GT Compressor Water Washing Practices &

Effectiveness For TNB’s Combined Cycle Plants

By:
Dr. Zainul Asri Mamat (zainul@tnb.com.my)
Generation Asset Management,
Tenaga Nasional Berhad

ABSTRACT - All gas turbines deteriorate in performance during operation. The most common contributing factor to the
loss of performance in operation is a direct result of fouling of compressor. Compressor fouling is best controlled by a
combination of two methods i.e employing high quality air filtration system, and periodic on-line and/or off-line
compressor washing. However, as fouling will inevitably occur, compressor washing is be used to control its impact.

1.0: INTRODUCTION
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) operates 29 units of
gas turbines of various models and capacities
throughout 6 different power stations i.e 1) Sultan
Ismail Power Station (SIPS), Paka (***), 2) Sultan
Iskandar Power Station (SIPS), PG (**), 3) Connaught
Bridge Power Station (CBPS), Klang (**), 4) Gelugor
Power Station (GPS), Penang (***), 5) Tunku Jaafar
Power Station (TJPS), PD (***) and 6) Putrajaya
Power Station (PPS), Putrajaya (*).

The earliest units were installed in the early 1980s with
rated capacity of 100MW (Siemens V94.2 at CBPS), to
the recent ones in 2005 with rated capacity of 250MW
(MHI 701F3 at TJPS). The power plants are either
fully combined cycle (CC) (***) or open cycle (OC)
(*), or combination of combined cycle and open cycle
units (**).
All gas turbines deteriorate in performance during
operation. Even operated under the best possible
conditions, the deterioration in the performance of gas
turbines is unavoidable due to several degradation
mechanisms. The impact of performance deterioration
results in loss in power output and increases fuel
consumption, and later affects the revenue and
operating costs respectively. Both these factors
increase equipment life cycle cost.
The most common contributing factor to the loss of
performance in operation is a direct result of fouling of
compressor (see Fig. 1). Compressor fouling is
typically caused by the adherence of particles (smaller
than 2µm) to airfoils and annulus surfaces. The
adherence is caused by oil or water mists and results a
build-up of material that causes increased surface
roughness and to some degree changes the shape of the
airfoil. Fouled compressors result in reduced air flow,
lower compressor efficiency and a lower compressor
ratio.
Compressor fouling is best controlled by a combination
of two methods i.e employing high quality air filtration
system, and periodic on-line and/or off-line compressor
washing. However, as fouling will inevitably occur,
compressor washing is used to control its impact.
Fig. 1: Typical GT Performance Deterioration (Source:
Cranfield Univ, 05)
The Online washing is normally used as a means to
control fouling by avoiding the problem from
developing. The primary objective is to extend the
operating period between the Offline washes by
minimising the build-up of deposits in the compressor
and thereby reducing the ongoing rate of incremental
power losses. Online washing is performed with unit in
full operation (Ref 1). Demineralised water quality is
always specified for On-line washing, to avoid the
possibility of introducing harmful trace metal
contaminants into the combustion turbine.
Complete performance recovery can only be achieved
by an Off-line compressor washing where distilled
water mixed with a special detergent is sprayed into the
gas turbine while being rotated by the starter at the
crank speed. Under extreme fouling condition, hand
washing of Inlet Guide Vanes (IGV) may be required.
During overhaul, hand cleaning of the full axial
compressor is the most effective option.
There is also concern regarding the regular and
aggressive compressor water washing may lead to
compressor blade erosion. This is mainly true in the
case of On-line wash in which the high velocity of the
compressor blade during operation has the potential to
initiate and drive compressor blade erosion.
This paper describes the effectiveness of practices
adopted by TNB through “wet cleaning” as part of
performance loss recovery effort in most of its
combined cycle plants. Mitigation measures

1
 undertaken in reducing the risk of compressor blade Similarly, GPS consists of 1 block CC with 2x2x1
erosion due to On-line washing are also discussed. configuration, and located near the sea. However, the
station only practices Offline washing at every 3
2.0: PRACTICES BY TNB - CCP months interval.
The rate at which a compressor fouls or an inlet filter
clogs is highly dependent on the site conditions as well For the rest of CC plants, most of the systems are of the
as on current weather and climate. As such no low pressure type, and capable of conducting Off-line
standardized guideline has been set by TNB in and On-line washes. The plants practice either weekly
determining the type of compressor water washing (CBPS, TJPS) or daily (SIPS_PG) On-line washing by
system. using demineralised water. The duration for the On-
line spray varies from 10 – 30 minutes depending on
Most of TNB’s CC power plants have installed GT the type of system installed. The Off-line wash is
Compressor Washing system either through the carried during any plant maintenance shutdown
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) or third opportunity.
party system, and summarized as below:
3.0: PERFORMANCE RECOVERY
Power Plant Practice 3.1: SIPS_Paka: Boroscope Inspection
On-Line Off-Line Boroscope Inspections were carried out during the first
SIPS_Paka Daily During Minor Offline washing for SIPS_Paka (GT2A) in May 2007.
(GT: GE 9E) (3 mins) Inspection In general, the condition of inlet guide vane (IGV) and
[3rd Party] compressor blades were heavily fouled prior to the first
CBPS Weekly (Frid) During Minor Offline wash. Fig. 2a shows the initial condition of the
(GT: V94.2) ~ ½ hour Inspection compressor stage 17 before the first wash.
[OEM] Subsequently, during the first wash the IGV required
TJPS Weekly (Mon) 3-Monthly heavy manual cleaning as well as the Offline wash had
(GT: MHI701F3) ~ 3 mins/spray to be repeated for at least 3 times. Fig 2b shows the
[OEM] image of the same stage after the first Off-line wash
GPS Facility 3-Monthly with obvious removal of hard deposits as far back as
(GT: GE 9E) Available the last stage of the compressor.
[3rd Party]
SIPS_PG Daily Every
(GT: 13DM) (10 mins) Inspection
[OEM & 3rd Party]
Table 1: Summary of TNB’s practices

SIPS_Paka is located near the sea and within sight of

large oil refinery. The plant has 4 combined cycle
blocks with 2x2x1 configuration. Prior to May 2007,
the plant had been performing periodic abrasive Fig. 2a: Before Offline Wash (Stg 17)
cleaning “carboblasting” and there were no set
intervals or power degradation levels that would dictate
a cleaning requirement. The use of carboblasting has
not been an efficient way of cleaning since the
compressor is fouled with oily contaminants. In
addition, a lot of problems have been reported as a
result of the application of the carbolasting technique
such as clogging of “instrumentation lines”, erosion of
atomising air cooler tubes and risk of blocking the
turbine blade cooling holes. Fig. 2b: After 1st Offline Wash (Stg 17)

As a replacement, SIPS_Paka commissioned a high
pressure compressor water washing system in May
2007 for the Block 2 (GT2A & GT2B). The system is
capable of providing the Off-line and On-line washing
for both GTs. Since commissioning, the plant has been
adopting daily On-line wash ever since with the spray
duration not exceeding 3 minutes while the keeping the
load at 5% lower than the baseload. The Off-line wash
is carried during any plant maintenance shutdown
opportunity.
2
During the second Offline wash (October 2007), IGV
required light manual cleaning and the plant only
carried out the Offline wash for 1 time only. This could
be due to the fact that the daily On-line wash has
minimised the build up of deposits in the compressor.
3.2: SIPS_Paka: Power Output & Efficiency
The overall gas turbine performance and output depend
strongly on the axial compressor performance. GT2A’s
compressor efficiency before first Offline wash was
about 84.6%. As a direct result of performing the
Offline wash, the compressor efficiency increases to GPS, in particular, can only maintain the improved
89.6%, which is the result of the increased mass flow performance by at most 3 weeks. This is as expected
rate along with lower discharge temperature (reduced since the plant does not practice the On-line wash to
by 7oC) and higher discharge pressure (raised by 0.7 minimise the build-up of deposits in the compressor
bar). For the case of GT2A, there is an increase of 5% and thereby to reduce the ongoing rate of incremental
compressor efficiency, directly responsible for an power losses.
increase in gross power output and gross thermal
efficiency (lower gross heat rate). Power Average Performance Recovery (Offline)
Plant & Sustainability
In general, the Off-line wash for Block 2 of SIPS_Paka CBPS • Load: Limited by HRSG capacity
has resulted in a gross power recovery of • Efficiency: 0.7%
approximately 6-10MW (7% - 13%) (See Fig. 3a) and • Sustainability: 2-3 months
improvement in gross thermal efficiency of at least 1% TJPS • Load: 3-5MW (< 2%)
- 1.5% (See Fig. 3b). Evaluation of the 1-year data
• Efficiency: 1-2%
(May 07 – May 08), indicates the combination of the
• Sustainability: ~ 3 months
Off-line and daily On-line washes is able to maintain
GPS • Load: 1 MW (< 1%)
the improved gross power output for a period of more
than 10 months. The sustainability of the improved • Efficiency: < 0.5%
gross heat rate, however, is slightly shorter duration i.e • Sustainability: ~ 1-3 weeks
approximately 6-7 months (Ref 2, Ref 3). SIPS_PG • Load: 2-3 MW (< 3%)
• Efficiency: 0.7%
Block 2 - Average Monthly Gross Baseload at 32 Deg C
• Sustainability: 2-3 months
Table 2: Average Performance Recovery (Offline) &
Average Monthly Gross Baseload

Sustainability
100
93 93 92 93
95 91 91 92 91 91 91 91
90
88 88 87 The frequencies of on-line and off-line compressor
(MW)

85
88 88 87
89 88 87
89 89 88 washing are also a widely debated issue. As a general
86 86
80
GT2A (MW) rule of thumb, for the Offline wash, the determination
75
70
78 GT2B (MW)
of the washing interval shall satisfy the requirement for
the washing (cost of washing) and the lost in revenue
May-07

May-08
Aug-07

Nov-07

Mar-08

Apr-08
Jun-07

Jul-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Jun-08

when operating the unit with degraded performance.

Date

Fig. 3b: Average Monthly Gross Power Output

3.4: Risks of Erosion due to regular Online Wash
Blade erosion due to water impingement is a
Paka Block 2 - Variation in Monthly Average GT Thermal Efficiency @ 31-32oC &
Baseload phenomenon that can occur with prolonged
34.84 34.88
impingement of water droplets or water columns on
34.75
35.0 34.60 34.53
rapidly moving blades (Ref 4). The relationship that
GT Thermal Efficiency (%)

34.30 35.01
34.71
34.0
33.73 33.79 34.67 34.68 34.56 33.63 33.60 describes the erosion volume is:
Average Monthly

34.31 33.41
34.01
33.61 33.52
33.0 32.64

32.79
33.11 33.02 32.89 Vol = (Flux / 2 x NER ) [ V/2500]4.8 d0.67 t
32.0
Average GT2A Eff (%)
Average GT2B Eff (%)
31.0 Where:
30.0 • Vol - Volume Eroded
May-07

Jun-07

Jul-07

Nov-07

Jan-08

M ar-08

May-08
Apr-07

Aug-07

Sep-07

Oct-07

Dec-07

Feb-08

Apr-08

• Flux – Water Droplet Mass Flow

Date
• NER – Material Parameter
• V – Blade Velocity
Fig. 3a: Average Monthly Thermal Efficiency • D – Droplet Diameter
• t – Time of Water Flow
3.3: Performance recovery at other TNB CC Plants
The benefits of compressor washing are undoubted. The material type, inlet air velocity and blade velocity
However, the extent of power and efficiency recovery are the characteristics of the GT. Due to this, the
varies from one station to another and from one system Offline wash has no erosion risk. The blades are not
to another. moving rapidly enough to cause erosion risk.
Observation on the performance recovery for the rest of Online wash, due to the very high velocities of the
CC plants (See Table 2) indicates the average gross compressor blade during operation, has the potential to
base load and thermal efficiency recovered after each initiate and drive compressor blade erosion. In order to
Offline wash are in the range of 1–5 MW and 1% minimize the risk of compressor blade erosion, the
respectively, with the maximum period of sustained flux, droplet diameter and washing time need to be
performance of 3 months (SJTJ). controlled and optimized.
3
Currently, the design differences between the various
types of washing systems especially the nozzles are
quite significant. This has resulted in a wide range of
mass flow rates, operating pressures, spray patterns,
droplet size ranges, and performance characteristics.
Accepting that different design philosophies do exist,
there is a fairly common agreement within the industry
that On-line droplet size should be within the range of
50 - 250 microns. If droplets are too small they are
easily deflected by the air stream, and may not survive
to perform washing. If droplets are too large, they are
more influenced by gravity, and tend to fall towards the
lower surfaces of the inlet plenum. Large sized droplets
are also more likely to cause erosion problem.
Nevertheless, even though the On-line wash has the
potential to initiate and drive compressor blade erosion
but with proper control of flux, droplet diameter and
washing, the risk of compressor blade erosion can be
minimized.
As for TNB, no issue of compressor blade erosion has
ever been reported even in the “older” On-line Wash
practicising plants. However, TNB recognizes that the
potential for erosion on the compressor blades due to
On-line wash does exist. To reduce the risk of
compressor blade erosion, instruction from the GT
Compressor water wash system is adhered. For
SIPS_Paka, the following countermeasures have been
adopted by the station while carrying out the On-line
wash:
• Flux - Only the 300-litre heated (60oC)
demineralised water is consumed during each On-
line wash
• Droplet Diameter – Expecting droplet size of less
than 180mm. For this purpose, the nozzles have to
be regularly checked by constant monitoring of the
system discharge pressure pressure (nominal value
of60bar). Increase in pressure would indicate
nozzle blockage, while decreases would indicate
erosion of nozzle orifices.
• Time – The supplier limits the spray time to
maximum of 6 minutes and once per day. The
current practice adopts a single daily On-line wash
with spray time of 3 minutes.
Based on the experiences of TJPS and CBPS, TNB
believes the countermeasures adopted will be effective
in reducing the risk of compressor blade erosion.
4.0: CONCLUSIONS
Compressor efficiency defines the performance of the
compressor section of a gas turbine. The overall gas
turbine performance and output depend strongly on the
axial compressor performance.
Compressor fouling is the most common contributing
factor to the loss of GT performance in operation.
Fortunately, this performance loss can be recovered
during operation through compressor water washing.
The benefits of compressor washing are undoubted.
The extent of power and efficiency recovery varies
from one station to another and from one system to
another. The frequencies of on-line and off-line
compressor washing are also a widely debated issue.
Online wash, due to the very high velocities of the
compressor blade during operation, has the potential to
initiate and drive compressor blade erosion. In order to
minimize the risk of compressor blade erosion, the
flux, droplet diameter and washing time need to be
controlled and optimized.
References:
1. Cyrus B. Meher-Homji, Andrew Bromley, “GT
Axial Compressor Fouling & Washing” – Proc. Of
33rd Turbomachinery Sysmposium, 2004
2. Mamat, Z.A et al, “Technical and Commercial
Evaluation of the newly installed GT Compressor
Water Washing System at SJSI, Paka” 2007
3. Robert Burke, “MS9001E Water Wash
Effectiveness for Paka Power Plant (TNB)” – GT
Efficiency Inc, 2007
4. T Wagner, “Application Note – Erosion
Management” - GT Efficiency Inc, 2007
5. Eric Jeffs, “ Power Engineering International” –
January 2007
6. Petek, J, Hamilton, P.,”Performance Monitoring
For Gas Turbines” Orbit 65 (Vol. 25) 2005
7. GT Compressor Cleaning – GE Power System
(Doc; GEI 41042N), 1996
8. Hamzah, M.Z., Yusoff, M.Z, Mamat, Z.A,
“Performance Monitoring and Optimization Of
Combined Cycle Power Plant Operation, 2000”
9. Kurz, R, “Gas Turbine Performance” Proceeding
of 34th Turbomachinery Symposium 2005
10. Brooks, F.J, “GE Gas Turbine Performance
Characteristics” GE Power System (GER 3567H)
11. Nguyen, T.V, Nelson, H.W, “ A System Approach
to Machinery Condition Monitoring and
Diagnostic”