No more worries about failure at start-up with new Trip Prevention Package

Avoiding start-up failures

While Mitsubishi Power prides itself on leading the world in gas turbine start-up reliability, sometimes plants fail to fire up because an anomaly manifests itself at start-up, triggering a protective mechanism. Such start-up failures must be avoided in the interests of ensuring the reliability of the electricity supply. However, such failures are still observed around the world, even in turbines that utilize the latest technologies.

Most turbine trips actually caused by auxiliary equipment

The issue is that anomalies of the gas turbines themselves are not the chief cause of turbine trips. Rather, according to the big data obtained through TOMONI HUB, the leading causes of trips are problems with fuel valves, bleed valves, ignition valves, or other auxiliary equipment. This means that plant staff need to pay attention to not only the gas turbines themselves, but also to associated systems.

Unable to identify anomalies with auxiliary equipment in advance

Previously, there was not a solution available that could predict problems with auxiliary equipment. The plant operator, who is the subject of this case study, was forced to perform repeated inspections of all auxiliary equipment, on a daily basis, adversely affecting productivity.

Trip Prevention Package minimizes incidence of start-up failure

The Trip Prevention Package is a diagnostic and response system (application) that is designed to minimize the incidence of turbine failures, in particular, failures at start-up. The system performs diagnostic checks while the turbine is offline, to identify any anomalies. If an anomaly is found, also identifying the location of the problem, the system indicates what response should be taken.

Status visualization and remote monitoring enable immediate response to problems

The Trip Prevention Package runs on an Edge Computing platform installed in the power plant, here diagnostic information can be obtained. Diagnostic data can also be sent to the cloud, enabling verification remotely, via a web application.

A flexible solution tested and refined under real-world conditions

The Trip Prevention Package is available as part of the TOMONI_® intelligent solution from Mitsubishi Power.

TOMONI is a highly refined intelligent solution that operates at the T-Point 2 verification GTCC power plant at Mitsubishi Power's Takasago Works in Hyogo. The plant is subjected to the same operational inputs as a commercial power plant, while also undergoing improvements and enhancements.

Significant reduction in start-up failures

• An analysis of turbine trip events recorded in TOMONI HUB arising over the last 10 years found that 24% of trips occurred during start-up or acceleration. Of these, 18% were caused by fuel valves, 6% by bleed valves, and 4% by ignitor plugs (a total of 28%). Mitsubishi Power's Trip Prevention Package firstly aims to significantly reduce these leading causes.
• By reducing the leading causes of trips, the Trip Prevention Package avoids missed sales opportunities and minimizes grid penalties.
• By focusing on auxiliary equipment, identifying and acting on problem locations in advance, the Trip Prevention Package minimizes turbine trips.
• Because the system performs diagnostics by actually operating valves and other equipment, while the turbine is offline, it is able to identify trouble spots in advance. This enables operators to perform repairs or plan responses and avoid the need to shut down the plant or perform recovery operations.
• If an anomaly is discovered, in relation to a piece of equipment, the system provides specific advice in addition to the 'GOOD'/'NOT GOOD' diagnosis result. Also, the measured parameters can be confirmed by historical trend in the long-time range that allows to grasp the tendency whether the condition of equipment is becoming worse or not. It helps owner to make a maintenance plan even if the diagnosis result is still keeping 'GOOD'.
• In future, there are plans to provide online maintenance, or even enable automatic maintenance, in the event of a negative diagnostic result. By allowing operators to experience and use one fundamental element of the autonomous power plant design at this early stage, the Trip Prevention Package gives them advance access to the autonomous technology of the future.