DNS-100^™ Fuel Polishing and Scrubbing Technology

Technical Information

Salinity found in liquid fuel is a significant problem for all turbine engine operators. Salinity reduces the Hot Section Repair Interval (HSRI) of Gas Turbine engines. The normal Hot Section Repair Interval (HSRI) of a Gas Turbine engine burning fuel with an optimal level of salinity of less than 0.1 ppm is expected to be about 25,000 hours. When the salinity is increased to 0.2 ppm, the maximum concentration for commercial use, the Hot Section Repair Interval (HSRI) is reduced by 50%, and at 1.0 ppm there is a 90% reduction in lifespan.

Figure 2: Graph showing the decrease in hot section lifetime related to the level of alkali metal contaminations.

The DNS-100 is an in-line fuel polishing/scrubbing system specifically designed and engineered for cleaning slightly to highly contaminated fuel prior to injection into a gas turbine. DNS-100 provides both a protection and a safety margin for operation of sensitive Gas Turbines.

The construction of the DNS-100 is such that an optimal turbulent flow is created.
Liquid Fuel Specifications for Gas Turbines.

The fuel oils specification applies at GG fuel manifold. This means that the power plants regular fuel treatment system have to be able to remove and refine the fuel to an acceptable quality. Today the Water-soluble metals (Na, K and Li), sediment, water and particles are marginally improved by regular fuel oil treatment system. If not, the fuel has to be stored, transported correctly and cleaned as the high-sodium contaminated fuels will accelerate the high temperature corrosion and lead to a critical failure.
Due to the sensitivity of Gas Turbines, the cleanliness of the fuel is very important. Therefore the analyses of the fuel has to be done to an accuracy of ppb (rather than to ppm) in order to determine compliance with the specification.