Pinpointing Hot Spots in Combustion Turbine Blades.(Brief Article)

Some 75% of all new generating capacity planned in the United States over the next decade is expected to be based on combustion turbines. As the use of these turbines increases, plant operators are becoming acutely aware of the machines' higher-than-projected operating and maintenance expenses. In particular, there is increasing concern about the replacement and other costs related to the durability and performance of hot-section parts, which experience the greatest thermal stress. A growing backlog of orders for the latest combustion turbine models is adding to unit availability and maintenance pressures.

In 1998, operators of advanced F-class combustion turbines reported that none of the …