Enfield Power Plant completed installation and testing of GT26 High Efficiency

2021: Completion of the first modification of the gas turbine unit GT26 HE

On August 18, 2021, GE announced the completion of the installation and testing of the GT26 High Efficiency (GT26 HE), a solution for the modernization of the GT26 gas turbine fleet, at Uniper's Enfield power plant in north London. The modification of the GT26 HE allows you to optimize efficiency and increase the intervals between the maintenance of the GTU. Tests showed that the updated equipment exceeds the declared efficiency values ​ ​ when all other requirements are met. GE also announced the placement of orders for the modernization of GT26 gas turbine units in Argentina and Singapore by the Central Dock Sud companies of Enel Argentina and Keppel Merlimau Cogen Pte (KMC), respectively.

After modernization, the GT26 gas turbine at Uniper's Enfield company became the first GT26 unit with H-class performance with efficiency reaching 60% in the combined cycle. The world is steadily moving towards a low-carbon future, and improving energy efficiency while increasing electricity generation is a key way to generate more energy per unit of fuel at lower carbon emissions. This upgrade solution, as well as the cooperation agreement on decarbonization of gas generation power plants and gas storage facilities Uniper using GE technologies will support Uniper's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of generating equipment. noted Amit Kulkarni, responsible for Product Management of Heavy Duty Gas Turbines, GE Gas Power

We are pleased to work with GE to optimize the competitiveness of our Enfield power plant through the use of the GT26HE modification. We are a generating company that is able to use this technology and check the accuracy of the simulated configuration in real work. The results confirmed the expectations of the technology in terms of performance and efficiency. This project is a good example of the mutual benefit of long-term collaboration with GE. noted Simon Ballmer, Operating Director, Uniper Gas Turbine Fleet

According to the company, a specially developed network of instrumentation during the first launch collected data from selected components and systems of the gas turbine plant: compressor, combustion chamber, turbine and cooling systems. During large-scale tests, more than 2,000 sensors were used, which provided the team of GE engineers with data confirming the safety and reliability of the equipment. Operability, combustion, aeromechanics and key engine parameters met the technical acceptance criteria set by GE, and the unit was put into commercial operation.

The test results confirmed the main capabilities of the plant:

• Efficiency for steam-gas power plants is increased.
• Increasing the nominal load by up to two percent optimized energy efficiency, providing fuel savings of up to four million dollars per year per unit.
• The efficiency at variable load increased by one percent, providing fuel savings of up to one million dollars per year per unit.
• The power of the station is optimized to 25 megawatts (MW) per unit.
• Inspection intervals are optimized for up to 32,000 hours, reducing maintenance costs in the long run.