⠿ MARINE MAINTENANCE WORLD EXPO 2016
(^48) ⠿ MARINE MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL | APRIL 2016
What you will be discussing at this year’s Marine
Maintenance World Expo Conference?
My presentation is titled ‘Maintenance made easy (and
cost-effective) with gas turbines’. During propulsion
system selection, expenses that extend beyond fuel
price and consumption must be considered. This
presentation will focus on the ease of maintenance
and reduced costs associated with GE’s combined
gas turbine, electric and steam (COGES) system.
By following GE’s ‘on condition’ philosophy, engine
overhaul is arranged only when necessary. A COGES
system requires only 300 man-hours per year for
routine operator maintenance. Along with fewer crew
members, a COGES-powered ship provides for reduced
lifetime costs compared with other propulsion
technologies such as diesel.
.
How does the marine sector differ from the aerospace
sector in terms of its acceptance of gas turbines?
The primary issue we face in getting widespread
adoption of gas turbines in the commercial marine
sector is inability to consume HFO, but expanded use of
LNG fuel and stricter emissions limits favor gas turbine
propulsion. The other issue we face is just familiarity
with the advantages gas turbines offer over diesels.
The aerospace sector relies on the extremely high
reliability of our engines, the ease of maintenance, and
the ability to change out an engine within 24 hours if
there is major maintenance required. The LM2500
family of gas turbines is the most widely used in marine
propulsion around the world, with 34 navies dependent
on our gas turbines. The routine maintenance on
engines is done throughout the world in the most
remote locations without issue.
The other major revelation people have is how long
these products operate before any maintenance is
required. Gas turbines regularly operate 30,000+ hours
before any significant maintenance is required and then
it is only done on an as-needed basis versus any hard
limits. Many power and pipeline operations using the
LM2500 family of engines run at full power 24/7 for the
majority of the year and still see these long
maintenance intervals.
Can you give a clear example of how gas turbine
technology has helped improve vessel operation
and reduced maintenance?
Gas turbines and the COGES system are in operation
today on cruise ships. Chief engineers on these ships
have ‘complained’ of nothing to do! They have reduced
the size of their engineering crews to support the
COGES system as a result. Owners/operators love the
reduced maintenance, but of most value to them is the
space and weight a gas turbine system frees up for
generating more revenue. In the case of one cruise ship,
45 more state rooms were added because GE could
provide the same power with gas turbines in a
significantly reduced space. Jet engines are, by design,
some of the most power-dense sources of power and
that offers tremendous opportunities where you can
place them on a ship, with them being up to 80% lighter
than a slow-speed diesel offering the same power.
What, in your opinion, are the best methods to support
the choices for the next generation of propulsion
technology?
We are looking for customers who want to be at the
forefront of adopting proven technology to a new
segment of the marine sector. The exact same family of
LM2500 gas turbines we are offering on merchant
vessels has been proven in naval vessels, cruise ships,
fast ferries and large yachts. These gas turbines are
also used in land-based power generation stations, oil
and gas pipelines, as well as platforms out at sea. We
have more than 3,000 LM2500 gas turbines in
operation, with about 80 million operating hours total.
This is on both gas and liquid fuels. We also have
approximately 25 million operating hours on our dry low
emission (DLE) combustors, which allows operators to
meet the most stringent emission regulations projected
for the marine sector. This eliminates the need for
exhaust aftertreatment systems. \
Speaker spotlight...
Brien Bolsinger, vice president, marine operations, GE Marine
Thursday, June 23, 10:00am
http://www.MarineMaintenanceWorldExpo.com
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