POWER PLANT ENGINEERING

UNIT:IV
GAS TURBINE PLANT

BryanFaust

GAS TURBINE INTRODUCTION

Gas turbines have been used for electricity generation in the

periods of peak electricity demand
Gas turbines can be started and stopped quickly enabling them to
be brought into service as required to meet energy demand peaks.
Small unit sizes and their low thermal efficiency restricted the
opportunities for their wider use for electricity generation.

GAS TURBINE

The Thermal efficiency of the gas turbine is 20 to 30% compared with the
modern steam power plant 38 to 40%.
In future it is possible to construct efficiencies in and around 45%.
Following are the fields of Gas Turbine applications:
Power Generation
Aviation
Oil and Gas industry Marine Propulsion
A Gas Turbine is used in aviation and marine fields because it is self
contained, light weight not requiring cooling water and fit into the overall
shape of the structure.
It is selected for the power generation because of its simplicity, lack of
cooling water, needs quick installation and quick starting.
It is used in oil and gas industry because of cheap supply of fuel and low
installation cost.
Limitations of the gas turbine:
1. They are not self starting
2. low efficiencies at part loads
3. non reversibility
4. Higher rotor speeds
5. Low overall plant efficiency .

GAS TURBINE

Gas turbine plant is defined as in which the principle of the prime mover
is of the turbine type and the working medium is a permanent gas.
Simple gas turbine plant consists of
Turbine
Compressor
Combustor
Auxiliary devices like starting device, lubricating pump, fuel pump, oil
system and duct system.
The working fluid is compressed in a compressor which is generally rotary,
multistage type.
Heat is added to the compressed fluid in the combustion chamber .
This high energy fluid at high temperature and pressure then expands in the
turbine thereby generating power.
Part of the energy generated is consumed in driving the compressor and
accessories and the rest is utilized in electrical energy.

GAS TURBINE TERMS

PRESSURE RATIO: It is the ratio of cycles highest to its lowest

pressure. Higher pressure at compressor discharge and lowest pressure at
compressor in let pressure.
WORK RATIO: It is the ratio of net work output to the total work
developed in the turbine.
AIR RATIO: Kg of air entering the compressor inlet per unit of cycle net
output. i.e. kg/kwh
COMPRESSOR EFFICIENCY: It is the ratio of work needed for ideal
air compression through a given pressure range to work actually used by
the compressor.
ENGINE EFFICIENCY : It is the ratio of work actually developed by the
turbine expanding hot power gas through a given pressure range to that
would be yielded for ideal expansion conditions.
COMBUSTION EFFICIENCY: It is the ratio of heat actually released by
1 kg of fuel to heat that would be released by complete perfect combustion.
THERMAL EFFICIENCY: It is the percentage of total energy input in
network output of the cycle.

GAS TURBINE CLASSIFICATION

There are two basic types of gas turbines aero derivative and industrial.
Aero derivative units are aircraft jet engines modified to drive electrical
generators have a maximum output of 40 MW. These can produce full
power within three minutes after start up. They are not suitable for base
load operation.
Industrial gas turbines range in sizes up to more than 260 MW. Depending
on size, start up can take from 10 to 40 minutes to produce full output.
Industrial gas turbines have a lower capital cost per kilowatt installed than
aero derivative units and, because of their more robust construction, are
suitable for base load operation.

GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS CLASSIFICATION

1.By Application:
Air craft

Stationary

Locomotive
Marine
Transport
2.By Cycle:
Open
Closed
Semi closed

Jet Propulsion
Prop-Jets
Peak Load Unit
Stand by Unit
End of Transmission Line Unit
Base Load Unit
Industrial Unit

GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS CLASSIFICATION

3.According to Arrangement:
Single
Single Shaft
Multi Shaft
Inter cooled
Reheat
Regenerative
Combination
4.According to combustion:
Continuous combustion
Intermittent combustion
5.By Fuel:
Solid fuel
Liquid fuel
Gaseous fuel

GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS

Classification of Gas Turbines
Constant Pressure combustion Gas Turbine
Constant volume combustion Gas Turbine

Open Cycle
Closed Cycle

Aero derivative units are aircraft jet engines modified to drive electrical
generators have a maximum output of 40 MW. These can produce full
power within three minutes after start up. They are not suitable for base
load operation.
Industrial gas turbines range in sizes up to more than 260 MW. Depending
on size, start up can take from 10 to 40 minutes to produce full output.
Industrial gas turbines have a lower capital cost per kilowatt installed than
aero derivative units and, because of their more robust construction, are
suitable for base load operation

Advantages of Gas Turbine Power Plants over Diesel Plants

Work developed per kg of air is more than diesel plant

Less vibrations due to perfect balancing and no reciprocating parts
Less space requirements
Capital cost is less
Higher mechanical efficiency
Running speed of the turbine is large
Lower installation and maintenance costs
Torque characteristics of turbine plants are better than diesel plant
Ignition and lubrication systems are simpler
Specific Fuel Consumption does not increase with time in gas turbine plant
as rapidly in diesel plants
Poor quality fuel can be used
Weight to power ratio is less for gas turbine power plants
Smoke less combustion is achieved in gas power plants

Disadvantages of Gas Turbine Power Plants over Diesel Plants

Poor part load efficiency

Special metals and alloys are required for different components
Special cooling methods required for cooling of turbine blades
Short life
Thermal efficiency is low
Wide operating speeds the fuel control is difficult
Needs to have speed reduction devices for higher operating speeds of
turbine.
Difficult to start a gas turbine compared to diesel engine
Manufacturing of blades is difficult and costly
Same output gas turbines produces the five times the exhaust gases than IC
engines.

Advantages of Gas Turbine Power Plants over Steam Plants

No ash handling
Low capital cost and running costs
Space requirement is less
Fewer auxiliaries are used
Can be built relatively quicker
Can brought on load quickly to support peak loads
Thermal efficiency of the gas turbine is higher than steam when working
on top temperature
Gas turbine plants quite economical for short running hours
Storage of fuel is smaller and handling is easy.
Less cooling water required for gas turbine plants compared to steam
Weight per H.P. is far less
Can be installed any where
Control of gas turbine is much easier.

Gas Turbine Power Plant Layout with Auxiliaries

Main Components of the Gas

turbine plant layout are
1. Gas Turbine
2. Compressor
3. Combustor
4. Intercooler and Generator

GAS TURBINE

Gas Turbine employs blades mounted on a shaft and enclosed in a

casing.
Flow of the fluid through the turbine is axial and tangential to the
rotor.
Basic requirements are light weight, high efficiency, reliability in
operation, long working life.
Large work output can be obtained per stage with high blade speeds
when the blades are designed to sustain higher temperature.
More stages of the turbine blades in the gas power plant helps to
reduce the stress in the blades and increase the overall life of the
turbine.
Gas turbine blades are continuously subjected to the high temperature
gases, so we need to cool the blades for long life.
In air cooling the air is passed through the holes provided through the
blade.

COMPRESSOR

Centrifugal type and axial flow type compressors are used.

Centrifugal type compressor consists of an impeller and diffuser.

Impeller imparts the high K.E. to the air and diffuser converts the K.E.
into the pressure energy. The pressure ratio of 2 to 3 is possible with
single stage compressors and increased up to 20 with the 3-stage
compressors.

Single inlet compressors can handle air in the range of 15 to 300 cubic
meters/ min and double inlets are preferred above 300 cubic meters/
min capacity. In a multistage centrifugal compressor, two or more
impellers operating in series on a single shaft are provided in a single
casing.

The efficiency of the multistage compressor is lower than single stage

due to losses. In the Centrifugal Compressor capacity varies directly as
the speed ratio, Total pressure varies as the square of the speed ratio,
power input varies as the cube of the speed ratio, pressure is developed
independent of the load but volume handled depends on the load.

COMPRESSOR

The Centrifugal Compressor is superior to the axial flow machine in that high
pressure ratio can be obtained in single stage machine, through at the cost of
lower efficiency and increased frontal area.

COMPRESSOR

The axial flow compressors are used in gas turbine installations.

An axial flow compressor consists of a series of rotor and stator stages
with decreasing diameters along the flow of air.
The blades are fixed on the rotors and the rotors are fixed on the shaft.
The stator blades are fixed on the stator casing.
The stator blades guide the airflow to the next rotor stage coming from
the previous rotor stage.
The air flows along the axis of the rotor.
The K.E. is given to the air as it passes through the rotor and part of it
is converted into pressure.
An axial compressor is capable of delivering the constant volume of air
over varying discharge pressures.
These are well suited for large capacities at moderate pressures.
If the impeller of a centrifugal compressor is designed to give an axial
component of velocity at exit, the design becomes a mixed flow type.

COMBUSTOR

INTERCOOLER

REGENERATOR

OPEN CYCLE GAS TURBINE

CLOSED CYCLE GAS TURBINE

Methods for improvement of thermal efficiency of open cycle gas turbine plant

EXHAUST GASES TO FEED WATER

ARRANGEMENT OF SUPER CHARGED BOILER

EXHAUST GASES

TURBO CHARGING

GAS GENERATOR

COMPOUND ENGINE