Gas Turbine Technology in relation with Near Zero Emission Power Generation

•      Gas turbines have extensive fuel flexibility potential. In principle they are able to burn natural gas with wide variability, gasified coal / bio-fuels, industrial gases, opportunity fuels such as oil residuals and shale tars, and hydrogen.  This flexibility coupled with high conversion efficiency ensures their continued importance. The ability to handle gases from coal and bio-fuel gasification will become increasingly important in the future. In future gas turbines will enhance the conversion into the hydrogen economy.

•      Gas turbine technology currently offers low cost power; it has significant potential for further improvement in terms of emissions release and cost of power. Improvements in the efficiency of power generation by advanced aerodynamic design and new thermodynamic cycles would minimise both fuel use and CO₂ releases.

•       Gas turbines are also essential in the development of new and clean coal conversion processes: integrated coal gasification combined cycle and direct coal combustion in gas turbines.

•       Gas turbines play an important role in CO2 capture and storage: process integrated CO2 capture and the pressurised storage of CO2 in e.g. oil fields etc.

•       Gas turbines are compatible with decentralised power and co-generation where the effective use of the low temperature exhaust stream can increase efficiencies to over 90%. They are also compatible with hybrid fuel cell systems that may provide very high efficiency with minimal environmental impact.

To read more, please download ETN Policy Document.