scholarly journals Department of Energy Small-Scale Hydropower Program: Feasibility assessment and technology development summary report

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.N. Rinehart
Author(s):  
Ihor S. Diakunchak ◽  
Greg R. Gaul ◽  
Gerry McQuiggan ◽  
Leslie R. Southall

This paper summarises achievements in the Siemens Westinghouse Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program. The ATS Program, co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, was a very successful multi-year (from 1992 to 2001) collaborative effort between government, industry and participating universities. The program goals were to develop technologies necessary for achieving significant gains in natural gas-fired power generation plant efficiency, a reduction in emissions, and a decrease in cost of electricity, while maintaining current state-of-the-art electricity generation systems’ reliability, availability, and maintainability levels. Siemens Westinghouse technology development concentrated on the following areas: aerodynamic design, combustion, heat transfer/cooling design, engine mechanical design, advanced alloys, advanced coating systems, and single crystal (SC) alloy casting development. Success was achieved in designing and full scale verification testing of a high pressure high efficiency compressor, airfoil clocking concept verification on a two stage turbine rig test, high temperature bond coat/TBC system development, and demonstrating feasibility of large SC turbine airfoil castings. The ATS program included successful completion of W501G engine development testing. This engine is the first step in the W501ATS engine introduction and incorporates many ATS technologies, such as closed-loop steam cooling, advanced compressor design, advanced sealing and high temperature materials and coatings.


Author(s):  
Alex Frank ◽  
Peter Therkelsen ◽  
Miguel Sierra Aznar ◽  
Vi H. Rapp ◽  
Robert K. Cheng ◽  
...  

About 75% of the electric power generated by centralized power plants feeds the energy needs from the residential and commercial sectors. These power plants waste about 67% of primary energy as heat emitting 2 billion tons of CO2 per year in the process (∼ 38% of total US CO2 generated per year) [1]. A study conducted by the United States Department of Energy indicated that developing small-scale combined heat and power systems to serve the commercial and residential sectors could have a significant impact on both energy savings and CO2 emissions. However, systems of this scale historically suffer from low efficiencies for a variety of reasons. From a combustion perspective, at these small scales, few systems can achieve the balance between low emissions and high efficiencies due in part to the increasing sensitivity of the system to hydrodynamic and heat transfer effects. Addressing the hydrodynamic impact, the effects of downscaling on the flowfield evolution were studied on the low swirl burner (LSB) to understand if it could be adapted to systems at smaller scales. Utilizing particle image velocimetry (PIV), three different swirlers were studied ranging from 12 mm to 25.4 mm representing an output range of less than 1 kW to over 23 kW. Results have shown that the small-scale burners tested exhibited similar flowfield characteristics to their larger-scale counterparts in the non-reacting cases studied. Utilizing this data, as a proof of concept, a 14 mm diameter LSB with an output of 3.33 kW was developed for use in microturbine operating on a recuperated Brayton cycle. Emissions results from this burner proved the feasibility of the system at sufficiently lean mixtures. Furthermore, integration of the newly developed LSB into a can style combustor for a microturbine application was successfully completed and comfortably meet the stringent emissions targets. While the analysis of the non-reacting cases was successful, the reacting cases were less conclusive and further investigation is required to gain an understanding of the flowfield evolution which is the subject of future work.


1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 670-676
Author(s):  
R. R. Judkins ◽  
R. A. Bradley

The Advanced Research and Technology Development (AR&TD) Fossil Energy Materials Program is a multifaceted materials research and development program sponsored by the Office of Fossil Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy. The program is administered by the Office of Technical Coordination. In 1979, the Office of Fossil Energy assigned responsibilities for this program to the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office (ORO) as the lead field office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as the lead national laboratory. Technical activities on the program are divided into three research thrust areas: structural ceramic composites, alloy development and mechanical properties, and corrosion and erosion of alloys. In addition, assessments and technology transfer are included in a fourth thrust area. This paper provides information on the structure of the program and summarizes some of the major research activities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Matthew Carlson ◽  
Francisco Alvarez

Abstract A new generation of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies is under development to provide dispatchable renewable power generation and reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to 6 cents/kWh by leveraging heat transfer fluids (HTF) capable of operation at higher temperatures and coupling with higher efficiency power conversion cycles. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has funded three pathways for Generation 3 CSP (Gen3CSP) technology development to leverage solid, liquid, and gaseous HTFs to transfer heat to a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycle. This paper presents the design and off-design capabilities of a 1 MWth sCO2 test system that can provide sCO2 coolant to the primary heat exchangers (PHX) coupling the high-temperature HTFs to the sCO2 working fluid of the power cycle. This system will demonstrate design, performance, lifetime, and operability at a scale relevant to commercial CSP. A dense-phase high pressure canned motor pump is used to supply up to 5.3 kg/s of sCO2 flow to the primary heat exchanger at pressures up to 250 bar and temperatures up to 715 °C with ambient air as the ultimate heat sink. Key component requirements for this system are presented in this paper.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Horner ◽  
W. H. Day ◽  
D. P. Smith ◽  
A. Cohn

A continuing technology development program initiated by General Electric (GE) in the early 1960s and joined by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in 1974 is successfully resolving potential barrier problems in the development of water cooled turbines. Early work by GE Corporate Research and Development demonstrated the feasibility of closed circuit, pressurized water-cooling of stationary nozzles (vanes), and of open circuit, unpressurized water-cooling of rotating buckets (blades). A small-scale turbine was designed, fabricated, and operated at a gas temperature of 2850 F (1565 C) at 16 atm, with surface metal temperatures less than 1000 F (540 C). Early results from the EPRI sponsored Water-Cooled Gas Turbine Development Programs were presented at the 1978 Gas Turbine Conference (Report #ASME 78-GT-72). This paper reports more recent results, obtained between mid-1977 and mid-1978. Significant progress has been made in a number of areas: (a) water-cooled nozzle and bucket design and fabrication, (b) corrosion kinetics model verification and testing, (c) partially filled internal channel bucket heat transfer testing, and (d) stationary to rotating water transfer and collection testing. Results to date are encouraging with regard to the application of water-cooled turbine components to achieve improved reliability and fuels flexibility at increased turbine firing temperatures.


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