MARS 100 Solar Turbine Project – Kleenheat LPG Kwinana
End Client: Kleenheat Gas
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Commodity: LPG – Gas
Compressor Set Machine Type: Solar Turbines – Mars 100
Project Timing: March 2021
Skillsets Required: Rotating Equipment Specialisation & Laser Alignment
Solar Turbine Laser Alignment – Case Study:
Challenging the status quo is something we hold as a core value at Rotation Solutions (RS).
And, our extensive industry knowledge, combined with the flexibility to innovate, allows us to deliver excellent outcomes for our end-user clients.
In March 2021, our team executed a laser alignment project during Kleenheat’s critical Gas Turbine Compressor outage at the company’s Kwinana Gas Production Facility.
Underpinned by our business’s strong internal skillset and familiarity with Mars 100 Solar Turbine units, the task ultimately hinged on our detailed scope planning support and specialist custom-made laser alignment tooling.
The Challenge:
Service Manager at the time and now Head of Sales at RS, Steve Thorne, described the job and projected timeline as something the team had “real confidence in”, despite the apparent challenges in upgrading from dial indicator to laser alignment techniques.
“With support from the leadership group, we committed to achieving the alignment over a maximum of two shifts, which up until that point was considered unachievable,” Thorne said.
“We’re really passionate about laser alignment, and we were able to manufacture a specific tool to help us achieve the desired result for Kleenheat.”
Located 45 minutes south of Perth in WA, Kleenheat’s LPG extraction plant is home to three Solar Turbine Gas Compressor sets, which required exchange during the time between overhaul (TBO).
The shift to laser alignment on the production-critical Mars 100 engines successfully reduced downtime and helped the plant to maintain its desired production rates.
“Our custom tool allowed for the laser to be shaft mounted, and it performed well, as expected,” Thorne continued.
“The project was delivered in two days as promised, backing up the trust we have in our capacity to provide dynamic and flexible solutions for our partners.”
Laser Alignment Checklist – MARS 100 Solar Turbine Compressor Set:
- In-house design, prototyping and fabrication of bespoke alignment tooling for the Mars 100 Compressor set; meeting all specifications for tool sag and safe onsite installation.
- Pre-work engineering studies to convert OEM dial indicator based targets to laser alignment targets, using the latest Rotalign Touch with dual laser/receivers (multi-coupling).
- Onsite completion of the engine-gearbox(s) laser alignment, meeting specifications and completed within two shifts, where previously done using dial-indicator over a minimum of four shifts.
- Provide customer support across various other aspects of the Mars 100 engine change.
- On-schedule return to service of the Mars 100 unit, with low vibrations confirming the successful execution of laser alignment.
