle of fouled blades cleaned with warmed demineralized water and the control group were examined, it was found that there was little to no change in either. The overall pressure loss coefficient and exit flow angle did change significantly between the fouled and cleaned examples, though.