additive manufacturing
tip—the point at which the ignition of the fuel-air mixture takes place. Here, the effects of wear and tear can be clearly seen and measured. SIT, like most gas turbine manufacturers, has undertaken rigorous testing to establish a prescribed operating period after which the burners typically need to be repaired. Conventional repair procedure requires prefabrication of a big portion of the burner tip. This prefabricated burner tip is welded to the burner after the original is cut away. Repair can be time-consuming with a signifi cant number of sub- processes and examinations. To help simplify and speed up the repair process, additive manufacturing technology was implemented at Siemens.
The Solution
Such an undertaking requires an innovative partner. Sie- mens found just that in EOS (Kralling, Germany; Novi, MI). In addition to having the right additive manufacturing technol- ogy, EOS was also able, within a short timeframe, to adapt one of its in-house machines—an EOSINT M 280—for this process. The alterations included, in particular, the scale of the machine’s interior, which had to be enlarged to accom- modate the 800-mm burner. The company also added further hardware components such as a camera system and an opti- cal measuring system and made corresponding adjustments to the software. EOS carried out the extensive reworking of the system in less than a year. From the outset it was clear that the approach would reap
EOSINT M 280 Custom on which the repair system is based was confi gured specifi cally for Siemens needs and helps to simplify and speed up the repair of burners for industrial gas turbines.
are not necessarily simple, but they are straightforward. The gas turbine consists of an air inlet, compressor, combustor, turbine and hot gas outlet. The compressor compresses the air going through the engine. In the combustion chamber, the compressed air is mixed with fuel and burned in order to increase the kinetic energy of the fl ow. In the turbine, the ki- netic energy of the fl ow is converted into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is used to turn the gas turbine com- pressor and generator (to generate electricity) or other driven equipment (e.g., compressor to pump the gas/oil through the pipelines). During operation, the components in the engine’s hot gas path are exposed to high temperatures, at times in excess of 1000°C. This, in turn, leads to a high level of wear of the components (blades and vanes, for example) that lie along the path that the hot gas travels.
Another component that lies along that path is the burner
benefi ts. Rather than replacing a large portion of the burner tip, Siemens began by removing the damaged material only. Moreover, during repair, old design versions of the burners in the fl eet could be rebuilt to the latest design. The new approach meant these former versions of the burners in the fl eet could be not only repaired, but also improved.
Conventional repair procedure requires prefabrication of a big portion of the burner tip.
The Results Figures, data and facts clearly detail the success of the
new repair process. Siemens will be able to reduce repair time by 90%—a signifi cant improvement. For the turbine operator, it is equally important that the turbines are quickly ready to return to service. This provides additional opportu- nities for potential cost reduction of the repair process, result- ing in lower maintenance costs. Alongside the benefi ts to its own repair process, Siemens
46 — Energy Manufacturing 2015
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