Performance Characteristics for Off-design Operation of Micro Gas Turbines

마이크로 가스터빈의 탈설계 운전 성능특성

Micro gas turbines are designed with low turbine inlet temperature and pressure ratio. To overcome the efficiency defect of the simple cycle, adoption of the recuperator is an inevitable choice. In addition to the design performance, we should also pay attention to the off-design performance of gas turbines since they usually operate at part-load conditions for a considerable amount of the time. This study aims at analyzing off-design performance characteristics of micro gas turbines and addressing the importance of the recuperator in the part load operation. Comparative analyses have been performed to evaluate the part load performance differences among various design and operating options : simple vs recuperative cycles, single vs two shaft configurations, various operating strategies for the single shaft configuration (fuel only control, variable speed operation, variable inlet guide vane control), and current vs advanced engines. Major finding is that maintaining turbine at high level is crucial in efficient operation of micro gas turbines.