The US Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Fossil Energy Turbine Technology R&D Program announced it has awarded grants to the IGCC projects.
The advancement of turbines and turbine subsystems for IGCC power facilities are at the forefront of industry’s quest for more efficient power generation.
Valued at a total of $US130 million, the projects will be handled through the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. Awards were made in Hydrogen Turbines for FutureGen; Development of Highly-Efficient, Zero Emission Hydrogen Combustion Technology for Megawatt-Scale Turbines; Megawatt-Scale Turbines for Power and Hydrogen Co-production in Industrial Applications; Novel Concepts for the Compression of Large Volumes of Carbon Dioxide; and Advanced Brayton Cycles for Highly Efficient Zero Emission Systems.
Hydrogen Turbines for FutureGen
The two projects awarded funds in this sector will conduct research into: fuel flexibility; integration capabilities into the DoE’s new systems at its FutureGen facility or similar; and nitrogen oxide emissions of three parts per million or less, with 45-50% efficiency.
General Electric, which received $US45.6 million for its project, hopes to establish a design for full-scale testing of large-frame turbines that will increase efficiency by an estimated 3-5% over current technologies. The project is expected to take 75 months.
Siemens Westinghouse Power, which plans to design an advanced system to improve performance through innovative system components, received $US45.5 million for its 56-month endeavour.
Development of Highly-Efficient Zero Emission Hydrogen Combustion Technology for Megawatt-Scale Turbines
Also consisting of two projects, research in this sector will work towards the development of hydrogen combustion systems that are installable in today’s megawatt-scale turbines. They will be more efficient, reduce nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions, and will have fuel flexibility while remaining at 100MW or less.
Precision Combustion received $US4.9 million for its 60-month project to build and test a full-scale, ultra-low nitrogen oxide catalytic combustion system that will operate in megawatt-scale turbines with fuel flexibility.
Parker Hannifin will work with existing gas fuel injector systems to adapt its designs for hydrogen and coal syngas. The project, expected to last 32 months, was awarded $US1.2 million in funding.
Megawatt-Scale Turbines for Power and Hydrogen Co-production in Industrial Applications
One project, being conducted by the Gas Technology Institute, will perform studies on the feasibility as well as existing opportunities and challenges for the use of partial-oxidation gas turbines for coal-based co-production of syngas, hydrogen and electricity. Its 22-month project was given $US999,992 in funding.
Novel Concepts for the Comparison of Large Volumes of Carbon Dioxide
Two projects in this division will study innovative compression concepts that will save time and money over what is used today.
Ramgen Power Systems was awarded $US11 million for its 60-month project, which consists of utilising supersonic shock wave technology for the purpose of compressing carbon dioxide in large amounts, including a two-stage system (instead of six) that equals or exceeds efficiency standards.
Southwest Research Institute, who was given $US175,033 for its 12-month project, plans to research ways to improve the mechanics of compressing and liquefying carbon dioxide. It will examine a total-system solution, including integration with other FutureGen systems.
Advanced Brayton Cycles for Highly Efficient Zero Emission Systems
Finally, one organisation has been given the green light for its work with the Brayton scale, which is the combustion power system that is most linked to gas turbines. Highly efficient (55-60%), this method will help to advance IGCC turbine technologies.
The University of California at Irvine, whose 24-month project was awarded $US603,012, will look at obstacles that emerge when integrating high-performance Brayton cycle technology subsystems into power plants that can be safe, reliable, economically feasible and environmentally efficient.
This project, when completed, will assist the US Energy Department in identifying future research and development needs.
With IGCC being one of today’s environmentally preferred methods of electricity production from coal, it has become the keystone of the FutureGen initiative for the Energy Department’s planned near-zero emissions power facility.
By using hydrogen fuels in IGCC, emissions such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide can be reduced, enabling these systems to adapt to diverse environments.
