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Black Start, 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 [...]

Black Start, Chapter Eleven: The Long-awaited Frame 7

Published on October 17, 2011 By dlucier

  In 1971, General Electric finally offered a power plant of the size that most electric utilities wanted 6 years earlier after the Northeast Blackout of 1965.  It was called the model series MS7001 package power plant.   Also known as the Frame 7, it was rated approximately 40 megawatts, making it nearly three times [...]

Black Start, 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 [...]

Black Start, 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 [...]

Black Start, Chapter 3: Gas Turbine Performance, Simplified

Published on November 28, 2010 By dlucier

  It is generally known by observation that gases have particular characteristics.  Variables like pressure (P), temperature (T) and volume (V) have a special relationship in gases that is best understood when considering the model below.  In words, Pressure (P) multiplied by Volume (V) and then divided by Temperature (T) is always constant.  It is [...]