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The gas turbine system must not be intended as limited exclusively to the flange-to-flange part, because
it is actually composed of a series of accessory equipment and systems without which it would never be
able to work.

  
  


The auxiliaries systems illustrated above are the following:

A.Ê ²nlet system
B.Ê Exhaust system
C.Ê Lube and control oil system
D.Ê Fuel system
E.Ê Cooling and sealing air system
F.Ê Baseplates
G.Ê Starting system
H.Ê Accessory gear
².Ê Load gear
J.Ê Couplings
K.Ê Electric system
L.Ê Sound-proof enclosure
M.Ê Ventilation system
N.Ê Oil cooling system
O.Ê Control system
Therefore, correct sizing of each of the auxiliaries systems are fundamental to ensure good operating
results of the ͚gas turbine assembly͛ in term of:
uÊ 9eliability
uÊ Capability to fulfill all operating functions of gas turbine
uÊ Protection against external sources of disturbance and failure
uÊ Economical operation
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The inlet system of a gas turbine has the function to convey combustion air to the axial
compressor inlet section, therefore:
uÊ The required degree of filtration for correct operation of the compressor and the
turbine under the existing environmental conditions of installation
 uÊ Compliance with noise limits in proximity of the system and at a distance from it as
agreed upon in the contract.
uÊ Compliance with the contractually agreed upon power and fuel consumption values
uÊ 9egularities of air flow to the compressor inlet section, and consequent regular fluid
dynamic operation of the latter.
uÊ Levels of reliability and availability not lower than in the rest of the plant.
The gas turbine inlet system consists of the following main components parts:
i.Ê ²nlet filter
ii.Ê Duct
iii.Ê Silencer
iv.Ê Elbow
v.Ê ²nlet plenum
vi.Ê Accessories

   
 

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The exhaust system has the function of discharging into the atmosphere the exhaust gases
originating from the expansion process that takes place in the gas turbine. This system must be
designed and built in a way to meet the following requirements:
uÊ Compliance with the contractual noise levels in proximity to the system and at a
distance from it
uÊ Compliance with contractual power and fuel consumption level
uÊ Compliance with contractual personnel safety requirements of heat insulation
uÊ Gas flow even, optimal speed distribution from the exhaust flange to release into the
atmosphere, so as to reduce turbulence, leakage and abnormal stress on structures to a
minimum.
uÊ To prevent conditions of self-stress from developing during thermal transients.
uÊ 9eliability and availability levels not lower than those of the rest of the plant.
The exhaust system of a gas turbine consist of the following main elements
uÊ Diffuser or exhaust plenum
uÊ Transition ducts
uÊ Exhaust silencer
uÊ Stack
uÊ Expansion joints
uÊ Thermal and acoustic insulation
 uÊ Service ladders and walkways
uÊ Support frames

   


   
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This system has the task of supplying oil to the gas turbine bearings, to the driven machine, to
integrated auxiliaries (accessory gear, starting motor with torque converter, couplings, etc.), to
the control oil and to the hydraulic oil systems.
The oil supplied must meet all purity (filtration), pressure and temperature requirements
necessary for the different systems it is fed to.
Ê  
 
One of the peculiar characteristic which have distinguished gas turbine in the course of their
history is their flexibility in the use of different types of fuel, as specially heavy duty gas turbines
can burn a large variety of fuels. Futhermore, combinations of these fuels can be used in the
same turbine, with dual fuel applications, thus increasing its flexibility and availability of use.
The most commonly used fuels are the following:
i.Ê Natural gas (mixture of methane, ethane and hydrocarbon with progressively growing
molecular weight, with the addition of other components such as CO, H2, etc.)
ii.Ê Mixtures of propane and butane, also called LPG
iii.Ê 9efinery gases with high hydrogen content.
iv.Ê Coal-derived gas and other gas with a low heating value.
v.Ê Conventional liquid fuels, such as gas oil, crude oil and residual oil.
vi.Ê Less conventional liquid fuels (kerosene)
vii.Ê Unconventional liquid fuels such as naphtha and gasolines
viii.ÊLiquid fuels such as process residuals
ix.Ê Methanol.
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The need for cooling a number of internal parts of the gas turbine is to prevent them from
deteriorating at high temperatures. Sealing air in necessary in order to prevent lube oil from
leaking from labyrinth seals adjacent to bearing.
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The diagram above shows a typical representation of the two systems along with the respective
͚targets͛, which are:
i.Ê Cooling hot parts of the gas turbine (buckets and nozzles)
ii.Ê Cooling the exhaust casing frames and housing
iii.Ê Sealing air for bearing labyrinth seals
iv.Ê Antisurge system
Depending on machine model, air is bled from one or more compressor stages and sent to the
various service points via calibrated orifices in the quantity needed. ²t must remembered that
the air flow rates must be optimized to the minimum necessary in order not to affect the gas
turbine efficiency.

 
6Ê &
 

The gas turbine baseplate holds the machine and some of its auxiliaries, the number of which
depends on the configuration. ²t is built of structural steelwork made by welding longitudinal
and transversal metal plates, open or tubular, schematically illustrated in the two typical
sectional views that follow. The plate material is carbon steel, unless otherwise prescribed.

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The main purpose of the starting system is to accelerate the gas turbine up to self-sustaining
speed. ²n this respect, it must remembered that a gas turbine reaches a self-sustaining condition
when the energy available in the combustion chamber is at least equal to the sum of energy
required by compression and mechanical losses in the gas turbine and the driven machine.
After the torque during start up phases up to self-sustaining speed, the starting motor is
disconnected and the turbine accelerates by using its combustion energy alone.
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The accessory gear has the following function:
uÊ To connect the starting means with the turbine shaft for start up.
uÊ To drive a number of user elements (pump, etc.) mounted on shafts connected
with one another via gears, which receive input energy from the axial
compressor shaft of the gas turbine in running condition, via an accessory
coupling.

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The load gear has the function of adapting the gas turbine speed value to that of the
driven machine in all cases in which it is impossible for them to be equal. This need
 derives from the fact that, in many cases the useful power produced by the driving
machine (gas turbine) requires a higher or lower speed than the optimum operating
speed range of the driven machine.

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+Ê  
 
The electric system on a gas turbine refers to the equipment related to the machine and its
auxiliaries, including the relative junction boxes. ²t serves the following purposes:
i.Ê To connect wires which carry signals coming from the instrumentation on the machine
body and from the apparatuses inside the enclosure (lighting, fire fighting system,
dangerous atmosphere, etc.) to the junction boxes located at the baseplate border.
ii.Ê To connect power cables for the various user elements (electric motors, etc.) to their
power supply sources.
When designing and selecting cable paths, several factors must be taken into consideration, of
which the most important are:
i.Ê Temperatures ʹ shielding systems are used in the most critical cases to reduce the effect
of irradiation on instrumentation and cables.
ii.Ê Equipment vibration ʹ provide fixed cabling system, must not provoke the detachment
of conduits or cable trays.
iii.Ê Cable transit areas on the machine ʹ the instruments installed in the machine interior
must cross the machine casings or piping͛s walls without provoking hot gas leaks.
,Ê$  
 
The gas turbine oil heats up as it flows through the bearings and on account of irradiation from
hot casings and from piping. Therefore, it is necessary to remove heat on a continuous basis, in
order to limit its temperature and obtain correct lubrication and adequate cooling of bearings
and shafts.
The oil cooling process can take place in the following ways:
i.Ê With water/oil coolers in an open-loop system
ii.Ê With water/oil with water a closed-loop water system
iii.Ê With oil/water coolers.