Dynamic simulation analysis of molten salt reactor-coupled air-steam combined cycle power generation system

A nonlinear dynamic simulation model based on coordinated control of speed and flow rate for the molten salt reactor and combined cycle systems is proposed here to ensure the coordination and stability between the molten salt reactor and power system.This model considers the impact of thermal properties of fluid variation on accuracy and has been validated with Simulink.This study reveals the capability of the control system to compensate for anomalous situations and maintain shaft stability in the event of perturbations occurring in high-temperature molten salt tank outlet parameters.Meanwhile,the control system’s impact on the system’s dynamic characteristics under molten salt disturbance is also analyzed.The results reveal that after the disturbance occurs,the controlled system benefits from the action of the control,and the overshoot and disturbance amplitude are positively correlated,while the system power and frequency eventually return to the initial values.This simulation model provides a basis for utilizing molten salt reactors for power generation and maintaining grid stability.

Performance of Gas-Steam Combined Cycle Cogeneration Units Influenced by Heating Network Terminal Steam Parameters

The determination of source-side extracted heating parameters is of great significance to the economic operation of cogeneration systems.This paper investigated the coupling performance of a cogeneration heating and power system multidimensionally based on the operating characteristics of the cogeneration units,the hydraulic and thermodynamic characteristics of the heating network,and the energy loads.Taking a steam network supported by a gas-steam combined cycle cogeneration system as the research case,the interaction effect among the source-side prime movers,the heating networks,and the terminal demand thermal parameters were investigated based on the designed values,the plant testing data,and the validated simulation.The operating maps of the gas-steam combined cycle cogeneration units were obtained using THERMOFLEX,and the minimum source-side steam parameters of the steam network were solved using an inverse solution procedure based on the hydro-thermodynamic coupling model.The cogeneration operating maps indicate that the available operating domain considerably narrows with the rise of the extraction steam pressure and flow rate.The heating network inverse solution demonstrates that the source-side steam pressure and temperature can be optimized from the originally designed 1.11 MPa and 238.8°C to 1.074 MPa and 191.15°C,respectively.Under the operating strategy with the minimum source-side heating parameters,the power peak regulation depth remarkably increases to 18.30%whereas the comprehensive thermal efficiency decreases.The operation under the minimum source-side heating steam parameters can be superior to the originally designed one in the economy at a higher price of the heating steam.At a fuel price of$0.38/kg and the power to fuel price of 0.18 kg/(kW·h),the critical price ratio of heating steam to fuel is 119.1 kg/t.The influence of the power-fuel price ratio on the economic deviation appears relatively weak.

Hydrate-based carbon dioxide capture from simulated integrated gasification combined cycle gas

The equilibrium hydrate formation conditions for CO2/H2 gas mixtures with different CO2 concentrations in 0.29 mol% TBAB aqueous solution are firstly measured.The results illustrate that the equilibrium hydrate formation pressure increases remarkably with the decrease of CO2 concentration in the gas mixture.Based on the phase equilibrium data,a three stages hydrate CO2 separation from integrated gasification combined cycle （IGCC） synthesis gas is investigated.Because the separation efficiency is quite low for the third hydrate separation,a hybrid CO2 separation process of two hydrate stages in conjunction with one chemical absorption process （absorption with MEA） is proposed and studied.The experimental results show H2 concentration in the final residual gas released from the three stages hydrate CO2 separation process was approximately 95.0 mol% while that released from the hybrid CO2 separation process was approximately 99.4 mol%.Thus,the hybrid process is possible to be a promising technology for the industrial application in the future.

Thermodynamic analysis and combined cycle research on recoverable pressure energy in natural gas pipeline

Current research and ways of capturing mechanical energy are discussed in this paper. By the aid of the comprehensive thermodynamic analysis and Aspen simulation tool, the amount of a vailable work that can be produced from capturing the pressure energy has been calculated. Based on the comprehensive thermodynamic analysis, two systems have been proposed to capture pressure energy of natural gas to generate electricity. In this study, the expression of exergy is given which can be used in evaluating purposes. A problem with this multidisciplinary study is the complicated boundary condition. In conclusion, a technical prospect on recoverable natural gas pressure energy has been presented based on total energy system theory.

Assessment of Site Parameters and Heat Recovery Characteristics on Combined Cycle Performance in an Equatorial Environment

This paper investigates the effects of site based parameters such as ambient temperature, humidity, altitude and heat transfer characteristic of a dual pressure heat recovery system on the performance of the combined cycle power plant within an equatorial environment. The bulk heat utilization and configuration of a dual pressure heat recovery system are investigated. It is observed that the heat system configuration play a vital role in optimizing the combined cycle overall performance, which has proportionality relationship with the operating ambient temperature and relative humidity of the gas turbine. The investigation is carried out within the ambient temperature range of 24℃ to 35℃, relative humidity of 60% to 80%, and a high level steam pressure of 60 bar to 110 bar. The results show that at 24℃ ambient temperature, the heat recovery system has the highest duty of 239.4 MW, the optimum combined cycle power output of 205.52 MW, and overall efficiency of 47.46%. It further indicates that as the ambient temperature increases at an average exhaust gas temperature of 530℃ and mass flow of 470 kg/s, the combined cycle power output and efficiency decrease by 15.5% and 13.7% respectively under the various considerations. This results from a drop in the air and exhaust mass flow as the values of the site parameters increase. The overall results indicate that decreasing the ambient temperature at optimum exhaust gas flow and temperature increases the heat recovery system heat duty performance, the steam generation, overall combined cycle power output and efficiency, which satisfies the research objective.

DESIGN OF COMBINED CYCLE GENERATION SYSTEM WITH HIGH TEMPERATURE FUEL CELL AND STEAM TURBINE

For environment protection and high efficiency, development of new conceptpower plant has been required in China. The fuel cell is expected to be used in a power plant as acentralized power Station or distributed power plant. It is a chemical power generation device thatconverts the energy of a chemical reaction directly into electrical energy and not limited by Carnotcycle efficiency. The molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power plant has several attractive featuresi.e. high efficiency and lower emission of NO_x and SO_x A combined cycle generation system withMCFC and steam turbine is designed. Its net electrical efficiency LHV is about 55 percent.

Energy Efficiency of a Simulated Synthetic Natural Gas Combined Cycle (SNGCC)

The objective of this investigation is to analyze the impact of the flue gas recirculation (FGR) ratio on the different energy inputs and outputs of a SNGCC power plant as well as its overall efficiency. Simulation results indicate that increasing flue gas recirculation increases the energy consumed by the recirculation compressor and the energy produced by the gas turbine. On the other hand, it decreases the production of energy of the steam turbine and the energy consumed by the pump of the steam cycle. The overall energy efficiency of the SNGCC power plant is highest (41.09%) at a value of 0.20 of the flue gas recirculation. However, the flue gas composition with a FGR ratio of 0.37 is more suitable for effective absorption of carbon dioxide by amine solutions. Based on the low heating value (LHV) of hydrogen, the corresponding overall efficiency of the power plant is 39.18% and the net power output of the plant is 1273 kW for consumption of 97.5 kg/hr. of hydrogen.

Thermodynamic Performance Analysis of E/F/H-Class Gas Turbine Combined Cycle with Exhaust Gas Recirculation and Inlet/Variable Guide Vane Adjustment under Part-Load Conditions

Exhaust gas recirculation control(EGRC),an inlet air heating technology,can be utilized in combination with inlet/variable guide vane control(IGV/VGVC) and fuel flow control(FFC) to regulate the load,thereby effectively improving the part-load(i.e.,off-design) performance of the gas turbine combined cycle(GTCC).In this study,the E-,F-,and H-Class EGR-GTCC design and off-design system models were established and validated to perform a comparative analysis of the part-load performance under the EGR-IGV-FFC and conventional IGV-FFC strategies in the E/F/H-Class GTCC.Results show that EGR-IGV-FFC has considerable potential for the part-load performance enhancement and can show a higher combined cycle efficiency than IGV-FFC in the E-,F-,and H-Class GTCCs.However,the part-load performance improvement in the corresponding GTCC was weakened for the higher class of the gas turbine because of the narrower load range of EGR action and the deterioration of the gas turbine performance.Furthermore,EGR-IGV-FFC was inferior to IGV-FFC in improving the performance at loads below 50% for the H-Class GTCC.The results obtained in this paper could help guide the application of EGR-IGV-FFC to enhance the part-load performance of various classes of GTCC systems.

Unsteady flow characteristic analysis of turbine based combined cycle(TBCC)inlet mode transition10.1016/j.jppr.2015.07.006

A turbine based combined cycle(TBCC)propulsion system uses a turbine-based engine to accelerate the vehicle from takeoff to the mode transition flight condition,at which point,the propulsion system performs a“mode transition”from the turbine to ramjet engine.Smooth inlet mode transition is accomplished when flow is diverted from one flowpath to the other,without experiencing unstart or buzz.The smooth inlet mode transition is a complex unsteady process and it is one of the enabling technologies for combined cycle engine to become a functional reality.In order to unveil the unsteady process of inlet mode transition,the research of over/under TBCC inlet mode transition was conducted through a numerical simulation.It shows that during the mode transition the terminal shock oscillates in the inlet.During the process of inlet mode transition mass flow rate and Mach number of turbojet flowpath reduce with oscillation.While in ramjet flowpath the flow field is non-uniform at the beginning of inlet mode transition.The speed of mode transition and the operation states of the turbojet and ramjet engines will affect the motion of terminal shock.The result obtained in present paper can help us realize the unsteady flow characteristic during the mode transition and provide some suggestions for TBCC inlet mode transition based on the smooth transition of thrust.

Economics and Performance Forecast of Gas Turbine Combined Cycle

Forecasts of the various types of gas turbines economics and performance of gas turbine combined cycle （GTCC） with will help power plant designers to select the best type of gas turbine for future Chinese powerplants. The cost and performance of various designs were estimated using the commercial software GT PRO. Improved GTCC output will increase the system efficiency which may induce total investment and will certainly increase the cumulative cash which then will induce the cost and the payback period. The relative annual fuel output increases almost in proportion to the relative GTCC output. China should select the gas turbine that provides the most economical output according to its specific conditions. The analysis shows that a GTCC power plant with a medium-sized 100 to 200 MW output gas turbine is the most suitable for Chinese investors.

Identifying Critical Components of Combined Cycle Power Plants for Implementation of Reliability-centered Maintenance

Maintenance scheduling and asset management practices play an important role in power systems,specifically in power generating plants.This paper presents a novel riskbased framework for a criticality assessment of plant components as a means to conduct more focused maintenance activities.Critical components in power plants that influence overall system performance are identified by quantifying their failure impact on system reliability,electric safety,cost,and the environment.Prioritization of plant components according to the proposed risk-based method ensures that the most effective and techno-economic investment decisions are implemented.This,in turn,helps to initiate modern maintenance approaches,such as reliability-centered maintenance(RCM).The proposed method is applied to a real combined cycle power plant(CCPP)in Iran,composed of two gas turbine power plants(GTPP)and one steam turbine power plant(STPP).The results demonstrate the practicality and applicability of the presented approach in real world practices.

Prediction of combined cycle fatigue life of TC11 alloy based on modified nonlinear cumulative damage model

The nonlinear cumulative damage model is modified to have high prediction accuracy when the high-low cycle stress frequency ratio m is large(m500).The low cycle fatigue(LCF)tests,high cycle fatigue(HCF)tests and combined high and low cycle fatigue(CCF)tests of TC11 titanium alloy were carried out,and the influencing factors of CCF life were analysed.The CCF life declines with the decrease of the ratio of high-low cycle stress frequency m.Both linear and nonlinear cumulative damage models are used to predict the CCF life.The CCF life prediction error of the linear cumulative damage model is great and the predictions tend to be overestimated,which is dangerous for engineering application.The accuracy is relatively high when the high-low cycle stress frequency ratio m500.The accuracy of nonlinear cumulative damage model is higher than that of linear model when the high-low cycle stress frequency ratio m500.Based on the relationship between high cycle average stress rmajor and material yield limit rp,0.2,a correction term is added to the nonlinear cumulative damage model and verified,which made the modified model more accurate when m500.

Thermodynamic and Economic Studies of a Combined Cycle for Waste Heat Recovery of Marine Diesel Engine

In the present study,the thermodynamic and economic performance of a combined thermodynamic cycle formed by an ORC and a Kalina cycle,which can simultaneously recover waste heat of exhaust gas and cooling water of marine engine,has been analyzed.Two typical marine engines are selected to be the waste heat source.Six economic indicators are used to analyze the economic performance of this combined thermodynamic cycle system with different marine engine load and under practical comprehensive operating condition of marine engine.The results of the present study show that the combined thermodynamic cycle system with R123 as organic working fluid has the best performance.The system with cis-butene has the worst economic performance.Under practical comprehensive operating conditions of ships,R123 has the shortest Payback Periods,which are 8.51 years and 8.14 years for 8 S70 ME-C10.5 engine and 5G95 ME-C10.5 engine,respectively.Correspondingly,payback Periods of Cyclopentane are 11.95 years and 11.90 years.The above values are much shorter than 25 years which are the lifetime of a marine ship.Under practical comprehensive operating conditions of ships,the combined cycle system can provide output power which is at least equivalent to 25%of engine power.Considering that R123 will be phased out in near future,cyclopentane may be its good successor.Cyclopentane can be used safely by correct handling and installing according to manufacturer's instructions.

Investigation on experimental load spectrum for high and low cycle combined fatigue test

As the outfield load spectrum is so complicated that it cannot be used directly for test study in laboratory.This paper presents a method to determine load spectrum for high and low cycle combined fatigue of turbine mortise at elevated temperature through experimental and numerical method.First of all,the low cycle load spectrum with duration time is determined through cumulative damage rule.The rain flow counting method is applied to obtain main cycles and sub cycles,and then the stress cycle is converted into pulsation cycle(stress ratio=0)based on the S-N curve and the Goodman curve;Secondly,three groups of different amplitudes tests are established to determine the high cycle amplitude.Finally,another three groups of the high-low combined cycle fatigue(HLCCF)tests for turbine mortise of a certain type engine are carried out.The results show that the macro and micro failure modes are identical with outfield's,which verifies the accuracy of the conversion method.

Effect of binder on the properties of iron oxide sorbent for hot gas desulfurization

The most difficult problem in hot gas desulfurization in Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle （IGCC） is the pulverization of sulfur removal sorbents.Appropriate binders for hot gas sulfur removal sorbents can solve the pulverization problem.In this paper,six sorbents with binders of different argillaceous minerals were prepared by mechanical mixing method.Desulfurization behavior for hot gas desulfurization sorbents was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor.Result showed that sorbent NTKW2 with binder of clay had a better sulfidation performance.NTKW2 had a more stable performance than other sorbents in the continuous sulfidation-regeneration cycles.Sulfur capacity of sorbent remained the same in each cycle.The desulfurization efficiency and mechanical strength of NTKW2 were the best among the tested sorbents.The behavior of NTKW2 at different temperatures showed different performances,and the best reaction temperature was 550 ℃.Higher heat stability,sulfur capacity and desulfurization efficiency were found on NTKW2 in six continuous sulfidation-regeneration cycles.

Simulation of a NGCC Power Generation Plant for the Production of Electricity from CO2 Emissions Part II: SNGCC Power Plant

The objective of the first part of the investigation was to use Aspen Plus software and the Redlich-Kwong-Soave equation of state in order to simulate an adiabatic methanation reactor for the production of synthetic natural methane (SNG) using 1 kg/hr of carbon dioxide. In this paper, we define the Synthetic Natural Gas Combined Cycle (SNGCC) as a combined cycle power plant where the fuel is synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced by a methanation reactor. The feed of the methanation reactor is the recycled stream of carbon dioxide of a CO2 capture unit treating the flue gas of the SNGCC power plant. The objective of the second part of the investigation is the utilization of Aspen plus software with SRK equation of state for the simulation of the SNGCC power plant. The metallurgical limitation of the gas turbine was fixed at 1300°C in this investigation. For effective absorption by amine solutions, the molar percentage of CO2 in the flue gas should be higher than 10%. Moreover, in order to reduce technical problems linked to oxidative degradation of amine in the CO2 capture plant, the percentage of O2 in the flue gas should also be lower than 5%. To reach this goal, the primary air for combustion has 10% excess air (compared to stoichiometric air) and 37% of the flue gas leaving the SNGCC is recirculated as the secondary air for cooling the turbine. As a result, the concentration of CO2 and O2 of the flue gas entering the CO2 capture unit were respectively equal to 10.2% and 2.01%. The simulation results of the SNGCC power plant indicate that 6.6 MJ of electricity are produced for each kg of carbon dioxide recycled from the CO2 capture unit of the power plant. In other terms, the production of the 24.88 kg/hr of synthetic natural gas (SNG) consumes 62.36 kg/hr of recycled carbon dioxide and 16.4 kg/hr of hydrogen. The SNG produced by the methanation reactor of the power plant generates 114 kW of electricity. It is assumed in this paper that the hydrogen needed for the methanation of carbon dioxide is a product of a catalytic reforming plant that produces gasoline from heavy naphta fraction of an atmospheric distillation unit of crude oil.

Drag reduction characteristics of recirculation flow at rocket base in an RBCC engine under ramjet/scramjet mode

To reduce the drag generated by the recirculation flow at the rocket base in a RocketBased Combined Cycle(RBCC)engine operating in the ramjet/scramjet mode,a novel annular rocket RBCC engine based on a central plug cone was proposed.The performance loss mechanism caused by the recirculation flow at the rocket base and the influence of the plug cone configuration on the thrust performance were studied.Results indicated that the recirculation flow at the rocket base extended through the entire combustor,which creates an extensive range of the"low-kineticenergy zone"at the center and leads to an engine thrust loss.The plug cone serving as a surface structure had a restrictive effect on the internal flow of the engine,making it smoothly transit at the position of the large separation zone.The model RBCC engine could achieve a maximum thrust augmentation of 37.6%with a long plug cone that was twice diameter of the inner isolator.However,a shorter plug cone that was half diameter of the inner isolator proved less effective at reducing the recirculation flow for a supersonic flow and induced an undesirable flow fraction that diminished the thrust performance.Furthermore,the effectiveness of the plug cone increased with the flight Mach number,indicating that it could further broaden the operating speed range of the scramjet mode.

Energetic Analysis and Working Fluids Selection for a New Power and Refrigeration Combined Ecological System

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a new system that combines organic Rankine Cycle(ORC) and vapor compression refrigeration cycle(VCRC) for refrigeration and cogeneration. This system uses low-temperature heat sources such as solar energy, geothermal, industrial waste heat and biomass. The novelty of the proposed system manifests itself essentially in: the development of new ORC-VCRC combination architecture, lowering the ORC condensing temperature, the possibility of refrigeration production by the ORC upstream of the pumping phase, preheating of ORC using VCRC fluid and new configurations based on the integration of heat recovery systems to improve the overall system performance. The first part of this study presents the energetic analysis for the basic system using different working fluids and investigation of the operating parameters effect on the system performance(The system performance is described by the ORC thermal efficiency, the VCRC coefficient of performance and the system overall efficiency). Ten working fluids have been selected in order to provide the most adequate candidates for the proposed system. The results showed that the heating temperature and the cooling temperature have a significant effect on the system performance. The choice of fluid was also mentioned;the obtained results confirmed that the best combination for the basic system is R236fa-acetone. Four system configurations are developed and analyzed in the second part of the study. Also in the same part of the study, we will compare these configurations in terms of the performance rate retained. In the last part, we will make a comparison of this new system with another system.

Design and simulation analysis of high-temperature heat-storage combined-circulation system

In view of the continuous increase in the proportion of renewable energy connected to the grid in China and the increasing peak-to-valley difference in electricity demand on the power grid,this paper proposes a high-temperature thermal-storage combined-cycle power-generation system.Using Thermoflex thermal simulation analysis software,a high-temperature thermal-storage combined-cycle simulation analysis system model was established,and the influence of different initial temperatures and pressure ratios on the combined-cycle system was analysed.Sensitivity analysis of factors such as electricity cost,annual operating hours,initial equipment investment,unit efficiency and other factors that affect the net income of the system was carried out.According to the current power-peak-shaving auxiliary service market in China,it is pointed out that high-temperature thermal-storage combined-cycle projects must be profitable and obtain good economic benefits.The results obtained,on the one hand,provide suggestions for the flexibility and transformation of current gas-fired steam generators for peak shaving and,on the other hand,provide references for the subsequent development of high-temperature thermal-storage combined-cycle demonstration projects.

A New Cleaner Power Generation System Based on Self-Sustaining Supercritical Water Gasification of Coal

A new cleaner power generation system(IPGS) is proposed and investigated in this paper. Integrating combined cycle with supercritical water gasification of coal, the thermodynamic energy of the produced syngas is cascade utilized according to its temperature and pressure, both sensible and latent heat of the syngas can be recycled into the system, and thereby the net power efficiency can be about 6.4 percentage points higher than that of the traditional GE gasification based power plant(GEPP). The exergy analysis results show that the exergy efficiency of the proposed system reaches 52.45%, which is 13.94% higher than that of the GEPP, and the improvement in exergy efficiency of the proposed system mainly comes from the exergy destruction decline in the syngas energy recovery process, the condensation process and the syngas purification process. The syngas combustion process is the highest exergy destruction process with a value of 157.84 MW in the proposed system. Further performance improvement of the proposed system lies in the utilization process of syngas. Furthermore, system operation parameters have been examined on the coal mass fraction in the supercritical water gasifier(GF), the gasification temperature, and the gasification pressure. The parametric analysis shows that changes in coal concentration in the GF exert more influence on the exergy efficiency of the system compared with the other two parameters.