Heavy duty gas turbines experience with ash-forming fuels

Abstract
The heavy duty gas turbines operating in power plants can burn various fuels ranging from natural gas to heavy oils. Ash-forming fuels can have detrimental effects on the turbine hardware such as : combustion troubles, erosion, corrosion and fouling by ashes. For decades, progress has been made by the gas turbine industry, especially in the fields of superalloy metallurgy, coating and cooling technology. Furthermore, fuel treatments inspired by the petroleum and marine-engine industries (electrostatic and centrifuge desalting systems) and a vanadic corrosion inhibition philosophy based on magnesium additives have been developed to fully control corrosion.