A Gas Turbine Unit

1.0.Introducttion:
n upstream rotating gas compressor,a combustor,a downstream
turbine on the same shaft as the compressor.

A fourth component is often used to increase efficiency (on turboprops

and turbofans), to convert power into mechanical or electric form (on
turboshafts and electric generators), or to achieve greater thrust-to-
weight ratio (on afterburning engines).The basic operation of the gas
turbine is a Brayton cycle with air as the working fluid : atmospheric air
flows through the compressor that brings it to higher pressure ; energy
is then added by spraying fuel into the air and igniting it so that
the.combustion generates a high-temperature flow ; this high-
temperature pressurized gas enters a turbine, producing a shaft work
output in the process, used to drive the compressor ; the unused
energy comes out in the exhaust gases that can be repurposed for
external work, such as directly producing thrust in a turbojet engine, or
rotating a second, independent turbine (known as a power turbine)
that can be connected to a fan, propeller, or electrical generator. The
purpose of the gas turbine determines the design so that the most
desirable split of energy between the thrust and the shaft work is
achieved. The fourth step of the Brayton cycle (cooling of the working
fluid) is omitted, as gas turbines are open systems that do not reuse the
same air.[1]

2.0.Classification of Gas turbine:

i. Closed Cycle Gas Turbine:
 ii. Open Cycle Gas Turbine:[2]
3.0.Comparison of Gas Turbine with
Reciprocating IC Engines:
Advantages of Gas Turbine over Reciprocating IC Engines:

Gas turbines:

i. The mechanical efficiency of gas turbines is very high in the range of 90-95%. Power
development is based on rotary components.

ii. The overall weight of gas turbine per unit power produced is less.

iii. Gas turbine can produce speed as high as 40,000 rpm.

iv. Gas turbine does not require a flywheel as torque produced is continuous and uniform.

v. Work developed by a gas turbine per kilogram weight of air is more.

vi. The components of gas turbine can be made lighter because the pressure developed in this
case is quite low, about 4-6 bar.

vii. The ignition system is much simple.

viii. The lubrication system is much simpler.

ix. Cheaper fuel such as paraffin can be used.

x. The exhaust gases from gas turbines are less polluting since air is used (A/F = 90)

xi. They are much suitable for use in aircrafts due to low specific weight.

IC engines:

The mechanical efficiency of IC engines is low in the range of 80-85% as IC engines have many
reciprocating parts.

ii. The overall weight of IC engine per unit power produced is quite high.

iii. Such a high speed is not possible in IC engines.

iv. The use of flywheel is a must in IC engine due to reciprocating parts in motion.
v. Work developed by IC engine per kilogram weight of air is less.

vi. In IC engines pressure developed is more, about 60 bar. Hence, heavy parts are required to
withstand high pressure.

vii. The ignition system is comparatively complex.

viii. The lubrication system is quite complicated.

ix. Special grade fuels are needed for better performance.

x. The exhaust gases from IC engines are more polluting.xi. They are not suitable for aircrafts
due to high specific weight.

Disadvantages of Gas Turbine over Reciprocating IC Engines:

(a) Thermal efficiency is quite low as compared to IC engines.

(b) Due to high operating speed, there is a need to have a speed reduction device.

(c) The supply of fuel control is difficult due to high running speed.

(d) It is difficult to start a gas turbine as compared to IC engine.

(e) The gas turbine blades need to have a special cooling arrangement due to excess heat
produced.(f) The manufacturing of blade profile is difficult and costly due to high temperature
produced. Costly and tough material such as nickel-chromium is used. (g)Because of the high
temperature produced and high centrifugal forces, the life of blades and combstion chamber is
short.[3]

4.0.Drawing a Model Diagram of a gas turbine:

Fig:Model
Diagram of a gas

turbine(source:electrical4U)

5.0.working principle of open and closed cycle gas turbine:

In case of a closed cycle gas turbine, a fixed mass of working substance is allowed
to flow inside the cycle. The working substance, i.e., air or gases, is confined
inside the plant and it never leaves the plant.

Hence, the gas turbine is said to be a closed cycle. Figure 4.36 shows the system
diagram of a simple closed cycle gas turbine plant. It consists of a compressor,
heater, gas turbine, and a cooler. The compressor shaft and turbine shaft are
coupled for the transfer of power. The working substance is compressed by the
compressor.The high-pressure and high-temperature gas coming out from the
compressor is heated by an external source of heat which further increases the
temperature of the gas. The gas is then supplied to the gas turbine where the
expansion of gas takes place up to a lower pressure. The flow of gas takes place
through the blade passage where kinetic energy is absorbed.Thus, the rotation of
the shaft is obtained and power is developed at the turbine shaft.
The low-pressure gas is then exhausted from turbine and enters into the cooler
where cooling of the gas is done by circulating coolant. The cooled gas at low
temperature and pressure again enters into the compressor and the process is
repeated over and over again.

Open Cycle Gas Turbine:

shows the cycle of operation of an open cycle gas turbine. A simple open cycle gas
turbine plant consists of an air compressor, combustion chamber, and a gas
turbine.

Initially, the plant is started with the help of an auxiliary engine or electric motor.
Atmospheric air is drawn in the compressor and compressed to a high pressure,
and relatively high temperature, and is then supplied to a combustion chamber or
combustor in which liquid or gaseous fuel is injected into the compressed air
stream and the fuel is ignited.
The resulting high-pressure and high-temperature product of combustion is then
passed to the turbine and is expanded to a lower pressure and finally discharged
to the atmosphere through exhaust pipe.

The shaft starts rotating by the flow of gas. The turbine shaft is directly coupled
with compressor and excess power is produced by the turbine which is used for
the purpose of operating auxiliaries. Again fresh air is sucked into the compressor
and thus the cycle is repeated (Fig. 4.38). In almost all the fields, open cycle gas
turbine plants are used.

Cyclic operation is represented on T-S plot.

1-2: Isentropic compression

1-2′: Actual compression

2′-3: Heat supplied in combustor

3-4: Isentropic expansion

3-4′: Actual expansion

4-1: Heat rejected[4]

7.0.Combined gas turbine:

A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem
from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land,
when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle
gas turbine (CCGT) plant. The same principle is also used for marine propulsion,
where it is called a combined gas and steam (COGAS) plant. Combining two or
more thermodynamic cycles improves overall efficiency, which reduces fuel costs.

The principle is that after completing its cycle in the first engine, the working fluid
(the exhaust) is still hot enough that a second subsequent heat engine can extract
energy from the heat in the exhaust. Usually the heat passes through a heat
exchanger so that the two engines can use different working fluids.

By generating power from multiple streams of work, the overall efficiency of the
system can be increased by 50–60%. That is, from an overall efficiency of say 34%
(for a simple cycle), to as much as 64% (for a combined cycle).[1] This is more
than 84% of the theoretical efficiency of a Carnot cycle. This can be accomplished
because heat engines can only use part of the energy from their fuel (usually less
than 50%). That is, in an ordinary (non-combined cycle) heat engine, the
remaining heat (i.e., hot exhaust gas) from combustion is wasted.[5]

8.0.Application of a gas turbine:

The following are the applications of a gas turbine:

They are used to propel air-crafts and ships,

Gas turbine plants are used as standby plants for the hydroelectric power plants.

Gas turbine power plants may be used as peak loads plant and standby plants for
smaller power units.

The shaft can be connected to other machinery to do various types of work such
as: turning a helicopter rotor, running a compressor (which "crushes" a gas to a
condensed form for use in industrial applications) or generating electric power.
The gas turbine is useful to our modern world because it is relatively compact in
size and makes a lot of power. Gas turbines are used in backup power systems in
Manhattan for example, when the grid goes down due to natural disaster, gas
turbines power up and can produce power for emergency uses.

Gas turbines are used on oil platforms to make power. The oil platform is like a
small city, isolated out on the water, so it requires a lot of power and does not
have a lot of space. Gas turbines are also used in oil refineries to make power for
the cracking process.

8.0.Conclusion:

As hot combustion gas expands through the turbine, it spins the rotating blades.
The rotating blades perform a dual function: they drive the compressor to draw
more pressurized air into the combustion section, and they spin a generator to
produce.The advantage of a gas turbine Lower operational cost. Lower
operational cost is one of the primary reasons why gas turbines have gained so
much popularity. Efficient and durable.Facilitates distributed power generation.
Environmentally-friendly.High operational speed and low lubrication cost.

Reference :

[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_turbine

[2]https://www.engineeringenotes.com/mechanical-engineering/gas-
turbine/gas-turbine-classification-and-operation-mechanical-engineering/35978

[3]https://www.green-mechanic.com/2015/06/difference-between-ic-engine-
and-gas.html?m=1

[4]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-cycle_gas_turbine

https://www.britannica.com/technology/open-cycle-gas-turbine-engine

[5]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle_power_plant

Name:Titu Nath
Roll:1905087