Novel gas turbine cycles

In the previous chapters, we have been concerned mainly with the thermodynamics of standard gas turbine cycles, in a variety of forms. In this chapter, we consider some novel types of gas turbine cycles recently proposed, most of which have not yet been built. 

But for power station applications, the thermal efficiency is not the only measure of the performance of a plant. While a new type of plant may involve some reduction in running costs due to improved thermal efficiency, it may also involve additional capital costs. The cost of electricity produced is the crucial criterion within the overall economics, and this depends not only on the thermal efficiency and capital costs, but also on the price of fuel, operational and maintenance costs, and the taxes imposed. Yet another factor, which has recently become important, is the production by gas turbine plants of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) which contribute to global warming. Many countries are now considering the imposition of a special tax on the amount of CO2 produced by a power plant, and this may adversely affect the economics. So consideration of a new plant in future will involve not only the factors listed above but also the amount of CO2 produced per unit of electricity together with the extra taxes that may have to be paid. 

A brief and simplified description of how electricity price may be determined is given in Appendix B, giving some comparisons between different basic plants. We also describe there how the economics of a new plant may be affected by the imposition of an extra carbon tax associated with the amount of carbon dioxide produced. 

Thus there are now three objectives for the plant designer  

In some of the plants proposed these objectives are attained simultaneously. 

---

Chapter 8. Novel gas turbine cycles FUEL (METHANE)... 

The new marketplace of energy conversion will have many new and novel concepts in combined cycle power plants. Figure 1-1 shows the heat rates of these plants, present and future, and Figure 1-2 shows the efficiencies of the same plants. The plants referenced are the Simple Cycle Gas Turbine (SCGT) with firing temperatures of 2400 °F (1315 °C), Recuperative Gas Turbine (RGT), the Steam Turbine Plant (ST), the Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP), and the Advanced Combined Cycle Power Plants (ACCP) such as combined cycle power plants using Advanced Gas Turbine Cycles, and finally the ITybrid Power Plants (HPP). 

---