GE LM6000PG marine module package completes tests

JANUARY 15, 2016 —The marine module package design for GE’s LM6000PG aeroderivative gas turbine has completed certification testing by Lloyd’s Register and RINA.

GE says the LM6000PG module “effortlessly achieved 42 megawatts (MW)” in tests conducted at the GE Oil & Gas facility in Massa, Italy

“Testing confirmed the quality, compact size, small footprint, low noise and vibration characteristics and the overall performance of the LM6000PG module package,” said Brien Bolsinger, Vice President, Marine Operations, GE Marine. “The new PG package is based on highly successful GE Oil & Gas designs that have been used in offshore applications for more than 22 years. Yet the engine inside the package is not new – it’s the same as the more than 1,200 LM6000 gas turbines used in industrial mechanical and electric service applications that have reliably logged 33.5 million hours.”

Several GE Marine and GE Oil & Gas customers attended the week-long testing in which the LM6000PG marine driver went through its test plan to meet marine propulsion needs.

GE says that onlookers commented on the compactness of the gas turbine package and were intrigued by the way the installation and removal of the gas turbine is performed through the combustion air Inlet duct.

The LM6000PG package is suited fo additional marine applications including military combatants and offshore projects where space is at a premium. It is particularly suitable especially for FPSOs below deck applications to free up valuable space on the upper deck.

The LM6000 is the most fuel-efficient simple-cycle gas turbine in its size class, delivering over 40% thermal efficiency. The GE LM6000PC marine produces 42 MW/59,900 shaft horsepower (shp) and the more powerful PG model has an output of 52 MW/70,275 shp.

The LM6000 was introduced in 1991, and the first oil and gas application was in 1994 for the Hamilton Oil/Liverpool Bay project.

In 2015, the LM6000PC and PG models received Lloyd’s Register’s Design Appraisal Document to the Marine Naval Vessel Rules.