Allison Gas Turbine
overhaul management services

Click here for IPT's Statement of Qualifications Document

What is Overhaul Consulting and Management?

Owners who are not experienced with many overhauls of Allison turbines are in danger of spending too much (or not enough) for overhaul services. Many decisions can be made by the customer that will have a dramatic difference in overhaul cost, engine durability, and engine performance. IPT has managed over 1,200,000 operating hours and dozens of overhauls on 501 turbines. We can help an owner to make decisions that will best balance overhaul cost, engine durability, and performance.

Are You Ready for Your Next Overhaul?

The length of service prior to overhaul for a gas turbine is a function of operating conditions, duty cycle, and many other factors. In general, the owner of an Allison turbine with over 25,000 operating hours should already be planning his next overhaul. By the time the turbine reaches 30,000 hours, arrangements should be in place to pull the engine based upon identification of any critical items in periodic borescope inspections. Turbine operation is currently limited to 35,000 to 40,000 hours due to lifecycle limitations on some of the key rotating components.

Why Should an Owner Plan in Advance?

It is not uncommon for replacement turbine hardware best suited for a particular application to have lead times of six months. All industries, including the gas turbine manufacturers and their associated service providers, have reduced inventory levels to improve profitability. Further complicating the overhaul business is the availability of key hot section components in a variety of materials, designs, and coatings, some of which may be available only on a special order basis. A prudent owner will arrange for the pre-ordering of these key materials to insure that his turbine will spend a minimum amount of time outside of the genset.

Are You Qualified to Manage Your Own Overhaul?

For many owners the cost of a turbine overhaul is the largest single maintenance expenditure they will ever make. Such an enormous expense item takes a high profile in any organization and generally brings intense scrutiny from top management. Further complicating the ability of an owner to plan and manage an overhaul is the fact that the event occurs once every four to five years. Typical turnover in operating and management staffs often results in the responsible parties facing their first and only overhaul. The hiring of an outside contractor such as IPT to assist the owner in the overhaul planning and implementation is a prudent and wise investment that generally has less than a two-month payback period.

How Can IPT Help?

IPT does not overhaul engines. IPT provides consulting services to Allison turbine owner/operators to arrange and manage overhauls at the workshop of an Allison Authorized Maintenance Center ("AMC"). Unlike an owner who may face an overhaul every five years, IPT manages an average of two to three overhauls per year. IPT is constantly working with Allison and the AMCs on component selection and improvement. Moreover, IPT operates and manages a fleet of Allison turbines, and is constantly benchmarking the durability of the latest Allison hardware. IPT can match the hardware to best suit a particular application. Beyond the selection of parts that must be replaced, many owners are surprised to learn that a large percentage of the parts are replaced or reworked at the discretion of the AMC. Although there is an official "overhaul manual", there are a great many judgement calls involved which can have a major impact on the final cost to the customer.

IPT + AMC = Overhaul Quality + Engine Durability

Allison turbine owners expect at least 30,000 hours between overhauls, yet the AMC generally guarantees only one year of operation. Choices made by the AMC and the owner will largely determine the durability of the turbine during those hours from 8,000 to 40,000 where the turbine owner carries the full risk of unplanned maintenance and repairs. IPT support will give the turbine owner the best chance of making prudent decisions in the overhaul process.