Industry – University Collaboration: A Case Study between the Manx Electricity Authority and Cranfield University
IDGTE paper at Cranfield, Thursday 19 March
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E. Tsoutsanis* M. Newby** Y.G. Li* P. Pilidis*
* School of Engineering, Cranfield University, England
** Manx Electricity Authority, Isle of Man
ABSTRACT
In the volatile energy market effective use of the available technological, energy and financial resources is now, more than ever, highly pursued. In a combined cycle power plant, gas turbines are the prime mover of power generation. Therefore, detailed understanding and monitoring of gas turbine performance, health condition and associated costs have a deep impact in the decision making process concerning the plant’s operational and maintenance strategy.
In this context, research collaboration between Manx Electricity Authority (MEA) and Cranfield University has been carried out since 2001 and a series of technologies and software have been and are still being developed at Cranfield University and some of them have been integrated into MEA Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant in Pulrose, Isle of Man. During this constructive and successful collaboration period, the University has been fortunate to acknowledge the industrial needs and make significant academic contributions through ongoing research projects jointly supported by both MEA and EPSRC. On the other hand, MEA has valued the complexity of asset management concerning the gas turbine and the combined cycle, therefore enhancing its trading and operational capabilities through the application of developed performance, diagnostic, trading and economic analysis software.
This paper presents the main framework of this collaboration by emphasising the research undertaken on the gas turbine performance simulation and diagnostics, combined cycle performance analysis, trading and economic analysis to support MEA in their decision making process.
Brief CV of authors:
Elias Tsoutsanis
Mr. Elias Tsoutsanis Graduated from University of Liverpool with an honors degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is currently a PhD student at Cranfield University and working in close collaboration with Manx Electricity Authority. His research interest lies within the performance and diagnostics of gas turbines from both theoretical, maintenance and operation perspective.
Mike Newby
Mr Newby is a chartered electrical engineer and the Plant Engineering Manager of the Generation Division of Manx Electricity Authority (MEA), Isle of Man.
He has over 20 years experience in commissioning, maintenance and condition monitoring of marine and industrial plant. He has been working at MEA for 8 years and is responsible for the plant engineering and maintenance of all the Island’s 180 MWatts of power generation plant spread over three power station. He obtained his MSc Degree at Cranfield University in 2007 through part-time study. He has promoted the collaboration between MEA and Cranfield University and brought the benefits of the collaboration into the company.
Yi-Guang Li
Dr. Yiguang Li is a Lecturer in the Department of Power, Propulsion & Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Cranfield University, working on gas turbine performance and diagnostics.
He specializes in gas turbine gas path diagnostics, gas turbine steady and transient performance simulations, low emissions gas turbine control, performance optimization and application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to gas turbines.
He received PhD degree at Cranfield University, UK. He used to work as an aeroengine performance engineer for many years before he joined Cranfield University in 1999. He has been working at Cranfield University since 1999.
Pericles Pilidis
Professor Pilidis completed a doctorate in Gas Turbine Engineering at Glasgow University. His first employment was with the British Caledonian group in the gas turbine overhaul business. He joined Cranfield in 1986 as a lecturer and was promoted to the Director of the Thermal Power Master course and was head of the Gas Turbine Engineering Group. In 2006 he was appointed Head of the Power and Propulsion Department.
Over the years he has applied performance modelling techniques to understand issues of relevance to operation, maintenance and control.
Professor Pilidis has organised and contributed to many international teaching and applied research programmes in the gas, oil and aviation industries. Much of his research has been focused on the needs of users of equipment in various countries. He has acted as a consultant to several organisations and his active contributions have resulted in many international honours.
He is Chairman of the ASME Cycle Innovation, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He acts as a consultant to Rolls Royce and to the Hellenic Air Force. Throughout his career at Cranfield, he has supervised 150+ postgraduate students.