The two-shaft gas turbine was first introduced in the 1950s.  They showed some popularity in gas pipelines and chemical process plants in the 1960s, where variable-speed load compressors (made by manufacturers other than GE) were required.  These load compressors were designed to operate at speeds different than the gas turbine’s own axial-flow compressor.

  In 1970, an affiliate of General Electric named Nouvo Pignone of Florence, Italy (now owned by GE Oil and Gas) began manufacturing the MS5002A.  In response to market demands, the so-called Frame 5-2 has undergone upgrades including models B, C and the current D.  The D model has a heat rate of 8,650 BTU/HP-hr for a rated 43,000 HP delivered to the load compressor shaft  Forty years after the 5-2 was first introduced, Nouvo Pignone’s achievement parallels its related accomplishments in load compressor designs in package plant concepts.  In short, they can provide both the gas turbine and load compressor together, giving them an excellent competitive advantage.

  In Chapter 8 of this blog, we reported on the predecessor, the MS3002 gas turbine, the first was a 5-bearing unit.  The latter frame 3-2 design revealed in 1970 had only four bearings, two per shaft.  Even from the start, the larger 5-2 gas turbine was far more refined than the 3-2, taking some of the features of the latter design Frame 3.  The MS5002 was first offered more than 40 years ago, taking its axial-flow compressor design from the MS5001N (so-called Nancy machines) for generator drive applications.  In 1987, the MS5002B output was upped to 38,000 HP in MS5002C, through the use of “advanced materials and design features that were more resistant to high temperature damage and wear,” according to GE.

  The MS5002D gas turbine represented the joint-venture efforts of both GE and NP.  In the latest design, GE took the success of MS6001B compressor, a “slightly modified 17-stage compressor” with newly designed rotor and stator blading and related casings.  This increased airflow and hence pressure ratio and, of course, power output.

Fig. 12-1- Colored Cross-section of MS5002 Gas Turbine

  Figure 12-1 above, depicts an accessory base on the left set lower than the gas turbine.  This is a regenerative cycle MS5002B with the heat exchanger (regenerator) shown with the two pipe flanges in the center.  The accessory base shows the expansion turbine starter and accessory gear on a pedestal.

Tags: Compression, gas turbines, MS5002, Nouvo Pignone, regenerative cycle, two-shaft

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