Advanced Turbine Systems: Advancing the Gas Turbine Power Industry

摘要

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Energy forged partnerships with industry and academia under the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program to go beyond evolutionary performance gains in utility-scale gas turbine development. Agreed upon goals of 60 percent efficiency and single digit NOx emissions (in parts per million) represented major challenges in the fields of engineering, materials science, and thermodynamics--the equivalent of breaking the 4-minute mile. Today, the goals have not only been met, but a knowledge base has been amassed that enables even further performance enhancement. The success firmly establishes the United States as the world leader in gas turbine technology and provides the underlying science to maintain that position. ATS technology cost and performance characteristics make it the least-cost electric power generation and co-generation option available, providing a timely response to the growing dependence on natural gas driven by both global and regional energy and environmental demands. Through the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program, lofty visions in the early 1990s are now emerging as todays realities in the form of hardware entering the marketplace. An investment by government and industry in partnerships encompassing universities and national laboratories is paying significant dividends. This document examines some of the payoffs emerging in the utility sector resulting from work sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).