Advanced Turbine Systems Program Research Articles

Analysis of the Advanced Turbine System Program on Innovation in Natural Gas Technology

This study evaluates the impact of a U.S. government-sponsored research program on advanced natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) innovations in the 1990s. From 1992–2000, the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) partnered with turbine manufacturers General Electric (GE) and Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC) in a cost-sharing partnership called the Advanced Turbine System program to promote efficiency innovations for NGCC technology. Using data from the European Patent Office’s worldwide patent database (PATSTAT), this study evaluates advanced turbine technology innovations by the program participants and their competitors. Using a negative binomial model, this approach shows GE increased the relative quantity of their patents towards the end of the program and afterwards, indicating the program led to more advanced NGCC innovations for GE. SWPC, on the other hand, had higher patent citations for patents filed during the DOE program relative to competitors, indicating SWPC had higher-quality advanced NGCC innovations due to new partnerships from the U.S. DOE program. However, this analysis reveals there was not a lack of this activity taking place before the program started, and that the overall impact of the program appears small based on the patent analysis.

Étude on Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Power Plant—Next 20 Years

In 1992, United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) program established a target of 60% efficiency for utility scale gas turbine (GT) power plants to be achieved by the year 2000. Although the program led to numerous technology breakthroughs, it took another decade for an actual combined cycle (CC) power plant with an H class GT to reach (and surpass) the target efficiency. Today, another target benchmark, 65% efficiency, circulates frequently in trade publications and engineering journals with scant support from existing technology, its development path as well as material limits, and almost no regard to theoretical (e.g., underlying physics) and practical (e.g., cost, complexity, reliability, and constructability) concerns. This paper attempts to put such claims to test and establish the room left for gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) growth in the next two decades. The analysis and conclusions are firmly based on fundamental thermodynamic principles with carefully and precisely laid out assumptions and supported by rigorous calculations. The goal is to arm the practicing engineer with a consistent, coherent, and self-standing reference to critically evaluate claims, predictions, and other futuristic information pertaining to GTCC technology.

Siemens Westinghouse Advanced Turbine Systems Program Final Summary

This paper summarizes achievements in the Siemens Westinghouse Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program. The ATS Program, co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, was a very successful multiyear (from 1992 to 2001) collaborative effort between government, industry, and participating universities. The program goals were to develop technologies necessary for achieving significant gains in natural gas-fired power generation plant efficiency, a reduction in emissions, and a decrease in cost of electricity, while maintaining current state-of-the-art electricity generation systems’ reliability, availability, and maintainability levels. Siemens Westinghouse technology development concentrated on the following areas: aerodynamic design, combustion, heat transfer/cooling design, engine mechanical design, advanced alloys, advanced coating systems, and single crystal (SC) alloy casting development. Success was achieved in designing and full scale verification testing of a high-pressure high-efficiency compressor, airfoil clocking concept verification on a two-stage turbine rig test, high-temperature bond coat/TBC system development, and demonstrating feasibility of large SC turbine airfoil castings. The ATS program included successful completion of W501G engine development testing. This engine is the first step in the W501ATS engine introduction and incorporates many ATS technologies, such as closed-loop steam cooling, advanced compressor design, advanced sealing, and high-temperature materials and coatings.

A High-Efficiency Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid Power System Using the Mercury 50 Advanced Turbine Systems Gas Turbine

The conceptual design of a 20 MWe-class hybrid power generating system that integrates a Siemens Westinghouse pressurized solid oxide fuel cell generator with a Mercury 50 gas turbine is discussed. The Mercury 50 was designed and developed by Caterpillar/Solar Turbines during the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) program, and the hybrid system design concept was evaluated during a recently completed project that was part of the DOE high efficiency fossil power plant (HEFPP) program. While achieving a high power system efficiency by the hybrid cycle approach was important, the focus of the design study was to select the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) generator capacity such that the low specific cost of the ATS gas turbine and the high efficiency of the more expensive pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (PSOFC) generator would combine optimally to produce an attractively low cost of electricity (COE) for the overall power system. The system cycle and physical characteristics are described; power, efficiency, and emissions estimates are presented; and estimates of system cost and COE are provided. In addition, two bottoming cycle options (steam turbine and ammonia turbine) are described, and performance and cost projections for each are reviewed.

Hot corrosion of nickel-base alloys in biomass derived fuel simulated atmosphere

Biomass fuels are considered to be a promising renewable source of energy. However, impurities present in the fuel may cause corrosion problems with the materials used in the hot sections of gas turbines and only limited data are available so far. As part of the Advanced Turbine Systems Program initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy, the present study provides initial data on the hot corrosion resistance of different nickel-base alloys against sodium sulfate-induced corrosion as a baseline, and against salt compositions simulating biomass-derived fuel deposits. Single crystal nickel-superalloy Rene N5, a cast NiCrAlY alloy, a NiCoCrAlY alloy representing industrially used overlay compositions, and a model {beta}NiAl+Hf alloy were tested in 1h thermal cycles at 950 C with different salt coatings deposited onto the surfaces. Whereas the NiCoCrAlY alloy exhibited reasonable resistance against pure sodium sulfate deposits, the NiCrAiY alloy and Rene N5 were attacked severely. Although considered to be an ideal alumina former in air and oxygen at higher temperatures, {beta}NiAl+Hf also suffered from rapid corrosion attack at 950 C when coated with sodium sulfate. The higher level of potassium present in biomass fuels compared with conventional fuels was addressed by testing a NiCoCrAlY alloy coated with salts of different K/Na atomic ratios. Starting at zero Na, the corrosion rate increased considerably when sodium was added to potassium sulfate. In an intermediate region the corrosion rate was initially insensitive to the K/Na ratio but accelerated when very Na-rich compositions were deposited. The key driver for corrosion of the NiCoCrAlY alloy was sodium sulfate rather than potassium sulfate, and no simple additive or synergistic effect of combining sodium and potassium was found.

Status of Catalytic Combustion R&D for the Department of Energy Advanced Turbine Systems Program

This paper discusses some of the advanced concepts and research and development associated with implementing catalytic combustion to achieve ultra-low-NOx emissions in the next generation of land-based gas turbine engines. In particular, the paper presents current development status and design challenges being addressed by Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. for large industrial engines (>200 MW) and by Solar Turbines for smaller engines (<20 MW) as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) program. Operational issues in implementing catalytic combustion and the current needs for research in catalyst durability and operability are also discussed. This paper indicates how recent advances in reactor design and catalytic coatings have made catalytic combustion a viable technology for advanced turbine engines and how further research and development may improve catalytic combustion systems to better meet the durability and operability challenges presented by the high-efficiency, ultra-low emissions ATS program goals. [S0742-4795(00)01502-7]

Thermal barrier coatings issues in advanced land-based gas turbines

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) program is aimed at fostering the devel-opment of a new generation of land-based gas turbine systems with overall efficiencies significantly be-yond those of current state-of-the-art machines, as well as greatly increased times between inspection and refurbishment, improved environmental impact, and decreased cost. The proposed duty cycle of ATS ma-chines will emphasize different criteria in the selection of materials for the critical components. In par-ticular, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) will be an essential feature of the hot gas path components in these machines. The goals of the ATS will require significant improvements in TBC technology, since these turbines will be totally reliant on TBCs, which will be required to function on critical components such as the first-stage vanes and blades for times considerably longer than those experienced in current applications. Important issues include the mechanical and chemical stability of the ceramic layer and the metallic bond coat, the thermal expansion characteristics and compliance of the ceramic layer, and the thermal conductivity across the thickness of the ceramic layer.

A Combined Cycle Designed to Achieve Greater Than 60 Percent Efficiency

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Morgantown Energy Technology Center, Westinghouse is working on Phase 2 of an 8-year Advanced Turbine Systems Program to develop the technologies required to provide a significant increase in natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation plant efficiency. In this paper, the technologies required to yield an energy conversion efficiency greater than the Advanced Turbine Systems Program target value of 60 percent are discussed. The goal of 60 percent efficiency is achievable through an improvement in operating process parameters for both the combustion turbine and steam turbine, raising the rotor inlet temperature to 2600°F (1427°C ), incorporation of advanced cooling techniques in the combustion turbine expander, and utilization of other cycle enhancements obtainable through greater integration between the combustion turbine and steam turbine.

Development Requirements for an Advanced Gas Turbine System

In cooperation with U.S. Department of Energy’s Morgantown Energy Technology Center, a Westinghouse-led team is working on the second part of an 8-year, Advanced Turbine Systems Program to develop the technology required to provide a significant increase in natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation plant efficiency. This paper reports on the Westinghouse program to develop an innovative natural gas-fired advanced turbine cycle, which, in combination with increased firing temperature, use of advanced materials, increased component efficiencies, and reduced cooling air usage, has the potential of achieving a lower heating value plant efficiency in excess of 60 percent.

95/00659 A combined cycle designed to achieve greater than 60 percent efficiency

In cooperation with the US Department of Energy`s Morgantown Energy Technology Center, Westinghouse is working on Phase 2 of an 8-year Advanced Turbine Systems Program to develop the technologies required to provide a significant increase in natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation plant efficiency. In this paper, the technologies required to yield an energy conversion efficiency greater than the Advanced Turbine Systems Program target value of 60% are discussed. The goal of 60% efficiency is achievable through an improvement in operating process parameters for both the combustion turbine and steam turbine, raising the rotor inlet temperature to 2,600 F (1,427 C), incorporation of advanced cooling techniques in the combustion turbine expander, and utilization of other cycle enhancements obtainable through greater integration between the combustion turbine and steam turbine.