Description of Gas Turbine Power Plant

The use of gas turbines for generating electricity dates back to 1939. Today, gas turbines are one of the most widely-used power generating technologies. Gas turbines are a type of internal combustion (IC) engine in which burning of an air-fuel mixture produces hot gases that spin a turbine to produce power. It is the production of hot gas during fuel combustion, not the fuel itself that the gives gas turbines the name. Gas turbines can utilize a variety of fuels, including natural gas, fuel oils, and synthetic fuels. Combustion occurs continuously in gas turbines, as opposed to reciprocating IC engines, in which combustion occurs intermittently.

Gas Turbine Working Principle

Gas turbines are comprised of three primary sections mounted on the same shaft: the compressor, the combustion chamber (or combustor) and the turbine. The compressor can be either axial flow or centrifugal flow. Axial flow compressors are more common in power generation because they have higher flow rates and efficiencies. Axial flow compressors are comprised of multiple stages of rotating and stationary blades (or stators) through which air is drawn in parallel to the axis of rotation and incrementally compressed as it passes through each stage. The acceleration of the air through the rotating blades and diffusion by the stators increases the pressure and reduces the volume of the air. Although no heat is added, the compression of the air also causes the temperature to increase.

The compressed air is mixed with fuel injected through nozzles. The fuel and compressed air can be pre-mixed or the compressed air can be introduced directly into the combustor. The fuel-air mixture ignites under constant pressure conditions and the hot combustion products (gases) are directed through the turbine where it expands rapidly and imparts rotation to the shaft. The turbine is also comprised of stages, each with a row of stationary blades (or nozzles) to direct the expanding gases followed by a row of moving blades. The rotation of the shaft drives the compressor to draw in and compress more air to sustain continuous combustion. The remaining shaft power is used to drive a generator which produces electricity. Approximately 55 to 65 percent of the power produced by the turbine is used to drive the compressor. To optimize the transfer of kinetic energy from the combustion gases to shaft rotation, gas turbines can have multiple compressor and turbine stages. Because the compressor must reach a certain speed before the combustion process is continuous or self-sustaining initial momentum is imparted to the turbine rotor from an external motor, static frequency converter, or the generator itself. The compressor must be smoothly accelerated and reach

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firing speed before fuel can be introduced and ignition can occur. Turbine speeds vary widely by manufacturer and design, ranging from 2,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) to 10,000 rpm. Initial ignition occurs from one or more spark plugs (depending on combustor design). Once the turbine reaches self-sustaining speed above 50% of full speed the power output is enough to drive the compressor, combustion is continuous, and the starter system can be disengaged.

Turbine Configurations
Gas turbine power generators are used in two basic configurations 1. Simple Cycle Systems consisting of the gas turbine driving an electrical power generator.

2. Combined Cycle Systems which are designed for maximum efficiency in which the hot exhaust gases from the gas turbine are used to raise steam to power a steam turbine with both turbines being connected to electricity generators.

Turbine Performance
1. Turbine Power Output

To minimise the size and weight of the turbine for a given output power, the output per pound of airflow should be maximised. This is obtained by maximising the air flow through the turbine which in turn depends on maximising the pressure ratio between the air inlet and exhaust outlet. The main factor governing this is the pressure ratio across the compressor which can be as high as 40:1 in modern gas turbines. In simple cycle applications, pressure ratio increases translate into efficiency

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gains at a given firing temperature, but there is a limit since increasing the pressure ratio means that more energy will be consumed by the compressor. 2. System Efficiency Thermal efficiency is important because it directly affects the fuel consumption and operating costs. Simple Cycle Turbines A gas turbine consumes considerable amounts of power just to drive its compressor. As with all cyclic heat engines, a higher maximum working temperature in the machine means greater efficiency (Carnot's Law), but in a turbine it also means that more energy is lost as waste heat through the hot exhaust gases whose temperatures are typically well over 600C . Consequently simple cycle turbine efficiencies are quite low. For heavy plant, design efficiencies range between 30% and 40%. (The efficiencies of aero engines are in the range 38% and 42% while low power microturbines (<100kW) achieve only 18% to 22%). Although increasing the firing temperature increases the output power at a given pressure ratio, there is also a sacrifice of efficiency due to the increase in losses due to the cooling air required to maintain the turbine components at reasonable working temperatures. Combined Cycle Turbines It is however possible to recover energy from the waste heat of simple cycle systems by using the exhaust gases in a hybrid system to raise steam to drive steam turbine electricity generating set. In such cases the exhaust temperature may be reduced to as low as 140C enabling efficiencies of up to 60% to be achieved in combined cycle systems. In combined-cycle applications, pressure ratio increases have a less pronounced effect on the efficiency since most of the improvement comes from increases in the Carnot thermal efficiency resulting from increases in the firing temperature. Thus simple cycle efficiency is achieved with high pressure ratios. Combined cycle efficiency is obtained with more modest pressure ratios and greater firing temperatures.

Fuels
One further advantage of gas turbines is their fuel flexibility. They can be adapted to use almost any flammable gas or light distillate petroleum products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel and kerosene (paraffin) which happen to be available locally, though natural gas is the most commonly used fuel. Crude and other heavy oils and can also be used to fuel gas turbines if they are first heated to reduce their viscosity to a level suitable for burning in the turbine combustion chambers.

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Compressor
The compressor provides the high pressure, high volume air which, when heated and expanded through the turbine section, provides the power output required by the process (mechanical drive, generator drive, etc.). Compressor performance is generally shown as pressure ratio plotted against airflow. (Note: it is more accurate to use Head instead of pressure ratio, as Head takes into account the compressibility, molecular weight, temperature, and the ratio of specific heat of air and corrected airflowall at constant speed). Two types of compressors are in use today which is the axial compressor and the centrifugal compressor. The axial compressor is used primarily in medium and high horsepower applications, while the centrifugal compressor is utilized in low horsepower applications. Both the axial and centrifugal compressors are limited in their range of operation by what is commonly called stall or surge. This phenomenon occurs at certain conditions of airflow, pressure ratio, and speed (rpm), which result in the individual compressor aerofoils going into stall similar to that experienced by an airplane wing at a high angle of attack. The stall margin is the area between the steady state operating line and the compressor stall line.

Burner Section
The burner section is made up of the diffuser duct, the combustor, fuel nozzle and the transition duct. The velocity of the air leaving the compressor is decreased before it enters the combustor in order to reduce the burner pressure loss and the air velocity in the burner. According to Bernoullis Law a decrease in velocity, and its resultant increase in static pressure, is achieved in the diffuser. As the (subsonic) velocity of the air decreases with the expanding shape of the divergent duct, its static pressure increases, although the total pressure remains the same. (Note that total pressure is the sum of the static pressure and the velocity pressure; where velocity pressure is the pressure created by the movement of the air.) The fraction of the velocity head that is converted to static pressure (diffuser efficiency) is a function of the area ratio and diffuser angle. The fuel nozzles function is to introduce the fuel into the burner in a form suitable for rapid and complete mixing with air. There are several types of fuel nozzles: gaseous, liquid, dual gas/liquid, and dual liquid/liquid. Properties of a good burner are high combustion efficiency, stable combustion, low NOx formation, freedom from blowout, uniform or controlled discharge temperature, low pressure loss, easy starting, long life, and (for liquid fuel operation) minimum carbon accumulation. Combustors must be able to withstand various conditions; namely, a wide range of airflow, fuel flow, and discharge temperature, rapid acceleration and deceleration, and variation in fuel properties.

Turbine
The turbine extracts kinetic energy from the expanding gases that flow from the combustion chamber, converting this energy into shaft horsepower to drive the compressor, the output turbine, and select accessories. The axial-flow turbine is made up of stationary nozzles (vanes or diaphragms) and Page 4 of 8

rotating blades (buckets) attached to a turbine wheel (disc). Turbines are divided into three types: impulse, reaction, and a combination of the two designs called impulse -reaction. The energy drop to each stage is a function of the nozzle area and aerofoil configuration. Turbine nozzle area is a critical part of the design: too small and the nozzles will have a tendency to choke under maximum flow conditions, too large and the turbine will not operate at its best efficiency. It is important to note that approximately 3/4 - 2/3 of the turbine work drives the compressor leaving approximately 1/4-1/3 for shaft horsepower (or thrust for the jet engine). Turbines may be either single- or multiple-stage. When the turbine has more than one stage, stationary vanes are located upstream of each rotor wheel. Therefore, each set of stationary vanes forms a nozzle vane assembly for the turbine wheel that follows. The rotor wheels may or may not operate independently of each other, depending upon the type of engine and the power requirements of the turbine. Some gas turbines, based on their design objectives, incorporate two compressors and two turbineswith a shaft-in-a-shaft design. In this case the first (high pressure) turbine drives the last (high pressure) compressor, and the last (low pressure) turbine drives the first (low pressure) compressor. This is referred to as a split-shaft machine.

Starting System
The primary function of the starting system is to accelerate the gas turbine generator from rest to a speed point just beyond the self-sustaining speed of the gas turbine generator. To accomplish this starter must develop enough torque to overcome the drag torque of the Compressor, Turbine & Generator, and any attached loads including accessories loads, and bearing resistance. Another function of the starting systems is to rotate the gas turbine generator, after shutdown, to hasten cooling. The purge and cool-down functions have led to utilization of two-speed starters. The low speed is used for purge and cooling and the high speed is used to start the unit. When sizing the starter, the designer should keep in mind that the gas turbine generator must move 3 to 5 times the volume of the exhaust stack to insure purging any residual gas from that area. Also control system programmers and operators should be aware that the purge time, within the start cycle, is necessary for safe operation. Gas turbine generators are started by rotating the compressor. This is accomplished in a number of ways: Starter directly connected to the compressor shaft Starter indirectly connected to the compressor shaft via the accessory gearbox Impingement air directed into the compressor or compressor-turbine.

Devices used to start gas turbine generators include electric (alternating current and direct current) motors, pneumatic motors, hydraulic motors, diesel motors, and small gas turbines.

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Lubrication Systems
Lubrication systems in gas turbines must address two requirements: one is to provide lubrication between the rotating and stationary bearing surfaces and the other is to remove heat (cooling effect) from those surfaces. Lube oil system designs must consider bearing types, rpm, load, temperature, and oil viscosity. Bearing types fall into two main categories: hydrodynamic bearings and anti-friction bearings. Most heavy frame gas turbines, which incorporate hydrodynamic bearings, use mineral oil while the aero derivative gas turbines, which incorporate anti-friction bearings, use synthetic oil. A lubrication system consists of a reservoir, pump, regulator, filter, and cooler. Oil in the reservoir is pumped under pressure through a filter and oil cooler to the bearings and then returned to the reservoir for re-use.

Inlet Air Filters

Filter types and configurations should be selected on the basis of the environment in which they are expected to operate, the amount of maintenance available, and the degree of protection expected. Inertial Separators are available with and without dust removal capability. They are useful in areas where there is a significant level of contaminants above 25 microns. Pre-filters provide a similar function as the inertial separator and their initial cost is considerably lower. Intermediate Filters, with and without viscous coating, help to extend the life of the high efficiency filter. Intermediate filters must be capable of capturing 30% or more of the target micron size of the problematic contamination in the environment. High Efficiency Filters must be capable of capturing in excess of 95% of the problematic contamination down to 1.0micron. Pre-filters, intermediate filters, and high efficiency filters are commonly available in the barrier or pad type configuration. The filter selection should be matched to the site environment, the gas turbine type, and economics. This selection should be based on the contaminants at the site location, the air flow into and through the gas turbine, and the level of support located on site.

Inlet Air Cooling

Gas turbines are rated for a power output level (horsepower or megawatts) at a temperature and altitude condition. Two standards used are the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). ISO conditions are defined as 59F inlet temperature, 14.7 psia inlet pressure, and 60% relative humidity, and NEMA conditions are defined as 80F inlet temperature and 1,000-foot elevation. Turbine inlet temperature is a limiting factor in all gas turbines, regardless of design configuration. This limit has been extended through utilization of internal turbine aerofoil cooling. Limitations due to speed and compressor aerodynamics are distinguished as break points or slope changes in the power curve. Often, these limitations are of little consequence since they are small relative to the turbine inlet temperature limitations. The effects of increasing ambient temperature on gas turbine output clearly indicate the advantages of cooling the compressor inlet, especially in hot climates. Lowering the compressor inlet temperature can be accomplished by the installation of an evaporative cooler, a fogger system, or a chiller in the inlet ducting. Page 6 of 8

Exhaust Flue Gas Ducting

After leaving the last stage of the turbine, the exhaust gases are either released to the atmosphere or directed through an exhaust system to heat recovery equipment. The exhaust system includes an exhaust plenum mounted on the outlet end of the turbine. The exhaust plenum directs the exhaust gas into the exhaust ductwork which transports the hot gas to the exhaust stack or into the inlet ductwork of the recovery equipment. The exhaust system includes an expansion joint that allows for the thermal movements of the plenum and exhaust ductwork

Emission Control
NOx emission reduction down as per Ghana Pollution Control Board requirement is essential. Suitable combustor of latest design shall be considered for controlling the NOx emission limit in the exhaust gas of the gas turbine.

Machinery Equipment Unit Enclosures:

Enclosures shall be designed to absorb and limit noise emitted by the gas turbine generator units. Enclosures shall be constructed of reinforced sheet metal lagging. Enclosures shall be designed to permit easy accessibility to the equipment and to provide necessary protection for maintenance personnel. Enclosures shall be provided with pedestrian and equipment doors of the locking type. Enclosure insulation and ventilation shall be provided to maintain temperatures suitable for personnel.

Fire Detection and Protection system

The entire gas turbine generator installation including all auxiliary enclosures shall be protected from fire with a complete automatic fire protection system. The fire protection system shall be fully automatic and shall be designed and installed in accordance with applicable codes of the National Fire Protection Association.

Water Treatment System

Water is used for a multitude of purposes in plant processes, including equipment cooling, maintenance cleaning and air pollution control (scrubbing). Proper treatment and conditioning of water to avoid scaling and corrosion in equipment, system is imperative to avoid economic losses caused by decreased production capability and increased operating costs. In broad sense water treatment is any physical or chemical process that improves the usability of the water treated. Management of plant water uses to meet increasingly stricter quality requirements as well as more stringent environmental restrictions poses complex challenges for both the design and operation of plants.

Fuel System
Most large gas turbines are designed to operate with both gas and liquid fuels. The two most common fuels are natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil. Control systems are provided to allow automatic changeover from one fuel system to another or to allow the burning of both fuels simultaneously. The gas fuel system delivers gas fuel to the combustors at

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the correct pressure and flow rates for all operating conditions. A strainer and/or scrubber are normally provided on the inlet to the fuel gas supply connection to remove contaminants. Stop and control valves are provided to regulate the fuel gas flow. The stop valve shuts off the gas flow to the combustors whenever required for normal or emergency shutdown and controls the gas pressure in front of the control valve. The control valve meters the gas flow in accordance with the demands of the gas turbine. An automatic vent valve is provided in vent piping between the stop and control valves. This valve relieves any fuel gas that accumulates between the stop and control valves to the atmosphere. Instruments and controls are supplied to monitor the fuel gas flow and pressure and to alarm abnormal conditions.

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