INTRODUCTION TO GAS TURBINE:

The combustion (gas) turbines being installed in many of today's

natural-gas-fueled power plants are complex machines, but they
basically involve three main sections:

 The compressor, which draws air into the engine, pressurizes it,
and feeds it to the combustion chamber at speeds of hundreds of
miles per hour.
 The combustion system typically made up of a ring of fuel injectors
that inject a steady stream of fuel into combustion chambers
where it mixes with the air. The mixture is burned at temperatures
of more than 2000 degrees F. The combustion produces a high
temperature, high pressure gas stream that enters and expands
through the turbine section.
 The turbine is an intricate array of alternate stationary and rotating
aerofoil-section blades. As hot combustion gas expands through
the turbine, it spins the rotating blades. The rotating blades
perform a dual function: they drive the compressor to draw more
pressurized air into the combustion section, and they spin a
generator to produce electricity.

Land based gas turbines are of two types:

(1) Heavy frame engines and

(2) Aero derivative engines.

Heavy frame engines are characterized by lower pressure ratios

(typically below 20) and tend to be physically large. Aero derivative
engines tend to be very compact and are useful where smaller power
outputs are needed. As large frame turbines have higher power
outputs, they can produce larger amounts of emissions, and must be
designed to achieve low emissions of pollutants, such as NOx. One key
to a turbine's fuel-to-power efficiency is the temperature at which it
operates. Higher temperatures generally mean higher efficiencies,
which in turn, can lead to more economical operation. Gas flowing
through a typical power plant turbine can be as hot as 2300 degrees F,
but some of the critical metals in the turbine can withstand temperatures
only as hot as 1500 to 1700 degrees F. Therefore, air from the
compressor might be used for cooling key turbine components, reducing
ultimate thermal efficiency.

One of the major achievements of the Department of Energy's

advanced turbine program was to break through previous limitations on
turbine temperatures, using a combination of innovative cooling
technologies and advanced materials. The advanced turbines that
emerged from the Department's research program were able to boost
turbine inlet temperatures to as high as 2600 degrees F - nearly 300
degrees hotter than in previous turbines, and achieve efficiencies as
high as 60 percent. A simple cycle gas turbine can achieve energy
conversion efficiencies ranging between 20 and 35 percent.

MAJOR PARTS OF GAS TURBINE:

1. Regenerator
2. Combustion chamber
3. Compressor
4. Alternator
5. Starting motor
6. Gas turbine

Regenerator:
A regenerator is a device which recovers the heat from the exhaust
gases to heat the air from the compressor. The exhaust is passes
through regenerator before releasing it to the atmosphere. Several
numbers of tubes are nested in a shell of the compressor. The
compressed air passes through these tubes and exhaust gases from
the gas turbine passes through the shell side which transfers heat to the
compressed air. In this way compressed air heated by the exhaust
gases which is an effective usage of waste gasses.

Combustion chamber:
This is one of the important components of the gas power plant where
the high pressure air from the compressor is entered in it via
regenerator. The air from regenerator is quietly heated which is not
adequate to drive the gas turbine. Only hot air with high pressure can
only drive the gas turbine. So in combustion chamber the compressed
air is heated up to high temperature (3000 F).
Compressor:
The compressor used in gas power plant is rotating type. The air at
atmosphere pressure is drawn by the compressor through a filter which
removes the dust. The rotary blades in the compressor push the air
through the stationary blades to raise its pressure. Thus air with high
pressure is available at compressor output.
Alternator:
Alternator is directly coupled with the gas turbine same as in the case of
steam power plant. Alternator converts the mechanical energy of the
turbine in to electrical energy. The output generated electrical energy is
then passed to the grid through a generator transformer, isolators and
circuit breakers.
Starting motor:
The starting motor is placed to start the compressor before starting the
plant. This works as the initial driving component for the compressor.
The starting motor is coupled to the same shaft of the gas turbine for
this purpose.
Gas Turbine:
This is heart component of the gas power plant. The hot air with high
pressure and temperature is passed through gas turbine. The gases are
expanded on the gas turbine blades which causes the rotation of blades
to the intended mechanical work. After expanding, the exhaust gases
with the temperature about 900 F are applied to the regenerator.

The Gas Turbine Process

Gas turbine engines are, theoretically, extremely simple. They have three
parts:

 Compressor - Compresses the incoming air to high pressure

 Combustion area - Burns the fuel and produces high-pressure,
high-velocity gas
 Turbine - Extracts the energy from the high-pressure, high-
velocity gas flowing from the combustion chamber

The following figure shows the general layout of an axial-flow gas turbine
-- the sort of engine you would find driving the rotor of a helicopter, for
example:
In this engine, air is sucked in from the right by the compressor. The
compressor is basically a cone-shaped cylinder with small fan blades
attached in rows (eight rows of blades are represented here). Assuming
the light blue represents air at normal air pressure, then as the air is forced
through the compression stage its pressure rises significantly. In some
engines, the pressure of the air can rise by a factor of 30. The high-
pressure air produced by the compressor is shown in dark blue.

STEAM TURBINES:

Power plants that use a steam turbine to produce electricity are

categorized according to the source and use of the steam. Nuclear,
coal, combined cycle, cogeneration, and some solar power plants use
steam cycles in order to produce power.

Steam Cycle Process:

A steam cycle power plant is operated using the Rankine cycle. Water
enters a boiler where it is heated to create steam. The steam is then
sent through a steam turbine that rotates the shaft of a generator to
create electricity. The steam exits the turbine into a condenser, which
converts the steam back into saturated water. The saturated water is
then pumped back into the boiler to repeat the process.

Boiler Fuel

There are several different types of fuel that can be used for the boilers
in a steam system. The three main fuel sources that are currently used
are: fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), nuclear, and solar. Each
operates somewhat differently, but they all serve the same purpose.

Feed water System

Feed water is water that is circulated through the steam cycle as it

comes out of the condenser and is sent into the boiler. Feed water
heaters are used preheat the water in order to decrease the heating
time in the boiler and increase the plant’s overall efficiency. In large
power plants, the water that exits the condenser is sent through a series
of feed water heaters. The tanks are heated by steam from the turbine.
Each stage of the heating process in the turbine produces steam of a
specific temperature that is used to preheat the feedwater for that stage.
The feed water heater closest to the boiler receives steam from the
high-pressure turbine.

Efficiency

The efficiency of the simple steam cycle is generally lower than for other
cycles such as the combined cycle. This is mainly due to the fact that
not all the heat can be harnessed or completely used after the steam is
sent through the steam turbines. This loss is dictated by the laws of
thermodynamics and limits the efficiency of the system. The efficiency is
set, in part, by the maximum temperature that the steam attains and the
minimum temperature that can be used to cool the steam in the
condenser.

The main source of the heat rejection occurs in the condenser where
the excess thermal energy is discharged to the environment in the form
of heat. In order to attain the required amount of power from the system,
the turbines and the steam temperatures and pressure must be properly
designed in order to work together properly and efficiently. However,
there is still extra thermal energy in the liquid-vapor mixture at the
exhaust of the low pressure turbines that is not useable due to the
moisture content that would damage any more turbines without being
reheated significantly. Carnot’s theorem also shows that there is some
inefficiency in the turbines which is based off of the ratio of cold to hot
temperatures in the cycle.

Outages

Planned outages are a time where the power plant is shut down in order
to check, repair, and replace equipment. During outages at nuclear
power plants, for example, operators can replace used fuel assemblies.
They must inspect specific parts of each component in a power plant
before restarting the plant operations. Outages are usually scheduled in
the spring or fall when electrical demand is the lowest.

The casing of a multistage turbine must be removed in order to inspect

each turbine blade for possible corrosion, erosion, and cracks. Methods
of turbine blade inspection include visual, magnetic particle, and
sometimes ultrasonic inspections.

Main Component on Steam Power Plant

Steam power plant is a thermal power plant consists of main components and
auxiliary components as well as other systems. The main component consists of
four components, namely:
- Boiler
- Steam Turbine
- Condenser
- Generator
Boiler
Boiler has the function to convert water into steam. The process of change of
water to vapor done by heating the water in the pipes with heat from burning fuel.
Combustion processes carried out continuously in the combustion chamber with
fuel and air flow from the outside.The resulting steam is superheat steam which
have high temperature and high pressure.
Steam Turbine
Steam turbine working to change the heat energy contained in the steam into
rotary motion. Steam with high pressure and temperature were directed to push
turbine blades mounted on the shaft, so the shaft rotates. Due to perform work
on the turbine, the pressure and temperature of steam coming into the turbine
down to saturated vapor. This steam then flows to the condenser, while the rotary
power is used to turn a generator. Today almost all of the steam turbine is a type
of condensing turbine
Condenser
Condensers are devices to convert steam into water. The changes done by the
steam flow into a room containing tubes. Steam flows outside tubes, while the
cooling water flowing inside the tubes.
This is called surface condenser condenser. Usually for coolant use sea water.
Generator
The main purpose of the activities at a plant is electricity. Electrical energy
generated from the generator. Function generator converts mechanical energy
into electrical energy in the form of a round with the principle of magnetic
induction. Generator consists of stator and rotor.

Stator consists of the casing which contains coils and a rotor magnetic field
station consists of a core containing a coil.

INTRODUCTION TO COMBINED CYCLE:

In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat
engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it
into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators. The
principle is that after completing its cycle (in the first engine), the temperature of
the working fluid in the system is still high enough that a second subsequent heat
engine extracts energy from the heat that the first engine produced. By
combining these multiple streams of work upon a single mechanical shaft turning
an electric generator, the overall net efficiency of the system may be increased
by 50–60%. (That is, from an overall efficiency of say 34% (in a single cycle) to
possibly an overall efficiency of 62% in net Carnot thermodynamic efficiency.)
This can be done because heat engines are only able to use a portion of the
energy their fuel generates (usually less than 50%). In an ordinary (non-
combined cycle) heat engine the remaining heat (i.e., hot exhaust gas) from
combustion is wasted.
Combining two or more thermodynamic cycles results in improved overall
efficiency, reducing fuel costs. In stationary power plants, a widely used
combination is a gas turbine (operating by the Brayton cycle) burning natural
gas or synthesis gas from coal, whose hot exhaust powers a steam power
plant (operating by the Rankine cycle). This is called a Combined Cycle Gas
Turbine (CCGT) plant, and can achieve a best-of-class real (HHV - see
below) thermal efficiency of around 62% in base-load operation, in contrast to a
single cycle steam power plant which is limited to efficiencies of around 35–42%.
Many new gas power plants in North America and Europe are of the Combined
Cycle Gas Turbine type. Such an arrangement is also used for marine
propulsion, and is called a combined gas and steam (COGAS) plant. Multiple
stage turbine or steam cycles are also common.
PROCESS OF COMBINED CYCLE

Combined cycle power plants are highly efficient, flexible, reliable, cost-effective
and environmentally friendly solutions to generate electrical power.
In combined cycle power plants (CCPPs) a gas turbine generator generates
electricity while the waste heat from the gas turbine is used to make steam to
generate additional electricity via a steam turbine.
In other words: The output heat of the gas turbine flue gas is utilized to generate
steam by passing it through a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), so it can
be used as input heat to the steam turbine power plant. This combination of two
power generation cycles enhances the efficiency of the plant. While the electrical
efficiency of a simple cycle plant power plant without waste heat utilization
typically ranges between 25% and 40%, a CCPP can achieve electrical
efficiencies of 60% and more. Supplementary firing further enhances the overall
efficiency.
The high fuel utilization factor of the plant contributes to low lifecycle costs.
Together with an outstanding operational flexibility, CCPPs can provide a tailor-
made solution for your power needs.
 Siemens products for combined cycle solutions:
 Gas Turbines
 Steam Turbines
 Siemens Combined Cycle Plants; e.g. SCC-800

PARTS OF COMBINED CYCLE:

The 3 three main parts of a combined cycle unit are -

1. GT (Gas turbine)
2. HRSG (heat recovery steam generator)
3. ST (Steam turbine)
Below is a simplified diagram for understanding.