Micro Gas Turbine Research Articles

Environmental Impacts of a Solar Dish Coupled With a Micro-Gas Turbine for Power Generation

Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems are regarded as a renewable energy source technology that can contribute to decoupling the energy mix from fossil fuel combustion and related environmental impacts. However, current small-scale CSP technologies (e.g., Dish-Stirling) have not entered the market yet due to high costs, complexity, and poor reliability. The EU-funded OMSoP (Optimised Microturbine Solar Power) project aimed at solving the small-scale CSP shortcomings by coupling a solar dish with the consolidated and relatively cheap technology of the micro gas turbine (MGT). In this study, an environmental life cycle assessment analysis of the production and operation of a CSP-MGT system is performed following an eco-design approach, thus identifying the environmental hotspots and how the system can be improved in terms of environmental impacts. The results of the analysis, per unit of electricity produced, were compared to other renewable technologies with the same level of dispatchability to better evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the system under exam. With regard to climate change, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the CSP-MGT system resulted in the same range as those generated by photovoltaic systems. However, the system can substantially be optimized and the GHG emissions per kWh can be reduced up to 73% with respect to the built prototype. The GHG emissions are much lower than the current Italian energy mix (by up to 94%). To reduce the environmental burden of CSP-MGT plants, the system design here considered should be revised by improving the component’s performance and significantly reducing the reflective surface and therefore the structural materials for the dish foundation and frame. The replacement of steel in the dish frame with aluminum increases all the environmental impact parameters and primary energy demand (17%–27% depending on the environmental category considered) but slightly reduces abiotic element depletion (by 9%).

High-Efficiency Combined Heat and Power through a High-Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell and Gas Turbine Hybrid System

High-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells are a promising technology for distributed power generation thanks to their high-power density, high efficiency, low emissions, fast start-up, and excellent dynamic characteristics, together with their high tolerance to CO poisoning (i.e., CO in the feed up to 3%). In this paper, we present an innovative, simple, and efficient hybrid high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cell gas turbine combined heat and power system whose fuel processor relies on partial oxidation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the state-of-the-art fuel processors based on steam reformation may not be the optimal choice for high-temperature proton-exchange membrane fuel cells’ power plants. Through steady-state modeling, we determine the optimal operating conditions and the performance of the proposed innovative power plant. The results show that the proposed hybrid combined heat and power system achieves an electrical efficiency close to 50% and total efficiency of over 85%, while a state-of-the-art system based on steam reformation has an electrical efficiency lower than 45%. The proposed innovative plant consists of a regenerative scheme with a limited power ratio between the turbine and fuel cell and limited optimal compression ratio. Therefore, micro-gas turbines are the most fitting type of turbomachinery for the hybrid system.

Numerical prediction of operating characteristics of micro-gas turbine combustor with on-board reformed EGR system using co-simulation model and 1D reduced model

In this study, an on-board reforming gas turbine system was proposed to expend the combustion stability and operating points of as gas turbine combustor aiming for fuel lean condition. On-board reforming does not store the syngas unlike the existing conventional reforming device, but formed syngas as the operating load changes and participates in combustion. In previous research conducted for this study, a concept single nozzle combustor was designed that satisfies the thermal output of 150 kW and the turbine inlet temperature of 1200 K. In addition, by designing a non-catalytic partial oxidation-based concept reformer, syngas formation was confirmed in various operation points. In previous research, closed-loop analysis was performed to analyze the independent effects of combustor and reformer. However, in this study, open-loop analysis that simulates the combustor and reformer simultaneously was performed to analyze the effect of the combined system at various operating points. As a result, improved combustion was confirmed by the generation of OH radicals when the oxidizing agent was diluted with increasing hydrogen content. This is similar to the lean OH radical distribution in a low-oxidizing environment, which is the basic characteristics of moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution combustion. The reformer analyzed the reaction by changing the reformate fuel inlet velocity. Through this, it was confirmed that the mixedness inside the reformer improved as the reformate fuel inlet velocity. Finally, to calculate the efficiency of the hydrogen addition operating points under various conditions, suitable operating points were derived by comparison with conventional partial oxidation reforming. The operating range of moderate or intense low oxygen dilution combustion in an on-board reforming gas turbine system was numerically predicted. This is expected to greatly contribute to the study to improve the stability of moderate or intensive low oxygen dilution combustion in the future.

A novel design of hybrid high-temperature solar receiver and thermochemical energy storage system

Small-scale concentrated solar powers (CSP) integrated with micro gas turbines can be mentioned as an effective way to power off-grid and rural areas. One of the most important challenges of using such no fuel-assisted systems is the intermittent nature of solar radiation and unavailability at nights. To overcome this issue, in this research new design for a high temperature solar receiver combined with a triple (sensible, latent, and chemical) storage was presented. In the first part, solutions to increase heat transfer to reach higher outlet temperature of the solar receiver to integrate with the thermochemical reactor are presented. For this purpose, three new pipe models including sinusoidal, triangular, and trapezoidal tubes are proposed instead of straight tubes. Based on the results, Corrugated tubes have significantly higher heat transfer as well as more pumping power compared to straight tubes and the sinusoidal model has the best thermal–hydraulic performance. In the second part, numerical modeling of a thermochemical reactor with honeycomb structure, which uses Co3O4/CoO as a redox pair, is performed and the results of the developed model are validated against the experimental results and two important parameters in the reactor design including cell density and channel wall thickness of the honeycomb structure is investigated. In the last section, the designed solar receiver is integrated with a thermochemical heat storage, and the performance evaluation of solar receiver integrated with triple storage are presented. The results delighted that the designed solar receiver hybrid with thermochemical energy storage, with the solar receiver efficiency of 68% and energy storage capacity of 137 MJ is capable to provide the required inlet temperature of turbine (1073 K) about 100 min in off-sun condition. In addition, the new design, by meeting the main constraints provided by the micro-gas turbine, has the ability to store up to three times more energy than the latent heat storage alone.

Thermoeconomic assessment and multiobjective optimization of a CCHP and MED hybrid system based on IR‐SOFC / MGT

A thermoeconomic assessment and multi-objective optimization of a novel CCHP and multi-effect desalination (MED) hybrid system driven by an internal-reforming solid oxide fuel cell (IR-SOFC) and a micro gas turbine (MGT) are presented to comprehensively evaluate the hybrid system performance in this research. Firstly, the sensitivity analysis of system key design parameters such as steam to carbon ratio, compressor pressure ratio, pinch point temperature difference, motive steam pressure of MED and inlet pressure of ORC turbine on energy, exergy, economic, and thermoeconomic performance is investigated. It is indicated from the analysis results that the proposed hybrid system could produce power, cooling, heating and potable water which are 300.0 kW, 7.358 kW, 8.757 kW and 0.1715 kg/s, respectively. The system total cost and total cost per unit exergy are $9.838/h and $14.75/GJ under the design condition. A multi-objective optimization by using NSGA-II method is further implemented to obtain the ideal system design parameters and optimal system exergy efficiency, freshwater production, and total cost per unit exergy by setting four groups of different weights to these three objectives. The three-dimensional and two-dimensional Pareto frontier curves of the optimization results are depicted to reveal the relations between the objectives. It is validated that the system exergy efficiency and the system total cost per unit exergy are conflicted with the freshwater production.

Surge Prevention Techniques for a Turbocharged Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System

Abstract Pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems are one of the most promising technologies to achieve high energy conversion efficiencies and reduce pollutant emissions. The most common solution for pressurization is the integration with a microgas turbine, a device capable of exploiting the residual energy of the exhaust gas to compress the fuel cell air intake and, at the same time, generating additional electrical power. The focus of this study is on an alternative layout, based on an automotive turbocharger, which has been more recently considered by the research community to improve cost effectiveness at a small size (<100 kW), despite reducing slightly the top achievable performance. Such a turbocharged SOFC system poses two main challenges. On one side, the absence of an electrical generator does not allow direct control of the rotational speed, which is determined by the power balance between turbine and compressor. On the other side, the presence of a large volume between compressor and turbine, due to the fuel cell stack, alters the dynamic behavior of the turbocharger during transients, increasing the risk of compressor surge. The pressure oscillations associated with such event are particularly detrimental for the system because they could easily damage the materials of the fuel cells. This paper aims is to investigate different techniques to drive the operative point of the compressor far from the surge condition when needed, reducing the risks related to transients and increasing its reliability. By means of a system dynamic model, developed using the transeo simulation tool by Thermochemical Power Group (TPG), the effect of different antisurge solutions is simulated: (i) intake air conditioning, (ii) water spray at compressor inlet, (iii) air bleed and recirculation, and (iv) installation of an ejector at the compressor intake. The pressurized fuel cell system is simulated with two different control strategies, i.e., constant fuel mass flow and constant turbine inlet temperature. Different solutions are evaluated based on surge margin behavior, both in the short and long terms, but also monitoring other relevant physical quantities of the system, such as compressor pressure ratio and turbocharger rotational speed.

Design and management strategies for low emission building-scale Multi Energy Systems

Multi energy systems are effective means to move toward a decentralized low-carbon system. Several energy vectors can be integrated together according to a multi energy system framework, such as electricity, heat, and hydrogen, being the latter one of the most promising energy carriers to support widespread use of such energy systems for a number of applications. In this paper, a methodology to optimally design a multi energy system is applied to different future low-carbon scenarios. A wide range of technologies is studied, including trigenerative components such as a gas microturbine, a Solide Oxide Fuel Cell, and a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. Several scenarios are analyzed accounting for environmental and technical targets and considering the variability of costs of hydrogen technologies. Results highlight that building-scale configurations that allow simultaneous environmental and economic benefits consider different storage technologies and a trigeneration plant based on Solide Oxide Fuel Cells. The integration of hydrogen technologies and storage systems are thus effective solutions to access further reduction in terms of both primary energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The availability of green hydrogen, considering future cost projections, allows achieving the lowest carbon footprint at relatively low costs.

On the definition of part-load operation strategies in a complex trigeneration system with hourly-seasonal demands: Exergoeconomics and optimization

A prominent oil & gas research institute initially met all energy demands (electricity, heat, and refrigeration) with two mechanical vapor compression chillers and a gas boiler, with high electrical demand from the grid and two standby diesel generators (for emergencies). Then new technologies were added, completing the installed capacity of the trigeneration system by including two natural gas cogeneration modules, three different absorption chillers, two gas microturbines and one fuel cell. An R&D study employed exergoeconomics to subsidize decision-making regarding the viability of: i) the trigeneration system meeting all energy demands; ii) definition of the operational strategy; iii) adjust the electrical demand from the grid, and iv) definition of maintenance strategy. Although the objectives were achieved, the method employed did not enable an automatic process of definition of operation strategies, relying on the simulation and exergoeconomic skills of the operator. This limitation was overcome using Excel-based optimization. This study presents, discusses, and compares the procedures and results of the operation strategies for the trigeneration system, using both exergoeconomics and optimization. Optimization used the generalized reduced gradient within MS Excel. Although the results obtained from the exergoeconomic and optimization approaches were very close, the operation strategies defined by optimization resulted in lower operational costs in almost all cases. The slight differences can be due to premature convergence of optimization or imprecision in the operator’s judgment and decision. Both methods showed that the research center should adjust its electricity contract with the grid, reducing the contracted power by more than 55%. This leads to savings of more than USD 21,000/month. Although both methods (exergoeconomics and optimization) were helpful to draw the main conclusions, the optimization method allows for an automatic procedure in a user-friendly tool (MS Excel), which is less dependent on the analyst’s expertise.

Numerical investigation of the internal flue gas recirculation system applied to methane powered gas microturbine combustor

The gas microturbines gain significance in various industry sectors. One of their most crucial advantages is the capability of utilizing variety of fuels. At the same time, the emissions regulations become increasingly strict. This is why there is a need to look for a new technological solution to limit the emissions of selected substances, like carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The internal recirculation of the flue gases is well known to limit the temperature peak and for the homogenization of the temperature field gradient in different combustion chambers. This paper presents a numerical investigation of a novel internal flue gas recirculation system applied to gas microturbine combustors. The ability to perform an internal exhaust gases recirculation by adding a combustor internal pipe system was verified numerically. This paper exposed the numerical investigation methods and obtained results. The study presents the concept and results performed on three cases of internal exhaust gases recirculation systems applied to a reference combustor. The work permitted to demonstrate numerically that it is possible to perform an autonomous exhaust gases recirculation inside gas microturbine combustor at a maximum global rate of 0.51%, and that the recirculation system has an impact on the combustion processes without specially modifying the combustor work parameters.

Influence of Driving Voltage on Starting Performance of High-Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Starter–Generator for Micro-gas Turbine

Influence of Driving Voltage on Starting Performance of High-Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Starter–Generator for Micro-gas Turbine

Numerical analysis of high temperature minichannel heat exchanger for recuperative microturbine system

Considering the development of energy sector, distributed small-scale power generation, e.g., gas micro-CHP, is attracting considerable interest. In such installations, the heat exchanger is one of the key components possessing a significant influence on overall performance. Most studies concentrate on units operating below 900 °C, which do not fulfil the requirements of gas micro-CHP. Therefore, there remains a challenge to design a compact heat exchanger with passive technologies of heat transfer enhancement. This work describes the implementation of the own construction of a plate minichannel heat exchanger for high-efficiency gas microturbine engines with an external combustion chamber, supplied with air at a temperature of about 1000 °C. The results of this study will greatly contribute to the increase of system efficiency. To understand transport phenomena occurring inside it, a numerical model of the entire heat exchanger was developed in OpenFOAM. Defined boundary conditions were based on experimental data used also to validate the numerical model. The pressure drop experimental and numerical results agreed within the 2%–14% range, while the heat rate ones – within the 1%–8% of the range. In addition, numerical analysis exhibited the limits of thermal and exergetic efficiency values possible to be obtained, when the boundary conditions are strongly controlled.

Experimental and numerical study on self-sustaining performance of a 30-kW micro gas turbine generator system during startup process

The safe startup of micro gas turbine (MGT) generator system is the premise of normal operation. The whole start-up process contains motor startup, ignition, speed acceleration, motor switching to generator and power acceleration. Motor switching to generator happens at the self-sustaining state, which is significant to safe start-up process. However, characteristics of MGT generator system at self-sustaining state are hardly to investigate due to the lack of performance maps and complete experiments. Therefore, this work analyzed start-up schedule and presented a theoretical and experimental study on the self-sustaining performance of MGT generator system, based on the self-designed 30 kW MGT generator system built in Jiangjin Turbocharger Plant, China. The self-sustaining speed boundary and fuel consumption area is determined from the aspects of safe startup. A novel principle for determining the self-sustaining point (SSP) is proposed. Results show that the self-sustaining state can be achieved only when speed is over 26,750 rpm, and the SSP is determined at the speed of 30,750 rpm based on the proposed principle. Finally, the self-sustaining TIT and natural gas flow are compared with the experimental data, with two relative errors both almost within 4%. This method is instructive to the MGT generator system startup process.

Feasibility of running a micro gas turbine on wood-derived fast pyrolysis bio-oils: Effect of the fuel spray formation and preparation

This study examines the feasibility of using fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO) made from non-food woody biomass in a micro-gas turbine with a unique burner design, motivated by the recent surge in the development of renewable carbon-neutral biomass-derived liquids in energy applications. The study is comprehensive and covers FPBO production and applications, physicochemical properties and spray characteristics, and combustion performance. The effects of fuel spray formation and preparation on the combustion of FPBO, ethanol (EtOH) and diesel fuel were investigated using two twin-fluid nozzles with distinct atomization mechanisms, externally- and internally-mixed, and a premixer tube. In contrast to diesel fuel and EtOH, reaching a stable flame using 100% FPBO was impossible because of the fuel polymerization (or coking) when impinging on the high-temperature inner wall of the premixer tube. EtOH addition was, therefore, used to address the problem by improving the FPBO's volatility. The FPBO spray flame generated by the internally-mixed nozzle exhibited less gas- and solid-phase emissions than the externally-mixed one and required less EtOH addition for stabilization. While this study shows the feasibility for deployment of FPBO in the present micro-gas turbine design, injector modification or fuel upgrading are necessary prior to it being used to replace fossil oils.

A new approach to off-design performance analysis of gas turbine engines and its application

This paper presents a new method to formulate the problem of simulating and off-design performance analysis of gas turbine engines and organizing this problem to solve. This method, without any simplification, follows an identical procedure for off-design analysis of all configurations of gas turbines. The method is based on solving an equations system, modular and flexible, and requires the least user experience. Details on the formulation of characteristic and compatibility equations and subsequently formation and details on solving the equations system were presented. The performance of the Olympus-HP micro turbojet engine was obtained from this method validated against test rig and manufacturer results. As an application, the off-design performance of a double-shaft gas turbine was investigated, which is configured from the Olympus-HP core and power turbines that are corresponding to the loads. A centrifugal compressor and a fan with 45 kW consuming power with different design speeds were utilized as the load. The running line and power map of the double-shaft engine were shown. The effects of the environmental changes on the engine performance evaluated. This engine will be used as a driver of a test rig facility of centrifugal compressors of micro gas turbines (MGTs).

A solar micro gas turbine system combined with steam injection and ORC bottoming cycle

Micro gas turbine (MGT) is an important section in solar-driven power systems, as it can improve system efficiency and provide unique flexibility to meet quickly changing demands. Herein, a solar micro gas turbine (MGT) combined with steam injection and organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is proposed to improve efficiency and flexibility. A steam receiver that produces the steam injected into the MGT is placed around the air receiver aperture to increase the receiver intercept efficiency. A thermodynamic model including a heliostat field, a solar receiver, an MGT and an ORC is developed to investigate the performance of the proposed system, where each sub-model is validated with experimental/referenced data for the subsequence optimization of design and operating parameters. For a 100 kW MGT driven by a solar heliostat field, the simulation results show that the optimized aperture diameter of the air receiver is 1.1 m. On four typical days of a year, i.e. the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumn equinox, and the winter solstice, the average optical efficiency of the heliostat field is 0.672, 0.754, 0.672 and 0.597, respectively. Fuel consumption of the MGT during the four days is reduced by 14.8%, 24.6%, 22.4% and 3.7%, respectively. The solar energy share can reach up to 86.0% with a system power efficiency of 19.9% at 12:30 of the autumn equinox. By adding steam injection and ORC, the power output can be increased by 8.29 kW and 30.37 kW, respectively, bringing an increase of the total power output by 37.7% and improving the system efficiency and flexibility. The proposed system can benefit the distributed energy systems especially for remote areas or islands as a flexible option.

Integrated Renewable Energy System for Stand-Alone Operations with Optimal Load Dispatch Strategy

The hybrid system configuration is used for meeting the thermal and electrical load demands of an off-grid network simultaneously with the model proposed in this paper. Li-ion battery, Micro Gas Turbine (MGT), wind turbine and solar photovoltaic configurations are analyzed. Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables (HOMER) software is used for estimating utilization of various strategies for power management, recovered waste heat and excess energy in the model. The heating demand is met and examined by the thermal load controller with and without the options of waste heat recovery. The hybrid system hardware components are sized, compared and analyzed based on cyclic charging (CC) and load following (LF) dispatch strategies. Various electrical to thermal load ratio are considered for examining the system performance. Various uncertainties and their effects are reported on comparison of grid-connected and stand-alone options. The hardware components are reduced in size thereby appreciable cost benefits are observed in the results. In the optimized hybrid system, the renewable energy fraction is increased causing high renewable penetrations and the CO2 emission is reduced by a large value. For all the configurations analyzed, several environmental and cost benefits are offered by the CC strategy.

Дослідження тривалої жаростійкості титанових матеріалів для гібридних паливних комірок

Hybrid SOFC-MGT systems, which combine a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a gas microturbine (MGT) are capable of generating clean energy with high efficiency. Compared to large turbines in aviation and other areas of mechanical engineering and energetics, the requirements for mechanical properties of MGT materials in SOFC may be less strong, but one of the most important is resistance to long-term oxidation. For SOFC materials it is considered that oxidation resistance test duration must be not less than 1000 h. In addition, today there is a tendency to developing average-temperature (550—650 oC) SOFC modifications. Physical and mechanical properties, the long-term (1000 hours) oxidation resistance at 600 °C in particular, for a number of titanium alloys and composites depending on their chemical and phase composition and production method have been studied. These materials are promising for gas microturbines of a hybrid system “solid oxide fuel cell — gas turbine”. Cast, thermally deformed (forging, rolling), and heat-treated titanium alloys and also sintered and hot-pressed titanium composites have been investigated. They were compared to the most widely used in mechanical engineering and other industries Ti—6Al—4V alloy. It was shown that materials of the Ti—Al—X system (X = C, Nb, Mo) based on titanium MAX phases with nanolaminate microstructure have an advantage. At the same time, alloys based on titanium aluminides γ-TiAl / α2-Ti3Al in the cast state have the highest long-term heat resistance, as well as the best complex of physical and mechanical characteristics among the studied materials. Keywords: titanium alloys, chemical and phase composition, mechanical properties, long - term heat resistance, fuel cell.

Investigation of Low-Temperature Lean Combustion Characteristics in Power Plants with External Heating of Components

An integral part of any open-type gas turbine plant is a low-emission combustion chamber, which is usually two-zone and cooled. One of the ways to reduce emission of harmful substanc-es is organizing low-emission low-temperature lean combustion with external heating of compo-nents. This paper investigates the effect of external heating of air and fuel gas on expansion of the lower combustion limit and stable flame position in a single-zone uncooled combustion chamber of a microgas turbine power plant. Stable position of the flame front in combustion chambers of this type mainly depends on the ratio between the average flow rate of the combus-tible-air mixture and the rate of turbulent combustion. This ratio depends on thermal, gas-dynamic, thermochemical and geometric factors. The purpose of this work is to substantiate the possibility of using the relative flow rate as a generalized characteristic. This goal was achieved in processing a large amount of published experimental data and numerical modeling of low-temperature combustion of lean mixtures. The most significant research result is determination of the range of relative flow rate (gk = 0.3…3.5·10-4 kg⁄s∙N), at which it is possible to ensure sta-ble flame position in a single-zone combustion chamber. Significance of the obtained results lies in the fact that using the relative flow rate makes it possible to quickly determine and analyze the geometric and gas-dynamic parameters and characteristics of turbulent combustion in com-bustion chambers of micro-gas turbine power plants.

Comparative analysis of different cost allocation methodologies in LCA for cogeneration systems

When analysing multi-product systems, the allocation of resources and waste in a Life Cycle Assessment presents a difficulty. This can be solved through thermoeconomic approaches. Thus, the objective of the present work was to carry out a comparative analysis between traditional methods, recommended by ISO 14000, and thermoeconomic methods in the Life Cycle Assessment of a cogeneration system composed of a gas microturbine and lithium bromide–water absorption systems. First, the system's total emissions were calculated, and then the allocation of resources was carried out. This allocation was achieved in three ways: traditional allocation, thermoeconomic allocation, and allocation through exergoenvironmental analysis. To carry out the last two allocations, the exergetic costs were calculated considering the physical structure and the productive structure of the production flows (using four different exergy breakdown models,). And with the result of the exergetic costs, the environmental impacts (environmental costs) were calculated through the thermoeconomic allocation and the exergoenvironmental analysis. The environmental impacts (environmental costs) found with allocations that use thermoeconomics were compared with those obtained by the Life Cycle Assessment with the traditional allocation (energetic and exergetic). Thus, it was found that the results obtained by the energy allocation and the allocation that uses the thermoeconomic model of total exergy have the highest environmental impact over the cold production. It was also found that there is no difference between using an exergetic allocation or thermoeconomic allocation if the system does not have many dissipative components, such as valves, and there is no need to know the influence of the components on the final environmental impact since both perform the same calculations with very few modifications. It was concluded that, when performing a thermoeconomic analysis on a system with valves, one can use any of the models studied, depending on how detailed one wants the results of their environmental impact to be. On the other hand, if the system does not contain many dissipative elements or one does not need a detailed result, one should just make the traditional exergy allocation. Moreover, if it is necessary to know which component has the greatest environmental impact, the exergoenvironmental analysis should be used. Thus, this work contributes to a compilation of all the thermodynamic models used to date, and how they can be applied in a Life Cycle Assessment to generate more detailed results.

Research of the application of hydrogen as a fuel to improve energy and environmental performance of gas turbine plants

THE PURPOSE. To consider various variants of thermal schemes of power plants and to assess the main technical and economic parameters. The article presents the results of the development of schemes of electric power plants with a capacity of up to 100 kW with a steam-generating hydrogen-oxygen plant for modeling and selecting effective options for thermal schemes of microgeneration power plants at the stage of design and development of energy systems. METHODS. The analysis of the proposed variants of thermal schemes with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator, including circuit solutions of micro-gas turbine installations with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator, a scheme of a steam-gas installation with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator and intermediate steam superheating, a scheme of a steam-turbine installation with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator, a scheme of a steam-turbine installation with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator and a single-stage intermediate steam superheating, is performed, the scheme of a steam turbine installation with a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator and an intermediate superheat of steam and a steam cooler. RESULTS. A variant of the thermal scheme is proposed, which will allow determining the approach to estimating the fuel component of the production cost of heat and electricity for domestic power plants. The article describes a chemical method for producing hydrogen under laboratory conditions in hydrogen generators based on the hydrolysis of a solid reagent-aluminum-in a reaction vessel, in which the contact of aluminum particles occurs in the liquid phase of an aqueous solution of caustic soda. A feature of the proposed method is the possibility of regulating the flow rates in the supply lines of an aqueous suspension of aluminum and an aqueous solution of caustic soda, which can significantly improve the quality of regulation and reduce the cost of operating such systems. To a large extent, the creation of such systems becomes possible if there is a demand for the generated electrical energy, which determines the need to ensure high values of technical and economic indicators of the operation of power plants. CONCLUSHION. Calculated estimates have shown that the specific consumption of conventional fuel for the production of electric energy by microgeneration systems based on gas turbine units with a hydrogen generator with a capacity of 5-100 kW ranges from 0.098 to 0.117 kg/kWh.