Prepare your B&E rotors for the future with life management solutions
The history of GE's B- and E-fleets dates back over half a century. As the OEM, GE knows exactly what's in your gas turbine, right down to rotor versions and replacements.
Plan ahead!
The importance of maintaining your gas turbine rotors
Aging plants, changing operating demands, regulatory uncertainty and increasing cost pressures make it more important than ever to cost-effectively manage and maintain gas turbine rotor assets. We have solutions to help keep your fleet in operation while reducing downtime for the long term.
Benefits
GE’s technical differentiators
When it comes to rotor life management and extension, GE has the advantage. With our vast OEM knowledge and experience, we can help repair and extend the life of your rotor and keep it running safely and reliably.
The most experience
Gas turbine rotor OEM expertise
Across the gas turbine B- and E-fleets, there have been over 100 rotor end-of-life solutions applied on the welded rotor fleet and more than 160 solutions of the bolted rotor configurations since the 1990s. When it comes to addressing gas turbine rotor needs there are many different solutions, but GE has the knowledge, history, and expertise to perform a full rotor-life assessment, addressing all phases of the lifecycle—for today and tomorrow.
Proven gas turbine rotor life management
Through years of fleet and engineering analysis, we have developed proprietary gas turbine rotor manufacturing processes that cannot be duplicated. As rotor assets have aged over the last few years, our customers have worked with us to replace more than 250 B and E turbine rotors and over 500 F turbine rotors. For the 7F gas turbine there have been more than 30 turbine rotor modifications, 10+ compressor rotor enhancements, and more than 100 different blade changes since 1990.
Customer stories
Powering Myanmar with rotor life extension solutions
10-15 years
plant life extension
2x 6B
rotor life extensions
Myanmar Lighting owns a 230 MW combined-cycle gas power plant located in Ngan Tae, Mawlamyine that is powered by three 6B gas turbines and one LM2500 gas turbine supplied by GE that have been in operation since 2014. Knowing that the 6B gas turbine rotor end life was approaching in 2022, the customer needed a long-term solution to ensure that the plant could continue to support the growth and needs of the people of Myanmar. GE developed a 6B rotor life management solution to help the utility continue supporting Myanmar’s energy sector.
The GRSS
GE’s Global Repair Solutions Singapore
Building on 45 years of technology innovation in HA gas turbine components and repair and with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board, GE has established the Global Repair Solutions Singapore (GRSS) facility to better service HA power plant operators based in Asia and countries outside the Americas region, supported by BGGTS and GEMTEC. Learn more about repairs and service centers in Asia.
GRSS at a glance
- 300+ employees, 45+ years gas turbine OEM repair
- The first and only gas power aero component repair facility with combustor DVM coating
- From 2017-2020, GRSS experts have repaired and performed rotor life extension on ~40 B and E unit rotors and ~40 F-class rotors
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about rotor life management
Planning ahead
When should I start planning my rotor life management?
Planning for rotor life management begins with the following key questions:
- What are the future operational expectations for the plant?
- Should rotor life management encompass one or multiple units?
- What outage constraints, scope, or timing window should be considered?
Based on your plant’s long-term strategy and decision-making processes, planning should begin as early as three or more years in advance—when the rotor has approximately 150,000 FFH or 3,500 FFS. Early planning gives you the time and flexibility to examine available solutions and find a good match for your plant’s long-term vision. After the plan is set, GE works with you to build the right solution.
Safe rotor operation
How does GE’s maintenance and inspection plan help keep my rotor operating safely?
We have a 3-pronged approach:
- Adhering to the maintenance practices detailed in GE’s Heavy Duty Gas Turbine Operating and Maintenance Considerations document (GER-3620)
- Completing periodic inspection as covered in our Technical Information Letters (TILs)
- Undertaking a timely rotor maintenance according to the rotor life management plan defined in Technical Information Letters (TILs) 1576, 2040 and 2197.
What should I know about the safe operation of my rotor?
Safe operation starts with GER-3620, which provides a general overview of the best operating and maintenance practices for GE’s heavy duty gas turbines. It describes how factors such as time, cycle, and temperature impact the life of the rotor and other gas turbine components. The guidance also explains how to document and track rotor life consumption based on listed maintenance factors and the unit’s fired hours and starts.
How often should I have my rotor inspected?
Inspections must be employed at normal outage intervals as outlined in GE’s Technical Information Letters (TILs) which have been released over the past years. TIL-1049 describes inspections of the turbine wheel dovetail for material loss while TILs 1805/2056 covers inspection of the 9B/9E compressor stub shafts. To help maintain safe rotor operation until the next inspection interval, the TILs associated with each specific unit should be reviewed and all outlined inspections should be performed during normal outages such as a hot gas path or major inspection outage. Each of these inspections are done during normal outages like a hot gas path, major inspection or C-inspections and will help ensure that the rotor can operate safely to the next inspection interval.
When should I have a rotor overhaul performed?
The last step of a robust maintenance and inspection plan involves performing a rotor overhaul to help ensure continued safe turbine operation, when the time is right. Appropriate timing for a required rotor overhaul must be based on operating history and maintenance factors as outlined in (TILs) 1576, 2040, 2197 and GER-3620.
Rotor management options
What options does GE have for my rotor life management?
Building the best-fit solution and selecting the rotor life plan that best meets your specific needs requires examining three different options:
- New Rotor – If your plant needs to run over a 20-to-25-year time horizon, you can choose a new rotor with full design life. In addition, you can select additional gas turbine upgrade solutions to deliver increased output and efficiency.
- Refurbished Rotor – If the long-term plan for your plant is uncertain, you may choose to install a fully inspected refurbished rotor that has been updated with the latest technical improvements. The remaining life of the refurbished rotor can vary.
- Rotor Life Extension or Rotor Reconditioning – If your outage window is flexible or have multiple units, you can send your rotor to our certified service shop for a tear down and repair that can extend rotor life depending on how much life the rotor had already consumed.
Further reading
Learn more
Fact sheets
Technical papers
