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The History of the Siemens Gas Turbine

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DOI: 10.1115/GT2008-50507

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 Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2008: Power for Land, Sea and Air
GT2008
June 9-13, 2008, Berlin, Germany

GT2008-50507

THE HISTORY OF THE SIEMENS GAS TURBINE

Ihor Diakunchak Hans Juergen Kiesow

Siemens Power Generation Siemens Power Generation
Orlando Florida Orlando Florida

Gerard McQuiggan
Siemens Power Generation
Orlando Florida

ABSTRACT Brown Boveri designed and manufactured the first industrial

Siemens gas turbine history can be traced back to the early gas turbine.
years of World War II. The Westinghouse aero jet engine (J 30) The gas turbine development for aircraft propulsion started
and the Junkers JUMO 004 jet engine were the basis for the in the early 1930's in Great Britain and Germany. In Britain,
industrial gas turbines designed and manufactured by Whittle of the Royal Air Force, organized a company to
Westinghouse and Siemens / Kraftwerk-Union since World War develop turbojet engines. His first engine, with a centrifugal
II. compressor, ran in the test bed in 1937. In 1939, his first
KWU was formed in 1969 as a joint venture of AEG and aircraft engine, the W-1, was produced. This turbojet delivered
Siemens and became wholly owned by Siemens in 1977. AEG 388kg (855 lb) of thrust and weighed 283kg ( 623lb) . (See
worked with Junkers on the development of the Jumo 004 jet Figure 1).
engine during the War.
Westinghouse Power Generation was purchased by
Siemens in 1998.
This paper examines the history of those early gas turbines
and traces the evolution of the modern Siemens gas turbine
from that time.
Details are also given of the latest Siemens gas turbine to
enter into operation, the 340MW SGT5-8000H.
Figure 1. Whittle’s W-1 Gas Turbine
INTRODUCTION
Considering its short history, the gas turbine's development
was spectacular. John Barber designed and patented a gas
turbine in 1791, but did not put his design to practice. In 1872,
Stolze designed an engine with an axial compressor, an axial
turbine on the same shaft, a heat exchanger, a gas producer and
a combustion chamber. His gas turbine, like that of many other
inventors, did not produce any power. By 1900, Carnot, Gibbs
and Maxwell established the laws of thermodynamics. In 1905,
Armaund brothers built their first successful turbine in Paris. Figure 2. Glouster E28/39 Aircraft
The efficiency, however, did not exceed three percent. In 1933,
The Glouster E28/39 aircraft (Figure 2) powered by the
W-1 turbojet engine first flew on May 15, 1941.

1 Copyright
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Generation Inc.
 Late in 1936, a group in Germany, under the direction of
Hans von Ohain at the Heinkel Aircraft Company began work
on a centrifugal compressor engine. In 1937, Germans began
work on axial flow turbojets. The HE S3B engine, which
delivered 500 kg (1100 lb) of thrust, propelled the first turbojet
flight on August 27, 1939. Junkers then developed the JUMO
004, an axial compressor engine which was used in the ME 262
aircraft during the war. In the United States, the Westinghouse
Electric Corporation and the General Electric Company
pioneered in the field of axial flow turbojets. Before and Figure 3. WE19A First Westinghouse Jet Engine
during World War II, both the former Soviet Union and Japan
also participated in the development of gas turbines for aircraft In March, 1943, only 15 months after obtaining the
propulsion. Westinghouse and Siemens continued the journey contract, the first wholly American designed and manufactured
in gas turbine development in the 20th and the 21st centuries. jet engine went on test. This engine, designated WE19A, had a
thrust of 515 kg (1130 lb) and weighed 375 kg (827 lb). This
was accomplished without any technical knowledge of British,
German or other American developments in this field. An
WESTINGHOUSE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AERO improved version, the WE19B, delivering 620 kg (1365 lb)
GAS TURBINE thrust and weighing 332 kg (731 lb), was test flown in January,
The experience Westinghouse gained in designing and 1944, as a booster engine in a Chance Vought Corsair airplane.
building steam turbines since the beginning of the 20th century One year later, a model designated J30 powered the McDonnell
[1], was used as a basis for developing jet engines for aircraft Douglas FH-1 Phantom, the Navy’s first jet fighter. Sixty-one
propulsion and later land based power generation gas turbines. Phantom jets were built with the J30 engine. The later J34
In the early 1940s, theoretical studies carried out by model had a 0.86 m (34 in.) diameter and produced 1362 kg
Westinghouse engineers caught the attention of the U.S. Navy. (3000 lb) of thrust. This was the last production jet engine
The proposed design, which was a simple single duct axial built by Westinghouse. It was used by the Navy in the
flow jet engine, had the advantages of low frontal area, drag McDonnell Banshee aircraft. In total, Westinghouse produced
and weight, as well as high thrust. On January 7, 1942, a letter jet engines for 1223 Navy jets before exiting the jet engine
of intent from the U.S. Navy was issued to Westinghouse for a business in 1960 [3]. See Figure 4.
study and design contract. On October 22, 1942, Westinghouse
received a contract to design two X19 engines. A team was
formed to conduct work on various tasks. The configuration of
an axial compressor and turbine were reasonably well defined.
However, designing a combustor chamber in the small avail-
able space with high burning rates, high turbulence and high
mixing rates, was quite a challenge. Westinghouse Research
Labs were assigned the task to study, design and develop the
combustion chamber. The first experimental chamber consisted
of an inlet diffuser, a flame holder and a gas torch igniter.
Since this design did not show much promise, a perforated can
combustor was designed. One reason for selecting a can
combustor concept was that it could be developed alone as one
small can. This design had good performance and its develop-
ment was pursued intensively. With the successful combustor
development, the engine design and manufacture proceeded at
a fast pace. The engine configuration consisted of a six stage Figure 4. McDonnell Douglas Banshee
axial compressor, 24 can combustor, a single stage turbine and
a jet exhaust nozzle. The cans were arranged in 8 groups of 3 SIEMENS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE AERO GAS
cans, each occupying a 45 degree sector [2]. See Figure 3. TURBINE
The first aero gas turbine to go into mass production
was the Junkers JUMO 004. The first flight of this engine in a
Messerschmitt ME 262 (Figure 5) took place on July 18th ,1942
at an airport in Leiheim, Germany. This was not the first flight
of a jet engine but it was the first successful application to a jet
aircraft. Approximately 6000 engines were built towards the

2 Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
end of the Second World War and versions of the engine were
built by the Russians and Czechs after the War. The engine
was taken from conceptual design to production in just 4 years.
Figure 5. ME 262
The team that designed the JUMO 004 was led by Anselm
Franz and included Rudolf Friedrich, Max Muller and Wilhelm
Peppler. [ Ref 4 and Ref 5]
The JUMO 004 (shown in Figure 6, 7 and 8) had a
compressor pressure ratio of 3.14:1 in eight stages and a mass
flow of 21.2 kg/s(46.6lbs/s). Average compressor efficiency
was 75% - 78%.
Figure 6. JUMO 004 Gas Turbine
Figure 7. JUMO 004 Engine on Display at Wright
Patterson Air Force Museum, Ohio USA.
Figure 8. JUMO 004 Compressor Showing Tie
Bolt and Keys Between Discs
The single stage turbine was designed by AEG in Berlin at
the factory that is now home to the manufacture of Siemens
gas turbines in Europe. The turbine was based on the steam-
turbine experience of AEG in Berlin and did not use a free
vortex design. The turbine had a reaction of 20% which was a
compromise between Junkers who wanted more and AEG who
wanted less. The turbine had 61 blades. The engine thrust was
841 kg (1850 lb) and the rotor speed was 8700 rpm. The
design life of the engine was only 25 to 50 hours. Because of
shortage of strategic materials during the War , the turbine
blades were made from steel and were hollow and air cooled.
The combustor was comprised of 6 cans.
During the development of the engine the compressor
aerofoils were redesigned because of fatigue failures and a 6th
engine order resonance of the turbine first bending mode had to
be overcome. The engine had 6 combustors, 36 nozzles and 3
struts downstream of the turbine. Reducing the maximum
speed from 9000 rpm to 8700 rpm and increasing the natural
frequency of the blades by small geometry changes cured the
issue.
The compressor featured aluminum blades in dovetail
roots. The first two stages had 27 blades per row and thereafter
28 blades per row. The discs were tied together with a single
tie bolt and torque was transmitted by a series of keys between
the discs. It is interesting that this same design of a single tie
bolt and a positive torque transmission between the discs is still
used today on Siemens gas turbines.
Following the war Anselm Franz emigrated to the USA
where he joined Avco Lycoming but in 1948 Rudolph Friedrich
resumed gas turbine activities at the Siemens plant in
Mulheim/Ruhr. [Ref 5]
THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SIEMENS AND
WESTINGHOUSE GAS TURBINES
Siemens resumed gas turbine activities after the War
in 1948 at its factory in Mulheim/Ruhr. However because of
restrictions imposed by the Allies, no gas turbine production
could be carried out and activities were restricted to theoretical
work.
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Generation Inc.
 Studies included open cycle and closed cycle gas turbines The gas turbine was first operated in March 1956 but
designs with power outputs between 2 and 100 MW. Cycles because of rotor vibration problems did not attain full power
studied included inter - cooling, reheat and recuperation. until August 1957. The plant was finally shut down , for
Calculated efficiencies varied between 17% and 34%. economic reasons , in 1960 after logging 1662 hours of power
generation.
In 1950 Siemens obtained permission from the Allied
Control Council to resume work on gas turbine development.
The first gas turbine project was named VM1. (VM for the
German word “verbrennungsmaschine” meaning combustion
engine.) The VM1 had output of 1.5MW and the compressor
was similar in design to the JUMO 004. The mass flow was 20
kg/sec and the pressure ratio was 3.2:1. In February 1953 the
compressor made its first run (Figure 9). The turbine had a 3
stage design and inlet temperature of 620 deg C (1148 deg F).

Figure 10. VM2 Turbine Rotor.

The next project was the VM3 (Figure 11). This was
similar to the VM1 but had an output of 2.8 MW and a
recuperator which resulted in an efficiency of 26% at a firing
temperature of 650 deg C (1202 deg F) using solid uncooled
blades and vanes.
Figure 9. VM1 Compressor on Test.
The complete gas turbine made its first run in June 1956
and was tested for a total of 800 hours on No. 2 distillate fuel
before being shut down in March 1957 to allow work on other
projects. Siemens had decided to use a single large external
combustor for its industrial gas turbines to cater for the
burning of low calorific gasses. These combustors featured
ceramic refractory tiles to reduce the cooling requirements of
such large combustors.
Siemens then did a lot of development work on a water
and steam cooled turbine design. In the 1950’s there was a
large demand for electric power and steam and in 1952 BASF
gave Siemens a contract for a specific gas turbine for a
chemical plant application. The turbine blades were welded to Figure 11. VM3 Gas Turbine.
the rotor and supplied with water from a feed pump. The water
was turned into steam in the rotor and then the steam was VM 5 - The First Truly Commercial Gas Turbine
supplied to the chemical plant. (Figure 10)
In 1956 Siemens started work on a large 5.6MW gas
The gas turbine had an output of 1.3 MW and featured LP turbine for operation on blast furnace gas. In 1958 a contract
and HP compressors with inter-cooling and a 7 stage turbine. was signed with Dortmund-Horder-Hutten-Union smelting
The initial design featured stationary ceramic vanes and an plant for the gas turbine. The gas turbine featured two
operating temperature of 1000 deg C (1832 deg F). However compressors, uncooled turbine blading, a turbine inlet temper-
the ceramic vanes failed after only 8 rapid temperature ature of 700 deg C (1292 deg F), a recuperator and an
changes and were replaced by air cooled metal vanes which efficiency of 29%. The machine went into operation in
consumed 5% of the compressor inlet flow for cooling. October 1960. At the end of 1998 the gas turbine had operated

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Generation Inc.
for 112,000 hours and had recorded over 1000 starts. (See
Figure 12)
Figure 12. VM5 5.6MW Blast Furnace Gas turbine.
The Evolution of the Modern Siemens Gas Turbine – VM
80 and VM 51
The decision was then made to establish a position for
Siemens in the market by designing a large gas turbine for
power generation. The engine was to be as large as possible
and therefore had a mass flow of 184kg/sec ( 405 lb/sec), a
pressure ratio of 6:1 and an inlet temperature of 720 deg C
( 1328 deg F) with an output of 23.4 MW and an efficiency of
32%. The design was based on the regenerative VM3. The
first order was by a Munich utility (Stadtwerke Munchen) in
1959 and was for a peaking plant and district heating. The
engine went into operation in September 1962. This design
still featured the two casing design seen in Figure 13.
Figure 13. VM 80 23MW Design.
However, in 1961 the transition was made to the basic
design which is common today in all Siemens gas turbines.
Namely a single rotor between two bearings made up of
multiple discs and held by a tie bolt(s). The drive to the
generator is at the compressor end allowing a straight through
exhaust system. This can be seen in the 13MW VM 51 shown
in Figure 14.
Figure 14. VM51 – First Single Case Siemens
Gas Turbine.
In 1969, AEG and Siemens merged their activities in the
sector of conventional and nuclear power plants. The high
technological and financial expenditure in power plant
construction required an increasing concentration of resources.
It had also become evident that in the future only a single
company would be able to supply the domestic and export
markets. In 1969 therefore, after three years of negotiations,
AEG and Siemens founded Kraftwerk Union AG and
Transformatoren AG. With the unfavorable cost developments
in Germany and the controversy about the safety of nuclear
power stations, business however, soon, stagnated. In 1977 all
the shares of KWU were purchased from AEG by Siemens,
which subsequently integrated KWU into its Power
Engineering Group. Gas turbine manufacture was concentrated
at the old AEG factory in Berlin and engineering was carried
out in Mulheim and Erlangen.
Westinghouse Gas Turbine Developments
Westinghouse began work on its first industrial gas
turbine in 1945. Based on the experience with the J30 aero gas
turbine a 1.5 MW design was proposed for a Baldwin loco-
motive. (Figure 15)
This design called the W21 ( 2000 HP and one shaft)
featured a 23 stage compressor and a 8 stage turbine with 12
combustor cans. Two of these engines were operated
successfully in a 3 MW locomotive between 1948 and 1949.
When the locomotive was scrapped the gas turbines were re-
used. One was fitted to a pipeline compressor and the other
was used as a peaking plant. The pipeline unit was the first gas
turbine to achieve 100,000 hours and was finally retired after
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Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
 150,000 hours when the pipeline was closed. regenerative two shaft design for pipeline applications and a
multi shaft 15 MW inter cooled and regenerative design.
In 1954, work was begun on the first 3600 rpm design for
use without the need of a gearbox. This engine was designated
as the W201 and was based on the successful W81 design.
(Figure 17)
The W201 was the forerunner of the W301 and W501 gas
turbines (all 3600 rpm).

Figure 15. W21 Gas Turbine – First Westinghouse

Industrial Gas Turbine – 1948
The engine featured a single shaft (8750 rpm) with 3
bearings, and a pressure ratio of 5:1. Mass flow was 16 kg/s
(35.5 lb/s) and the firing temperature was 677 deg C (1250 deg
F). Simple cycle efficiency was 18%. Design life was 100,000
hours.
Forerunner of the Modern Westinghouse Gas
Turbine-W81
In response to market studies, the first modern power Figure 17. W201 Gas Turbine.
generation gas turbine was introduced in 1952. This engine The turbine inlet temperature was increased to 788 deg C
had a power output of 5.7 MW, a single shaft (5740 rpm) with (1450 deg F) and power output was 18 MW. During the 1950’s
two bearings with curvic clutch for turbine torque transmission Westinghouse also designed a blast furnace blower to supply
(Figure 16). 3540 cubic metres of air at 2.5 bar and burning blast furnace
gas. The engine was a modified W201 gas turbine. (See Figure
18)

Figure 16. W81 Gas Turbine – 5.7 MW

and 21% Efficiency.
Figure 18. W201 Modified Blast Furnace Gas Turbine.
The W81 was the first Westinghouse unit purchased by a
utility (West Texas Utilities) in 1952. The compressor featured In addition, the W31 (2.2 MW) and W121 (9 MW) were
16 stages with a pressure ratio of 6:1 and a flow of 57 kg/s ( introduced in 1956 and 1959 respectively. Again they were
125lb/s). The turbine had 5 stages. The firing temperature was based on the W81 design. The W121 was further developed by
732 deg C (1350 deg F) and the efficiency was 21%. increased firing temperature ,788 deg C/1450 deg F, and the
addition of an extra compressor stage into the W171 and
This engine layout, featuring a single rotor and casing,
W191.
two journal bearings and multiple canted combustor cans,
formed the basis for all modern Westinghouse gas turbines and
can be seen today in all types of industrial gas turbines.
With the successful completion of the W81 a whole fleet of
gas turbine designs were investigated. These included a

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Generation Inc.
 Figure 19. W191 Gas Turbine – 18MW
At that time (early 1960’s) the W191 ( ~18MW ) was the
most successful of the Westinghouse gas turbines with over 182
being sold (Figure 19). The W191 featured a 15 stage
compressor with a pressure ratio of 7:1. Mass flow was
122.5kg/s ( 270 lb/s) and the firing temperature was 788 deg C
(1450 deg F). The W191 was still being manufactured into the
1980’s. The W191 evolved to become the modern W251 gas
turbine.
EVOLUTION OF THE MODERN DAY SIEMENS
AND WESTINGHOUSE GAS TURBINES
The development of the modern heavy duty gas turbines
began with the introduction of the 45 MW W501 in 1968. This
frame was developed over the next decade and culminated in
the very successful W501D5 engine rated at 95 MW in 1976
[3]. This design was solidly grounded on the jet engine designs
and the older land based single and two shaft gas turbines
described previously. This engine was the continuation of the
engine series which evolved from the W201 and W301
3600rpm gas turbines, with improvements in aerodynamics,
cooling, combustion and materials technologies. Its rotor inlet
temperature (RIT) was increased to 1096 deg. C (2005 deg. F).
This was made possible by advances in turbine cooling, which
incorporated air cooling to the second stage blade, and cooling
flows were increased to the upstream airfoils and material
enhancement were incorporated. The four stage turbine now
had cooling on four airfoil rows. Two stages were added to the
compressor front end (to increase stage count to 19), inlet mass
flow was increased to 359 kg/s (781 lb/s) and pressure ratio
was increased to 14:1 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Development of the Westinghouse 501 Series.
The next model, the 107 MW W501D5, which was intro-
duced in 1981, achieved performance gains due to improve-
ments in component efficiencies, optimized cooling air flows
and a modest increase in rotor inlet temperature (RIT) to 1133
deg. C (2070 deg. F).
Figure 20. W501D5 ~100MW – Introduced in 1982.
The compressor performance was improved by increasing
the number of diaphragm seal points from 2 to 4, coating the
stators with a very smooth coating and re-staggering airfoils to
optimize the stage work distribution. The turbine/exhaust
performance was improved by reducing exit velocity and swirl,
reducing airfoil incidence losses and optimizing the stage work
distribution. Design improvements reduced the internal
cooling air leakage by 12% compared to the previous model.
Introducing a single first stage vane design, improved parts’
life, as well as maintenance and inspection. The combustor
cooling design was enhanced by extending the lip on the
standard “wiggle strip” corrugation, which increased the heat
transfer coefficient and reduced the downstream metal
temperatures.
(In the 1990’s the engine performance was further
enhanced by incorporating the scaled (by 3:2) W251B12
compressor, which increased the inlet mass flow to 376.4 kg/s
(830 lb/s) and pressure ratio to 14.8. and introducing increased
firing temperature and introducing turbine cooling
improvements from the 701DA engine. This model, designated
W501D5A, was introduced in 1995 and produced 118 MW.)
The next major technology advancement was the W501F
model introduced in 1993 at 160 MW output power. Advanced
3-D computer codes were used in its design and its RIT was
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Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
increased to 1260 deg. C (2300 deg. F) [6]. Figures 21 and 22
shows the engine cross-section.
Figure 21. Westinghouse W501F – Introduced in 1992.
(2583 deg. F) and its combined cycle efficiency was 58%. This
engine was evolved from the W501F engine with increased
firing temperature and mass flow and incorporates further
advancements in materials, cooling technology and component
aerodynamic design. The 16 stage, 19:1 pressure ratio, 544
kg/s (1200 lb/s) inlet mass flow compressor uses advanced high
efficiency airfoils. The combustion system incorporated 16 dry
low NOx combustors. The transitions utilized closed loop
steam cooling, thus allowing similar burner outlet temperature
as in the SGT6-5000F and hence resulting in low NOx
emissions. The four stage turbine employs full 3-D airfoil
design and proven aero-derivative materials and coatings. Six
of the airfoil rows were air cooled, with the front stages
incorporating novel internal cooling concepts, TBC and shaped
film cooling holes. Improvements have increased its simple
cycle output power to greater than 260 MW and its combined
cycle efficiency to 58.7%. See Figure 23.

Figure 22. Westinghouse W501F Gas Turbine.

This engine was designed for both simple and combined
cycle applications and operability on all conventional gas
turbine fuels, as well as low BTU fuels derived from coal or
biomass gasification. The 16 stage, 14:1 pressure ratio
compressor design was based on the successful W501D5
compressor. Flow and pressure ratio coefficients were
maintained, as in W501D5, by increasing the mean stage
diameter to accommodate the 20% increase in inlet mass flow.
The four stage turbine maintained moderate aerodynamic Figure 23. SGT6-6000G (W501G) Gas Turbine.
loadings with higher peripheral speed. The third and fourth
stage turbine blades were designed with locked tip shrouds, In the 1970s, Siemens’ response to increased demand for
which was a departure from previous designs. Six of the eight heavy duty gas turbines was the development of the 50 Hz
airfoil rows now incorporate air cooling. The W501F evolution V94.2 gas turbine, which was closely followed by the scaled 60
continued with enhancements in aerodynamics, combustion, Hz V84.2 model (see Figures 24 and 25 ) [8].
cooling and materials technologies, until the latest model which
produces 208 MW at 38.7 simple cycle efficiency. In combined
cycle applications, it produces 300MW at 57.3% efficiency.
Significant advances were made in its combustion system, such
in the latest production models NOx emission is less than 9
ppm on natural gas. This model has now fast start capability, 10
minutes from ignition to full load. Recently, modifications were
incorporated for application in coal-based IGCC plants. More
than 200 W501Fs, now designated SGT6-5000F, have been
produced to date.
The W501G, now designated SGT6-6000G, introduced in
1997 at 230 MW was the last gas turbine developed by
Westinghouse before acquisition by Siemens [7]. In 1992
Westinghouse entered into a technology transfer agreement
with Rolls Royce and the agreement allowed Westinghouse to Figure 24. V94.2 Gas Turbine – Two Silo Combustors
use the Rolls Royce aero engine design tools and codes. These
codes were used extensively in the design of the compressor
and turbine for the new 501G. Its initial RIT was 1417 deg. C

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Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
 Figure 25. V94.2 Gas Turbine.
These two models are now designated SGT5-2000E and
SGT6-2000E, respectively. The first V94.2 was installed at
Walheim, Germany, in 1981 and the first V84.2 at Hay Road,
USA, in 1989. More than 240 units were produced to date. The
design incorporated a 16 stage compressor for the V94.2 and
V84.2. Two large external silo-type combustors utilized 2x8 /
2x6 burners for the 50/60 Hz versions. The four stage turbine
used Ni-based conventionally cast blades. Stages 1 and 2 were
air cooled. The built-up disc rotor incorporated radial Hirth
serrations between the discs and one central tie bolt. The axial
exhaust allowed cold end generator drive, which facilitated
combined cycle plant design. Both variants had fast start
capability. Extensive design improvements increased the
V94.2 output and efficiency from the initial 112 MW and 31%
simple cycle efficiency to 163 MW and 34.5%. The V84.2
performance evolution followed a similar path. The
performance improvement was achieved by increases in firing
temperature and compressor inlet mass flow. The firing
temperature increases were made possible by sealing air system
improvement, internal cooling air extraction in the compressor
to supply turbine stages 2 to 4, and replacing the diffusion type
chromium coatings by MCrAlY overlay coatings on stages 1
and 2. To increase inlet mass flow, the first four compressor
rows were redesigned with controlled diffusion (CDA) airfoils.
Since the original diffusion burner could not meet the stricter
regulations for emissions control, it was replaced in 1986 by
the hybrid burner. This is a premix dry low NOx design which
on natural gas restricted NOx to below 25 ppm and CO to
below 9 ppm from 50% load to base load. The performance
improvements and emissions reduction were matched by
increases in maintenance intervals and parts’ lives. Over the
last two decades the Vx4.2 models have accumulated
considerable operational experience on syngas in steel making,
recovery gas operation and in IGCC plants.
The next in the V-series engine development were the
V94.3, V84.3 and V64.3, now designated SGT5-4000F, SGT6-
4000F and SGT-1000F (see Figures 26 and 27)
Figure 26. V84.3A on Test in Berlin.
Figure 27. V94.3A .
The Vx4.3A design is based on the state of the art
aerodynamic, cooling and materials technologies from Pratt
and Whitney aircraft engines, while employing time tested
Siemens’ mechanical design concepts. ( The “A” stands for
annular combustor instead of the original silo design). The 15
stage compressor is designed with CDA airfoils on all stages
and end wall corrections. Originally, the compressor had
variable stators on the first four stages. However, the stator
stagger was optimized so that currently only the inlet guide
vanes are variable. The combustor incorporates 24 hybrid
burners. The combustor liner uses air cooled metallic heat
shields or ceramic tiles. The four stage turbine uses single
crystal PW1483 alloy on first and second stage blades.
Thermal barrier coatings were applied on some airfoils. The
rotor design followed the proven Siemens concept. The .3A
series was launched with the prototype V84.3A model, which
was tested up to full load in the Siemens’ Berlin test bed at the
end of 1994. It achieved at the time a new efficiency record of
38%. In 1997, the 70 MW Class V64.3A geared version (for
both 50 and 60 Hz operation) was extensively tested in the
Berlin test bed. Since their introduction, the three variants
underwent enhancements in compressor and turbine aero-
dynamic performance, as well as increases in inlet mass flow
and turbine inlet temperature. Hydraulic tip clearance optimi-
zation was introduced to minimize turbine blade tip clearances
at base load by moving the rotor upstream relative to the
casing. On natural gas, NOx emissions are kept below 25 ppm.
More than 120 Vx4.3A units have been produced to date.
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Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
 Between 1993 and 2001, Westinghouse (and from 1998, THE NEWEST SIEMENS GAS TURBINE (SGT5-8000H)
Siemens) participated in the 3-phase U.S. Department of Following the purchase of Westinghouse Power
Energy (DOE) co-funded Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Generation by Siemens Power Generation in August 1998, the
Program. The ATS Program objective was to develop new decision was made to develop a new gas turbine which would
utility gas turbines with >60% net plant thermal efficiency, <10 utilize the experience and technology that had been developed
ppm dry NOx, reduced cost of electricity generation by 10% of by Siemens and Westinghouse.[ 11]
the then operating systems and with reliability-availability-
maintainability (RAM) equivalent to that of modern power The new gas turbine ( Figures 28 and 29 ), designated as
generation systems. Technology development efforts were the SGT5-8000H , was the result of years of research and
focused on advanced aerodynamic and cooling designs, development within Power Generation to evolve an efficient
combustion system and materials/coatings [9]. Conceptual, as and flexible engine with low life-cycle costs. The design effort
well as detail designs, were carried out on ATS engine incorporated previous lessons learned, applied proven design
components. In addition to the transitions, closed loop steam features wherever possible and utilized the latest design tools to
cooling was to be incorporated into some of the turbine stators deliver a competitive product focused on life-cycle-costs, per-
in order to enhance the engine performance and to reduce NOx formance, serviceability, flexibility, reliability and emissions.
emissions. The results of those efforts demonstrated that the This new gas turbine produces 340 MW and is optimized
ATS program performance and emissions were achievable. for operation in combined cycle power plants with >60%
Much of the advanced technology developed in this program efficiency, a net power output of 530 MW and reduced
were incorporated into the SGT6-6000G and older frames, to emission values.
enhance their performance and RAM, as well as reduce their
emissions. Customer needs and benefits are the main drivers for the
development of the new SGT5-8000H engine. The air-cooled
In October, 2005, The U.S. DOE awarded Siemens Power SGT5-8000H concept offers added value through higher opera-
Generation the first two phases for the Advanced Hydrogen tional flexibility required in deregulated market
Turbine Development Program [10]. The 3-phase, multi-year environment.[12}
program goals were to develop an advanced syngas, hydrogen
and natural gas fired gas turbine fully integrated into coal-
based Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants.
The specific program objectives were to demonstrate 3-5
percentage points efficiency improvement over the current state
of the art, less than 2 ppm NOx @15% oxygen and a reduction
in plant capital cost in $/kW. The two year Phase 1, which was
completed in September, 2007, entailed the required advanced
technologies identification, Research and Development
Implementation Plan preparation, advanced technologies
development initiation and gas turbine component conceptual
designs generation. Phase 2, which is now in progress, will
focus on novel technologies development, validation and down
selection, and advanced gas turbine detail design. Phase 3, not
yet awarded, will involve the gas turbine and IGCC plant
construction and validation testing to demonstrate that efficien-
cy, emissions and cost goals will be achieved and to prove the
system’s commercial viability. In Phase 1, considerable
progress was made in developing advanced technologies in Figure 28. SGT5-8000H Gas Turbine.
aerodynamic component design, cooling concepts and
materials/coatings. Plant thermal performance and cost evalua-
tions were carried out, gas turbine-IGCC plant integration
studies were performed and new gas turbine component
conceptual designs prepared. Currently, work is progressing on
Phase 2 technology developments. This will cover a 2-year
period of the 5-year Phase 2, which will be renegotiated in
2009 for the final 3-year segment.

10 Copyright
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Generation Inc.

Figure 29. SGT5-8000H Performance
Design Philosophy
Gas turbine main features:
• Axial 13 stage compressor, high mass flow, high
component efficiency, CDA front stages and HPA
rear stages, variable guide vanes, cantilevered
stator vanes
• High temperature combustion system, air cooled
• Single tie bolt rotor with compressor and turbine
discs, hydraulic turbine clearance optimization
(HCO)
Features for high efficiency:
• Advanced sealing system for low leakage cooling
air gas turbine design.
• Advanced materials to increase the firing and
exhaust gas temperature.
• New compressor with advanced blading design.
• Advanced highly efficient, high pressure and high
temperature combined cycle process with Benson
boiler, based on the high mass flow and exhaust
gas temperature of the new engine.
Features for low life-cycle cost:
• Over 60% efficiency in combined cycle mode.
• Less complexity in engine and parts leading to
lower maintenance and operation costs.
• Simple operational concept.
Features for advanced operating flexibility:
• Air-cooled engine to assure that the cooling
medium is always present during operation.
• Less complexity in engine and plant leading to
more flexibility in operation and reduced startup
times
SCC5-8000H plant concept with:
• Advanced power plant in a single-shaft combined
cycle arrangement.
• Benson-type HRSG.
• Water-cooled generator.
• Two-casing steam turbine with double flow low
pressure section.
Customer benefits:
• Low life-cycle cost
• Combined cycle output: 530+ MW
• 60+ % efficiency
• Fast start-up to support intermediate load
requirements
• High reliability and availability due to use of
proven concepts
• Environmental compatibility
COMPONENT TESTS
Most of the key gas turbine components are already pre-
validated in several sub-system tests. The prototype of the new
gas turbine will be tested and optimized at a test power plant
under actual operating conditions.
• Compressor tests in Siemens PG test bed Berlin: The
tests on the new compressor have been successfully
completed at our manufacturing plant in Berlin.
(Figure 30)
• Combustion test at several development sites.
Figure 30. Compressor Component Tests
PROTOTYPE TEST
Through a hosting arrangement with E.ON the first
prototype of the new SGT5-8000H gas turbine will be
extensively tested in simple cycle operation at the customer site
Irsching 4 - in Siemens PG ownership. This ensures that
subsequent commercial product lines will be brought to market
with an adequate testing history. This approach maximizes the
11 Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.
quality and reliability of the products before market
introduction. (Figure 31)
Figure 31. Irsching Site
Highlights:
• Test plant operation and testing at customer site
Irsching 4 (E.ON) exclusively by Siemens AG under
Siemens PG field test management.
• Extensive field testing and validation.
• Prototype engine equipped with about 3000 sensors
for monitoring.
• Commercial release of the new SGT5-8000H will be
made only after successful completion of the prototype
gas turbine testing.
After a successful test conclusion, the simple cycle test
plant will be converted into a combined cycle plant with
optimized water steam cycle components. (Figure 32)
Improvements from the prototype test plant operations will
be considered for implementation in a world-class, highly
efficient combined cycle plant that can be offered after
commercial release.
Figure 32. Combined Cycle Arrangement
for the SGT5-8000H
The first firing of the engine took place on December 20th
2007 and the completion of the test phase is targeted for mid
2009.(See Figure 33.)
Figure 33. Prototype SGT5-8000H installed in Irsching
power plant. .
One of the major benefits for the customer is the high
efficiency of 60%. Efficiency not only plays an important role
with respect to environmental aspects, but also for the
profitability of the power plant. As fuel is the largest single
cost item for running a power plant, an increase of one or two
percentage points can save the operator many € millions over
the entire life of a combined cycle power plant. This high
efficiency and the use of a low carbon fuel such as natural gas
results in carbon emissions which are less than one half the
emissions from a similar sized coal plant and the capital costs
are less than a quarter of the coal plant.
This gas turbine will initially target the 50Hz markets in
Asia and Europe. After sufficient testing of the 50 hertz engine
a 60 hertz version will also be developed. At the outset the
engine is being developed for use with natural gas and fuel oil,
but operation will be expanded to also include the special low
calorific fuel needed for applications such as IGCC.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
In the relatively short period of time of approximately 60
years Siemens gas turbines have been developed from the small
aero style gas turbines of the last World War with a power
output of approximately 1 MW to the latest product offering of
340MW ( 530 MW in combined cycle). Simple cycle
efficiencies have been improved from 18% to 39% and
combined cycle efficiencies of 60% are attainable.
The starting point for both the Siemens and Westinghouse
engines was a very similar jet engine and today’s latest product,
the SGT5-8000H, is a combination of the best and latest
technologies from Westinghouse and Siemens.
12 Copyright
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Generation Inc.

PERMISSION FOR USE.
The content of this paper is copyrighted by Siemens Power
Generation, Inc. and is licensed only to ASME International
Gas Turbine Institute for publication and distribution. Any
inquiries regarding permission to use the content of the paper,
in whole or in part, for any purpose, must be addressed to
Siemens Power Generation Inc. directly.
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Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Siemens Power© 2008 by ASME
Generation Inc.