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MODELLING OF POWER PLANTS BASED ON GASIFIEWGAS TURBINE TECHNOLOGIES

A Cano, F Jurado
University of Jadn. Spain ABSTRACT The olive tree in Spain can generate large quantities of by-product biomass suitable for gasification. Gasification teehnologies under development would enable these fuels to be used in gas turbines. Biomass conversion to a clean essentially ash-free form, usually by gasification and purification, i s necessary to obtain high efilciency. This paper reports results of detailed full-load performance modelling of cogeneration systems based on gasifidgas turbine technologies.
1.

J Carpio
UNED, Madrid, Spain 2. PRODUCING BIOMASS ELECTRICITY

FROM

INTRODUCTION

There have been significant changes in the generation of electric power over the last few years, with changes in ownership and dispatch patterns, addition of new generation, and retirement or repowering of older generation. One of the significant trends is the widespread application of combined-cycle technology for new power plants. The traditional approach in electric power generation is to have centralised plants distributing electricity through an extensive transmission and distribution network. Distributed generation provides electric power at a site closer to the customer, eliminating the unnecessary transmission and distribution costs [l].
It is widely recognised that distributed generation permits an improved flexibility and allows to delay the upgrade and construction of transmission system facilities. The characteristics of combined cycle power plants are indeed quite different from conventional power plants for what concerns the process, the regulating capabilities under normal conditions and the possibility of facing emergencies through islanding transition and, eventually, through load-shedding facilities [2]-[6].

Many older wood-buming steam power plants use steam temperatures below 40O0 C (75O0F ) and sometimes below 300" C (570 C) so ash behaviour is a minor concern as long as sulphur-bearing secondary fuels (oil or coal) are not used. When backpressure turbines are used to provide process steam as well as power, goad overall energy utilisation is possible, typically 70 percent or more, but the electrical output is only 10-15 percent. With condensing turbines (no process steam supply) the electrical efficiency may be 15-20 percent. Io more modern plants, especially those of larger size (over 50 MW) steam temperatures up to 480 C ( W O F) have been used and electrical efficiencies around 25 percent can be reached, but with increasing concern about the formation of glassy ash deposits and superheater corrosion. The latest generation of electric power plant utilises gas turbines combined with steam turbines to utilise exhaust heat. Thermal efficiencies of 60 percent are being targeted [7] while 5 8 percent has been attained [SI in large utility scale systems. In the small sizes (5-20 MW) combined cycle efficiencies are over 40 percent [9]. These efficiency levels are unattainable by the direct use of biomass fuels because of the high sensitivity of gas turbines to erosion by solid particles, deposit formation by dust, and corrosion by molten ash or salts. Attempts have been made to operate modified gas turbines by direct combustion of wood [IO], but even with turbine inlet 1 3 8 0 ' F ) serious temperatures (TIT) as low as 750" ( problems have been experienced with fuel ash [IO]. A TIT of 750C represents a large departure from normal modem gas turbine practice in which a TIT of 9801200C is more usual. Biomass conversion to a clean essentially ash-free form, usually by gasification and purification, is necessary to obtain high efficiency [ll].
3.

The history of biomass fuelled power systems is as old as the steam engine. In the early days, and for decades afterwards, wood was a common fuel, and w a s used in fairly simple combustion systems with little preparation other than sue reduction and some airAs steam technology developed and competition from other fuels increased, the characteristics of wood and other biomass fuels became better understood, and these characteristics increasingly came to control the design of the power system.
drying.

BIOMASS GASIFICATION

Gumz is the earliest reference found describing the concept of combining a pressurised gasifier with a gas turbine engine, although Gumz himself references an earlier work proposing this concept [12]. He also states that the combination could certainly benefit from future development of pressurised hot gas cleaning to avoid excessive turbine blade wear. G u m was speakiig of coalfuelled plants but the concept is similar when using biomass as fuel.

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Biomass gasification is a technology that transforms solid biomass into syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures produced from carbonaceous fuel). Current use of biomass, which stands at about 12% of the total energy supply to the world, is primarily used in combustion for immediate use. Small-scale gasification for CHP in distributed generation (m Europe sometimes called embedded generation), and village power applications is a field that has expanded very rapidly. Many villages and mini-grids can be served by biomass power generation in the size range of I kWe to 5 MWe. Biomass fuels are characterised by high and variable moisture content, low ash content, low density, and fibrous smcture. In comparison with other fuels, they are regarded as of low quality despite low ash content and very low sulphur content. The residual biomass of the olive-grove in Spain with a potential energy use is classified into two groups. The first group is constituted by residual biomass of olive in the extraction process of the olive oil. Depending on the extraction system, traditional, decanter in three phases or decanter in two phases, the available energy from the byproducts is different. In case of a traditional or a decanter in three phases system, the by-product is the foot cake (4.600 kcalikg heating value), and the olive paste of second centrifugation (3.500 kcalkg heating value) for the last extraction system. The second group of this biomass is constituted by residual biomass from the olive tree, wood, small parts of the olive tree and the forest resources due to forestry works (bushes cleanliness, etc). The products of both above groups present, f r o m an energy point of view, favourable aspects in their use, e.g., the ensured annual production, its relative concentration in a place, the proper humidity conditions, the low sulphur content and other harmful emissions, and finally, its high thermal value. Not using those resources originates environmental problems due to foot cake and olive paste storage, plagues propagation and forest fires.
A variety of relatively large-scale biomass gasification technologies are at various advanced stages of development. Three gasifier@ cleanup designs are considered here: (i) atmospheric-pressure air-blown fluidised-bed gasification with wet scrubbing, e.g., the technology under development by Waldheim et al. [13] its higher heating value (HHV) is 1500 kcalikg; (ii) pressurised air-blown fluidised-bed gasification with hotgas cleanup, e.g., the technology under development by Sa10 et al. [I41 the HHY is 1300 kcallkg; and (iii) atmospheric-pressure indirectly-heated gasification with wet scrubbing by Paisley et al. [15] the HHV is 4300 kcalikg. Several scenarios point to the potential market for gasifier power systems at about IO 000 MW by 2010.

percent oxygen, 0.2 percent nitrogen, and 4 percent ash. Its HHYis 20.47 MJ/dry kg.
Table 1. Modelled performance of alternative gasifiers
Low-pressure indirect-heat
Low- pressure air -blown

High-pressun

air -blown

Carbon to gas *
HHV, MJkg

70.1 18.1

96.9
6.47

91.4
5.48

* Percent carbon in fuel divided by carbon into gasifier.

Gasifier
Figure I: Gasifier and gar turbine.

This power plant generates electric power using biomass from the olive tree. The gasifier is capable of converting tons of wood chips per day into a gaseous fuel that i s fed into a gas turbine as shown in Figure 1. The gasifier improves significantly electrical generating efficiency in a variety of applications. The biomass gasifier enables the use of advanced power systems that will nearly double the efficiency of today's biopower indusby. The gasifier heats the wood in a chamber filled with hot sand until the wood breaks into basic chemical components. The solidssand and char- are separated &om the gases, which then flow through a scrubber. The final result is a very clean-buming gas fuel suitable for direct use in modern power systems such as gas turbines.

4.

MODELLING OF A COMBINED CYCLE POWERPLANT

A combined-cycle plant can be seen as the coupling of a

Table 1 gives modelled performance of alternative gasifiers. The feedstock in all cases is biomass with 20 percent moisture content with the following composition (dry mass basis): 50.2 percent carbon, 5.4 percent hydrogen, 34.4 0-7803-7570-X/02/$17.00 8 2002 IEEE

gas turbine and a steam turbine through a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) [16]. Overall system efficiency can be greatly improved by linking together these two different thermal cycles. Figure 2 represents a simplified combined cycle model.

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A .. < "

D d m

_,___

As the

speed

Spcrd

Hut ReS f r m 0Cn-r

Ro

adopted turbine model is derived 6om international references of mechanical origin, in the following sections the key points of the gas turbine model and control loops are anyhow highlighted, with the aim of helping non-specialist readers. Furtherly, some upgrades and innovations for adapting the gas turbine model to combined cycle power plants are introduced. In particular the specific equipment which constitutes the steam section of the plant (namely the HRSG and the steam turbine) have been described in some details.
4.1 GAS TURBINE

Figure 2 Combined cycle model.

Generally, in a combined-cycle plant, the high temperature exhaust gasses of the gas turbine are discharged into a heat-recovery boiler, which provides steam for a steam turbine. There are many different practical solutions adopted for the realisation of a combined-cycle plant, which are different in the number of gas turbines modulating in parallel to eventually match partial load conditions, in the number of steam turbines, and in the type and architecture of the heat recovery boiler. Nevertheless, the basic functional principles remain throughout the same, and thus the analysis of practical cases can give useful hints for further studies on other different plants.

Figure 3 represents a block diagram for a single-shall gas turbine, together with its control and fuel systems, as it would be represented for isolated generator drive service. The control system includes speed control, temperature control, and upper and lower fuel limits. The representation of the speed governor is suitable for either droop or isochronous control aid operates on the speed error formed between a reference made up of one per unit speed plus the digital setpoint, compared with actual system or rotor speed. A droop governor is a straight proportional speed controller in which the output is proportional to the speed error. An isochronous governor is a proportional-plus-reset speed controller in which the rate of change of the output is proportional to the speed error.

Figure 3: Block diagram for the combined cycle plant.

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Therefore, the output of an isochronous governor will integrate in a corrective direction until the speed error is zero. For isochronous control, the digital setpoint remains at zero deviation from the frequency reference, and the gas turbine matches the system load up to its rated capability. The speed governor is the primary means of gas turbine control under part-load conditions. The digital setpoint is the normal means for controlling gas turbine output when operating in parallel and using a droop governor [17]-[19]. Temperature control is the normal means of limiting gas turbine output at a predetermined firing temperature, in dependent of variation in ambient temperature or fuel characteristics. Since exhaust temperature is measured using a series of thermocouples incorporating radiation shields, there is a small transient error due to the time constants associated with the measuring system. Under normal system conditions, where gas turbine output is determined by the slow rate o f digital setpoint, these time coostants are of no significance to the load limiting function. However, where increasing gas turbine output is the result of a reduction of system frequency and therefore may occur quite rapidly, exhaust temperature measurement system time constants will result in some transient overshoot in load pickup. The design of the temperature controller is intended to compensate for this transient characteristic. These two control functions-speed governing under part-load conditions, and temperature control acting as an upper limit, are input to a low value selector. The output of the low value selector, which is called VCE, is the lowest of the two inputs, whichever requires the least fuel. Transfer from one control to another is bumpless and without any time lags. The output of the low value selector is compared with maximum and minimum limits. Of the two, the maximum limit acts as a backup to temperature control and is not encountered in normal operation; the minimum limit is the more important dynamically. This is because the minimum limit is chosen to maintain adequate fuel flow to insure that flame is maintained within the gas turbine.

Anyhow, some practical approaches may be suggested to approximately model the steam power production stage. The HRSG considered in this paper is a heat exchanger with no post-combustion. Two appropriate time constants T , and Tb account for the dynamic of the steam production stage and allow to simulate the behaviour of the considered heat exchanger 1201.
4.3 STEAM TURBINE

The dynamic behaviour of the steam turbine in combined cycle power plant modelling barely weighs on the overall model performance. In fact, the HRSG large time constants filter out the quick changes of the variables that interface the gas turbine model with the heat-recovery apparatus. Thus, the steam turbine dynamics are practically negligible when considering the overall plant dynamic behaviour. As a result, only the static aspect of the steam power production has been considered and implemented in the combined-cycle dynamic model. Since the steam turbine contribution to the overall power production in the plant considered for this paper is small, compared to that of the gas turbines, it was decided to base the calculation of the power produced by the steam turbine only on steam flow, not considering the pressure variations [21]. This rough approximation can be considered acceptable as steam pressures at the turbine inlet and outlet can be considered not so critical parameters. Consequently, the block adopted to model the steam turbine simply divides the actual steam flow by the steam flow needed to have a power output from the turbine.
5.

RESULTS

A load is fed fiom the combined-cycle plant. The selected system comprises a gas turbine and a steam turbine (20 MW). The load and the combined-cycle plant are modelled using MATLAB [22]. The system is shown in Figure 3 and described by the data in Tables 11-IV [23],[24].

G a s turbine fuel systems are designed to provide energy

input to the gas turbine in proportion to the product o f the command signal (VCE)times the unit speed. This is analogous to the actual mode of operation of the fuel system, since liquid fuel pumps are driven at a speed proportional to turbine rotor speed.
4.2 HEAT RECOVERY STEAM GENERATOR

Table II. G a s turbine. Charactcristics and consmts.

Turbine inlet prcrrurc Turbine outlet pressure

IO bar 1.015 bar

The modelling of this part of the combined cycle plant may greatly change from case to case. This is because, while the gas section of the plant is usually the largest one in terms of power output and its operation is rather wellfounded and known, the heat recovery and steam power production are often tailored on the producers specific needs which, in turn, depend on the industrial process.

* (is) isentropic, (m) mechanic

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Table 111. Steam turbine. Characteristics and constants.

6 .

CONCLUSION

I[

Steam turbine

Enuy temp.

I
n OP

Process and performance information of biomass gasifierbased power station was simulated using MATLAB. A detailed model for the regulator of a gas turbine has been developed, as well as a simplified model for a heat recovery steam generator and for its downstream steam turbine.
7.

Table IV.Values for block diagram shown in Figure 3.

REFERENCES

0.05

0.4

0.1

0.2

20

Initially, the combined-cycle plant develops a mechanical power. Mechanical power increases kom its initial value to the final value required by the load. A step load is applied and the results with t$e derived model are summarised. Figure 4 presents the mechanical power delivered by gas turbine Pmpwhere the simulation time is 2 s. Figure 5 displays the turbine speed N where the simulation time is I .5 s. Pressurised air-blown fluidised-bed gasification with hot-gas cleanup is the technologv under development in Spain and the XHY is about 1200 kcalkg.

Figure 4: Mechanical power delivered by gas turbine.

GasL.m.lp.dN

Trn.,.)

Figure 5 : Gas turbine speed.

Begovic, M., Pregelj, A., Rohatgi, A. and Novosel, D.: Impact of Renewable Distributed Generation on Power Systems Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International on System Sciences, 2001. [2] Adibi, M.M., Borkoski, J.N., Kaka, R.J. and Volkmann, T.L.: Frequency Response of Prime Movers During Restoration IEEE Trans. on Power Systems, Vo1.14, No. 2, May 1999, pp. 751 -756 [3] Matsumoto, H. and Takahasi, S.: Improvement of Thermal Efficiency for Combined Cycle Power Plant During Load Following Operation IEEE Trans. on Energy Conversion, Vo1.14, No. 3 , Sept. 1999, pp.787-794. [4] Hannett, L.N. and Feltes, J.W.: Testing and Model Validation for Combined-Cycle Power Plants Power Engineering Sociery WMer Meeting IEEE, Vol. 2, January 2001, pp. 664-670. [5] Roy, S . : Optimal Efficiency as a Design Criterion for Closed Loop Combined Cycle Industrial Cogeneration IEEE Trans. on Energy Conversion, Vo1.16, No. 2, June 2001, pp. 155-164. [a] Lasseter, R.: Dynamic Models for Micro-Turbines and Fuel Cells Power Engineering Sociery Summer Meeting IEEE, Vol. 2, 15-19 July 2001, pp.761-766. [7] Webb, H.A., Parsons, E.L. and Bojuror, R.A.: Advanced Turbine Systems Program and Coal Applications ASME Paper No. 93-GT-356, 1993. [SI Dodman, K.W., ed., Gas Turbine Development Power Emphasizes Improved Efficiency Engineering Inlernalional, May-Apr. 1996. [9] DeMoss, T.B., ed, Theyre Here (almost): The 60% EEcient Combined Cycle, Power Engineering, July 1996. [IO] Ragland, K.W., Misra, M. K., Aerts, D.J. and Palmer, CA.: Ash Deposition in a Wood Fired Gas Turbine, ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 117, 1995, pp. 509. [ll] Craig, J.D. and Purvis, C. R.: A Small Scale Biomass Fueled Gas Turbine Engine Journal of Engineering For Gar Turbines And Power, Vol. 121, No. 1, 1999, pp. 64-67. [I21 Gumz, W.: Gas Producers andBIost Furnaces, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1950, pp. 166-167. [I31 Waldheim, L. and Carpentieri, E.: Update on the Progress of the Brazilian Wood BIG-GT Demonstration Project ASME Journal o f Engineering for Gas Turbines And Power, Vol. 123, N0.3, July 2001, pp. 525-536.
[I]

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[14] Salo, K., Horvath, A. and Patel, J.: Pressurized gasification of biomass, ASME paper GT-349, 1998. [IS] Paisley M. and Anson. D.: Gasification for G a s Turbine Based Power Generation ASME Journai o f Eneineerinz For Gas Turbines And Power. Vol. 120, 1998,upp.284-288. Working Group on Prime Mover and Energy Supply Models for System Dynamic Performance Studies: Dynamic Models for Combined Cycle Plants in Power System Studies IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 9, No. 3, August 1994, pp. 1698-1708. Rowen, W.J.: Simplified Mathematical Representations of Heavy Duty Gas Turbines ASME Journal o f Engineering for Power. 83-GT-63. Vol. 105, Oct. 1983, pp. 865-869. Rowen, W.J.: Simplified Mathematical Representation of Single Shafi Gas Turbines in Mechanical Drive Service Turbomachinery International, July-August 1992, pp. 26-32. Hannett, L.N. and Khan, A.H.: Combustion Turbine Dynamic Model Validation from Tests IEEE Trans. on Power Systems, Vol.8, No. 1, Feb. 1993, pp. 152-158. Bagnasco, A., Delfino, B., Denegri, G.B. and Massucco, S.: Management and Dynamic Performances of Combined Cycle Power Plants During Parallel and Islanding Operation IEEE Trans. on Energv Conversion, Vo1.13, No. 2, June 1998, pp. 194-201. Working Group on Prime Mover and Energy Supply Models for System Dynamic Performance Studies: Dynamic Models for Fossil Fueled Steam Units in Power System Studies IEEE Truns. on Power Systems, Vol. 6, No. 2, May 1991, pp. 753761. MATLAB, Math Works, Inc., Natick, MA, USA, 2000. Eidensten, L., Yan, J. and Svedberg, G.: Biomass a s Turbine Cogeneration Trans. Externelly Fired G o f the ASME, Vol. 11 8, July 1996, pp. 604-609.

[24] Kim, J.H., Song, T.W., Kim, T.S. and Ro, S.T.: Model Development and Simulation of Transient Behavior of Heavy Duty Gas Turbines Trans. of the ASME, Vol. 123, July 2001, pp. 589-594. 8.

*THO=
-Antonio CMO was born in J&n, Spain. He received his BSc fmm the University of Granada in 1992. He obtained the MSc degree fmm the UNED, Madrid, Spain, in 2000. Since 1996 he is Professor at the Department o f Electrical Engineering of the University of Jakn, Spain. He i s currently working toward the Ph. D. degree at UNED, Madrid, Spain. His research interest focuses in power systems, modelling and renewable energy.

Co-author: Francisco J u d o was born in Linares, Spain. He received his BSc from the University of Granada in 1982. He obtained the MSc and Ph.D. d e w s from the W E D , Madrid, Spain, in 1995 and 1999, respectively. Since 1985 he is Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of l&n, Spain. His research activities have been devoted to several topics: power systems, modelling and renewable energy He is a member of the IEEE and EEUG.

Co-author: Jose Carpi0 received the MSc. Electrical Engineering in 1985 and the Ph.D. in 1988, both from Technical University of Madrid. He joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at W E D in 1989 as Associate Professor and now i s full Professor of Electrical Engineering. In 1993, he was visiting researcher in the Depamncnt of Operation Research at Stanford University. He i s currently Director o f the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department a1 W E D . His research intewt focuses in power systems and technology for distance learning.

Presenter: The paper is presentc:d by Antonio Can0

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