Introduction to Gas Turbines

 Gas turbines have been used for electricity generation.

 Gas turbines are ideal for this application as they
can be started and stopped quickly . There are two
basic types of gas turbines –
 Aero derivative and,
 Industrial.
Over the last ten years there have been major improvements to the
sizes and efficiencies of these gas turbines.
Gas turbine power plant
 Gas turbine:
Working principle :

 Air is compressed to high pressure by a

fan-like device called the compressor.
 Then fuel and compressed air are mixed
in a combustion chamber and ignited.
 Hot gases are given off, which spin the
turbine wheels.
 Most of the turbine’s power runs the
compressor. Part of it drives the
generator/machinery.

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Gas turbine power plant…
 Gas turbine:
Description:

 Gas turbines burn fuels such as oil,

nature gas and pulverised(powdered)
coal.
 Instead of using the heat to produce
steam, as in steam turbines, gas turbines
use the hot gases directly to turn the
turbine blades.
 Gas turbines have three main parts:
i) Air compressor
ii) Combustion chamber
iii) Turbine

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The cross section of a typical large gas turbine
Layout gas turbine power plant
Advantages over diesel plants
The work developed /kg of air is larger
Less vibration due to perfect balancing
Less space required
Less capital cost
High mechanical efficiency
Running seeds of turbine is high
 low instillation and maintenance cost
The torque characteristics of turbine is far better
The ignition and lubrication system are simpler
The specific fuel consumption does not increase
with time
Poor quality fuels can be used.
Disadvantages over diesel power plant
Poor art load efficiency
Special materials and alloys are required
for different components
Special cooling methods are required for
cooling the turbine blades
Short life
 Advantages over steam power plants
No ash handling problem
Low capital cost
Can be installed at selected load center as space
required is less
Fewer auxiliaries required/used
Can be built quicker, required less space and water
supply
Can brought to load quickly so can be used as peak load
plant
Components and circuits arranger are most economical
Ratio of exhaust to inlet can be less
Higher efficiencies above 550 0c
Storage and handling of fuel is easy and economical
 Site selection
The plant should be located near the load
center to avoid transmission cost and losses
The site should be away from residential due
to noisy operation
Cheap and good quality fuel should be easily
available
Availability of labour.
Availability of means of transportation
 land should be available at cheaper price
The bearing capacity of the land should be
high
 Classification of gas turbine power plant
By application
In aircraft
1. Jet propulsion
2. Prop-jet
 Stationary
1. Industrial unit
2. Standby unit
3. End of transmission line unit
4. Base load unit
 Classification of gas turbine power plant
Locomotive
 Marine
 Transport
By cycle
 Open cycle
 Closed cycle
 Semi –closed cycle
 Classification of gas turbine power plant
According to arrangement
 Simple
 Single shaft
 Multi shaft
 Re heat
 Intercooler
 Regenerative
 combination
According to combustion
 Continuous combustion
 Intermittent combustion
 Classification of gas turbine power plant
By fuel
Solid fuel
Liquid fuel
Gaseous fuel
 Merits of gas turbine over IC engine
The mechanical efficiency of gas turbine (95%) is
quite higher because of less sliding parts
Flywheel not required as the torque on the shaft is
continuous and uniform
Can be drive at high RPM(40000)
Work developed /kg of air is more due to expansion
of gases up to atmospheric pressure
Components are lighter since pressure used is very
low(5 bar)
Exhaust from gas turbine is less since excess air is
used for combustion
 Demerits of gas turbine over IC engine
Less thermal efficiency
Fuel control is difficult
Difficult to start
Blades need separate cooling system
Gas turbine power plant…
 Gas turbine:
Air compressor:
 The air compressor and turbine are
mounted at either end on a common
horizontal axle(shaft), with the
combustion chamber between them.
 Gas turbines are not self starting. A
starting motor initially drives the
compressor till the first combustion of
fuel takes place, later, part of the
turbine’s power runs the compressor.
 The air compressor sucks in air and
compresses it, thereby increasing its
pressure.

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Gas turbine power plant…
 Gas turbine:
Combustion chamber:
 In the combustion chamber, the
compressed air combines with fuel and
the resulting mixture is burnt.
 The greater the pressure of air, the better
the fuel air mixture burns.
 Modern gas turbines usually use liquid
fuel, but they may also use gaseous fuel,
natural gas or gas produced artificially by
gasification of a solid fuel.
Note :
 The combination of air compressor and
combustion chamber is called as gas
generator.

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 Burners

The compressed air and fuel is mixed and
metered in special equipment called burners. The
burners are attached to chambers called
combustors. The fuel & air mixture is ignited
close to the exit tip of the burners, then allowed to
fully burn in the combustors. The temperature of
the gas in the combustors and entering the turbine
can reach up to 1350°C. Special heat resistant
materials (such as ceramics) are used to line the
inside walls of the combustors. The area between
the combustors and the turbine are also lined.
Gas turbine power plant…
 Gas turbine:
Turbine:
o The burning gases expand rapidly and
rush into the turbine, where they cause
the turbine wheels to rotate.
o Hot gases move through a multistage gas
turbine.
o Like in steam turbine, the gas turbine
also has fixed(stationary) and
moving(rotor) blades.
o The stationary blades guide the moving
gases to the rotor blades and adjust its
velocity.
o The shaft of the turbine is coupled to a
generator or machinery to drive it.

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Gas turbine power plant…
 Applications of gas turbine:
 Gas turbines are used to drive pumps, compressors and high speed cars.
 Used in aircraft and ships for their propulsion. They are not suitable for
automobiles because of their very high speeds.
 Power generation(used for peak load and as stand-by unit).

Note :
 Gas turbines run at even higher temperatures than steam turbines, the
temperature may be as high as 1100 – 12600C.
 The thermal efficiency of gas turbine made of metal components do not
exceed 36%.
 Research is underway to use ceramic components at turbine inlet temperature
of 13500C or more, and reach thermal efficiencies over 40% in a 300 kW
unit.

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Fuel
Gas turbines can operate on a variety of gaseous or liquid fuels,
including:
Liquid or gaseous fossil fuel such as crude oil, heavy fuel oil, natural
gas, methane, distillate and "jet fuel" (a type of kerosene used in
aircraft jet engines);
Gas produced by gasification processes using, for example, coal,
municipal waste and biomass; and
Gas produced as a by-product of an industrial process such as oil
refining.
When natural gas is used, power output and thermal efficiency of the
gas turbines are higher than when using most liquid fuels.
Inlet Air


The air coming into the compressor of a gas
turbine must be cleaned of impurities (such as
dust and smoke) which could erode or stick to the
blades of the compressor or turbine, reducing the
power and efficiency of the gas turbine. Dry filters
or water baths are usually used to carry out this
cleaning.
Noise

 The inlet air (blue) enters the compressor at the left. The
exhaust gas (red) leaves the turbine at the right. The burners
and combustors are located between the compressor and
turbine
 Gas turbines are very compact and occupy small ground
area.. Silencers are usually fitted in the inlet air and exhaust
gas ducts.
Gas Turbine with half case

 The photo shows what such a gas turbine looks like when its
top half casing has been removed for inspection or
maintenance. The air compressor is on the left and the
turbine is on the right. The section that would hold the
burners and combustors is between the compressor and the
turbine. Note the large bolts that are used to hold the two
halves of the casing together.
Gas turbine power plant…
Open Cycle Closed Cycle

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Ways to Improve Performance & Power Output of
Gas Turbine

Intercooling.
Regeneration.
Reheat.

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Ways to Improve Performance & Power Output of
Gas Turbine
Intercooling
 Multistage compression with
intercooling reduces compressor
work.
 Increases both work ratio &
specific work output.
 Decrease thermal efficiency &
hence used along with heat
exchanger.

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Inter cooler
Ways to Improve Performance & Power Output of
Gas Turbine
Regeneration
 Heat Energy from Exhaust is
transferred to the compressed air
before it enters the combustion
chamber.
 Saving of fuel .
 Reduction of waste heat.
 Increase thermal efficiency.

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Ways to Improve Performance & Power Output of
Gas Turbine
Reheat
 Increases the work output of the
GT plant.
 No Effect on thermal efficiency
because the extra work is obtained
at the expense of additional fuel.

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 High pressure turbine (HPT):
 In the beginning the starting motor
runs the compressor shaft.
 The hot gases(products of
combustion) expands through the
high pressure turbine.
 It is important to note that when the
HPT shaft rotates it infact drives
the compressor shaft which is
coupled to it. Now the HPT runs
the compressor and the starting
motor is stopped.
Note :  Only 34% of the power developed by
the plant is used to generate electric
 About 66% of the power developed
power.
by the gas turbine power plant is
used to run the compressor.

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Layout of a gas turbine power plant

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Merits of closed cycle
Higher thermal efficiency
Reduced size
No contamination
Improved heat transmission
Improved part load efficiency
Lesser fluid friction
No loss of working medium
Greater output
Inexpensive fuel
Demerits of closed cycle
Complexity
Large amount of cooling water is required. this
limits its use to stationary installation or
marine use where water is available in
abundance
Dependent system
The weight of the system per KW developed
is high comparatively, therefore not
economical for moving vehicles
Requires the use of very large air heaters
Combined Cycle Power Plant

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Gas turbine power plant…

 Advantages of gas turbine power plant :

 Storage of fuel requires less area and handling is easy.

 The cost of maintenance is less.

 It is simple in construction. There is no need for boiler, condenser and other

accessories as in the case of steam power plants.

 Cheaper fuel such as kerosene , paraffin, benzene and powdered coal can
be used which are cheaper than petrol and diesel.

 Gas turbine plants can be used in water scarcity areas.

 Less pollution and less water is required.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 39

 Gas turbine power plant…
Disadvantages of gas turbine power plant :

 66% of the power developed is used to drive the compressor. Therefore

the gas turbine unit has a low thermal efficiency.

 The running speed of gas turbine is in the range of (40,000 to 100,000

rpm) and the operating temperature is as high as 1100 – 1260C.

 For this reason special metals and alloys have to be used for the
various parts of the turbine.

 High frequency noise from the compressor is objectionable.

Combined cycle
Compressors
Combustion chambers
Lubrication systems
Oil tank,
Oil pump
Filter and strainer,
Relief valve,
Oil cooler,
Oil and pipe line,
Magnetic drain plug,
By-pass, valve, and
Warning devices.
Control of Gas Turbine
Protective controls
Turbine over temperature,
Turbine over speed,
Low lube oil pressure,
High lube oil temperature, and
Excess vibration.