SCGT/CC: An Innovative Cycle with Advanced Environmental and Peakload Shaving Features

An innovative gas turbine cycle is studied, which can offer several advantages from the point of view of environmental friendship and peakload shaving capabilities. The basic idea of SCGT/CC is of cooling down the exhaust to temperatures as low as to allow full condensation of the water vapor; a large part of the exhaust gases is then recirculated to the compressor; the condensed water can be reinjected by means of a pump at compressor delivery. For maximum performance it is convenient not to inject this water flow, but rather to use it for other purposes; however, water injection produces a power boosting effect (at the expense of a small decrease in efficiency) which can be useful for peakload shaving applications. The working gas composition in the GT cycle is that corresponding to stoichiometric combustion, which opens the possibility of applying techniques for CO2 recycling and general exhaust gas treatment. The cycle guarantees a high level of efficiency, and its adoption should imply minor modifications to existing equipment.