10 million operating hours for Alstom turbine

Alstom gas turbine passes 10 million equivalent operating hours. (Getty Images)

Passing a major milestone, Alstom’s GT13E2 gas turbine has reached 10 million equivalent operating hours since its launch in 1993.

One of the largest of the company’s fleets, more than 310 major hot gas paths have inspections have been carried out on the 143 units currently installed, recording a reliability factor of 99.5 per cent.

Last month, one unit installed at the Al Hidd power plant in Bahrain set a new record in the fleet, with 421 days of continuous operation. Upgrades to the turbine have allowed operators to switch between a maximum performance optimised mode, providing an output of 184.5 megawatts and net efficiency in simple cycle of 37.8 per cent, and a lifetime optimised mode, leading to maintenance intervals of 36,000 EOH.

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Commenting on the upgrades, Hans-Peter Meer, senior vice president of Alstom Thermal Services, said: “Through the various upgrades, the GT13E2 installed base has become a very mature and high-performance turbine platform, with applications supporting a wide range of customer needs.”

The GT13E2 platform is designed for a wide range of applications, and can operate as a standalone turbine in a new or existing power plant, or be incorporated as part of a turnkey plant.