Advanced Technology Natural Gas Combined Cycle

Over the past decade, gas turbine manufacturers have worked to push performance beyond the 60% efficiency level. These efforts have been driven by both the price of natural gas and a desire for reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Earlier this year, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced the introduction of a new J-series gas turbine. This turbine exploits recent advances in metallurgy and thermal coatings which enable turbine inlet temperatures as high as 1,600°C. Such temperatures should allow a combined cycle thermodynamic efficiency above 60% on an LHV basis.

In this review we present an analysis of an advanced technology gas turbine based on the Mitsubishi J-series machine. We evaluate its combined cycle thermodynamics and compare power generation economics to those of a twin turbine F-class installation