Gas turbine for power generation

introduction
- The use of gas turbines for generating electricity dates back to
1939. Today, gas turbines are one of the most widely-used power
generating technologies. Gas turbines are a type of internal
combustion (IC) engine in which burning of an air-fuel mixture
produces hot gases that spin a turbine to produce power. It is the
production of hot gas during fuel combustion, not the fuel itself that
gives gas turbines the name.

How a gas turbine works ?

- Gas turbines are comprised of three primary sections mounted on
the same shaft: the compressor, the combustion chamber (or
combustor) and the turbine.

The compressor can be either axial flow or centrifugal flow. Axial flow
compressors are more common in power generation because they
have higher flow rates and efficiencies. Axial flow compressors are
comprised of multiple stages of rotating and stationary blades (or
stators) through which air is drawn in parallel to the axis of rotation
and incrementally compressed as it passes through each stage. The
acceleration of the air through the rotating blades and diffusion by the
stators increases the pressure and reduces the volume of the air.
Although no heat is added, the compression of the air also causes the
temperature to increase. Because the compressor must reach a
certain speed before the combustion process is continuous – or self-
sustaining – initial momentum is imparted to the turbine rotor from an
external motor, static frequency converter, or the generator itself. The
compressor must be smoothly accelerated and reach firing speed
before fuel can be introduced and ignition can occur. Turbine speeds
vary widely by manufacturer and design, ranging from 2,000
revolutions per minute (rpm) to 10,000 rpm. Initial ignition occurs from
one or more spark plugs (depending on combustor design). Once the
turbine reaches self-sustaining speed – above 50% of full speed – the
power output is enough to drive the compressor, combustion is
continuous, and the starter system can be disengaged.

Gas turbines can utilise a variety of fuels ,

-including natural gas, fuel oils, and synthetic fuels. Combustion occurs
continuously in gas turbines, as opposed to reciprocating IC engines, in

which combustion occurs intermittently.

Combustion engine :
Combustion engines are a well-known technology used in
automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, marine propulsion, and
backup power applications. Combustion engines employ the
expansion of hot gases to push a piston within a cylinder, converting
the linear movement of the piston into the rotating movement of a
crankshaft to generate power. While the steam engines that powered
the industrial revolution were driven by externally-produced steam,
modern combustion engines used for electric power generation are
internal combustion engines in which an air-fuel mixture is
compressed by a piston and ignited within a cylinder.
How does a combustion engine work ?
The SG engine is based on the Otto cycle and uses a spark plug to
ignite an air-fuel mixture injected at the top of a cylinder. In the Otto
cycle, the fuel mixture does not get hot enough to burn without a
spark, which differentiates it from the Diesel cycle. In diesel engines,
air is compressed until the temperature rises to the auto-ignition
temperature of the fuel. As the fuel is injected into the cylinder, it
immediately combusts with the hot compressed air and expanding
combustion gases push the piston to the bottom of the cylinder.
Each movement of the piston within a cylinder is called a stroke.
Reciprocating IC engines are described by the number of strokes to
complete one power cycle and the speed of crankshaft (expressed in
revolutions per minute, rpm). For electric power generation, four-
stroke engines are predominately used. During the intake stroke, the
premixed air and fuel (SG engines) or air (diesel engines) is drawn
into the cylinder as the piston moves down to “bottom dead center”
position. During the compression stroke in SG engines, the air-fuel
mixture is compressed by the piston and ignited by a spark from a
plug. Auto-ignition in SG engines is prevented with proper limits on the
compression ratio.

in diesel engines, the fuel is injected into the cylinder near the end of
the compression stroke when the air has been compressed enough to
reach the auto-ignition temperature. Combustion of the air-fuel mixture
causes an accelerated expansion of high pressure gases, which push
the piston to the bottom of the cylinder during the power stroke,
imparting rotation to the crankshaft. Combustion occurs intermittently
– only during the power stroke – whereas in gas turbines combustion
occurs continuously. As the piston is returned to the top of the cylinder
during the exhaust stroke, the products of combustion (exhaust gases)
are pushed out an exhaust valve. Multiple cylinders are connected to
the crankshaft, oriented so that while some pistons are imparting
rotation to the crankshaft during their power strokes, other pistons are
being pushed back to the top of the cylinders during their exhaust
strokes.

The size and power of a combustion engine is a function of the

volume of fuel and air combusted. Thus, the size of the cylinder, the
number of cylinders and the engine speed determine the amount of
power the engine generates. By boosting the engine’s intake of air
using a blower or compressor – called supercharging – the power
output of the engine can be increased. A commonly used
supercharger is a turbocharger, which uses a small turbine in the
exhaust gas path to extract energy for driving a centrifugal
compressor.

Fuel flexibility in combustion engine :

Combustion engines can burn a variety of fuels