Gas turbine modification: A review

Abstract

Energy is a vital part of life today and it is utilized by humans to carry out work. Energy is required in different forms e.g. chemical, mechanical, electrical etc. Electricity is a secondary energy resource due to its dependence on other primary energy resources like coal, natural gas, wind, solar, hydro etc. and it is one of the most important energy source needed today because man relies on it for a lot of processes and activities. Electricity generated by renewable means have zero effect on the environment while electricity generated by non-renewable means generate pollution to the atmosphere and deplete energy resources. 51% of the electricity generated in the world today is derived from fossil fuel which is a nonrenewable energy resource. Natural gas power plants account for 23.1% of electricity generation in the world while gas turbines makes up a large percentage for natural gas plants in power generation. Gas turbines can be modified to increase their generation capacities with the aim of reducing pollution associated with combustion of fossil fuel. Nigeria relies mainly on gas turbine to supply electricity to the grid. 81% of power plants in Nigeria are thermal power plants while 17.59% are hydro-power plants. Gas turbine power plants make up 89% of the thermal plants in Nigeria today and they mostly operate using simple cycle. This data shows that there is a lot of potential to increase gas turbine efficiency in the Nigerian electricity space while reducing pollution and reducing fuel consumption.