Advances in Gas Turbine Couplings

Over the last 50 years industrial gas turbines have advanced significantly. Horsepower has increased 200 percent (and even higher) within the same envelope. Improvements in efficiencies and reliability (more operating time before overhauls) are being made more often. What took 15 years to change 30 years ago, now, in the last 15 years, happens in five years or less. There are constant demands for lighter weight, lower maintenance designs. Moreover, the operation engineers demand to be able to run six or eight years, and more, before an overhaul, not just three years. As advancements in the industrial gas turbine have occurred, so have advancements in the couplings that connect them to the driven equipment—a gear, compressor, pump, or generator. Most of the early industrial gas turbines that required flexible couplings pushed the state-of-the-art in gear couplings in the late 60s and early 70s. But because of high vibration at higher speeds, and unexpected and 157 ADVANCES IN GAS TURBINE COUPLINGS