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Development of a program to simulate the dynamic behavior of heavy-duty gas turbines during the entire start-up operation including very early part

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Abstract

This study presents a simulation tool for the dynamic behavior during the start-up of heavy-duty gas turbines. The simulation was implemented in MATLAB and can accurately predict the full start-up procedure from zero speed to idling. Each component of the system was modeled as a single control volume or multiple control volumes to which mass and energy balances were applied. The governing equations are solved numerically by the multi-variable Newton Raphson method. The compressor and turbine are divided into several groups for the bleeding and turbine cooling model. The program can simulate the early part of the start-up process from zero rpm to ignition by using the starter module in the cranking process, which can be hard to simulate using commercial software. A heat transfer model was applied to each control volume of the major components to consider the heat soakage effect accurately. The full start-up process of an industrial gas turbine was simulated, and the results were compared with actual operating data for validation. The program is expected to be used for various purposes, especially for estimating an adequate starter capacity and scheduling an optimal start-up procedure of heavy-duty gas turbines.

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Abbreviations

a,b,c,d :

Coefficients

a’, b’, c’:

Positions

A :

Area [m2]

A cs :

Component cross-sectional area [m2]

A sf :

Area exposed to flow [m2]

c :

Specific heat [kJ/kg K]

\(\bar{c}_p\) :

Molar specific heat at constant pressure [kJ/kmol K]

D :

Diameter [m]

e :

Error

FSNL :

Full speed no load

f :

Fraction of rotor coolant chargeable to power [-]

G :

Torque [Nm]

Gen :

Generator

H :

Heat transfer coefficient [W/m2 K]

HPC :

High pressure compressor

h :

Enthalpy [kJ/kg]

\(\bar{h}\) :

Molar specific enthalpy [kJ/kmol]

I :

Polar moment of inertia [kgm2]

IGV :

Inlet guide vane

IPC :

Intermediate pressure compressor

i :

Compressor group index

j :

Turbine stage index

K :

Gain

k :

Thermal conductivity [W/m K]

MW :

Molecular weight [kg/kmol]

ṁ :

Mass flow rate [kg/s]

m :

Mass [kg]

N :

Revolution per minute [1/min]

n :

Number of compressor group or turbine stage

Nu :

Nusselt number [-]

L :

Length [m]

LHV :

Low heating value [kJ/kg]

LPC :

Low pressure compressor

OP :

Data of positions

P :

Pressure [kPa]

PR :

Pressure ratio [-]

Pr :

Prandtl number [-]

\(\dot{Q}\) :

Heat [MW]

R :

Gas constant [J/kg K]

\(\bar{R}\) :

Molar Gas constant [J/kmol K]

Re :

Reynolds number [-]

S :

Specific entropy [kJ/kg K]

\(\bar{S}\) :

Molar specific entropy [kJ/kmol K]

sf :

Scaling factor

T :

Temperature [K]

t :

Time [s]

WA :

Semi-dimensionless mass flow rate [ms K0.5]

Ẇ :

Power output [MW]

X :

Variable

x :

Mole fraction [-]

α, β, γ :

Exponents

b, c :

Constants

n, m :

Exponents

0 :

Reference point for property calculation

C :

Coolant

Comb :

Combustor

Comp :

Compressor

cond :

Conduction heat transfer

conv :

Convection heat transfer

D :

Derivative

d :

Design

H :

Hydraulic

I :

Integral

IGV :

Inlet guide vane

in :

Inlet

k :

Gas component

N :

Nozzle blade

o :

Original map

out :

Outlet

P :

Proportional

R :

Rotor blade

s :

Isentropic

sc :

Scaled map

Turb :

Turbine

η :

Efficiency [%]

μ :

Fluid viscosity [Ns/m2]

ν :

Velocity [m/s]

ρ :

Density [kg/m3]

ω :

Angular velocity [rad/s]

Ω:

Combustor loading [-]

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (No. 2013101010170A).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Inha University, Incheon, 22212, Korea

    Jeong Ho Kim

  2. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, 22212, Korea

    Tong Seop Kim

Authors
  1. Jeong Ho Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tong Seop Kim.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Minsung Kim

J. H. Kim received his Ph.D. degree from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University in 2018 and is currently a research member of Aerospace R&D Center in Hanwha Aerospace. His major research topic is simulation of gas turbine operation.

T. S. Kim received his Ph.D. degree from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University in 1995. He has been with Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University since 2000. His major research interest is design and analysis of gas/steam turbine systems and advanced energy systems.

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Kim, J.H., Kim, T.S. Development of a program to simulate the dynamic behavior of heavy-duty gas turbines during the entire start-up operation including very early part. J Mech Sci Technol 33, 4495–4510 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-0845-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-0845-5

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