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The General Electric LM2500 is an industrial and marine gas turbine produced by GE Aviation. The LM2500 is a derivative of the General Electric CF6 aircraft engine.
Contents
The LM2500 is available in 3 different versions:
The turbines have been used in various applications such as in warships of the U.S. and a number of other world navies, hydrofoils, hovercraft and fast ferries. As of 2004, more than one thousand LM2500/LM2500+ gas turbines have been in service for more than 29 international navies.
Recently, the increasing demands for low weight, high power engines in the oil and gas industry has led to GE developing a dedicated version for offshore use. This FPSO version is lighter and more compact, and is being used both for electricity generation and for directly driving compressors, e.g. for compressing natural gas going out into pipelines.
Design and development
The LM2500 was first used in US Navy warships in the Spruance class of destroyers and the related Kidd class, which were constructed from 1970. In this configuration it was rated to 21,500 shp (16,000 kW). This configuration was subsequently used into the 1980s in the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates, and Ticonderoga class cruisers. It was also used by one of People's Republic of China's Type 052 Luhu Class Missile Destroyer (Harbin 112) acquired before the embargo.
The LM2500 was uprated to 26,500 shp (19,800 kW) for the Arleigh Burke class destroyers, which were initiated in the 1980s and started to see service in the early 1990s, and the T-AOE-6 class of fast combat tanker.
In 2001 the LM2500 ( 20 MW ) was installed in a sound-proof capsule in the South African Navy Valour class (Meko A-200 SAN) frigates as part of a CODAG propulsion system with two MTU 16V 1163 TB93 Propulsion Diesels.
The current generation was uprated in the late 1990s to over 30,000 shp (22,000 kW).
LM2500 installations place the engine inside a metal container for sound and heat isolation from the rest of the machinery spaces. This container is very near the size of a standard 40-foot (12 m) intermodal shipping container - but not the same, the engine size very slightly exceeds those dimensions. The air intake ducting may be designed and shaped appropriately for easy removal of the LM2500 from their ships.
The LM2500+ is an evolution of the LM2500, delivering up to 40,200 shp (30,000 kW) or 28.6 MW of electric energy when combined with an electrical generator. Two of such turbo-generators have been installed in the superstructure near the funnel of Queen Mary 2, the world's largest transatlantic ocean liner, for additional electric energy when the ship's four diesel-generators are working at maximum capacity or fail. Celebrity Cruises uses two LM2500+ engines in their Millennium-class ships in a COGAS cycle.
The LM2500 is license-built in Japan by Ishikawajima-Harima, in India by HAL, and in Italy by Avio.
The LM2500/LM2500+ can often be found as turbine part of CODAG or CODOG propulsion systems or in pairs as powerplants for COGAG systems.
Applications
Aircraft carrier:
Amphibious assault ship:
Cruiser:
Destroyer:
Frigate:
Fast Combat Support Ship:
Maritime Prepositioning Force:
Littoral combat ship:
Corvette:
Fast Attack Patrol boat
Specification
Specifications for three models of LM2500 series gas turbine engines: