Exhaust turbine

As with the steam turbine, if there was no stack loss to the atmosphere (i.e., if Qloss was zero), then W heat would he turned into W shaftwork. The stack losses in Fig. 6.34 reduce the efficiency of conversion of heat to work. The overall efficiency of conversion of heat to power depends on the turbine exhaust profile, the pinch temperature, and the shape of the process grand composite. 

Heat flow required from the turbine exhaust = 21.9 MW From steam tables, inlet conditions at T, = 300°C and Pi = 41 bar are /ii = 2959kJkg ... 

The hot gases from the combustor, temperature controlled to 980°C by excess air, are expanded through the gas turbine, driving the air compressor and generating electricity. Sensible heat in the gas turbine exhaust is recovered in a waste heat boiler by generating steam for additional electrical power production. 

Fossil Fuel-Fired Plants. In modem, fossil fuel-fired power plants, the Rankine cycle typically operates as a closed loop. In describing the steam—water cycle of a modem Rankine cycle plant, it is easiest to start with the condensate system (see Fig. 1). Condensate is the water that remains after the steam employed by the plant s steam turbines exhausts into the plant s condenser, where it is collected for reuse in the cycle. Many modem power plants employ a series of heat exchangers to boost efficiency. As a first step, the condensate is heated in a series of heat exchangers, usually sheU-and-tube heat exchangers, by steam extracted from strategic locations on the plant s steam turbines (see HeaT-EXCHANGETECHNOLOGy). 

A further enhancement to the HRS process whereby the exhaust from a gas fired turbine is used to superheat steam from the HRS process is also possible (129). The superheated steam is then fed through a turbogenerator to produce additional electricity. This increases the efficiency of heat recovery of the turbine exhaust gas. With this arrangement, electric power generation of over 13.6 kW for 1 t/d (15 kW/STPD) is possible. Good general discussions on the sources of heat and the energy balance within a sulfuric acid plant are available (130,131). 

CAMET control catalyst was shown to obtain 80% NO reduction and 95% carbon monoxide reduction in this appHcation in the Santa Maria, California cogeneration project. The catalyst consists of a cormgated metal substrate onto which the active noble metal is evenly deposited with a washcoat. Unlike the typical 20 on titania turbine exhaust catalysts used eadier in these appHcations, the CAMET catalyst is recyclable (52). 

The product gas after cleanup consists of primarily CO and H2. Combustion of coal gas in high firing-temperature gas turbines converts virtually all of the CO to CO2, and gas turbine exhaust is expected to contain no more than 10 ppm CO when operating at design conditions. Carbon monoxide emissions from a CGCC plant are thus expected to be around one-tenth those of a modem coal-fired plant equipped with low NO burners. 

Fig. 4. Use of gas turbine air preheat for ethylene cracking furnace. The gas turbine exhaust duct contains 17% oxygen at 400°C.

Most gas turbine appHcations 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). 

Cracking reactions are endothermic, 1.6—2.8 MJ/kg (700—1200 BTU/lb) of hydrocarbon converted, with heat supplied by firing fuel gas and/or fuel oil in side-wall or floor burners. Side-wall burners usually give uniform heat distribution, but the capacity of each burner is limited (0.1—1 MW) and hence 40 to 200 burners are required in a single furnace. With modem floor burners, also called hearth burners, uniform heat flux distribution can be obtained for coils as high as 10 m, and these are extensively used in newer designs. The capacity of these burners vary considerably (1—10 MW), and hence only a few burners are required. The selection of burners depends on the type of fuel (gas and/or liquid), source of combustion air (ambient, preheated, or gas turbine exhaust), and required NO levels. 

Instead of gas turbine exhaust, air preheat has been used in some plants to reduce fuel consumption. Flue gas leaving the furnace stack passes through an air preheater, and the preheated air is suppHed to the burners. By using mostly hearth burners, the duct work and the investment cost can be minimised with air preheat and gas turbine exhaust. It is also possible with 100% waH-fired furnaces, and has been proven in commercial operation (34). 

Catalyst contamination from sources such as turbine lubricant and boiler feed water additives is usuaUy much more severe than deactivation by sulfur compounds in the turbine exhaust. Catalyst formulation can be adjusted to improve poison tolerance, but no catalyst is immune to a contaminant that coats its surface and prevents access of CO to the active sites. Between 1986 and 1990 over 25 commercial CO oxidation catalyst systems operated on gas turbine cogeneration systems, meeting both CO conversion (40 to 90%) and pressure drop requirements. 

Straight Condensing Turbine All the steam enters the turbine at one pressure, and all the steam leaves the turbine exhaust at a pressure below atmosphere. 

The Combined (Brayton-Rankine) Cycle The 1990s has seen the rebirth of the combined cycle, the combination of gas turbine technologies with the steam turbine. This has been a major shift for the utility industry, which was heavily steam-tnrbine-oriented with the use of the gas turbine for peaking power. In this combined cycle, the hot gases from the turbine exhaust are used in a heat recoveiy steam generator or in some cases in a snpplementaiy fired boiler to produce superheated steam. 

The tube illustrated in Fig. 11.34 was discovered during a routine inspection of the condenser. The tube had been removed from a position directly in line with the turbine exhaust inlet. 

Figure 11.34 A pattern of erosion spots on the external surface facing the turbine exhaust inlet.

Another applieation for turboexpanders is in power reeovery from various heat sourees utilizing the Rankine eyele. The heat sourees presently being eonsidered for large seale power plants inelude geothermal and oeean-thermal energy, while small systems are direeted at solar heat, waste heat from reaetor proeesses, gas turbine exhaust and many other industrial waste heat sourees. Some of these systems are diseussed below in greater detail. 

The utilization of gas turbine exhaust gases, for steam generation or the heating of other heat transfer mediums, or in the use of eooling or heating... 

Raising the inlet temperature at the waste heat boiler allows a signifieant reduetion in the heat transfer area and, eonsequently, the eost. Typieally, as the gas turbine exhaust has ample oxygen, duet burners ean be eonveniently used. 

The addition of an intercooler to a regenerative gas turbine cycle increases the cycle s thermal efficiency and output work because a larger portion of the heat required for the process c-3 in Figure 2-7 can be obtained from the hot turbine exhaust gas passing through the regenerator instead of from burning additional fuel. 

The steam used in this process is generated by the turbine exhaust gas. Typically, water at 14.7 psia (1 Bar) and 80 °F (26.7 °C) enters the pump and regenerator, where it is brought up to 60 psia (4 Bar) above the compressor discharge and the same temperature as the compressor discharged air. The steam is injected after the compressor but far upstream of the burner to create a proper mixture which helps to reduce the primary zone temperature in the combustor and the NO output. The enthalpy of State 3 hi,) is the mixture enthalpy of air and steam. The following relationship describes the flow at that point ... 

Figure 2-21 show the effect of 5% by weight of steam injection at a turbine inlet temperature of 2400 °F (1316 °C) on the system. With about 5% injection at 2400°F (1316 °C) and a pressure ratio of 17 1, an 8.3% increase in work output is noted with an increase of about 19% in cycle efficiency over that experienced in the simple cycle. The assumption here is that steam is injected at a pressure of about 60 psi (4 Bar) above the air from the compressor discharge and that all the steam is created by heat from the turbine exhaust. Calculations indicate that there is more than enough waste heat to achieve these goals. 

The eombination of the gas turbine with the steam turbine is an attraetive proposai, espeeiaiiy for eieetrie utiiities and proeess industries where steam is being used. In this eyeie, as shown in Figure 2-26, the hot gases from the turbine exhaust are used in a suppiementary fired boiier to produee superheated steam at high temperatures for a steam turbine. 

The efficiency of the steam section in many of these plants varies from 30-40%. To ensure that the steam turbine is operating in an efficient mode, the gas turbine exhaust temperature is maintained over a wide range of operating conditions. This enables the HRSG to maintain a high degree of effectiveness over this wide range of operation. 

Figure 3-19 shows the thermal efficiency of the gas turbine and the Brayton-Rankin cycle (gas turbine exhaust being used in the boiler) based on the LHV of the gas. This figure shows that below 50% of the rated load, the combination cycle is not effective. At full load, it is obvious the benefits one can reap from a combination cycle. Figure 3-20 shows the fuel consumption as a function of the load, and Figure 3-21 shows the amount of steam generated by the recovery boiler. 

The gas turbine eontrol loop eontrols the Inlet Guide Vanes (IGV) and the Gas Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT). The TIT is defined as the temperature at the inlet of the first stage turbine nozzle. Presently, in 99% of the units, the inlet temperature is eontrolled by an algorithm, whieh relates the turbine exhaust temperature, or the turbine temperature after the gasifier turbine, the eompressor pressure ratio, the eompressor exit temperature, and the air mass flow to the turbine inlet temperature. New teehnologies are being developed to measure the TIT direetly by the use of pyrometers and other speeialized probes, whieh eould last in these harsh environments. The TIT is eontrolled by the fuel flow and the IGV, whieh eontrols the total air mass... 

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