A Combined-Cycle Round-Up: A look at recent orders for combined-cycle power plants

摘要

In the world of power generation, efficiency means to eek out every watt of power possible from a power plant to reduce both fuel costs and emissions Whether a diesel engine or gas turbine or anything in between, every driver has a certain level of electrical efficiency it achieves and a certain level of heat that is lost in the process While the drivers themselves are becoming more and more efficient, that lost heat can still be put to good use and converted to electricity as well. This is achieved through combined-cycle operation, which harnesses that excess heat from a main driver and uses it to drive, typically, a steam turbine to produce additional power.