Upgrades and Technology Developments of the OP16 Gas Turbine to Meet the Requirements of the Changing European Market
(Room G102-G103, Auditorium Centre, First Floor)
09 Jun 15
4:00 PM
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5:30 PM
Tracks:
Theme: Flexing the Power of Gas
The European energy market is undergoing change. The European Union is implementing energy policies geared towards securing Europe's energy supply; ensuring that energy prices do not make Europe less competitive and energy remain affordable for consumers; protecting the environment and in particular combating climate change and improving energy infrastructure, such as energy grids. The result is a growing interest for small gas turbines to complement larger power plants and there has been a shift towards more decentralized flexible solutions requiring the power generation equipment to have increased fuel flexibility, fast start-up, reliability and short commissioning times. The OP16 gas turbine, rated at 1.85 MWe, has been installed in many combined heat and power applications throughout the European continent during the few years. The high-grade exhaust heat of the OP16 is particular useful for direct heating and steam generation applications. The unique all-radial design of the OP16 with the bearings placed in the cold section ensures a robust design with low operational and maintenance costs. The simple and robust design allows the possibility of fast start-up (~1 minute) and large load variations including full load step/drop.
This paper will discuss some recent developments and upgrades of the OP16 to meet the requirements for the European market. This includes the introduction and validation of the OP16-3C gas turbine, which has been designed to enable the use of ultra-low and low calorific fuels such as biogas, syngas and pyrolysis oil. Compared to an axial turbine in the same power range, the radial turbine can operate with a higher turbine inlet temperature without the need for blade cooling. The lack of small cooling geometries in the hot flow path is a key feature of the OP16. It enables the use of the challenging low-calorific fuels that would otherwise deteriorate and/or clog these intricate cooling holes.
To be able to meet different customer needs and to enable short delivery and commissioning times OPRA has developed a modular package solution. The modular package consists of a set of pre-engineered sub-modules, which can be built together depending on the customer application. The complete package is tested prior to shipment. This, together with the modular design, enables a short commissioning time on site. The paper will be concluded with a discussion on some current developments regarding advanced and exotic cycles to improve the overall fuel efficiency and decrease the carbon footprint.