Turbine developments for IGCC applications
- General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY (United States)
Despite the strong increase in natural gas use for power generation in recent years, nearly 60% of the nations electrical needs in 1993 were supplied by coal-burning power plants. With many of these plants nearing the end of their design life, and with environmental pressures being imposed by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, a great deal of attention is being placed on developing new technologies that can utilize the nation`s vast coal reserves in a clean and efficient manner. One such technology is Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), which integrates coal gasification technology with modem combustion turbine-based combined cycle systems. IGCC technology was successfully demonstrated on a commercial scale in the US in the mid-to-late 1980`s with the Cool Water Coal Gasification Project. While the project proved the technical viability of IGCC, the economics of the technology had been hindered by uncompetitive capital costs. More recently, however, the commercial introduction of advanced gas turbines, along with detailed engineering efforts on integration of the gasification, combined cycle, cleanup and air separation process has allowed IGCC to progress to a point where it is now competitive with conventional coal-based power plants. Numerous IGCC projects are now under-way with the sponsorship of the Department of Energy Clean Coal Technology Program and with private development funds. This paper reports on various GE technology developments underway which allows the integration of advanced power systems with gasification, cleanup and air separation systems. These developments will provide the basis for the IGCC systems of the future.
- OSTI ID:
- 52035
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940930--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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