Comprehensive Method for Predicting Gas Turbine Cycle Performances Considering the Impact of Various Fuels

Abstract

Abstract. Gas turbines have advanced significantly in recent years, particularly in compressor and turbine efficiency, because of aerodynamic breakthroughs based on numerical flow simulations. Additionally, modern energy demands have driven the research into alternative, environmentally friendly fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol. These fuels significantly influence combustion gas composition, turbine inlet temperature, mass flow, blade cooling, and overall performance. Traditional cycle performance tools often rely on 0D maps for compressors and turbines, which have limitations in simulating these recent advancements. The proposed method replaces such maps with a 2D approach, utilizing detailed flow calculations for compressors and turbines at each operating point. It integrates combustion processes and secondary air systems and iteratively determines the turbine inlet temperature for precise predictions. This method accurately simulates air bleeds, cooling injections, and adjustments in inlet guide and stator vanes while accounting for the effects of fuel composition on performance. This paper demonstrates the methodology using an industrial gas turbine in which natural gas, hydrogen and hydrogen carriers are used as fuels. It shows the consequences of this for several components as well as the main thermodynamic operating parameters. The approach is fast and effective, enabling the optimization of diverse designs throughout the development cycle.