Principles of Solar Gas Turbines for Electricity Generation (Green Energy and Technology)

This is the first book dedicated to solar gas turbines, providing fundamental knowledge and state-of-the-art developments in the field. A gas turbine is a heat engine in which a mixture of fuel and air is burned in a chamber that is an integral part of the flow circuit of the working fluid. The burnt gas mixture expands and turns the turbine, which can be connected to a generator for electricity production. Solar gas turbines offer an important alternative to conventional gas turbines driven by non-renewable, polluting fossil fuels such as diesel or natural gas. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the topic as well as numerous illustrations. Preface 6 Acknowledgements 9 Contents 10 Abbreviations 14 Nomenclature 17 Greek Symbols 18 Subscripts 19 List of Figures 22 List of Tables 27 1 Introduction to Solar Gas Turbines 28 1.1 Introduction 28 1.1.1 Energy Resources 28 1.1.2 Energy Conversion 31 1.2 Basic Gas Turbine for Electricity Generation 33 1.3 Heat Transfer 34 1.3.1 Conduction 34 1.3.2 Convection 36 1.3.3 Radiative Heat Transfer 39 1.4 Heat Exchangers 42 1.5 Solar Thermal Processes 44 1.5.1 Flat-Plate Collector 44 1.5.2 Concentrating Solar Collectors 44 1.6 Solar Gas Turbines 47 1.7 Other Applications of Solar Gas Turbines 48 1.7.1 Combined Power and Desalination 48 1.7.2 Cogeneration 50 References 51 2 Gas Turbine Fuels and Fuel Systems 53 2.1 Introduction 53 2.2 Fuel Specifications 54 2.2.1 Heating Value 54 2.2.2 Cleanliness of Fuel 54 2.2.3 Corrosion and Particulate Deposition 54 2.2.4 Fuel Availability 55 2.3 Fossil Fuels 55 2.3.1 Oil and Gas 55 2.3.2 Coal 59 2.4 Biofuels 60 2.4.1 Classification of Biofuels 60 2.4.2 Conversion Pathways for Producing Energy Carriers from Biomass Raw Materials 61 2.4.3 Exploitation of Biofuels in Gas Turbine Engines 62 2.5 Nuclear Energy 70 References 72 3 Solar Radiation Resource 76 3.1 Introduction 76 3.2 Components of Solar Radiation 76 3.2.1 Beam and Diffuse Solar Radiation 77 3.2.2 Direct Normal Irradiance 77 3.3 Sun Position and Direction of Beam Radiation 79 3.4 Extraterrestrial Radiation and Solar Radiation on Inclined Surfaces 82 3.5 Available Solar Radiation on the Earth’s Surface 83 3.6 Attenuation of Solar Radiation When Incident on Opaque and Transparent Surfaces 85 References 88 4 Main Components of Solar Gas Turbines 90 4.1 Introduction 90 4.2 Solar Field 90 4.2.1 Parabolic Trough Concentrator 91 4.2.2 Linear Fresnel Reflector 93 4.2.3 Parabolic Dish Concentrator 94 4.2.4 Solar Tower 95 4.2.5 Mirrors for Solar Concentration 95 4.2.6 Solar Receivers for Gas Turbines 98 4.3 Enhancing the Capability of Solar Gas Turbines 101 4.3.1 System Hybridization 101 4.3.2 Thermal Storage 103 4.4 Compressor 109 4.5 Combustor 110 4.5.1 Types of Combustors 111 4.5.2 Requirements for Operation 112 4.5.3 Gas Turbine Emissions 113 4.5.4 Some Techniques for Emissions Reductions in Gas Turbines 114 4.6 Turbine 115 4.6.1 Types Turbines 115 4.6.2 Turbine Blade Cooling 116 4.7 Basic Electric Generator 117 4.7.1 Electric-Field Generators 117 4.7.2 Magnetic Field Induction 118 4.7.3 Frequency of Induced AC Voltage 121 4.8 Control System 121 References 124 5 Thermodynamic Cycles of Solar Gas Turbines 127 5.1 Introduction 127 5.2 Carnot Cycle 127 5.3 Rankine Cycle 129 5.4 Brayton Cycle 134 5.4.1 Solar-Only Closed Cycle Solar Gas Turbine 135 5.4.2 Hybrid Closed Cycle Solar Gas Turbine 140 5.4.3 Solar-Only Open Cycle Gas Turbine 144 5.4.4 Hybrid Open Cycle Solar Gas Turbine 144 5.4.5 Semi-closed Cycle Solar Gas Turbine 148 5.5 Combined Cycle 151 5.5.1 Combined Cycle with Closed Topping Brayton Cycle 151 5.5.2 Combined Cycle with Open Topping Brayton Cycle 153 5.6 Exergy Analysis 154 5.6.1 Exergy of Matter Streams 155 5.6.2 Exergy of Non-matter Streams 158 5.7 Influential Factors of Solar Gas Turbine Performance 161 5.7.1 Fuel 161 5.7.2 Fuel Heating 162 5.7.3 Air Temperature and Site Altitude 162 5.7.4 Humidity 163 5.7.5 Inlet and Exhaust Pressure Losses 164 5.7.6 Air Extraction from Compressor 164 5.7.7 Degradation of Gas Turbine 164 References 166 6 Configurations of Solar Gas Turbines 168 6.1 Introduction 168 6.2 Solar-Only Gas Turbine Systems 169 6.2.1 Solar-Only Gas Turbine with Recompression and Inter-cooling 169 6.2.2 Solar-Only Gas Turbine with Fixed and Free Turbines 170 6.2.3 Solar-Only Gas Turbine with Free Turbine and Reheating 171 6.3 Hybrid Solar Gas Turbine Systems 172 6.3.1 Hybrid Solar Gas Turbine with Recompression and Inter-cooling 173 6.3.2 Hybrid Solar Gas Turbine System with High and Low Pressure Turbines 173 6.4 Solar Gas Turbines with Recuperation 174 6.4.1 Solar-Only Gas Turbine with Recuperation 174 6.4.2 Hybrid Solar Gas Turbine with Recuperation 178 6.4.3 Solar Gas Turbines with Thermal Storage 182 References 184 7 Design and Testing of Solar Gas Turbines 186 7.1 Introduction 186 7.2 Basic Theory of Gas Turbine System Design 187 7.2.1 Specification 188 7.2.2 Preliminary Studies 188 7.2.3 Thermodynamic Design Point Studies 189 7.2.4 Aerodynamic Design 190 7.2.5 Mechanical Design 193 7.3 System Optimization 195 7.3.1 Considerations About Components and Processes 196 7.3.2 System Boundaries 198 7.3.3 Optimization Criteria 199 7.3.4 Mathematical Model 200 7.3.5 Solution Procedure 202 7.4 Testing of Solar Gas Turbines 205 7.4.1 Performance Assessment of Concentrating Solar Technology 206 7.4.2 Performance Assessment of Gas Turbines 212 7.5 Progress in Testing of Solar Gas Turbines 216 7.5.1 Project Development 216 7.5.2 Challenges to Development of Solar Gas Turbines 218 References 224 8 Economic Performance of Solar Gas Turbines 228 8.1 Introduction 228 8.2 Project Costs 229 8.2.1 Sunk Cost 229 8.2.2 Contingency Cost 229 8.2.3 Fixed and Working Capital 230 8.2.4 Depreciation and Depletion Premium 230 8.2.5 Project Benefits 231 8.3 Indicators of Cost–Benefit Comparison 231 8.3.1 Methods Without Time Value of Money 232 8.3.2 Methods with Time Value of Money 232 References 235 Appendix A: Units of Measurement 236 Appendix B: Selected Constants 238 Index 239 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxxi Introduction to Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 1-25 Gas Turbine Fuels and Fuel Systems (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 27-49 Solar Radiation Resource (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 51-64 Main Components of Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 65-101 Thermodynamic Cycles of Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 103-143 Configurations of Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 145-162 Design and Testing of Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 163-204 Economic Performance of Solar Gas Turbines (Amos Madhlopa)....Pages 205-212 Back Matter ....Pages 213-220