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Service managers of some of the world’s leading gas transportation companies, refineries and LNG plants sleep better nights knowing that GE Energy is monitoring their critical machines day in and day out.
The GE Energy Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics (RM&D) Center helps customers around the globe improve the reliability, availability and operating performance of selected equipment by capturing a detailed record of key performance parameters. The benefits go far beyond a good night’s sleep – GE RM&D services can prevent unscheduled downtime, help avoid repairs and maintain production by alerting operators to potential malfunctions.
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| Data is gathered and preprocessed by monitoring equipment at the site, and transmitted to the RM&D Center. There, analysts are on duty 24/7, alert to any unexpected data that may come their way. They look out for anomalous trends or unexpected readings that could indicate an incipient failure or alarm condition. All data is archived, to provide a history of the operating condition of the machine in question, an invaluable resource when searching for the cause of equipment failure.
The system ensures that service managers and RM&D engineers are constantly aware of the operational status of monitored equipment.
Information supplied to customers includes:
- Detected faults and anomalies
- Analysis of operational data and trends
- Recommendations for maintenance
- Equipment diagnostics
- Performance assessment
- Efficiency tracking of key gas turbine components
- Gas turbine adaptive cycle calculations
- Vibration analysis
- Centrifugal compressor working point evaluation
- Assessments of centrifugal compressor performance
Right now, GE RM&D is remotely monitoring over 200 gas turbines, compressors and generators in oil and gas applications worldwide.
Recent interventions include:
- An anomalous opening of a PCL603 centrifugal compressor anti-surge valve was detected by engineers at the Center. The customer was notified, and on investigation found that a tube running from the suction eye to the anti-surge controller had been damaged. The tubing was replaced, ensuring continuing availability of the machine and avoiding a potentially dangerous malfunction.
- Two GE10 gas turbines running in the same plant under identical conditions showed a 10% difference in output. RM&D engineers carried out a remote diagnosis on the underperforming machine, and identified axial compressor efficiency loss as the cause of the problem. The owner took the machine off line, immediately, and gave the compressor a complete water wash. This reduced the heat rate, which was responsible for the loss of efficiency, and reduced fuel consumption.
- Engineers at RM&D observed unexpected spikes in the readout from a synthetic oil chip detector. The customer was informed, and during the next scheduled maintenance, gave the pump a thorough inspection. Technicians found internal damage in the pump, which they were able to correct, avoiding a costly unscheduled service interruption.
RM&D is part of GE Energy’s portfolio of Smart Services, which also includes Predictive Emissions Monitoring Systems and remote dry low NOx tuning. To learn more about Smart Services, contact Gianni Mochi. |
