Full-Engine Field Test: An Approach to Improve the Gas Turbine Combustion System

For purposes of both final verification and optimization of TG 20 and TG 50 combustion systems, test programs have been carried out directly on full engines operating in the field, as well as in the test bench. These programs were carried out in two separate phases: the first one directed to determine the behavior at load by means of experimental data acquisition, including temperature distribution on the combustor exit plane for different burner arrangements, and the second one directed to optimize the ignition process and the acceleration sequence. This paper, after a brief description of the instrumentation used for each test, reports the most significant results burning both fuel oil and natural gas. Moreover, some peculiar operational problems are mentioned, along with their diagnosis and the corrections applied to the combustion system to solve them.