Rotor Life Assessment
In recent years, major gas turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) have issued technical bulletins announcing their official position on rotor “end of life,” stated in terms of maximum allowable factored hours and starts. However, none of these documents have offered any technical basis for the published limits. Rather than purchase new rotors, many turbine owners operating close to or past these limits have opted to “re-qualify” rotors for further service. Recognizing this need, Eta Technologies LLC (Eta Tech) has developed and implemented processes to safely extend rotor life past OEM-defined limits through rigorous inspection and engineering analysis. Conducted during a full shop disassembly, Eta Tech offers inspection services and advanced engineering to accurately assess rotor component condition, conduct thermal/structural modeling of the rotor assembly as necessary and thus determine life extension risks and limits. Highlights of these services include:
- State-of-the-art component inspection methodologies, including full volumetric phased array ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle and eddy current surface inspections and nondestructive metallurgical evaluations.
- If desired, performance of thermal/structural modeling to independently evaluate life limits or to disposition inspection findings. Collection and input of site specific operating history and conditions into the engineering analysis can be accomplished to tailor the recommendations to the client’s specific rotor under review.
