Lahore – GE’s Power Services has achieved a significant milestone with its 9EMax gas turbine upgrade solution. The 9EMax has completed initial validation testing and the critical ‘first fire’ test at a utility site in Asia and is commercially available to customers around the globe.
First fire is a critical test where the gas turbine is operated for the first time and runs on fuel at the site. The unit also completed an additional milestone successfully reaching plant rated load, while delivering significantly more efficiency compared to current 9E gas turbine operations.
The 9EMax solution is being showcased at the GE 9E Users Conference taking place in Dubai May 9-11, 2017, and attended by more than 100 key customers. The conference includes presentations and roundtable discussions on various aspects of power plant operations including digital solutions, improving plant utilization, gas turbine accessories & controls, asset management, maintenance, service & repairs and gas turbine performance.
9EMax, part of GE’s Fleet360* platform of total plant solutions, was developed utilizing GE’s FastWork methodology and deep domain experience from its global fleet of more than 700 units with insights from more than 30 million hours of operating data from its installed base.
“The 9EMax upgrade is another example of the tremendous benefits that GE’s digital industrial innovations bring to our customers,” said Joseph Anis, President & CEO of GE’s Power Services business in the Middle East & Africa (MEA). “The solution was developed in response to customers’ specific needs for increased efficiency, additional output and greater flexibility. With more than 300 GE 9E units installed across MEA, the 9EMax offers a unique opportunity for many of our customers to enhance asset performance and lower operating costs.”
The validation test monitored and mapped the unit’s behavior at typical operating parameters. During the tests, over 1,000 instruments were used to collect data and improve the performance of the machine. The sensors collected over 14 terabytes of data, highlighting 9EMax’s capabilities.
The 9EMax will be capable of: Increasing turbine output up to 145 megawatts (MW) in simple-cycle operation and up to210 MW in a combined-cycle configuration. Achieving up to 37 percent efficiency in simple cycle and up to 53.5 percent efficiency in combined-cycle configuration. Leading up to $5 million in fuel savings annually per unit.
Delivering maintenance intervals of up to 32,000 hours or 900 starts—equivalent to approximately four years of typical plant operation. Offsetting as much as 2-3 percent of normal performance degradation between maintenance intervals in extreme ambient operating conditions.
9EMax can also operate at partial loads, making it ideal for power producers looking to increase the flexibility of operations to respond to varying seasonal grid needs or as they look to add renewables to their energy mix. It also includes an array of digital solutions to boost operational reliability, improve combustion operations and manage emissions. In addition, GE’s softwaresolutions help offset degradation between maintenance intervals and operating challenges on hot days. This makes the solution an ideal fit for environments such Pakistan, which has an installed base of 21 GE 9E turbines with a generating capacity of over 2.4 gigawatts (GW). GE has supported the development of energy, transportation and healthcare infrastructure in Pakistan for more than 50 years. Today, GE-built technologies can generate the equivalent power needed to supply up to 25 percent of the country’s electricity.
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About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect.
Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
About GE Power
GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-
leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable,
accessible and sustainable.
For more information, visit the company's website at www.gepower.com. Follow GE Power on Twitter @GE_Power and on LinkedIn at GE Power.
About GE’s Power Services
GE’s Power Services, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets, which includes other OEMs, and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytic.
