Engineering:General Electric LM2500

Short description: Industrial and marine gas turbine produced by GE Aerospace

LM2500
An LM2500 on
Type	Aeroderivative gas turbine
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	General Electric
First run	1960s
Developed from	General Electric CF6

The General Electric LM2500 is an industrial and marine gas turbine produced by GE Aviation. The LM2500 is a derivative of the General Electric CF6-6 aircraft engine.

As of 2004, the U.S. Navy and at least 29 other navies had used a total of more than one thousand LM2500/LM2500+ gas turbines to power warships. Other uses include hydrofoils, hovercraft and fast ferries.

In 2012, GE developed an FPSO version to serve the oil and gas industry's demand for a lighter, more compact version to generate electricity and drive compressors to send natural gas through pipelines.

Design and development

A heavy lift lowers the main propulsion module into the hull of during construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding. The module consists of two General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines and a Westinghouse gear reduction unit.

The LM2500 was first used on the US Navy in 1969, after the original Pratt & Whitney FT4 gas turbines experienced many technical problems. Later, they were used in US Navy warships in the of destroyers and the related , 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 s, and s. 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 s, 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 (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 for the liner to reach higher sea speeds. Celebrity Cruises uses two LM2500+ engines in their s in a COGES cycle.

The LM2500 is license-built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited; in Italy by Avio Aero; and in Japan by IHI Corporation. (Subsequent to the February 2024 reporting of an IHI company whistleblower; On April 24, 2024, IHI announced that investigation was underway by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of its subsidiary, IHI Power Systems Co., which had falsified its engine data since 2003, impacting over 4,000 engines globally.)

The LM2500/LM2500+ can often be found as turbine part of CODAG, CODOG, CODLAG propulsion systems or in pairs as powerplants for COGAG systems.

Naval application

United States

Amphibious assault ships

Cruisers

Destroyers

Frigates

Fast combat support ships

Roll-on/Roll-off

High endurance cutters

Littoral combat ships

Hydrofoils

Export

Algeria

Frigates

Australia

Amphibious assault ships

Destroyers

Frigates

Bahrain

Frigates

Brazil

Corvettes

• Barroso (V34)

Canada

Frigates

Chile

Frigates

China

Destroyers

• Type 052-class

Denmark

Corvettes

Egypt

Frigates

• Al-Aziz-class
• FREMM class

Finland

Corvettes

France

Frigates

Germany

Frigates

Greece

Frigates

India

Aircraft carriers

• INS Vikrant (2013)

Frigates

Corvettes

• Next Generation Missile Vessels

Indonesia

Frigates

Fast attack craft

Italy

Aircraft carriers

Destroyers

Frigates

Offshore patrol vessels

Israel

Corvettes

Japan

Helicopter destroyers

Destroyers

Research vessels

• JS Asuka

Morocco

Frigates

• Mohammed VI

New Zealand

Frigates

Norway

Frigates

Pakistan

Frigates

Corvettes

Peru

Frigates

Philippines

Corvettes

Poland

Frigates

Portugal

Frigates

South Africa

Frigates

South Korea

Destroyers

Frigates

Spain

Aircraft carriers

Amphibious assault ships

Frigates

Taiwan

Destroyers

Frigates

Thailand

Aircraft carriers

Frigates

Turkey

Aircraft carriers

• Mugem class

Destroyers

• TF-2000 class

Frigates

Corvettes

Replenishment oilers

• TCG Derya (A-1590)

Venezuela

Frigates

Civilian operators

Cruise ships

• (Holland America Line)
• (Princess Cruises)
• (Princess Cruises)
• (Celebrity Cruises)
• (Royal Caribbean International)

Ocean liners

• Queen Mary 2 (Cunard Line)

Variants

The LM2500 is available in 3 different versions:

• The LM2500 delivers 33,600 shp (25,100 kW) with a thermal efficiency of 37 percent at ISO conditions. When coupled with an electric generator, it delivers 24 MW of electricity at 60 Hz with a thermal efficiency of 36 percent at ISO conditions.
• The improved, 3rd generation, LM2500+ version of the turbine delivers 40,500 shp (30,200 kW) with a thermal efficiency of 39 percent at ISO conditions. When coupled with an electric generator, it delivers 29 MW of electricity at 60 Hz with a thermal efficiency of 38 percent at ISO conditions.
• The latest, 4th generation, LM2500+G4 version was introduced in November 2005 and delivers 47,370 shp (35,320 kW) with a thermal efficiency of 39.3 percent at ISO conditions.

Derivatives

• The GE TM2500 is derived from the LM2500, and mounted on a trailer that makes it possible to move it to wherever 30 MW of temporary electricity generation is required. It can be installed and commissioned in 11 days.

Specification

The basic LM2500 has a single shaft gas generator derived from the CF6, comprising a 16 stage compressor driven by a two stage air-cooled HP turbine. The combustion chamber is annular. Shaft power is generated by a 6-stage power turbine mounted in the gas generator exhaust stream. Additional power is obtained from the LM2500+ by the addition of a zero stage to the compressor, making 17 stages in all. Specifications for three models of LM2500 series gas turbine engines:

LM 2500 series gas turbine engines specifications

Performance Category	LM2500	LM2500+	LM2500+G4
Output	33,600 shp (25,060 kW)	40,500 shp (30,200 kW)	47,370 shp (35,320 kW)
Fuel consumption	0.373 lb/shp-hr (227 g/kW-hr)	0.354 lb/shp-hr (215 g/kW-hr)	0.352 lb/shp-hr (214 g/kW-hr)
Heat rate	6,860 Btu/shp-hr (9,705 kJ/kW-hr)	6,522 Btu/shp-hr (9,227 kJ/kW-hr)	6,469 Btu/shp-hr (9,150 kJ/kW-hr)
Exhaust gas flow	155 lb/s (70.5 kg/s)	189 lb/s (85.9 kg/s)	205 lb/s (93 kg/s)
Exhaust gas temperature	1,051°F (566°C)	965°F (518°C)	1,020°F (549°C)
Turbine speed (rpm)	3,600	3,600	3,600
Thermal efficiency	36%	38%	39%
Weight	4.7 ton	5.25 ton	5.25 ton

See also

Related development

• General Electric CF6
• General Electric LM1600
• General Electric LM6000
• General Electric LMS100

Comparable engines

• Rolls-Royce MT30

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines

External links

• Official GE Aviation page for LM2500 (GEAE).
• Official GE Aviation page for LM2500+.
• Official GE Aviation page for LM2500+G4.
• FAS information page on US Navy LM2500 usage
• SA Navy Valour class frigate page
• Power Generation plants
• Simple and combined cycle 50 Hz
• Simple and combined cycle 60 Hz