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A study on 65 % potential efficiency of the gas turbine combined cycle

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Abstract

This study investigates the possibility of achieving 65 % efficiency in a gas turbine combined cycle. Several options to realize it were compared. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the latest H-class gas turbine in a simple cycle to quickly and easily predict the performance variation due to changes in each design parameter. When each design parameter was improved by the same percentage, the combined cycle efficiency was maximized by the improvement in turbine efficiency. The degree of increase in the combined cycle power was the largest when improving the turbine inlet temperature (TIT). To realize the turbine industry’s goal of 65 % efficiency in the combined cycle, the efficiency of the compressor and the turbine should be improved by 2 %, the TIT should be increased by 100 °C, and the pressure ratio should be increased from 23 to 32 in comparison to current H-class gas turbines. The possibility of improving the cycle performance was also investigated through modifications of the gas turbine cycle, such as reheating, inter-cooling, and recuperation. When reheating and recuperation were adopted simultaneously, a cycle efficiency of 65 % was possible with an increase of 1 % in both the compressor and turbine efficiencies, which is a moderate and practical improvement.

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Abbreviations

C :

Cooling constant

CC :

Combined cycle

ER :

Expansion ratio

GT :

Gas turbine

h :

Enthalpy

HP :

High pressure

HS :

Hot side

IC :

Inter-cooling

IP :

Intermediate pressure

LHV :

Low heating value

LP :

Low pressure

ṁ :

Mass flow rate

PA :

Performance analysis using program

RC :

Recuperation

RH :

Gas turbine reheating

SA :

Sensitivity analysis

T :

Temperature

TET :

Turbine exit temperature

TIT :

Turbine inlet temperature

TRIT :

Turbine rotor inlet temperature

Ẇ :

Power

X :

Design parameter value

ϕ :

Cooling effectiveness

η :

Efficiency

b :

Turbine blade

c :

Coolant

comp :

Compressor

d :

Design point

g :

Main gas stream

GT :

Gas turbine

in :

Inlet

net :

Net performance of the combined cycle

NZ :

Nozzle

out :

Outlet

RT :

Rotor

s :

Isentropic

st :

Stage

ST :

Steam turbine

turb :

Turbine

W :

System power

η :

System efficiency

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (Title: Development of performance diagnostics model for gas turbine monitoring system).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Inha University, Incheon, Korea

    Hyun Min Kwon & Seong Won Moon

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

    Tong Seop Kim

  3. Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Daejeon, Korea

    Do Won Kang, Jeong Lak Sohn & Jungho Lee

Authors
  1. Hyun Min Kwon
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  2. Seong Won Moon
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  3. Tong Seop Kim
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  4. Do Won Kang
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  5. Jeong Lak Sohn
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  6. Jungho Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tong Seop Kim.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Joon Ahn

H. M. Kwon received his M.S. degree from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Hoseo University in 2014 and is currently a Ph.D. student in Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University. His major research topic is performance analysis and cycle innovation of the gas turbine combined cycle power plant.

S. W. Moon received his B.S. degree from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University in 2016 and is currently a Ph.D. student in Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University. His major research topic is performance analysis and advanced control of the gas turbine combined cycle power plant.

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 research interest is design and analysis of advanced energy systems including gas/steam turbine based power plants.

D. W. Kang received Ph.D. from Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University in 2015. He has been with Dept. of Extreme Energy System, in Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials since 2015. His research interest is design and analysis of gas turbine based power generation system.

J. L. Sohn received his Ph.D. degree from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1986. His interest area is gas turbine development including design, manufacturing and testing.

Jungho Lee received his M.S. (1994) and Ph.D. (1999) in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH, Pohang, Korea. In 2006, he joined the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, Korea, where he works as a Principal Researcher of the Department of Energy Conversion Systems. Dr. Lee is a member of KSME, ASME, ASM, SPE and ISIJ and wrote more than 50 peer-reviewed journal papers.

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Kwon, H.M., Moon, S.W., Kim, T.S. et al. A study on 65 % potential efficiency of the gas turbine combined cycle. J Mech Sci Technol 33, 4535–4543 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-0850-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-0850-8

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