This paper presents a comparative assessment of different gas turbine open ‘dry’ cycle configurations as potential prime movers for marine commercial applications. The analyses will focus on optimising a three-spool gas turbine —featuring intercooling, reheating, and/or recuperation— for maximum thermal efficiency at design point, under the premise that targeted marine applications spend most of the time at cruising, hence part-load performance of the power plant will not play a huge role. The most promising configuration will be identified, and a whole methodology of systematic design-space exploration will be established, as the first necessary steps in the context of a much broader project, with the final aim of applying the same methodology to a wider range of candidate gas-turbine based power plants and performing multi-disciplinary optimisation of these candidates to fully assess the capabilities of the gas turbines to enter the market of the large cargo ships.
