Vision

The decarbonisation of gas-fired power generation will be required in the coming years to meet the significant CO₂ reduction targets of those countries where gas is a major contributor to the energy mix, while retaining the operational flexibility needed to balance the increased levels of generation from intermittent renewables. This extends from new build plants with integrated CO₂ capture technologies, enhancements to improve efficiency/increase exhaust CO₂ levels (exhaust gas recycle), firing of low CO₂/high H₂ fuels, the retrofit with CO₂ capture of existing installed plants and advanced cycles, including oxy-firing.

Research areas include

• Minimisation of CO2 emissions across the full operational range required for flexible operation through i) the development of flexible, high-efficiency cycles and ii) technological improvements to existing machines aimed at improved efficiency (with TC2).
• Process integration to minimise the energy/cost penalties of implementing post combustion capture technologies of various types.
• Performance and reliability impacts of exhaust gas recycle, with or without selective recycle, on combustion and hot gas paths materials.
• Oxy-fired and other advanced gas turbine power cycles for improved efficiency combined with CO2 capture, including improved turbomachinery aerodynamic design/blade cooling for the changed hot gas path environments.
• Materials and coatings technologies for high CO2/high steam hot gas path environments.
• Impact of the integration of CO2 capture technologies on operational and fuel flexibility.
• Impact of highly flexible operation on the capture rate and/r degradation of capture system.
• Systems requirements of highly flexible operation on downstream components (CO2 compression transport and storage system).
• Retrofit of CO2 capture technologies with existing gas turbine power installations.
• Control and monitoring strategies for gas turbines with integrated CO2 capture.
• Development of CO2 capture technologies suitable for gas turbine combined cycles.
• Impact of increased operational flexibility on plant operating costs.

Vision

Research areas include

• Increased plant operational flexibility and efficiency, using retrofit solutions as well as new technologies;
• Optimisation of the gas turbine efficiency over a wide operating range;
• Development of hybrid gas turbine cycles (solar gas turbines, fuel cells, etc.);
• Faster start-up, power ramping;
• Materials and coatings technologies for high CO2/high steam hot gas path environments.
• Impact of the integration of CO2 capture technologies on operational and fuel flexibility.

Vision

Achieve full insight in the mechanisms that have a negative effect on the performance of the engine, the individual components specifically, and understand how these mechanisms can be positively influenced by an alternative operation/maintenance strategy. The interaction of the different mechanisms will also be considered.

With the knowledge collected, develop – in line with the requirements – alternative, improved alloy – coating combinations that can be used in the current and future turbine designs and that perform in accordance with the demands stated for that design.

Research areas include

• Identification of the life limiting degradation models of the key gas turbine engine components;
• Extension of the predictability and modeling of the key degradation mechanisms (e.g. bondcoat oxidation or spallation of TBCs during cyclic operation); monitoring of such damage is covered by TC4;
• Extension of the limits of reparability by improved insight into the occurrence and behavior of the failure mechanisms;
• Consequences of repair processes on future component lifetimes;

Vision

Optimisation of the overall gas turbine power plant equipment effectiveness (reliability, availability, maintainability and performance), by a systematic coordination of all activities and an optimum use of the knowledge embedded in the organisation, in order to properly define the time to next service for flexible operating gas turbines and to go beyond 25000 hours of continuous operation.

Research areas include

• Replacement of boroscope inspection (such as pyrometer);
• Control and predictive measurement of emissions;
• Increased machine monitoring with advanced instrumentation for damage detection and monitoring of components;
• Risk Based Decision Making;

Vision

TC5 does not just look at the technical detail of the gas turbine alone, but looks at the bigger picture. Profitable operation of the gas turbine based plants requires optimum interaction between all components on the plant and aligned operation and maintenance practices. In addition, plant design and processes need to adapt to evolving market requirements.

This can be achieved by developing best practices in different areas and methods to benchmark plant design and processes against these best practices. The result will allow to make risk based decisions through which an organization can optimally and sustainably manages its assets and asset systems, their associated performance, risks and expenditures over their life cycles, for the purpose of achieving their organizational strategic plan. This is needed to adapt in a flexible and competitive manner to uncertainty and changes in the market environment.

Research areas include