2000 – 2011 News Archives

Tempe, AZ—6/16/2011—Jansen’s Aircraft Systems Controls, Inc. (JASC) is pleased to announce the creation of JASC Installations, LLC, a company which specializes in the installation of gas turbine control hardware which significantly enhances both start-up/transfer reliability and operational availability. After having spent many years evaluating both system and component deficiencies which can make system maintenance programs expensive and ineffective, JASC patented a wide range of products specifically for use in liquid fuel, purge air, water injection and flame detector systems. This considerable expertise, which was applied to component design, is now utilized to troubleshoot and resolve system related issues as well. A variety of conditions can be present at any given turbine site. Consequently, the installation of our products is not a guarantee that the desired level of operational capability will be achieved unless all underlying issues are also addressed as part of the process. JASC Installations’ ability to diagnose and correct the cause (s) of issues which negatively impact system performance after fuel system components upgrades have been performed makes it a unique service. Accordingly, JASC Installations is now providing turnkey fuel system upgrades, project management and technical support for liquid fuel system projects of any size or scope. Installation services improve the operational capability of even the most problematic liquid fuel system.

There are a wide range of gas turbine fuel systems being utilized throughout the world, many of which are dual fuel, meaning that they alternate between natural gas and diesel fuel for turbine operation. While significant advances have been made in the electronic control of these fuel media, the hardware remained virtually unchanged for the backup liquid fuel system for decades. JASC developed a variety of products:

• Check valves which use water to cool their internal components preventing diesel fuel from solidifying while the turbine is operating on natural gas.
• Purge air check valves which are capable of sealing to an ANSI class 6 standards (bubble tight) while requiring only 1/2 psi of pressure to open.
• Water injection check valves that provide an ANSI class 6 seal and are not prone to excessive wear due to high-frequency oscillation or chatter.
• Three-way purge valves capable of alternating between purge air and liquid fuel; a water-cooled version of the design prevents solidification of diesel fuel in it as well. JASC Installations provides services which fully integrate these products into an existing system to minimize cost while addressing the fundamental issues impacting reliability.

In this day and time, it is rare that the most effective solution to a problem is also the least expensive. Relative to fuel systems, JASC has accomplished this feat for installation of backup liquid fuel system upgrades, operational reliability and total cost of ownership. Transfer success can be improved from the industry norm of 30% to rates approaching 100%. The formula for success is as straightforward as it is simple. Specifically, provide bolt-in hardware that closely matches the turbine owners’ currently installed configuration to minimize piping changes; design hardware which is capable of making the system in which it is installed operate at levels that approach 100% reliability and availability. Couple these characteristics with savings ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 per turbine on installation costs alone and you have an option which warrants consideration in any fuel system upgrade discussion.

For an “F” class gas turbine which utilizes liquid fuel check valves, an upgrade would be about 1/3 the cost of other options. Components supplied for the upgrade would include water-cooled liquid fuel check valves, water injection flow proportioning valves and a Smart Fluid Monitor. The type of purge air valve used would determine whether a JASC designed valve would be required. Savings on installation would be at least $100,000 per turbine. Savings on other models of turbines would be higher.

For an “F” class gas turbine which utilizes three-way purge valves, a fuel system upgrade would be about 1/5 the cost of other options. Required equipment would include water-cooled three-way purge valves, water injection flow proportioning valves and a Smart Fluid Monitor. A gas turbines owner’s savings for an installation would be approximately $1,000,000 per turbine. The significant difference in cost is tied directly to the technology, which is available for this particular configuration.
Finally, after examination of installation cost, material requirements, specifics of component design and total cost of ownership, gas turbine owners will have a great basis for comparison. JASC Installations reliability upgrades for backup liquid fuel systems, like their products, set a new standard for the industry. For more information contact; Sales@jasc-controls.com

The Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve and Smart Fluid Monitor address the gas turbine industries’ need for practical, cost-effective solutions to enhance the reliability of their power plants. The ability to operate on back-up liquid fuel is achieved via the Water Cooled 3-way Purge Valve. The Smart Fluid Monitor provides monitoring and protection for the cooling water circuits with minimal purchase and installation cost.

Background and Challenges

With the introduction of active cooling for the gas turbine back-up liquid fuel system, dual fuel gas turbine operational performance relative to start-up, transfer and shutdown has never been better.

Active cooling was first installed on a turbine during the fall of 2004, followed shortly by approximately another 120 turbines being outfitted with water cooled liquid fuel check valves. These systems typically experience transfer success rates of 100%, regardless of machine type, climate or operating schedule.

Equally important is the fact that these turbine owners have the luxury of refurbishing their valves at major service intervals such as hot gas path inspections.

JASC identified and addressed two main problems with turbines that were candidates for liquid fuel system upgrades:

• Upgrading existing fuel system hardware to improve reliability is cost and time prohibitive if the new hardware isn’t a bolt-in replacement.
• A system designed for decades of operation needed protection / monitoring of water cooling circuits for both the fuel controls and flame detectors

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Many gas turbines purchased since 2000 have 3-way purge valves installed on the back-up liquid fuel system. Unfortunately, operational reliability for this design suffers over time for the same reason as did standard liquid fuel check valves: high temperatures cause coke formation on the valves’ internal components and degrade sealing capability. Once this occurs, refurbishment is needed in order to address the problem. The process is then repeated after every 12 to 18 months of gas fuel operation.

Previously, if a power plant which utilized the 3-way purge valve needed to improve the reliability of their backup liquid fuel system, they would have to convert to water cooled liquid fuel check valves, purge air check valves, and install cooling water piping in order to achieve this goal. This change is significant from a cost perspective because it means that the fuel and purge air piping must be modified to accept check valves. In many cases, two weeks or more of labor is required to complete this system upgrade. After having evaluated this situation, it became clear that developing a Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve would provide an equally effective yet less expensive alternative.

Solution

JASC has developed two new products to further enhance the gas turbine owner’s experience with this technology. Both the Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve and Smart Fluid Monitor have been created to provide inexpensive yet effective options for gas turbine owners who are looking for back-up liquid fuel system reliability.

Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve: a cost and time-effective solution to implementing a water-cooled system

Design

By changing the combustor housing and mounting flange of the standard 3-way purge valve, JASC designed a water cooled version which meets all design goals. With water cooling, the gas turbine owner seeking reliability improvement can now enjoy the same benefits as a turbine owner whose machine is equipped with standard liquid fuel check valves that have been upgraded to water cooled liquid fuel check valves.

Conversion from a standard configured fuel system to a water cooled variation can be completed in less than two days with the Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve. Fuel, purge air, instrument air and valve mounting connections remain the same. The water supply and return manifolds which are fabricated from 1 inch tubing, and tap into the main cooling water supply and return piping, can typically be installed in less than a day.

Upgrading

There are several options available for obtaining the Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valve. While the most obvious option is the purchase of a new set from JASC, the second option offers the most significant opportunities for savings. Existing 3-way purge valves can be returned to JASC and upgraded to the water cooled version during refurbishment for a fraction of the cost of new valves.

Performance

Testing at JASC of Water Cooled 3-Way Purge Valves using pure air temperatures of 300°F, ambient temperatures of 450°F and cooling water temperatures of 150°F demonstrated that cooling water effectively eliminates coke formation on the valve internal components, including seals. With such promising results we are confident this design will also be able to match water cooled liquid fuel check valves and also operate from hot gas path inspection to hot gas path inspection with no maintenance or service.

Smart Fluid Monitor: providing protection and monitoring of water cooled fuel controls or flame detectors

The Smart Fluid Monitor automatically monitors cooling water flow, temperature and leakage. It prevents coking and waxing of water-cooled fuel components, eliminates condensation on flame detectors and prevents damage to industrial gas turbine engines from cooling system water leaks. The Smart Fluid Monitor is capable of operating several remote units on a turbine engine simultaneously. The multifunctional controller monitors water flow within user-adjustable limits and provides water system shut off with an audible alarm should a flow discrepancy of 0.1 gpm or higher occur in cooling water circuits.

System Implementation

Due to the wide variety of turbines and auxiliary systems in use around the world, JASC understands that each site requires an individual evaluation. Contact Schuyler McElrath from JASC today at 1-602-438-4400 to find out how these designs can be used to mitigate your toughest problems.

Boeing 787Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner arrived at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport on Saturday, May 22, for hot weather flight testing. Jansen’s Aircraft Systems Controls (JASC) of Tempe, Arizona, manufactures the flow divider used to control fuel flow to the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU). The flow divider’s small size, measuring approximately one-by-two inches, belies its importance on this large aircraft — providing the necessary fuel flow distribution to the APU without a large increase in fuel-system pressure. The APU supplies the aircraft with electrical power on the ground as well as back-up power in flight.

JASC is a manufacturer of advanced fluid controls and actuators for aviation, aerospace and power generation industries. For more information, www.jasc-controls.com.

JASC celebrated a milestone today as the company’s quality assurance department logged the intake of its 10,000th lot of parts. The logbook was inaugurated in August 2003 as part of the JASC’s quality management system. Since that time nearly 1.9 million parts have been received. As a testament to the value of JASC’s quality control procedures and system, a 98.6% acceptance rate has been achieved.

Two of JASC’s quality personnel, Santiago Castro and Demian Lozano-Phillips are veterans of Marine Corps Squadron VMF-214 Blacksheep, and they helped the company celebrate with a cake cutting ceremony. The first piece of cake was given to JASC’s first employee (and founder) Harvey Jansen. The second piece was passed to the newest employee, Alex Garfio, signifying the passing of experience and knowledge from the old to the young and emphasizing the fact that we care for our newest employees as well as our future before we look to our own needs.

JASC thanks all of its valued suppliers for their support in providing consistent, quality materials.