Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Techno-economic performance evaluation of a direct biomass-fired combined cycle plant employing air turbine

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Techno-economic performance analysis of a biomass-fired combined cycle plant, employing a topping air turbine (AT) cycle and a bottoming steam turbine cycle, is reported in this paper. The net power output is 500 kWe, the AT producing 350 kWe and the ST producing the rest. Biomass (saw dust) is directly fired in a biomass combustor-heat exchanger (BCHX) duplex unit which supplies heat to the topping cycle. Influences of major plant parameters on the thermo-economic performance of the plant are analysed. Overall efficiency is found to maximise at topping cycle pressure ratio of 4. Higher TIT results in better energetic performance, while higher hot end temperature difference of the BCHX unit lowers the plant efficiency. Thermo-economic analysis reveals that the lowest unit cost of electricity (UCOE) of about 0.12 $/kWh could be achieved for the plant, while still giving an overall efficiency of about 48 %. Based on minimum UCOE, the payback period is estimated to be about 6 years with 50 % capital subsidy and about 13 years with no capital subsidy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

\(\dot{m}\) :

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

\(\dot{n}\) :

Mole flow rate (kmol/s)

p :

Pressure (bar)

T :

Temperature (K/°C)

r p :

Pressure ratio (−)

m :

Fraction of capital cost (%)

P :

Total power output (kW)

W :

Work (kW)

CUF:

Capital utilisation factor (%)

UCOE:

Unit cost of electricity ($/kWh)

SBC:

Specific biomass consumption (kg/kWh)

η :

Efficiency-energy conversion (%)

ξ :

Specific CO2 emission (kg/kWh)

BFCC:

Biomass-fired combined cycle

BCHX:

Biomass combustor-heat exchanger duplex unit

EFGT:

Externally fired gas turbine

AT:

Air turbine

ST:

Steam turbine

GT:

Gas turbine

CC:

Combustor

TIT:

Turbine inlet temperature

DN:

Distribution network

CW:

Civil works

F:

Fuel

HETD:

Hot end temperature difference

OM:

Operation and Maintenance

LMTD:

Log mean temperature difference

WB:

Wet bulb

References

  • Al-attab KA, Zainal ZA (2010) Turbine startup methods for externally fired micro air turbine (EFMAT) system using biomass fuels. Appl Energy 87:1336–1341

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Athari H, Soltani S, Mahamoudi SMS, Rosen MA, Morosuk T (2014) Exergoeconomic analysis of a biomass post-firing combined-cycle power plant. Energy 77:553–561

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bejan A, Tsatsaronis G, Moran M (1996) Energy design and optimization. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown D, Gassner M, Fuchino T, Maréchal F (2009) Thermo-economic analysis for the optimal conceptual design of biomass gasification energy conversion systems. Appl Ther Eng 29(11–12):2137–2152

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buragohain B, Mahanta P, Moholkar VS (2010) Biomass gasification for decentralized power generation: the Indian perspective. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 14(1):73–92

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Camporeale SM, Pantaleo AM, Ciliberti PD, Fortunato B (2015) Cycle configuration analysis and techno-economic sensitivity of biomass externally fired gas turbine with bottoming ORC. Energy Convers Manage 105:1239–1250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chakma S, Ranjan A, Choudhury HA, Dikshit PK, Moholkar VS (2016) Bioenergy from rice crop residues: role in developing economies. Clean Technol Environ Policy 18:373–394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Datta A, Ganguli R, Sarkar L (2010) Energy and exergy analyses of an externally fired air turbine (EGFT), cycle integrated with biomass gasifier for distributed power generation. Energy 35:341–350

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Franco A, Giannini N (2005) Perspectives for the use of biomass as fuel in combined cycle power plants. Int J Therm Sci 44:163–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jana K, De S (2015) Polygeneration performance assessments: multi-dimensional viewpoint. Clean Technol Environ Policy 17:1547–1561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kautz M, Hansen U (2007) The externally-fired gas-turbine (EFAT-Cycle) for decentralized use of biomass. Appl Energy 84:795–805

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keche AJ, Gaddale APR, Tated RG (2015) Simulation of biomass gasification in downdraft gasifier for different biomass fuels using ASPEN PLUS. Clean Technol Environ Policy 17:465–473

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mondal P, Ghosh S (2013) Comparative performance of two biomass based combined cycle plant, one with fired heat exchanger and other with integrated gasification. In: Proceedings of the 22th national and 11th international ISHMT-ASME heat and mass trans conf, Dec 28–31, IIT Kharagpur, India. Paper ID HMTC1300509

  • Mondal P, Ghosh S (2015) Thermodynamic performance assessment of a bio-gasification based small-scale combined cogeneration plant employing indirectly heated air turbine. Int J Renew Energy Res 5(2):354–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Mondal P, Ghosh S (2016) Bio-gasification based externally fired combined cogeneration plant: thermo-economic and exergo-economic Analyses. Int J Exergy (in press)

  • Nouni MR, Mullick SC, Kandpal TC (2007) Biomass gasifier projects for decentralized power supply in India: a financial evaluation. Energy Policy 35(2):1373–1385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pantaleo AM, Camporeale SM, Shah N (2013) Thermo-economic assessment of externally fired micro-gas turbine fired by natural gas and biomass: applications in Italy. Energy Convers Manage 75:202–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues M, Faaij APC, Walter a (2003) Techno-economic analysis of co-fired biomass integrated gasification/combined cycle systems with inclusion of economies of scale. Energy 28(12):1229–1258

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soltani S, Mahamoudi SMS, Yari M, Morosuk T, Rosen MA, Zare V (2013) A comparative exergoeconomic analysis of two biomass and co-firing combined power plants. Energy Convers Manage 76:83–91

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi AK, Iyer PVR, Kandpalh TC (1997) A financial evaluation of biomass-gasifier-based power generation in India. Bioresour Technol 61:53–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsakomakas NG, Pilavachi PA, Polyzakis AL (2012) An economic comparison assessment of lignite and biomass IGCC power plants. Appl Therm Eng 38(5):26–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vera D, Jurado F, Caprio J (2011a) Study of a downdraft gasifier and externally fired gas turbine for olive industry wastes. Fuel Process Technol 92:1970–1979

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vera D, Jurado F, de Mena B, Schories G (2011b) Comparison between externally fired air turbine and gasifier-air turbine system for the olive oil industry. Energy 36:6720–6730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Website: http://products.asminternational.org/hbk/index.jsp. Website of ASM online products (Accessed on 10 Mar 2016)

Download references

Acknowledgments

The first author acknowledges the support provided by the Thermal Simulation and Computation (TSC) Lab at the Mechanical Engineering Department of IIEST, Shibpur for carrying out the research work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIEST, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India

    Pradip Mondal & Sudip Ghosh

Authors
  1. Pradip Mondal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sudip Ghosh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sudip Ghosh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mondal, P., Ghosh, S. Techno-economic performance evaluation of a direct biomass-fired combined cycle plant employing air turbine. Clean Techn Environ Policy 19, 427–436 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1228-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1228-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation