SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & BUILT ENVIRONMENT Department of Mechanical, Electrical & Environmental Engineering

MAJOR COURSEWORK 1

COURSEWORK TITLE: Analysis of Combined Gas-Vapour Power Plant

Module Title & Code: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502)

HANDIN DATE:

MONDAY 8TH April 2013

Important Note: This Coursework is based on part A of the module and carries a maximum of 50% of the total mark of the Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module

Prof M El-Sharif: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module Coursework 20012/13

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COURSEWORK TITLE: Analysis of Combined Gas-Vapour Power Plant

Introduction: The past two decades have seen a technical revolution in the power generation industry. This has been driven by rapid developments in gas turbine technology, the large-scale use worldwide of natural gas as a fuel, and the increased level of awareness concerning the consequences of environmental pollution. Since the early 1990s, thermal efficiencies of the best power stations have risen from 40% to 55% and are now approaching an astonishing 60%. These very high efficiencies are usually achieved by using a gas turbine to top a steam cycle, the so-called combined-cycle power plant. Gas-turbine cycles typically have higher operating temperatures then vapour cycles. For a modern steam power plant the maximum fluid temperature at the turbine inlet is about 600 C, but over 1500 C for gas-turbine power plants. Recent developments in cooling turbine blades and temperature-resistant materials (ceramics) made it possible to use such high operating temperatures. Since in the gas-turbine cycle the average temperature at which heat is supplied is very high, it has a great potential for higher thermal efficiencies. But, gas leaves the turbine at very high temperatures of around 500 C, which demolishes the potential gain in thermal efficiency. As a result of this disadvantageous characteristic of the gas-turbine cycle it is possible to take advantage the high temperature exhaust gases as energy source for a bottoming cycle such as a steam power cycle. The resultant power plant is the combined gas-steam cycle as shown in figure below. In this cycle, energy recovery occurs by a heat exchanger (boiler), which transfers the hot exhaust gases into steam. In general practice, the sufficient heat is supplied by more than one turbine and the steam cycle might involve regeneration as well as reheating. Innovative technological developments in turbine design made the combined gas-steam power cycle economically very attractive. This cycle increases the efficiency without increasing the initial cost greatly. For this reason, many new power plants operate on combined cycles, and many more existing gas- or steam turbine plants are being converted to combined power cycles. Industrial statistics show, that thermal efficiencies well over 55% are achieved because of the conversion. Coursework Statement: Information related to the Brayton cycle: A Brayton gas power cycle with regeneration is designed with four 50 MWe gas turbines as shown in Figure1. The cycle uses air as the working fluid and the pressure ratio across the compressor stage and turbine is 5:1. The turbine and compressor each has an isentropic efficiency 87%. The mechanical efficiency is 96% and the generator efficiency is 96%. The air enters the compressor at 280K compressed and then heated at constant pressure in the combustion chamber by burning fuel injected into the air flowing through the combustion chamber. The gases leave the combustion chamber at 1360 K, and enter the turbine of the power plant, rotate the turbine shaft, and leave the turbine and enter the regenerator. The regenerator is used to recover part of the energy lost to the environment utilising the exhaust gases leaving the turbine at high temperatures. The regenerator is simply a heat exchanger in which the compressed air is preheated by the hot gases leaving the turbine as shown in the
Prof M El-Sharif: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module Coursework 20012/13

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figure below. The regenerator has effectiveness () of 87% and that there is no pressure drop across it. The air can be treated as an ideal gas with variable specific heats.

qregen, act qregen, max

h5 h2 h4 h7 h4 h2 h4 h2

Please note that Ideal Gas Properties of Air are provided in the attached Table A-22
Shaft

Compressor

Turbine

Fuel
2` T2`

T3`

3`

T1` 1` Atmospheric Air

T5` T7` Regenerator

5`

Combustion Chamber

Gases T4`

4`

Exhaust 7` Gases Figure 1: A Brayton gas power cycle with regeneration

Information related to the Rankine cycle: A plant modification to the above Brayton cycle is proposed and shown in Figure 2. The proposal suggests that the addition of reheat-regenerative Rankine cycle that will utilise the turbine exhaust gas as a source by transferring it to the steam in a heat exchanger that serves as the boiler. In addition a Supplemental Firing Unit (SFU) is added to provide 1.7 kW (full load) of heat to the exhaust gases leaving the turbine. A steam generator using the energy of the gas turbine exhaust and the additional heat will provide significant increased power output and raises the overall plant thermal efficiency. The data for the reheat-regenerative Rankine cycle are: Net power output of the proposed Rankine cycle is 120MWe. Steam enters the first turbine (HPT) at 15.0 MPa and 600oC. The pressure in the condenser is 10.0 kPa. The steam exit the condenser as a saturated liquid While some steam is extracted from the high-pressure turbine at 4.0 MPa and sent to the closed feedwater heater, the remaining steam is reheated to 600oC. The extracted steam is condensed as saturated liquid at 4.0 MPa and trapped to the open feedwater heater. Some steam is extracted from the lower-pressure turbine at 0.5 MPa and sent to the open feedwater heater. The isentropic efficiency of LPT and HPT is 80%, and that of the pumps is 95%. The mechanical efficiency of each turbine is 96% and the generator efficiency is 96%.

Prof M El-Sharif: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module Coursework 20012/13

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Shaft

Compressor

Turbine

Fuel
2` 1` T1` Atmospheric Air T2` T5` 5` Regenerator T7` 7` 1 6
Heat exchanger

3`

Combustion Chamber

T3` Gases

T4` 4` Supplemental Firing Unit

T8` Exhaust 8` Gases

4`Q6`

6` 1 T6`

HPT 7 8

LPT

10

Condenser

Closed FWH

1 3
Pump II Open FWH

2
Pump I

11

12
Trap

Figure 2:

Combined Gas-Vapour Power Cycle (proposed modification)

REQUIREMENTS: The requirements of this coursework are:

Prof M El-Sharif: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module Coursework 20012/13

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a. Clearly state any assumption made. b. Draw T-s diagram for the combined cycle. c. Determine the thermal efficiency of the of the gas power cycle. d. Determine the mass flow rate of the air in kg/s per turbine. e. Determine the steam temperature at the exit of the high-pressure turbine (HPT). f. Determine the moisture content at the exit of the low-pressure turbine (LPT). g. Determine the mass flow rate of the steam in kg/s. h. Determine the thermal efficiency of the combined cycle and the efficiency of the plant at full load. i. Develop a full accounting of the net rate of exergy increase of the air passing through the gas turbine combustor. Let To=300K and Po=1 bar

Prof M El-Sharif: Energy Conversion Technologies (M3J920502) module Coursework 20012/13

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