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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
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A performance review can compare measured power output, fuel consumption, heat rate, compressor and exhaust conditions, ambient conditions, operating load, and instrumentation with the basis used for the claimed performance. Corrections may be necessary when tests were conducted under different inlet temperatures, pressures, humidity, fuels, or other operating conditions. ASME PTC 22-2023 establishes procedures for thermal performance testing of open-cycle gas turbine power plants and gas turbine engines and addresses quantities including corrected power, heat rate, exhaust flow, exhaust energy, and exhaust temperature. It also requires consideration of measurement uncertainty when planning and reporting a performance test.
Useful evidence can include alarm and trip histories, vibration trends, rotor speed, temperatures and pressures, start-stop history, operating hours, fuel information, inspection photographs, borescope reports, maintenance records, removed components, repair history, and findings from the outage itself. The timing of changes can help distinguish a sudden event from deterioration developing over multiple operating cycles. Where component damage is disputed, the investigation may also examine blades, vanes, coatings, clearances, seals, combustion hardware, bearings, or other affected components. NETL research on gas turbines identifies thermal cycling, coating degradation, oxidation, corrosion, thermal stresses, and other high-temperature conditions as important durability considerations for turbine components.
The compressor supplies pressurized air to the combustor and consumes a substantial portion of the turbine's produced work. Conditions at the inlet can therefore affect the amount of air entering the machine and the resulting power and efficiency. DOE describes the compressor, combustor, and turbine as the three principal sections of a gas turbine. Government CHP guidance also notes that elevated inlet-air temperature generally reduces gas-turbine power output and efficiency because air density and mass flow decrease and compressor requirements change.
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
The hot gas path includes components exposed to the high-temperature combustion gases, particularly turbine vanes, blades, shrouds, and related hardware, along with protective coatings applied to those components. Inspection findings can reveal cracking, oxidation, erosion, coating deterioration, abnormal rubs, thermal distress, or changes in clearances that may affect component life or performance. These findings should be evaluated alongside operating temperatures, starts and shutdowns, cooling conditions, prior inspections, and repair history. NETL's gas-turbine research emphasizes that turbine airfoils and protective coatings operate under severe thermal conditions and that cooling, material temperatures, thermal stresses, oxidation, and coating integrity are important to component durability.
