Honeywell
Models GE Gas Turbine with VisSim
Author: Mohan Thiagarajah, Applications Consultant, Honeywell UK
When Honeywell UK won a contract to retrofit an existing control system
on a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine, they required a simulation package
that had the power and flexibility to model the nonlinearities of a turbine,
as well as evaluate the relationship between the turbine and the controller.
Based on previous experience, Mohan Thiagarajah, applications consultant
at Honeywell, chose VisSim to handle all of their development and testing
needs.
After only a few weeks, Thiagarajah created a
basic model of the gas turbine, including the compressor, combustor, gas
generator turbine, and power turbine. Several iterations later, the model
would grow to over 2,000 blocks and encompass all the auxiliary units,
including fans, pumps, values, and pipes. According to Thiagarajah, features
like drag-and-drop block placement and compound blocks streamlined model
construction and greatly improved the readability of the diagram.
General Electric LM2500 Gas Generator
One of Thiagarajah's prime concerns was integrating
existing GE information into the overall model. In particular, Thiagarajah
wanted to model the starter motor, ignition system, ventilation fan,
and lubrication oil pumps based on GE specifications. "The map
block provided an easy and reliable way to incorporate this data directly
into the simulation," explained Thiagarajah. "I could perform
1-, 2-, or 3-D table lookups, depending on how the data was organized."
With a fully functioning model, Thiagarajah
was able to create and validate complicated control algorithms for start-up
sequencing and fuel controls, and stimulate both the transient and steady-state
behavior of the system. He also had a safe environment in which to test
emergency trips and alarms that would be too costly or dangerous to
perform on the physical system.
In the end, both Honeywell and their customer were extremely satisfied
with Thiagarajah's work. Honeywell found that VisSim was the most effective
and easiest PC-based solution for developing complex simulation models.
Honeywell's customer ended up with an operational system that met all
their requirements.
"We have a similiar project coming up soon -- an offshore oil rig
in Norway that has 10 compressors and 4 Rolls Royce gas turbines. I
fully expect to use VisSim to great effect again." |
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