Aerodynamic Design and Testing of an Improved 1st Stage Compressor Rotor for a Heavy Duty Gas Turbine

To evaluate the potential of the compressor of Sulzer’s Typ 3 gas turbine, a series of engine tests was analyzed with two computer codes. The comparison between measured and calculated performance map are given in the paper. The design goal was to find modifications, which can be applied easily to already operating engines. The simplest option-increase of shaft speed with the existing blades-would have caused high loss due to increased tip Mach number. The calculation revealed, that a newly designed first rotor blade is an appropriate modification to increase massflow and efficiency. No further change is required, because the calculations indicate, that all subsequent stages operate at near optimum incidence. The calculations were confirmed experimentally. The paper presents the new rotor blade and its influence on the compressor calculated and measured performance.

Preliminary Design of Dry Cooling Tower for the Closed Cycle Gas Turbine HTGR

Because of its relatively high coolant temperature, the closed cycle gas turbine HTGR is well adapted to dry cooling and its waste heat can be rejected with relatively low cost. The preliminary design of natural-draft dry cooling towers for a 1200 MW(e) GT-HTGR is presented. The effects of air approach velocity, capacity rates of air and water mediums, and number of heat exchanger cross flow passes on salient tower and heat exchanger dimensions are studied. Optimum tower designs are achieved with three cross flow passes for the heat exchanger, resulting in a simultaneous minimization of tower height, heat exchanger surface area and circulating water pumping power. Four alternative tower designs are considered and their relative merits are compared. It is concluded that the 1200 MW(e) plant can be cooled by a single tower design which is well within the present state of the natural-draft dry cooling tower technology. In comparison, the fossil-fired or HTGR steam plants of the same output is shown to need three such towers.

Test Verification of Water Cooled Gas Turbine Technology

This paper presents the results of three significant tests recently performed by GE under the DOE High Temperature Turbine Technology Phase II Program contract. The first test involved a simulated Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) test of a water-cooled composite nozzle exposed to low Btu coal gas at design operating conditions (2600 F + firing temperature, 12 atm pressure). The second test is that of a water-cooled monolithic nozzle, a full-scale model of the second-stage nozzle planned for the Technology Readiness Vehicle Verification Test. The third test demonstrates coolant water delivery, transfer, and metering distribution, from the stationary feed line to the turbine rotor, enroute to individual bucket airfoil coolant passages. These tests successfully demonstrated the IGCC operation with very good results, and show every indication that operation at firing temperatures up to 3000 F is well within the design capability of the water-cooled turbine.

Contamination of Centrifugal Process Gas Compressor Lube Oil and Seal Oil Systems by Hydrocarbon Condensate

In the wake of gas compression offshore the problem of contamination of Seal Oil and Lube Oil systems by the process gas has posed particular problems. These difficulties stem chiefly from the uniqueness of the offshore situation, viz.: The inability to “waste” contaminated seals return because of an uncertain supply situation (oil inventory bunkered by boat) and the twin constraints of weight space restrictions imposed by offshore design. “In situ” treatment of relatively large volumes of contaminated Lube Oil and Seal Oil on offshore platforms is possible using the method described in this paper.

Power Generation From a 770°C Heat Source by Means of a Main Steam Cycle, a Topping Closed Gas Cycle and an Ammonia Bottoming Cycle

For power generation, steam cycles make an efficient use of medium temperature (•□ 300–600°C) heat sources. They can be adapted to dry cooling, higher power ratings and output increase in winter by addition of an ammonia bottoming cycle. Active development is carried out in this field by “Electricite de France.” It is shown that a satisfactory result, for heat sources of about 770°C, is obtained with a topping closed gas cycle of moderate power rating, rejecting its waste heat into the main steam cycle. Attention has to be paid to the gas turbine cycle waste heat recovery and to the coupling of the gas turbine and steam cycles. This concept drastically reduces the importance of new technology components.

A Study of External Fuel Vaporization

A conceptual design study was conducted to devise and evaluate techniques for the external vaporization of fuel for use in an aircraft gas turbine with characteristics similar to the Energy Efficient Engine (E3). A second purpose of the study was to select the most favorable fuel vaporization concept. In the study, three candidate concepts were analyzed from the standpoint of fuel thermal stability, integration of the vaporizer system into the aircraft engine, engine and vaporizer dynamic response, startup and altitude restart, engine performance, control requirements, safety, and maintenance. The results of the study indicate that an external vaporization system can be devised for an E3 -type engine with hardware of reasonable size. The hardware can be packaged without increasing the total engine volume and the system is not unduly complex. The selected concept offers potential gains in engine performance in terms of reduced specific fuel consumption and improved engine thrust/weight ratio. The thrust/weight improvement can be traded against vaporization system weight. However, the vaporizer is subject to fouling with deposits formed at the walls exposed to heated fuel.

Improved Particle Trajectory Calculations Through Turbomachinery Affected by Coal Ash Particles

Trajectories of small coal ash particles encountered in coal-fired gas turbines are calculated with an improved computer analysis currently under development. The analysis uses an improved numerical grid and mathematical spline-fitting techniques to account for three-dimensional gradients in the flow field and blade geometry. The greater accuracy thus achieved in flow field definition improves the trajectory calculations over previous two-dimensional models by allowing the small particles to react to radial variations in the flow properties. A greater accuracy thus achieved in the geometry definition permits particle rebounding in a direction perpendicular to the blade and flow path surfaces rather than in a two-dimensional plane. The improved method also accounts for radial variations in airfoil chord, stagger, and blade thickness when computing particle impact at a blade location.

Combined Gas and Steam Cycle for a Gas-Cooled Solar Tower Power Plant

In gas-cooled solar power plants the radiant energy of the sun is transferred to the cycle fluid in a cavity type solar receiver and converted into electric energy by means of a combined gas and steam turbine cycle incorporating a waste heat steam generator. The design and optimization of the energy conversion system in accordance with solar-specific considerations are described with particular regard to the gas turbine. In designing the energy conversion system several variants on the combined cycle with waste heat steam generator are investigated and special measures for the improvement of the cycle efficiency, such as the refinement of the steam process through the addition of pressure stages are introduced. It is demonstrated that the solar power plant meets the requirements both for straight solar and constant load operation with fossil fuel substitution. In order to establish the possibilities of attaining high part-load efficiencies in straight solar operation, two modes, variable and constant speed of the gas turbine, are compared with one another.

Small Gas Turbine With Large Parabolic Dish Collectors

An alternative solution for solar energy conversion to the heliostat-tower and solar farm (parabolic trough) concept is presented in the form of large parabolic dish collectors using small high temperature gas turbines for producing electricity from solar thermal energy. A cost and efficiency comparison for the different solar thermal power plants has shown that the large parabolic dish with gas turbine set is a superior system design especially in the net power range of 50 to 2000 kW. The important advantages of the large parabolic dish concept are discussed. For the important components such as the gas turbo converter, the receiver and the parabolic dish collector, design proposals for economic solutions are presented. An advanced layout for a 250-kW gas turbo converter with recuperator is presented in detail.

A Market Research Effort Leading to the Development of a High Efficiency 10,000 shp Gas Turbine System

This paper describes the market research efforts which established the performance parameters, the design criteria and the product specification for a new 10,000 shp regenerative cycle gas turbine system which incorporates a two-stage intercooled centrifugal compressor and features a thermal efficiency which exceeds 43 percent.