Gas Turbine Fuel Treatment

SFA International, Inc. provides a broad range of FuelSpec® fuel treatment products that meet engine manufacturer specifications and warranty requirements. Because of the individual engine manufacturer views, we always recommend products for a customer’s engine that fit within the specifications and operating philosophy of the engine manufacturer. Ash-bearing fuels, by definition, include any distillate, unrefined crude oil or residual oil containing sufficient quantities of ash to cause deposit and corrosion problems.

Treatment of Water-Washed Ash-Bearing Fuels

Most manufacturers of combustion turbine engines capable of operating ash-bearing fuels recommend removal of water-soluble contaminants from fuels by water-washing fuels. These manufacturers require reduction of sodium plus potassium to 1 ppm (part per million) or less. The remaining oil-soluble contaminants (e.g. compounds of vanadium and lead) are treated with magnesium at a rate of 3 parts magnesium to 1 part contaminant. Organometallic magnesium products such as SFA International’s FuelSpec® 120 and 130 Series products are normally recommended at levels of vanadium and lead up to 50 ppm.

This Union Pacific engine contained a General Electric Frame 5 combustion turbine (in the second unit) and an auxiliary Diesel electric generator set (in the first unit). This was an early example of a combustion turbine operated on washed residual oil (in the converted steam locomotive tender) treated with a magnesium fuel additive. It developed 10,000 HP and was the most powerful locomotive in the world in the 1960's.

Water-Washing Aids

Water-washing of fuels, in either a centrifuge or electrostatic device, will produce oil-water emulsions that must be treated before release to the environment. SFA International’s AquaSpec® Demulsifiers are used to (a) produce a better separation of water from fuel following the water-washing process and as it passes through the desalting device and (b) produce water with less entrained oil in the effluent. Demulsifiers are complex, surfactant type compounds which require careful selection for optimum performance. AquaSpec® Flocculants are used to treat oily effluent water before release to the environment. These are generally used with air flotation or separation equipment. As with demulsifiers, the optimum product must be selected for best results.

This is a typical design of a combustion turbine Fuel Oil Treatment Plant for water washing fuels containing water-soluble salts of sodium, potassium and calcium. Combustion turbine manufacturers typically require Na + K < 1 to 0.5 ppm and Ca < 10 ppm in the fuel. Demulsifiers and flocculants are required for clean water / oil separation and clean water than can be returned to the environment.

Key Benefits from these SFA Products:

• Longer Turbine Blade Life
• Less Downtime for Maintenance & Repair
• Reduced Smoking & Pollution
• More Efficient Heat Generation & Better Fuel Economy

Technical Service

SFA Engineers provide technical service to aid customers in achieving optimum results from use of boiler fuel additives. Before a recommendation is made, a survey of the plant is made. From this information, a proposal is prepared outlining the additive application, dosage rate, function and expected benefits.

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