MAR 08

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratory are developing a new gas turbine to increase the efficiency of conventional electrical power plants with a generation system that could increase the thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency by 40 to 50 percent.

Electrical generation is an especially dirty process when coal is being used as the fuel source. It's not too efficient, either, with only about 1/3 of the energy from the burned coal being turned into useful electricity. Research is currently being done on two test assemblies which use supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2), rather than water and steam as the working medium, and a system using the Brayton cycle with equipment more akin to a jet engine than a conventional steam turbine.

While most coal-fired electrical plants could see benefits from this new method, other kinds of power generation would also be able to apply these developments. Nuclear power, biomass, and solar thermal power plants also could be improved through adoption of S-CO2 Brayton generation.

The S-CO2 Brayton equipment is also much more compact than equivalent power generating conventional turbines, which helps to reduce installation costs. This should also serve to make retrofitting of existing power plants easier, since available space for the conversion would be easier to allocate. A small, 4 cubic meter (about 141 cubic feet) system could replace more than 120 cubic meters (about 4,238 cubic feet) of equipment and produce the same amount of power.

Furthermore, while special materials are needed for conventional Rankine cycle turbines, because steam is corrosive at the temperatures and pressures involved, this is not an issue with S-CO2 Brayton equipment, which can be fabricated from simple stainless steel.

With efficiency increases like that, old, outmoded coal plants could be retired, and swapping in new, more efficient equipment could replace the need for building new coal plants altogether.

image via Wikimedia

via: Solar Thermal Magazine

Comments (5)

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more for less
written by Matt, March 08, 2011

more energy, using a smaller turbine, using cheaper material. And they have 2 models up and running (its not just on paper).

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very good
written by Tem, March 08, 2011

The potential for burning less coal at the same producer equals less pollution and more power, or a lot more electricity from the same producer at potentially lower costs. Thats great for a locality, especially if electric vehicles are adopted by most.
Overall, coal producers could export more, which is good for our economy, and developing countries could invest and improve their electricity infrastructures. This is a very positive development for the planet.

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written by Mike, March 09, 2011

Put the technology into geothermal and nuclear powered turbines, otherwise all this will do is maintain the entrenchment of the coal industry.

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small scale electric generation
written by Ron, March 16, 2011

Just wondering out loud:

For a DIY kind of person who would like to try to build/create his own hydro or wind power generator.

Are there efficient electric generators on the market for residential use?

Is there some web page that would review this class of electric generators?

Any good online sources of free information to get more knowledgeable about this?

thnx

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Efficiency is on the move
written by tim, February 29, 2012

Even with all the calls for solar and wind powered technology, electrical technology itself is growing more and more efficient. Great article

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