Everest-Turboservis introduces electric starters for 16-18 MW gas turbine powerplants

The STE-18ST electric starter is designed to start NK-16ST and NK-16-18ST gas turbines.

It successfully passed testing at Vyaznikovskaya booster compressor station (Volgotransgaz). The electric starter was designed by Everest-Turboservis and manufactured by Elektroprivod (Kirov). The pneumatic starters will be replaced by STE-18ST electric starters thus reducing environmental damage. The pneumatic starter emits 3 million m³ of natural gas a year.
STE-18ST electric starter rated at 65 kW is mounted instead of the pneumatic starter and doesn’t require any adjustment.
The starter control is performed by BUS-18ST control system. The nominal STE-18ST starter torque is 245 N*m (kgf*m). The starter operates in intermittent cycle.
The starting sequence corresponds to NK-16ST gas turbine startup according to Gazprom requirements.
The STE-18ST is the certified 1ExdIIBT3 explosion-proof starter.
At present the STE-18ST electric starter is modified to start NK-361 gas turbine rated at 8.3 MW (Kuznetsov SNTK). Now it is in trial operation within the RZhD (the Russian Railway) gas turbine locomotive.