Simulation of startup operation of an industrial twin-shaft gas turbine based on geometry and control logic

Highlights: • Simulation of full start-up operation of an industrial twin-shaft gas turbine. • Development of a model based on geometry and control logic of studied gas turbine. • Simultaneous consideration of the operation of the actuators in full start-up. • Modeling the air-cooled compressor turbine with a new approach. • Tuning and validation of the model by the use of industrial field data. -- Abstract: In this paper, a transient model is developed to simulate the start-up operation of an industrial twin-shaft gas turbine based on real geometry and control logic. The components' characteristic curves of the studied gas turbine were generated with the aid of CFD simulation tools and according to the real geometry of each component. The control logic of the studied gas turbine was simplified and coupled with the developed engine performance model. Also, the gas turbine actuators including variable inlet guide vanes, compressor bleed valves, and fuel valves were simulated so that their concurrent effects on the gas turbine transient behavior can be captured precisely. Moreover, the air-cooled compressor turbine was modeled with a new approach. The integrated model was set up and then tuned with the field data in the base load condition. Next, the start-up operation of the gas turbine from zero speed to the base load condition was simulated and validated with the field data. The results show good agreement between the model outputs and field data. Regarding the model outputs, it can be used as the base code for a more comprehensive investigation of flexibility, operability, and the life concerns of this type of gas turbines.