Compressor & Steam Turbine Efficiency Improvements & Revamping Opportunities

Abstract

Fossil fuels remain the dominant source for primary energy production worldwide. In relation to this trend, energy consumption in turbomachinery has been increasing due to the scale up of both the machinery itself as well as the processing plants in which they operate. This energy growth requires high efficiency improvements for machine design and operation to minimize life cycle cost. This paper will focus on the mechanical drive steam turbines which power the main process equipment in the heart of the plant and introduce the history of efficiency improvements for compressors and steam turbines in the Petrochemical Industry. Since heat balance configurations affect the plant's steam consumption, the authors will explain several cases of heat balance configurations and applications / selections of steam turbines. According to the change in output demand, in some cases the original plants are modified by increasing capacity and consequently the turbines and compressors are revamped internally or replaced totally. The authors will introduce several case studies on revamping to increase efficiency and reliability as per the following cases: a) Replacement of High Pressure Section Internals b) Replacement of Low Pressure Section Internals c) Replacement of All Internals d) Internals and Casing Replacement e) Efficiency Recovery Technique Modification Finally, life cycle cost (LCC) evaluation and sensitivity due to turbomachinery performance are explained as a case study of a mega ethylene plant.