Table Of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO COMBINED CYCLE POWER GENERATION .......................................3

1.1 COMBINED CYCLE FUNDAMENTALS THEORY AND OPERATION.........................3

1.1.1 Overview ...........................................................................................................3

1.1.2 The Gas Turbine (Brayton) Cycle .....................................................................5

1.1.3 The Steam-Water (Rankine) Cycle ...................................................................8

1.1.4 Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) ........................................................9

1.1.5 The Combined Cycle.......................................................................................10

1.1.6 Rankine Cycle Parameters and Efficiency ......................................................11

1.1.7 Combined Cycle Parameters and Efficiency...................................................11

1.2 BENEFITS OF THE COMBINED CYCLE.........................................................................13

1.2.1 Operational Benefits........................................................................................13

1.2.2 Environmental Aspects ...................................................................................14

1.2.3 Repowering and Economic Aspects ...............................................................15

2.0 GAS TURBINES.....................................................................................................................16

2.1 Applicable Physics Concepts and Laws .....................................................................16

2.2 Gas Turbine Engine Fundamentals ............................................................................17

2.2.1 Gas Turbine Cycle ..........................................................................................18

2.2.2 Gas Turbine Engine Theory ............................................................................19

2.3 Gas Turbine Main Components ..................................................................................20

2.3.1 Air Inlet Equipment..........................................................................................20

2.3.2 Compressor.....................................................................................................20

2.3.3 Combustion Section ........................................................................................24

2.3.4 Turbine Section ...............................................................................................28

2.4 Gas Turbine Parameters and Efficiency .....................................................................31

3.0 HEAT RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS .........................................................................35

3.1 Overview .....................................................................................................................35

3.2 Functional Description ................................................................................................35

3.2.1 Steam/Water Flowpath....................................................................................35

3.2.2 Steam Generation ...........................................................................................37

3.2.3 Superheated Steam ........................................................................................38

3.2.4 Gas Side Flowpath..........................................................................................38

3.3 HRSG Characteristics and Design Considerations.....................................................39

3.3.1 HRSG Geometry .............................................................................................39

3.3.2 Exhaust Gas Considerations...........................................................................39

3.3.3 Duct Firing.......................................................................................................40

3.3.4 Stack Temperature..........................................................................................41

3.3.5 Bypass Stack And Damper .............................................................................41

3.3.6 Stress and Fatigue ..........................................................................................42

3.3.7 Blowdown........................................................................................................42

3.3.8 Selective Catalytic Reduction..........................................................................42

4.0 STEAM TURBINES ................................................................................................................43

4.1 Turbine Principles............................................................................................................43

4.1.1 Nozzles and Their Principles ............................................................................43

4.1.2 Basic Turbine Types and Principles..................................................................43

4.1.3 Classification of Turbines..................................................................................49

5.0 INTEGRATED COMBINED CYCLE OPERATION .................................................................50

5.1 Normal Startup............................................................................................................50

5.1.1 Combustion Turbine Startup ...........................................................................50

5.1.2 HRSG Startup .................................................................................................51

5.1.3 Steam Turbine Startup ....................................................................................56

5.1.4 Fast Starts.......................................................................................................58

5.2 Operating Modes ........................................................................................................59

5.2.1 Base Load .......................................................................................................59

5.3 Shutdown of Combined Cycle Plants..........................................................................61

5.3.1 Normal Shutdown............................................................................................61

5.3.2 Emergency Shutdown .....................................................................................62

6.0 COMBINED CYCLE PERFORMANCE MONITORING ..........................................................63

6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................63

6.2 Energy Conversion Cycle ...........................................................................................63

6.2.1 Energy Conversion..........................................................................................63

6.2.2 Energy Leaving the Plant ................................................................................65

6.3 Plant Heat Rate...........................................................................................................66

6.3.1 Gross Plant Heat Rate ....................................................................................66

6.3.2 Net Plant Heat Rate ........................................................................................66

6.4 Factors Affecting Plant Performance ..........................................................................67

6.4.1 Gas Turbine ....................................................................................................67

6.4.2 Heat Recovery Steam Generator....................................................................69

6.4.4 Main Condensers ............................................................................................73

6.4.5 Deaerator ........................................................................................................76

INTRODUCTION TO COMBINED CYCLE POWER GENERATION

COMBINED CYCLE FUNDAMENTALS THEORY AND OPERATION

This Training Course provides an overview of the principles and theory of combined cycle power
plant design and operation. The objective of this Course is to provide plant personnel with a basic
understanding of the major components of the combined cycle power plant and the role of each
component in achieving optimum plant efficiency. In addition, this Training Course will help the
plant staff develop an appreciation for the unique characteristics of the combined cycle power
plant.
Overview
There are many different types of power plants including thermal power plants and hydro power
plants. Thermal power plants burn some sort of fuel (such as fossil or nuclear fuel) to produce heat
energy that is converted to electrical energy through a series of intermediate processes. Hydro
power plants convert the potential energy of water to electrical power as it flows from higher to
lower elevations.

There are many different types of power plants including thermal power plants and hydro power
plants. Thermal power plants burn some sort of fuel (such as fossil or nuclear fuel) to produce heat
energy that is converted to electrical energy through a series of intermediate processes. Hydro
power plants convert the potential energy of water to electrical power as it flows from higher to
lower elevations.

The Rankine Cycle has been refined considerably over the years and made more efficient by
the addition of components like feedwater heaters, superheaters, and reheaters. The efficiency of
the Rankine Cycle has also been improved by increasing the pressure and temperature of the cycle.
One of the most efficient Rankine Cycle plants ever built (Philadelphia Electric's Eddystone plant,
Units 1 and 2) was placed in service around 1960. The thermal efficiency of the Eddystone plant was
42%. The laws of thermodynamics and considerations such as material limitations have prevented
any significant improvement since then.

Power plants commonly use heat rate to measure efficiency. Heat rate is measured in
BTU/KWh. Thus, heat rate shows the amount of heat in BTUs that is required to produce a kilowatt-
hour of electrical energy. Thermal efficiency can be converted to heat rate by using the conversion
factor “3413 BTU equals 1 KWh”. If a power plant could be built with 100% efficiency, its heat rate
would be 3413 BTU/KWh. In contrast, the 42% efficiency of the Eddystone plant corresponds to a
heat rate of 8126 BTU/KWh. The heat rate of the Ennis-Tractebel Plant is approximately 6550
BTU/KWh (52% thermal efficiency at 83°F); although it varies depending on equipment performance
and ambient conditions.
Gas Turbines and Combined Cycle
 The first practical gas turbine was developed in Europe in 1939. At the end of World War II, the
first gas turbines were developed for aircraft. Shortly after the war, the first industrial gas turbines
for power production and other industrial applications, such as driving locomotives, were
introduced. Gas turbines use another type of cycle called the Brayton cycle, also named after its
inventor. The first commercial, industrial gas turbines were relatively inefficient, typically having a
thermal efficiency of 16% to 17%.

As the gas turbine industry matured, the design of gas turbines, like that of Rankine Cycles, was
improved. Use of gas turbines in the power utility industry increased steadily from their introduction
in the late 1940's. Gas turbines reached a peak of popularity in the early 1970's. At that time, the
growth in demand for electric power exceeded the ability of the industry to meet electrical demand
through addition of Rankine Cycle plants alone. Gas turbines were attractive because they could be
built much more rapidly than Rankine Cycle plants.

The oil crisis of the early 1970's brought a sudden halt to the popularity of gas turbines for three
reasons. First, almost all utility gas turbines use either gas or oil for fuel. The cost of these fuels went
up dramatically while their availability went down. Secondly, the oil crisis brought renewed
attention to the need for efficiency (getting more energy out of the fuel). Gas turbines of this period
were significantly less efficient than Rankine Cycle plants. Typical gas turbine thermal efficiencies
were 20% to 25%. Finally, the emphasis on conserving energy reduced the rate of increase in
electrical power demand and thus the need for new power plants.

The gas turbine industry has seen a resurgence in the last 15 to 20 years. Part of this recovery
has resulted from steady increases in gas turbine efficiency due to material and design
improvements. Another cause for growth in the gas turbine industry has been the growing
popularity of combined cycle plants. A combined cycle plant consists of one or more gas turbines
that drive generators and exhaust into a special boiler called a heat recovery steam generator
(HRSG) that generates steam for a Rankine Cycle unit.

One of the principal reasons for the popularity of the combined cycle power plants is their high
thermal efficiency. Combined cycle plants with thermal efficiencies as high as 60% are being built.
Combined cycle plants can achieve these efficiencies because much of the heat from the gas
turbine(s) is captured and used in the Rankine Cycle portion of the plant. Refer to Figure 1-1. The
heat from the exhaust gases would normally be lost to the atmosphere in a simple gas turbine cycle