Cycling Tolerance: Natural Circulation Vertical HRSGs

Author(s):  
Pascal Fontaine

The US market is currently making a double jump in its HRSG requirements. Heretofore, HRSGs were used largely in industrial size cogen applications. According to the PURPA (Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act), public utilities were required to purchase that electric power generated in excess of the steam host’s needs. Thus, HRSGs were relatively small and operated under constant conditions. Now, HRSGs are much larger (utility size) and also more complex due to the introduction of triple pressure plus reheat behind powerful heavy duty gas turbines. With the onset of deregulation and consequent merchant power, combined cycle plants are now required to supply electrical power to the grid as and when needed with consequent day/night and weekday/weekend cycling. Those merchant plants have to come on and off line with minimal notice and be run sometimes at partial loads. Even units which were originally designed for base load are all eventually forced to cycle as new more efficient power plants are built. Thus, substantial changes in basic HRSG design are needed to cope with these changes. Coincidentally, the types of service projected for USA HRSGs have been in effect in Europe for over two decades. For this reason, European HRSG manufacturers/operators have adopted cycling tolerant Vertical HRSGs based on designs which permit the tubes to expand/contract freely and independently of one another, as distinguished from the more rigid horizontal gas pass design. Thus, fatigue stresses related to load following swings are minimized. This is just an illustration of the specific features of the Vertical European HRSGs for minimizing damages due to cycling related fatigue stresses. Vertical HRSG design shall be considered not only in terms of smaller footprint, but also as a solution to cycling related problems. As generally recognized, the cycling criterion is an integral part of HRSG design. This paper presents solutions to HRSG design issues for cycling tolerant operation. It relates to published data on problems observed with cycling Horizontal HRSGs, and it describes how these problems can be overcome. Concepts, design features and calculation methods applied to cycling tolerant HRSGs are reviewed in detail. Vertical HRSGs have been criticized because of their need for circulation pumps. Interestingly, the need for such pumps was eliminated a decade ago, with the advent of natural circulation for Vertical HRSGs up to 1800 psia (124 bar A) operating pressure.

Author(s):  
Ranga Nadig

Abstract Power plants operating in cyclic mode, standby mode or as back up to solar and wind generating assets are required to come on line on short notice. Simple cycle power plants employing gas turbines are being designed to come on line within 10–15 minutes. Combined cycle plants with heat recovery steam generators and steam turbines take longer to come on line. The components of a combined cycle plant, such as the HRSG, steam turbine, steam surface condenser, cooling tower, circulating water pumps and condensate pumps, are being designed to operate in unison and come on line expeditiously. Major components, such as the HRSG, steam turbine and associated steam piping, dictate how fast the combined cycle plant can come on line. The temperature ramp rates are the prime drivers that govern the startup time. Steam surface condenser and associated auxiliaries impact the startup time to a lesser extent. This paper discusses the design features that could be included in the steam surface condenser and associated auxiliaries to permit quick startup and reliable operation. Additional design features that could be implemented to withstand the demanding needs of cyclic operation are highlighted.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (12) ◽  
pp. 54-55
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston

This article explains how combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants can help in reducing greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. In the last 25 years, the development and deployment of CCGT power plants represent a technology breakthrough in efficient energy conversion, and in the reduction of greenhouse gas production. Existing gas turbine CCGT technology can provide a reliable, on-demand electrical power at a reasonable cost along with a minimum of greenhouse gas production. Natural gas, composed mostly of methane, is a hydrocarbon fuel used by CCGT power plants. Methane has the highest heating value per unit mass of any of the hydrocarbon fuels. It is the most environmentally benign of fuels, with impurities such as sulfur removed before it enters the pipeline. If a significant portion of coal-fired Rankine cycle plants are replaced by the latest natural gas-fired CCGT power plants, anthropogenic carbon dioxide released into the earth’s atmosphere would be greatly reduced.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (07) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston

This article focuses on the use of gas turbines for electrical power, mechanical drive, and marine applications. Marine gas turbines are used to generate electrical power for propulsion and shipboard use. Combined-cycle electric power plants, made possible by the gas turbine, continue to grow in size and unmatched thermal efficiency. These plants combine the use of the gas turbine Brayton cycle with that of the steam turbine Rankine cycle. As future combined cycle plants are introduced, we can expect higher efficiencies to be reached. Since almost all recent and new U.S. electrical power plants are powered by natural gas-burning, high-efficiency gas turbines, one has solid evidence of their contribution to the greenhouse gas reduction. If coal-fired thermal power plants, with a fuel-to-electricity efficiency of around 33%, are swapped out for combined-cycle power plants with efficiencies on the order of 60%, it will lead to a 70% reduction in carbon emissions per unit of electricity produced.


Author(s):  
S. J. Lehman ◽  
F. L. Robson

In the face of ever escalating costs for fuel oil or natural gas, the utility industry worldwide is investigating the use of coal-based alternatives that offer environmental acceptability and the potential for low-cost electrical power. One attractive alternative is to repower existing oil- or gas-fired power plants with gasified coal-fired gas turbines. Comparisons are made of a 400-MW steam station repowered with Texaco gasification, a grass roots integrated gasification current technology gas turbine, combined-cycle power plant and a conventional coal-fired power plant with flue gas desulfurization. The advantages of repowering are discussed.


Author(s):  
Justin J. Zachary

Combined cycle power plants (CCPPs) using fossil fuel generate the cleanest and most efficient form of electrical power. CCPP technologies have evolved significantly in providing better, more cost-effective products: gas turbines (GTs), steam turbines (STs), heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), heat sinks, pollutant removal technologies, balance of plant (BOP), water treatment and fuel treatment equipment, etc. A major reason for these improvements was the introduction of the G and H technologies for gas turbines, in which an inseparable thermodynamic and physical link was created between the primary and secondary power generation systems by using steam instead of air, in a closed loop to perform most (or all) turbine cooling activities.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (05) ◽  
pp. 30-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston

This article explores the increasing use of natural gas in different turbine industries and in turn creating an efficient electrical system. All indications are that the aviation market will be good for gas turbine production as airlines and the military replace old equipment and expanding economies such as China and India increase their air travel. Gas turbines now account for some 22% of the electricity produced in the United States and 46% of the electricity generated in the United Kingdom. In spite of this market share, electrical power gas turbines have kept a much lower profile than competing technologies, such as coal-fired thermal plants and nuclear power. Gas turbines are also the primary device behind the modern combined power plant, about the most fuel-efficient technology we have. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is developing a new J series gas turbine for the combined cycle power plant market that could achieve thermal efficiencies of 61%. The researchers believe that if wind turbines and gas turbines team up, they can create a cleaner, more efficient electrical power system.


2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Lozza ◽  
P. Chiesa

This paper discusses novel schemes of combined cycle, where natural gas is chemically treated to remove carbon, rather than being directly used as fuel. Carbon conversion to CO2 is achieved before gas turbine combustion. The first part of the paper discussed plant configurations based on natural gas partial oxidation to produce carbon monoxide, converted to carbon dioxide by shift reaction and therefore separated from the fuel gas. The second part will address methane reforming as a starting reaction to achieve the same goal. Plant configuration and performance differs from the previous case because reforming is endothermic and requires high temperature heat and low operating pressure to obtain an elevated carbon conversion. The performance estimation shows that the reformer configuration has a lower efficiency and power output than the systems addressed in Part I. To improve the results, a reheat gas turbine can be used, with different characteristics from commercial machines. The thermodynamic efficiency of the systems of the two papers is compared by an exergetic analysis. The economic performance of natural gas fired power plants including CO2 sequestration is therefore addressed, finding a superiority of the partial oxidation system with chemical absorption. The additional cost of the kWh, due to the ability of CO2 capturing, can be estimated at about 13–14 mill$/kWh.


Author(s):  
Akber Pasha

In recent years the combined cycle has become a very attractive power plant arrangement because of its high cycle efficiency, short order-to-on-line time and flexibility in the sizing when compared to conventional steam power plants. However, optimization of the cycle and selection of combined cycle equipment has become more complex because the three major components, Gas Turbine, Heat Recovery Steam Generator and Steam Turbine, are often designed and built by different manufacturers. Heat Recovery Steam Generators are classified into two major categories — 1) Natural Circulation and 2) Forced Circulation. Both circulation designs have certain advantages, disadvantages and limitations. This paper analyzes various factors including; availability, start-up, gas turbine exhaust conditions, reliability, space requirements, etc., which are affected by the type of circulation and which in turn affect the design, price and performance of the Heat Recovery Steam Generator. Modern trends around the world are discussed and conclusions are drawn as to the best type of circulation for a Heat Recovery Steam Generator for combined cycle application.


Author(s):  
B. Cornils ◽  
J. Hibbel ◽  
P. Ruprecht ◽  
R. Dürrfeld ◽  
J. Langhoff

The Ruhrchemie/Ruhrkohle variant of the Texaco Coal Gasification Process (TCGP) has been on stream since 1978. As the first demonstration plant of the “second generation” it has confirmed the advantages of the simultaneous gasification of coal: at higher temperatures; under elevated pressures; using finely divided coal; feeding the coal as a slurry in water. The operating time so far totals 9000 hrs. More than 50,000 tons of coal have been converted to syn gas with a typical composition of 55 percent CO, 33 percent H2, 11 percent CO2 and 0.01 percent of methane. The advantages of the process — low environmental impact, additional high pressure steam production, gas generation at high pressure levels, steady state operation, relatively low investment costs, rapid and reliable turn-down and load-following characteristics — make such entrained-bed coal gasification processes highly suitable for power generation, especially as the first step of combined cycle power plants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (06) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston

This article discusses various fields where gas turbines can play a vital role. Building engines for commercial jetliners is the largest market segment for the gas turbine industry; however, it is far from being the only one. One 2015 military gas turbine program of note was the announcement of an U.S. Air Force competition for an innovative design of a small turbine engine, suitable for a medium-size drone aircraft. The electrical power gas turbine market experienced a sharp boom and bust from 2000 to 2002 because of the deregulation of many electric utilities. Since then, however, the electric power gas turbine market has shown a steady increase, right up to present times. Coal-fired plants now supply less than 5 percent of the electrical load, having been largely replaced by new natural gas-fired gas turbine power plants. Working in tandem with renewable energy power facilities, the new fleet of gas turbines is expected to provide reliable, on-demand electrical power at a reasonable cost.


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