Gas Turbine Application

The dry helical lobe rotary compressors nonlubricated cylinder types of compressors are used for injecting of the fuel in gas turbines at the high pressure needed. The gas turbine application requires that the compressor be dry. This standard is primarily intended for compressors that are in special purpose application and covers the minimum requirements for dry helical lobe rotary compressors used for vacuum, pressure, or both in petroleum, chemical, and gas industry services. This edition also includes a new inspector s checklist and new schematics for general purpose and typical oil systems. 

Groppi and co-workers46,26 investigated the catalytic activity of Mn- and Fe-substituted hexaaluminates prepared via the carbonate route for CO and H2 combustion. These species are the main components of fuels from gasification of carbon and biomasses that represent an alternative to natural gas in gas turbine applications. 

E. Gugel and G. Leimer, "Evaluation of Silicon Carbides for Gas Turbine Application," FinalReport, BMFT 01ZA055-Z13NTS1003, Bonn, Germany, 1978. 

Most gas turbine applications in the chemical industry are tied to the steam cycle, but the turbines can be integrated anywhere in the process where there is a large requirement for fired fuel. An example is the use of the heat in the gas turbine exhaust as preheated air for ethylene cracking furnaces as shown in Figure 4 (8). 

However, in Williams (2002), FCE authors have rethought the MCFC/gas turbine hybrid problem, and have come up with an alternative system, in which the fuel cell is operated at atmospheric pressure. Pressure occurs only in the gas turbine. Applicability from 250 kW to 40 MW is claimed. The system is still a concept waiting to be realised. 

However, most of the following discussion will deal with catalytic combustion for gas turbine applications. Figure 4 shows a schematic view of an open-cycle gas turbine unit with a catalytic combustor (cf. a conventional unit in Fig. 2.). 

Orenda Aerospace Corporation. (1997). Engine Summary Report Bio-fiiel Testing and Optimisatioo for Gas Turbine Applications. Internal Report. 

There is increasing interest in the use of gas turbines for power generation while at the same time more stringent regulations on NOy emissions are being implemented in many areas. This situation provides an opportunity for catalytic combustion and has stimulated much research on catalytic combustors in recent years. Because of their potential commercial importance this section will largely focus on gas turbine applications of catalytic combustion. 

The principal disadvantage of ceramic monoliths in gas turbine applications is their relatively low resistance to thermal shock. Most ceramics will fracture during the very rapid temperature drop that occurs after a turbine trip, when the turbine load is suddenly lost (see Section 3.2.2). 

New types of ceramic composites with high thermal shock resistance have recently been developed that show some promise for gas turbine applications. These composites consist of a ceramic matrix reinforced by ceramic fibers or platelets inside the matrix. The fibers pull out of the matrix during fracture to resist crack propagation. Such composites can be readily fabricated using a new process developed by Lanxide Corporation [18]. The process uses directed oxidation reactions of molten metals to grow a ceramic matrix around a reinforcing material. 

In gas-turbine applications, the desired temperatures are in the range 1100-1500 C. Conventional catalysts like supported metals or transition metal oxides are not resistant to the severe operating conditions of such systems. Hence novel materials have to be developed to serve as both catalyst materials and as catalyst supports. These new materials should be able to withstand temperatures of 1100-1500°C in atmospheres containing steam and oxygen, and for continuous operation for at least one year (8760 hours), if not more. 

Completed design and fabrication of prototype H2/air burner for aircraft gas turbine applications. Characterized relationship between flame and fluid dynamics and evaluated fuel/air mixing. (Collaboration with NASA Glenn.)... 

E. M. Johansson, D. Papadias, P.O. Thevenin, A.G. Ersson, R. Gabrielsson, P.G. Menon, P.H. Bjornbom and S.G. Jaras, in Catalytic Combustion for Gas Turbine Applications, Catalysis-Specialist Periodical Reports, Volume 14, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge 2001... 

J. Goring, B. Kanka, M. Schmiicker, H. Schneider, A Potential Oxide/oxide Ceramic Matrix Composite for Gas Turbine Application, Proc. ASME / IGTI Turbo Expo 2003... 

The aim with the present paper is to survey the literature on catalytic fuel combustion for high temperature gas turbine applications with emphasis on the progress during the last five years. Reference to work before 1993 can be found in an earlier review from our laboratory. Following a brief introduction to catalytic combustion and a discussion on formation and abatement of emission, state-of-the-art in materials development will be reviewed in Section 3. Recent results from mathematical modelling are covered in Section 4. An update of new concepts of catalytic combustors and advanced pilot-scale tests will be presented in Section 5, where also a case study on a recently finished European project is reported. Finally, deactivation of combustion catalysts is discussed in Section 6 and a spin-off effect of catalytic combustion is recapitulated in Section 7. 

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