GE and Vattenfall introduce additive manufactured components to GT13E gas turbines

• 5 years ago (2018-06-20)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Gas 371

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GE Power and Vattenfall Wärme Berlin, a subsidiary of Vattenfall, have announced the new MXL2 with Additive Manufactured Performance (AMP), the world’s first upgrade solution for GE’s GT13E2 gas turbines that uses key components manufactured using additive technology. GE said that the new technology can help gas plant power producers save up to $2 million in fuel annually, while opening up the potential for additional revenue of up to $3 million annually in new power capacity.

The new MXL2 with AMP include two components produced by GE’s Additive Manufacturing Works (AMW) teams in Birr, Switzerland, and Greenville, South Carolina, USA: the first-stage turbine vanes and heat shields. These parts are among the turbine’s hottest-running components, and the significant amount of cooling air they require impacts the engines performance. Additive printing allows the use of advanced cooling designs that considerably reduce the amount of cooling air required, improving the turbine’s performance.

Scott Strazik, President and CEO of GE’s Power Services business, said: “We’re continuing to invest in new technologies to keep our installed base competitive. The new MXL2 with AMP upgrade could not be manufactured using conventional methods and marks the first-of-its-kind solution with the injection of components manufactured by additive technologies. Because these components are made with a lightweight configuration and can be engineered to include advanced cooling channels, they help the gas turbine run more efficiently.”