Power Generators Seek Natural Gas Alternatives as Turbine Manufacturers Improve Technology

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). It has been a couple of years since the big generation construction boom peaked in the U.S., but now it looks like there may be a different approach to power generation. Areas with large population and industrial concentration continue to need more power. During the last power generation construction rush almost 45,000 megawatts (MW) of new natural gas-fired power plants were built. Now, due to the volatile nature of the cost and supply of natural gas the industry is looking to alternate sources to balance future growth requirements.

Some power generators are looking for alternative ways to supply gas to keep costs down, but also to meet more environmentally friendly generation or renewable generation. Coal mines have a large amount of methane gas that might be usable to fire combustion turbine generators. Animal and other agricultural waste can be processed, either gasified or burned as a solid fuel source. Some waste treatment plants are developing similar methods to obtain fuel gas from human waste. Also, landfills are converting waste products to energy by capturing methane gas to fuel small turbine and reciprocating generators.

To prepare for these new markets companies are developing new equipment or improving on older equipment. The never ending quest for better efficiency has led to a series of new or improved turbine designs. Simple-cycle and combined-cycle technology utilizes combustion turbine/generators (CT) that historically can produce up to 180 MW or more. Combined-Cycle units are made up of CT's or IC's utilizing the waste heat from these machines as a heat source for heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) to drive a steam turbine/generator (ST). Reciprocating engine generators (IC) are primarily used as backup, or peaking units and can produce up to around 18 MW. The primary companies that manufacture these are Alstom, Caterpillar, Dresser Rand, Fairbanks Morse Engines, General Electric Power Systems, Jenbacher (Division of GE), Mitsubishi, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Siemens-Westinghouse.

General Electric has been a driving force in improved turbine development and participates in all areas of generation (ST, CT, IC, Wind, Hydroelectric & solar). Over the last couple of years, they have announced several new models of CT's. The 9FB CT (MS9001FB) and the H-System (combined-cycle) that produces 412 MW to 530 MW, with the first unit that was recently installed in Port Talbot, Wales (Plant 1040011 & PEC 78000099). The LMS100 a 100 MW CT, the GE5-2 (5.6 MW) an upgrade of the GE5-1 released on the market in 1999. The new MS7001B installed first units at two Reliant Energy stations in French Camp, Mississippi (Plant 1053243 & PEC 03002153) and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (Plant 1048448 & PEC 12002728). GE has also developed the MS6001C, a 42.3 MW CT, of which the first units are to be installed in Turkey this year.

GE procured European manufacturer/supplier, Jenbacher in 2003, to widen their market exposure with the utilization of smaller reciprocating engine/generator sets for peaking or distributive power.

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