EVENDALE, OH-GE Marine Engines announced today that its environmentally-friendly LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbines have been selected for use on the world's first gas turbine-powered cruise ships being built for Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.
The LM2500+ gas turbines, which operate on clean distillate fuel, are expected to reduce NOx emissions by 80% and SOx emissions by 98% over a diesel-electric power system operating on heavy fuel as is customary for most cruise ships.
Orders have been placed for up to six LM2500+-based ship sets. Each ship set includes two LM2500+ gas turbines in a COmbined Gas turbine and steam turbine integrated Electric drive System (COGES).
The LM2500+
The LM2500+ is an uprated version of GE's highly-successful, well-proven LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine, which in turn is directly derived from GE's CF6 family of commercial aircraft engines and GE's TF39 military engine. The CF6 family is used on DC-10, MD-11, A300, 747 and 767 aircraft, which have logged millions of flight hours. The TF39 military engine is employed on the U.S. Air Force's Galaxy C-5A/B transport aircraft. Currently more than 870 LM2500 gas turbines are in service on a variety of cruisers, frigates, destroyers and patrol boats for more than 24 international navies.
The LM2500+ provides lower installed dollar per horsepower and life-cycle costs than the LM2500. The 3600 rpm LM2500+ has been designed for 39,000 brake horsepower (bhp) with a simple cycle thermal efficiency of 39% at ISO conditions. In the COGES configuration for the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships, the LM2500+ is rated at 25,000 kilowatts output power at the generator terminals over an ambient temperature range from 0oC to 32oC at the installed inlet and exhaust conditions. The combined-cycle efficiency of an LM2500+ COGES plant varies from about 45% up to 50% depending on the amount of steam required for on-board services.
The LM2500+ achieves increased power over the LM2500 primarily by increasing the compressor airflow 23%, with a minimal increase in combustor firing temperature in order to maintain the LM2500 industry leading standards of reliability and availability. The 23% increase in airflow is achieved by adding a compression stage (zero stage) to the front of the LM2500 compressor. The temperature capability of the hot section was also increased by adding a thermal barrier coating to the combustor, upgrading turbine airfoil materials and by improving internal cooling designs.
The LM2500+ has also been applied in the industrial markets for various 50- and 60-hertz power generation, pipeline compression, and gas injection applications.
GE Marine Engines is part of GE Aircraft Engines and is headquartered in Evendale, OH. GE Marine Engines is the world's largest designer, developer and manufacturer of aeroderivative gas turbines for a variety of commercial.