Measuring efficiency in modern gas turbine power stations
The United Kingdom Government's decision to put the publicly-owned Electricity Supply Industry into the hands of private investors paved the way for the creation of a competitive electricity market, and encouraged the entry of Independent Power Producers (IPP). Competition in electricity generation has increased as new entrants have taken advantage of the latest Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, which offers rapid build times, low construction cost, and high cycle efficiency, as well as lower environmental emissions. It is of paramount importance that suitable Guarantees are in place before investing in either new build or existing power plant projects. There will be Guarantees within all of the contracts that provide the framework for a viable power project, from the power purchase agreement (PPA), and fuel supply agreement (FSA), to the turnkey contract (Engineer, Procure and Construct). The Plant Performance Guarantees, especially on module power output and heat rate, have a major impact on a project's economic viability, and although they are included within the turnkey construction contract, they may also be passed through to the PPA and FSA. This paper details the Performance Guarantee Tests that are carried out jointly by the Owner-Operator and the Plant Constructor on a large CCGT plant in the UK, though the Tests are as valid for international sites. The methodology of the Performance Test is described, along with the applicable International Standards. On-line efficiency monitoring at one of National Power's CCGT plant is also briefly outlined. A set of typical power and heat rate correction curves is provided in Appendix 1 for reference, while Appendix 2 contains an example calculation of turbine inlet temperature as per DIN 4341. Appendix 3 is a flow diagram for an online efficiency calculation cycle, using the EfficiencyMap{trademark} Performance Monitoring system.
- Research Organization:
- National Power PLC, Swindon (GB)
- OSTI ID:
- 20013568
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1998 International Joint Power Generation Conference, Baltimore, MD (US), 08/23/1998--08/26/1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 1998 international joint power generation conference (FACT-Vol.22). Volume 1: Fuels and combustion technologies; Gas turbines; Environmental engineering; Nuclear engineering, by Gupta, A.; Natole, R.; Sanyal, A.; Veilleux, J. [eds.], 921 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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