Loads Instability Study of the Gas Turbine Blades for Al- Khums Power Station

Al-khums gas power station is considered one of the main power stations for electricity generation in Libya. It was built in 1982, and it contributed to a large part of the electricity production in the Libyan electrical system. However, the operating system of this station has various technical problems. One of these problems is the turbine blades. Especially, hair cracks that occur in the first rows of these blades. Erosion occurs at the tip and edge of the blade. In addition, the color of the protective layer is changed and the cooling vents are crashed. One of the most important factors that causing these problems is the loads instability of the plant fourth unit, that leads to the rise and fall of the hot gases temperature that heading to the turbine. In addition to, the fuel quality and weather factors such as temperature and humidity have a major impact on the efficiency of the unit. In this paper, the possibility of installing a two-stage intercooler for the compressor at the fourth unit of the station is presented and its impact on the performance and operating conditions of the station is studied. The results show that the temperature leaving the combustion chamber increases when the temperature leaving the compressor decrease and the thermal efficiency increases after installing the intercooler.