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Peaking Power, Chapter Thirteen: Speedtronic™ Control and Protection Systems

Published on January 30, 2012 By dlucier

General Electric unveiled its first electronic control and protection system in 1970.  It was called Speedtronic™.   Other manufacturers similarly introduced electrical and electronic controls on gas turbines at the about same time.  The name for GE’s system came from the combination of Speed control by elecTronic.  I’ve had difficulty confirming who came up with the [...]

Peaking Power, Chapter 8: Compressor Drives for the Industrial and Gas Pipeline Industry

Published on July 2, 2011 By dlucier

  In the 1950s, General Electric designed, constructed and installed hundreds of 2-shaft gas turbines.  The units had two, mechanically-independent turbine stages.  The high-pressure (HP) turbine powered the turbine’s own 15-stage, axial-flow compressor.  The low-pressure (LP) turbine drove another manufacturer’s load compressor (Cooper-Bessemer, Nouvo Pignone, Dresser).  These turbines were used primarily in the gas pipeline [...]

Peaking Power, Chapter 5: Gas Turbine Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Published on April 11, 2011 By dlucier

After World War II, it became popular to apply a new technology to modes of transportation including planes, trains and automobiles.  The combustion (gas) turbine, under development during the war, found many commercial applications.  Some succeeded; some didn’t.  Some came up against forces that crushed such innovative ideas.  Planes, trains and automobiles became the focus [...]

Peaking Power, Chapter 4: Sir Frank Whittle, Father of the Gas Turbine

Published on January 11, 2011 By dlucier

  Discussions about gas turbines and their application to land-based power generation, gas pipeline and process plants should rightfully begin with British engineer Sir Frank Whittle.  The key word here is application. His predecessors were many, as the time line in Chapter 2 outlines, but Whittle should be credited for bringing ideas regarding the jet engine to fruition [...]