GAS-TURBINE FUELS

Propane and ethane:

Abundance drives options
with questions
T
he US is blessed with an abun-
dance of natural gas, thanks
lately to surging shale-gas
extraction from the Marcellus
and Utica formations. The US is now
a net exporter of energy. So what do
we do with this surplus?
New projects might point to one
option, while perhaps raising new
questions. The US Virgin Islands is
converting to LPG (liquefied petroleum
gas or propane). A new plant in the
US will fire both ethane and natural
gas. Santa Catalina Island is support-
ing its microgrid with propane-fueled
microturbines.
“Green Duba,” Saudi Arabia’s first
integrated solar/combined cycle (ISCC)
plant, now under construction in the
Arabian Gulf region, will take full
advantage of the country’s domestic
wet gas resources and burn condensate
in F-class gas turbines (Fig 1).
Jeffrey Goldmeer, manager of gas- 1. F-class GE
turbine combustion and fuel solutions at turbines can be
GE Power, and the person responsible equipped to burn
for the OEM’s strategic development of non-methane com-
gas-turbine products for emerging fuel ponents from gas
applications worldwide, co-authored fields (above)
and presented “Enabling ethane as a 2. Virgin Islands
primary gas- turbine fuel: An economic infrastructure
benefit from the growth of shale gas” at improvements
PowerGen International in 2015. include greater
He and his co-authors set the stage. transmission capac-
“The rapid increase in US propane and ity (left)
ethane production, coupled with the
development of new infrastructure and At last year’s Caribbean Energy fuel oil. So to reduce emissions and
export terminals, is pointing to power Security Summit in Washington, lower rates to its customers, WAPA
generation from propane and ethane DC, Vice President Joe Biden com- and GE are converting several gas
both domestically and internationally.” plimented the Virgin Islands Water turbines to multiple-firing capability:
and Power Authority (WAPA), stating propane, LNG, and oil.
US Virgin Islands “They’re combining renewable energy Propane will be the major fuel
with propane to lower costs and secure source, and a complete infrastructure
Traditionally used as a fuel for cooking, their supply, saving ratepayers 30% is being prepared to support the inde-
heating, and transportation, propane is on utility bills.” pendent power grids on St. Thomas
now seen as a practical energy resource Local conditions encourage the and St. Croix. Propane comes from the
for power, especially in locations with renewables. Solar will soon expand to Vitol Group under a long-term agree-
high fuel costs (or a strong desire to about 18 MW and biomass will grow ment that includes much of the new
reduce current emissions). to 7 MW. But traditionally the bulk of infrastructure.
Such is the case with the US Virgin VI’s power has been supplied by gas WAPA’s Executive Director Hugo V
Islands (Fig 2). turbines firing No. 2 diesel and No. 6 Hodge Jr says, “This major undertak-
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 50, Third Quarter 2016 105
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ing of the LPG conversion project with
far-reaching effects on the economy of
the Virgin Islands and WAPA’s cus-
tomers, and has become a source of
much attention by energy companies
and utilities not only in the Caribbean
but across the world.”
Commissioning of the plants started
earlier in 2016 and is expected to con-
tinue through the fourth quarter.

Ethane for power

Also by tradition, ethane is a feed-
stock for the petrochemical industry.
But supply is outpacing demand, and
development of new petrochemical
cracking capabilities takes time. This
opens a door to both domestic power
generation and fuel export.
Ethane for power generation in the
US will be validated by a new power-
plant located near the fuel source in
the Marcellus and Utica shale plays. 3. On-site fuel blending facility was developed by GE
This first-of-a-kind combined cycle will
be fueled by both ethane and natural higher hydrocarbons. If there’s a pro- locally within the source.
gas in conventional GE turbines. Being cess plant that is stripping off an abun- As the GE authors state, “If ethane
located near the shale formations dance of higher hydrocarbons near an continues to be processed at or near
provides access to low-cost gas from existing or a planned powerplant, per- the cost of natural gas, then there is
numerous suppliers. The plant will haps there is a gas-turbine fuel option the potential for the landed costs of
supply the PJM grid and help offset at a reasonable cost.” Owner/operators exported ethane from the US to be
closures of regional coal plants. and developers should review their local less expensive than LNG in some parts
Fuel flexibility (Fig 3) is often a local options first, he suggests. The exact of the world. In this scenario, ethane
decision, says Goldmeer. “In this case percentage of the compounds available could be an ideal export candidate for
it’s the abundance of shale gas with from processing and fractionation lies power generation.”
106 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 50, Third Quarter 2016
 where combustion technology comes in.”
GE is supplying a 7F.05 gas turbine
to operate on condensate, and a 7F.03
to operate on natural gas. Both also
can burn Arabian Super Light (ASL)
crude. The CSP solar field is expected
to add 50 MW, bringing Green Duba
to 600 MW. Says SEC CEO Eng Ziyad
M Alphiha, “We expect the plant to
provide cost efficiencies over its life-
cycle, along with the fuel flexibility
and solar capabilities needed to sup-
port the Kingdom’s fuel conservation
and renewable technology initiatives.”
Similar GE 7F.05 units are operat-
ing at Power Plant 12 in Riyadh, also
able to fire ASL (Fig 4).

Fuel evaluation
In the design of new combustion equip-
ment, or selection of a new fuel source,
4. Saudi Electric’s Power Plant 12 in Riyadh is equipped with 7FA.05 gas tur- it is essential to have a thorough
bines capable of burning Arabian Super Light crude oil knowledge of the fuel and compare
this to operating data accumulated
Saudi Green Duba with a combined-cycle plant. But most over time. Step One is knowing the fuel
of the power will come from the com- source, the type of fuel, potential fuel
Along the northeastern edge of the Red bined cycle. pre-treatments, and transport logistics.
Sea, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) “The gas field has some significant “For ethane and propane,” says
has begun construction of the Green non-methane components, also known Goldmeer, “it is important to under-
Duba ISCC Power Plant, marking the as condensate,” explains Goldmeer. stand if it would be pure or another
first use of condensate as a gas- turbine “You can turn these into feedstocks, commercial grade.” HD-5 propane, for
fuel in the Kingdom. Duba 1 is also but in this case there is no convenient example, can be 90% propane with up
the first integration of a concentrated home for them. So they decided to burn to 5% propene (also known as propyl-
solar thermal power station (CSP) them in an F-class turbine. And that’s ene) and 5% other hydrocarbons.
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 50, Third Quarter 2016 107
 Premiere 5. Marcellus shale ethane is now exported from Marcus Hook
Turbine
Therefore, a detailed listing of each bines, and has accumulated more than
Generator constituent gas (percent by volume) is 1.5 million operating hours.”
Mechanic needed to determine the fuel’s heating
value, interchangeability (Modified
Emissions can also be affected,
especially with a high level of ethane
Training Wobbe Index), and contaminant risk.
Testing can then proceed.
and increased flame temperature.

Program Regardless of the fuel, the configu- Infrastructure and

ration of a combustor for a heavy-duty
in the gas turbine must provide stable oper- horizons
Southeast! ability characteristics while meeting
plant emissions. Other critical factors
The increased availability of non-
methane fuels is leading to new infra-
are turndown capability, transient structure projects for both propane
100% placement rate response, and fuel flexibility. Oper-
ability factors include blowout, com-
and ethane.
The US became a net exporter
bustion instability, auto-ignition, and of propane in 2011; shipments have
Enrolling now for flashback.
The increased reactivity of ethane,
been increasing to both Europe and
Asia. Propane exports are also active
January 2016 for example, may lead to poor com-
bustion dynamics (resonant pressure
in Canada (for example, AltaGas Ltd’s
LPG to Asian markets via Astomos

Financial assistance oscillations) or flashback, and poten-

tially higher NOx emissions. “These
constraints are not independent and
Energy Corp of Japan).
The first dedicated ethane export
terminal in the US is now operational
available to cannot be optimized separately,”
explains Goldmeer.
at Marcus Hook near Philadelphia,
capitalizing on the Marcellus and
those qualified In a lean, premixed combustion
system (DLN), flashback can occur if
Utica formation activity (Fig 5). A
second ethane export terminal is
the flame moves from the combustion operational in Texas on the Houston
zone to the premixer or fuel nozzle, Ship Channel (Morgan’s Point) and in
potentially affecting metal tempera- 2016 completed its first transatlantic
tures. Any resulting flame holding shipment to Norway.
can have the same impact. Goldmeer What remains on the power-gen-
explains, “GE determines the risk of eration side is project economics and
flashback by examining the behavior justification, based on various models
during a forced ignition event. This including annual fuel cost and the lev-

Fort Myers
information is used during the project elized cost of electricity.
and equipment development cycle to In North America, with the shale-
reduce risk.” gas contribution surging, local end

technical college Small changes in fuel/air concentra-

tions also can impact the flame’s heat-
release rate, and this potential can be
users are considering the possibilities,
and asking the necessary questions.
It’s GE and other OEMs that will pro-

3800 Michigan Ave. higher in DLN systems. To mitigate

these risks, says Goldmeer, various
strategies are available to decouple the
vide the answers.
As Goldmeer puts it, “We love
educated customers. We love custom-
Fort Myers, FL 33916 feedback loop between flame and fuel
flow rate, which are then evaluated.
ers who are thinking ahead, who are
challenging us to be better or to have

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GE’s OpFlex™ AutoTune, for exam- better solutions, to help them create
ple, is designed to accommodate such more value for their company and their
changes. Goldmeer explains, “This shareholders.
includes an adaptive real-time engine “Ultimately,” he continues, “every
www.FortMyersTech.edu simulation that has been in operation
for more than nine years, has been
installed on more than 300 gas tur-
one of us buys electricity, so by inter-
acting and asking questions we all help
ourselves.” ccj
108 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 50, Third Quarter 2016