Systems Analyses of Advanced Brayton Cycles

The main objective is to identify and assess advanced improvements to the Brayton Cycle (such as but not limited to firing temperature, pressure ratio, combustion techniques, intercooling, fuel or combustion air augmentation, enhanced blade cooling schemes) that will lead to significant performance improvements in coal based power systems. This assessment is conducted in the context of conceptual design studies (systems studies) that advance state-of-art Brayton cycles and result in coal based efficiencies equivalent to 65% + on natural gas basis (LHV), or approximately an 8% reduction in heat rate of an IGCC plant utilizing the H class steam cooled gas turbine. H class gas turbines are commercially offered by General Electric and Mitsubishi for natural gas based combined cycle applications with 60% efficiency (LHV) and it is expected that such machine will be offered for syngas applications within the next 10 years. The studies are being sufficiently detailed so that third parties will be able to validate portions or all of the studies. The designs and system studies are based on plants for near zero emissions (including CO{sub 2}). Also included in this program is the performance evaluation of other advanced technologies such as advanced compression concepts and the fuel cell based combined cycle. The objective of the fuel cell based combined cycle task is to identify the desired performance characteristics and design basis for a gas turbine that will be integrated with an SOFC in Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) applications. The goal is the conceptualization of near zero emission (including CO{sub 2} capture) integrated gasification power plants producing electricity as the principle product. The capability of such plants to coproduce H{sub 2} is qualitatively addressed. Since a total systems solution is critical to establishing a plant configuration worthy of a comprehensive market interest, a baseline IGCC plant scheme is developed and used to study how alternative process schemes and power cycles might be used and integrated to achieve higher systems efficiency. To achieve these design results, the total systems approach is taken requiring creative integration of the various process units within the plant. Advanced gas turbine based cycles for Integrated gasification Combined cycle (IGCC) applications are identified by a screening analysis and the more promising cycles recommended for detailed systems analysis. In the case of the IGFC task, the main objective is met by developing a steady-state simulation of the entire plant and then using dynamic simulations of the hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC)/Gas Turbine sub-system to investigate the turbo-machinery performance. From these investigations the desired performance characteristics and a basis for design of turbo-machinery for use in a fuel cell gas turbine power block is developed