Gas Turbines Flashcards
What hazard exists when handling high temperature insulation?
Asbestos
High temperature insulation is often made of asbestos.
This should only be handled by trained personnel.
True or false: Gas turbines are constant flow internal combustion engines.
True
This is done to add heat to a gas which in then sent through a turbine to drive a turbine shaft.
What thing has the main effect on efficiency inside of a gas turbine?
The temperature to which the air can be raised.
To maximize efficiency, you must operate gas turbines at the maximum possible temperatures without harming the machine.
True or false: To maximize efficiency, you must operate gas turbines at the maximum possible temperatures without harming the machine.
True
The more the gases expand (due to temperature) the better the power and efficiency of the turbine.
What does the power rating of a gas turbine depend on?
The mass of hot gas flowing through the turbine blades per unit time
The more air passing by, the greater the power rating.
What effect does cold air have on the power rating of a gas turbine?
Cold air = power rating ↑
Cold air is more dense.
This has to due with the power rating being based off the mass of air passing by the turbine blades per unit of time ⟶ the denser the air (more mass per volume), the more air is passing by.
What is regeneration on a gas turbine?
When some of the exhaust heat is used to heat the air of combustion.
What is cogeneration of a gas turbine?
When exhaust heat is used to generate steam for power generation or other plant processes.
What is the advantage of an external combustion chamber on a gas turbine?
Allows for the use of a wider range of fuels.
Also makes it easier for the addition of regeneration and cogeneration.
What conditions would create the best efficiency for a gas turbine?
Cold intake air and a high turbine operating temperatures.
What are two air conditions improve a gas turbines efficiency?
- Dense air entering the compressor inlet
- High temperature air entering the turbine
This type of gas turbine shaft type has one shaft directly connected to the compressor rotor.
Single shaft type
These are very common and are good for single speed operation.
This type of gas turbine shaft arrangement is very common and good for single speed operation.
Single shaft type
What component needs to be added to a gas turbine single shaft arrangement in order for rotary output power to be harnessed?
A speed reducer
This type of gas turbine shaft type consists of two shafts, with one shaft connected to the compressor and the other connected to the gas generation turbine.
Split shaft type
True or false: Split shaft gas turbines are not suitable for variable speed operations.
False
True or false: Split shaft gas turbine speed can be reduced to improve fuel economy.
True
On a gas turbine running a split shaft arrangement, what direction would the output of the power turbine rotate in relation to the gas-generating turbine?
In the opposite direction.
This type of gas turbine shaft consists on one shaft running inside the other, with two separate compressors and two separate turbines.
Twin spool shaft type
The two sections are split into the high-pressue compressor and turbine and the low-pressure compressor and turbine.
What are the two sections of a gas turbine with a split shaft type?
- High-pressure (HP) compressor and HP turbine
- Low-pressure (LP) compressor and LP turbine
These can often be connected to a twin spool gas generation section with a split shaft type power section.
The gas generation section of a gas turbine brings in air from the 1.________ to mix with fuel in the 2.________ ________ to create hot expanding gases that can be harnessed.
- Compressor
- Combustion chamber
These are the two main sections of the gas generation section of a gas turbine.
What are the two main sections of the gas generation section of a gas turbine?
- Compressor(s)
- Combustion chamber(s)
The gas turbine brings in air from the compressor to mix with fuel in the combustion chamber to create hot expanding gases that can be harnessed.
What are the two main sections of a gas turbine?
- Gas generation section
- Power section
This section of a gas turbine brings air in from the compressor to mix with fuel in the combustion chamber to create hot expanding gases that can be harnessed.
Gas generation section
The two main parts of this section are the compressor(s) and the combustion chamber(s).
This section of a gas turbine has the job of harnessing energy from the hot gases as efficiently as possible without adversely affecting the operation of the gas generation section.
The power section
This section consists of the turbine wheel(s) and the speed reducter (if used).
Which section of a gas turbine delivers rotary motion that is usable to drive machinery?
The power section
What two things does the power section of a gas turbine consist of?
- Turbine wheel(s)
- Speed reducers (if used)
In a gas turbine with a single shaft arrangement, what is the main job of the turbine?
To drive the compressor for gas generation
Any remaining power can be supplied to the load.
On a gas turbine with a split shaft type, what is the gas generation turbine used for?
To drive the compressor
On a gas turbine with a split shaft type, what is the power turbine used for?
To drive the outside load
True or false: Gas turbines can be both internal combustion as well as external combustion engines.
True.
With this type of gas turbine cycle, any air drawn in from the atmosphere and used in the turbine is returned to the atmosphere after use.
Open cycle
This system is inefficient.
This cycle has no regenerators or heat exchangers in the system, and is typical of aircraft and standby gas turbines.
With this type of gas turbine cycle, either a heat exchanger or regenerators are attached in order to use the waste exhaust heat.
Semi-closed cycle
This cycle is much more efficient when compared to open cycle.
This is referring to thermal efficiency.
True or false: The most efficient gas turbine cycle is a closed cycle.
False
Semi-closed is the most efficient cycle.
A true closed-cycle gas turbine would have to reuse the gasses that pass through the engine, which is not possible.
What is the greatest disadvantage of a gas turbine?
Its poor thermal efficiency
Both the open and semi-closed cycle efficiency is referring to thermal efficiency.
This type of gas turbine cycle improves thermal efficiency of the gas turbine by using exhaust (waste) heat to assist in heating and expansion of the gases before the turbine.
Regeneration cycle
This is a semi-closed cycle.
On a regeneration cycle gas turbine, where is the waste heat from the exhaust added to the air?
After the compressor, but before the combustion chamber.
Cold air improves the efficiency of the compressor; adding the hot air before it would reduce the efficiency.
On a regeneration cycle gas turbine, why is the waste heat from the exhaust not added directly into the compressor air supply?
Compressors operate more efficiently with cold air.
Heating the air would reduce the density of it, reducing the amount of air that can be supplied to the combustion chamber.
On a gas turbine, what component gives the greatest single improvement in thermal efficiency?
A regenerator
It reduces the amount of fuel that must be burned to drive the same load.
What effect does a regenerator have on the fuel consumption of a gas turbine driving a load?
It reduces the amount of fuel that must be burned to drive the same load.
This increases the efficiency of the unit.
Why is it critical that regenerators on a gas turbine minimize the pressure drop within them?
If the regenerator increases back pressure in the turbine, the efficiency gains are lost.
This type of gas turbine cycle is comprised of one or more gas turbines exhausting into a heat recovery steam generator.
Cogeneration cycle
These are also known as combined steam-gas plants.
What is a combined steam gas plant?
Where a gas turbine exhausts into a heat recovery steam generator.
This improves the overall economy and capacity of the plant.
What does the temperature of the exhaust exiting a combined steam gas plant indicate?
The amount of energy captured from the fuel burned.
Hot gas = poor efficiency.
What is the greatest advantage of a gas turbine?
High power-to-weight ratio
Gas turbines are smaller and lighter for the same power output, when compared to other heat engines.
True or false: The initial capital cost of a gas turbine is higher per horsepower than a steam turbine plant.
False
It is lower.
The high horsepower per dollar installed cost is an advantage of a gas turbine.
Which type of turbine would require more support machinery: a steam turbine or a gas turbine?
A steam turbine
True or false: Gas turbines always require water cooling.
False
Think of jet engines ⟶ they are air cooled.
Most stationary gas turbines do take advantage of water cooling, but it is not required.
True or false: Gas turbines can be started very quickly with no harmful effects on the engine and can be shut down in a reasonably short amount of time.
True
This makes the gas turbine very practical for standby and emergency electrical generators.
What is the purpose for guide vanes on the air inlet of a gas turbine?
To help direct the air more efficiently into the compressor
The compressor of a gas turbine is constructed so that the area ________ as the air passe through each stage towards the rear of the compressor.
decreases
A convergent area
The compressor raises the air pressure and temperature in each succeeding stage.
In a gas turbine compressor, what happens to the air when it enters the rotating blades?
It is accelerated
The rotoring blades impart kinetic energy into the air, increase its velocity.
In a gas turbine compressor, what happens to the air when it enters the stationary blades?
Velcoity is converted to pressure
The air slows down, resulting in a change from kinetic energy into potential.
In a gas turbine compressor, the compression continues until the air enters the:
diffuser
This is the area within the gas turbine with the highest pressure.
What effect does the diffuser in a gas turbine have on the gas passing through it?
Velocity ↓ = Pressure ↑
The diffuser converts the velocity (kinetic) energy imparted into the air by the rotors blades into pressure (potential) energy.
Why is it important for the diffuser in a gas turbine to convert the velocity energy of the gas into pressure energy?
Without this change, the velocity of the gas would be too great for combustion to take place.
Where is a diffuser located in a gas turbine?
At the end of the compressor.
This is where the highest pressures are seen in a gas turbine.
Where are the highest pressures seen in a gas turbine?
In the diffuser.
This is located at the end of the compressor.
Why is it important for the pressure in a diffuser to be higher than the pressure in the combustion chamber?
To prevent surging or stalling
Once the air leaves the diffuser in a gas turbine, where does it go?
Into the combustion chamber
This is a divergent area.
What is the purpose of swirl vanes in a combustion chamber?
To create a region of low velocity recirculation in order for combustion to take place.
What would happen in a gas turbine if the combustion chamber pressure was higher than that of the diffuser?
Surging or stalling.
- Where is the fuel injected into on a gas turbine?
- How?
- Into the combustion chamber
- With the aid of fuel nozzles
What is used to ignite the fuel inside of a gas turbine?
Spark ignitors
There are usually two.
Once combustion takes place, the ignitors do not need to continually fire, as combustion is continuous.
In a gas turbine, why is the pressure during ignition lower than the pressure in the diffuser?
The buring gases are also accelerating toward the turbine wheel and exhaust
In a gas turbine, what effect do the nozzles in the turbine section have on:
1. Gas velocity?
2. Gas pressure?
- Velocity ↑
- Pressure ↓
Bernoulli’s Principle
These nozzles are housed in the stationary rings and consist of stationary reaction-type nozzles.
True or false: Stationary nozzles in gas turbines are impulse style nozzles.
False
They are reaction-type nozzles.
What constitutes a single stage in a gas turbine?
One set of stationary nozzles and the rotating turbine wheel
True or false: One set of stationary nozzles and the rotating turbine wheel constitutes one stage in a gas turbine.
True
What do the spaces between blades do in gas turbine?
Act as nozzles to direct the combustion gases uniformly and at the proper angle to the turbine blades.
In a gas turbine, approximately ____% of the power developed is used to drive the compressor and accessories.
75%
In a gas turbine, approximately ____% of the power developed is used to drive the load (driven machine).
25%
If the pressure in the combustion chamber of a gas turbine becomes higher than that in the diffuser, the gases back up and move into the compressor. What does this cause?
Stall or surging.
This condition can destroy the turbine in a matter of seconds.
True or false: In gas turbines, surging can be caused by restrictions in the inlet.
True
On a gas turbine, what are two things used to prevent surging?
- Adjustable inlet guide vanes.
- Bleed valves.
These devices help regulate airflow and pressure within the compressor.
These are used to maintain a safety margin between operating and stall conditions.
True or false: A gas turbine has an intake, compression, power, and exhaust stroke.
True
In a gas turbine, the event happen in different places, but at the same time.
True or false: The filtration systems used on gas turbines must have high flow with low restriction.
True
On gas turbine air filters, what type of filters are used in cold climates to reduce icing and hoarfrost build-up?
pulse-type filters
What type of filtration system may be used in high dust environments to clean the air for a gas turbine?
Self-cleaning pulse-type filters which sequenctially reverse the airflow in each section of the filter.
Why is it important that the airflow in a gas turbine air filtration system not restrict the airflow into the machine?
A restriction in the airflow can cause surging
This can result in a catastrophic failure of the turbine engine.
What are inlet guide vanes used for on gas turbines?
To straighten airflow and direct it to the first stage of the compressor.
The compressor section of a gas turbine is an axial flow compressor.
What effect does the inlet guide vanes on the compressor section of a gas turbine have?
They improve the efficiency of the compressor/turbine.
Positions of the blades for the most efficient airflow.
The function of this component of a gas turbine is to provide the turbine with pressurized air for combustion and cooling purposes.
The compressor
What are the two basic types of air compressors used in gas turbines?
- radial flow (centrifugal)
- axial flow
With this type of gas turbine compressor, the air enters parallel to the impellor shart and exits 90º to the shaft.
Radial flow (centrifugal) compressor