Brochure

18 GE Gas Turbines
Heavy Duty Axial Compressor
The compressor rotor is made of separately forged wheels (all models except part of the GE10
which has a solid forged rotor). Each individual wheel undergoes inspection and is X-rayed for
material flaws. In addition, each wheel is balanced individually and the rotor is balanced on three
planes. Rabbet fits are used to ensure concentricity and multiple through-bolts secure the wheels
to form a correctly pre-stressed assembly. The blades are held in the compressor rotor and
stator rings by dovetail platforms. The stainless steel blades provide excellent corrosion
resistance and good internal damping characteristics. The large chord, broad-blade compressor
blades have low stresses and the unique ability to withstand damage by small foreign objects as
well as to maintain high performance in spite of normal wear and contamination. The stator
casing is horizontally split for ease of assembly, maintenance and inspection. Iron castings give
dimensional and thermal stability to maintain good radial tip clearances for maximum power and
efficiency. Several compressor designs are available covering pressure ratios from 8:1 to 17:1 and
air flows from 20 to 400 Kg/sec with 11-17 stage configurations. The GE10 and MS5002E
compressors have variable geometry, implemented by means of adjustable vanes (inlet guide
vanes and first stage stator vanes), in order to provide flow control within the operating range.
Main Components