The DOE Turbine Program

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Richard Dennis
streams within the IGCC environment will be utilized to provide a total system solution by fully integrating
the air separation units, combined cycle, and the gas cleanup system. Other concepts that liquefy the CO2 and
boost pressure through cryogenic pumping will be explored as well.
Phase I will identify the concept that best meets the efficiency goals and integrates into the IGCC
environment. Based on the selected concept, Phase II will design the optimum solution and perform prototype
development testing. Phase III will apply a full-scale compression solution to an existing IGCC plant. This
project is being co-funded by Dresser-Rand Company. (DOE award: $175,033; plus contractor cost-share,
project duration: 12 months, Phase II and III were not awarded).
Project Summary: Systems Analyses of Advanced Brayton Cycles for High Efficiency Zero-Emission Plants
(CID: 42652)
Participant: Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP), University of California at Irvine
The FutureGen plant concept is aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel usage while
generating electric power and providing a clean fuel for transportation and for distributed power generation.
Developing turbine technology to operate on coal-derived synthesis gas and hydrogen is critical to the
development of advanced power generation technologies and the deployment of FutureGen plants. The
FutureGen plant concept may also be deployed in natural gas based plants with respect to generating power
with near-zero emissions, while utilizing these advanced Brayton cycle machines and securing fuel diversity.
This APEP project therefore represents a key investment in implementing the FutureGen concept, and in
helping to secure clean, efficient, affordable and fuel-flexible electric power generation for the U.S. As with
the other turbine projects, APEP also will help make possible the continued use of our nation’s largest
domestic fossil energy resource, coal.
Numerous projections estimate that gas turbines will comprise a significant portion of the required generation
capacity in the 21st century. Novel advanced gas turbine cycle modifications, intended to improve the basic
Brayton cycle performance and reduce pollutant emissions, are currently under development or being
investigated by gas turbine manufacturers and R&D organizations. Preliminary conceptual analyses of
advanced cycles indicate that it may be possible to achieve an improved combination of efficiency, emissions,
and specific power output, which in turn should reduce the power generation equipment cost on a $/kW basis.
Thus, a need exists to evaluate advanced Brayton cycles and identify the best opportunities worthy of support
by DOE for their development, and to assess their R&D needs and the most likely commercialization path.
APEP will focus this study on defining advanced Brayton cycles and addressing the key technologies needed
to enable development of such advanced turbines and turbine-based systems that will operate cleanly and
efficiently when fueled with coal-derived synthesis gas, hydrogen fuels, and natural gas. System integration
issues will be addressed that will allow the combination of high-performance technology modules and
subsystems into safe, reliable, environmentally friendly, and economic power plants.
Specifically, the project will develop concept(s) and present approach(es) that will increase the state-of-the-
art Brayton cycle (in a combined-cycle application) from today’s 58–60% efficiency (LHV on natural gas) to
>65% equivalent efficiency. The proposed machine(s) will consider integration into advanced coal-based and
natural gas-based zero-emission systems, with the ability to attain a 60% (HHV coal) efficiency and 75%
(LHV natural gas) efficiency respectively (prior to carbon separation and capture). Options for zero CO2
emissions will be considered for both coal- and natural gas-based plants, and will show how the turbine
design, operation, and overall system performance are affected. The integration of subsystem technologies
such as advanced gasifiers, membrane technology for air and H2 separation, and fuel cells as they evolve, will
be accounted for in the advanced Brayton cycle design(s), while performance of the resulting integrated
advanced systems will be quantified. Start-up, shutdown, and off-design operating needs will be taken into
account while configuring the advanced cycles. (DOE award: $603,012; Plus contractor cost-share, project
duration: 24 months)
Project Summary: Catalytic Combustion for Fuel Flexible Turbine (CID: 41891)
Participant: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp.
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