Evaluation of a Water-Cooled Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Plant

Abstract

General Electric initiated the development of a water-cooled gas turbine in the early 1960’s. The first laboratory model of a water-cooled rotor, 9.7 in. (24.7 cm) was successfully tested in 1973 at sustained firing temperatures of 2850 F (1556 C) and 16 atm pressure while maintaining bucket surface temperatures of 1000 F (583 C) or less. Maximum firing temperatures of 3500 F (1927 C) were also attained during this period. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) funded initial preliminary design work which utilized the water-cooled turbine concept in a combined cycle starting in 1974. Development work to define and resolve potential barrier problems was also funded by EPRI in the original and subsequent follow-on contracts. The United States Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) awarded a contract to the General Electric Company in May 1976 to conduct a preliminary design study which incorporates the water-cooled gas turbine concept in a combined cycle plant. The design is based on a gas turbine firing temperature (gas temperature entering the first-stage buckets) of 2600 F (1427 C) utilizing a coal-derived low-Btu gas or coal-derived liquid. This paper presents the results of the ERDA Program. Particular emphasis is devoted to the description of the overall plant design and performance. Turbine subsystems of the water-cooled concept and the alternate cooling concepts considered are also presented in this paper. The operating features and characteristics of an advanced fixed-bed gasifier and associated gas cleanup systems are also discussed relative to the impact on the overall system design and performance.