THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS

0 345 E. 47 St., New York, N.Y. 10017

89-GT-167
The Society shall not be responsible for statements or opinions advanced in papers or in dis-
cussion at meetings of the Society or of its Divisions or Sections, or printed in its publications.
M Discussion is printed only if the paper is published in an ASME Journal. Papers are available
from ASME for fifteen months after the meeting.
Printed in USA. Copyright © 1989 by ASME

Steam Injecting a Mature Gas Turbine in a

Modern Cogeneration Plant
L. KAEMPFFER,
P. Eng.
Senior Project Engineer
Westinghouse Canada Inc.
Turbine & Generator Division
Box 2510
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8N 3K2
K. WILLIAMS,
P. Eng.
Senior Project Engineer
Westinghouse Canada Inc.
Turbine & Generator Division
Box 2510
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8N 3K2

ABSTRACT Fuel lower heating value (LHV) varies from 910

to 846 BTU/SCF (34.6 to 32.1 MJ/m 3 ), while Wobbe Index
Factors such as low capital cost, good match of (LHV Specific Gravity) varies from 1227 to 1196.
power and heat requirements, and proven reliability, Normal start-up fuel has a Wobbe Index of 1209, an
can sometimes lead an end user into purchasing mature LHV of 880 BTU/SCF (33.4 MJ/m 3 ), and consists of 16%
gas turbines for use in a modern cogeneration plant. hydrogen.
Invariably, older gas turbines were not specific- The ''worst case" fuel for purposes of NOx reduc-
ally designed for low NOx emissions and steam injec- tion is the blend with the highest possible hydrogen
tion. content. NOx control system design is based on this
This paper presents what the author(s) believe fuel:
to be the simplest method of modifying an existing 21.7% H2, 71% CH4, 4.9% C2H6, 1.5% C3H8,
fuel system design to provide the best NOx reduction 0.9% nC4H1O, 14ppm H2S
possible using steam injection, without significantly The environmental permit for this new plant
increasing carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydro- required the gas turbine meet both the following
carbon (UHC) emissions. Results of emissions tests are criteria:
presented, along with a discussion on the projected 1) NOx < 98 ppmv, 15% 02, dry, adjusted to ISO
limits for NOx control attainable using this new 2) Absolute emissions from the turbine shall not
system. exceed:(based on 32°F (0°C) winter day)
Also presented, is an idea for improving cogen-
eration efficiency and capability, by placing the lb/hr kg/s
turbine cooling air cooler in the steam generation NOx 249.2 0.0314
circuit. CO 15.3 0.00193
S02 2.9 0.00037
INTRODUCTION Particulates 2.5 0.00032
Non-methane/non-ethane HC 0.8 0.0001
An oil refinery in the southern United States has
recently increased their electrical generation capac- Given that the refinery produces 600 psig (41.4
ity by purchasing two modified CW251B8 ECONOPACS. bar) steam in the fired waste heat boiler, this was
These turbines exhaust into fired waste heat recovery chosen as the medium for use in NOx reduction.
boilers (see Fig.1). These units are an addition to a The steam flow for NOx control is scheduled as a
plant which already has numerous Frame 5 gas turbines function of gas flow, with this simple relationship
in cogeneration service, and several steam turbine being defined by field measurement, and set into the
generators. turbine governor. After the emissions test, compliance
The turbine fuel is a blend of refinery fuel gas is verified by constant recording of NOx steam flow
(which has a high hydrogen content), and "standard" and gas fuel flow (see Fig.2).
natural gas. Exact fuel composition varies depending Westinghouse Canada's goal was to provide the
on the number of gas turbines on line and the compo- most effective emission control system, while attempt-
sition of the various refinery fuel gases being blen- ing to change as few proven 251B8 components and
ded with the natural gas. Hydrogen content of the systems as possible.
blended fuel varies .from a minimum of 11.1% to a max-
imum of 21.7%

Presented at the Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Congress and Exposition—June 4-8, 1989—Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Downloaded From: http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 04/26/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use



COOLING AIR COOLER BYPASS

10,200,000 BTU/HR ST K STACK
(2.99 MJ/s) 13 25°F
45°F FIRED (163°C)
70°F Ambient WASTE HEAT BOILER
(21°C) 174°C)
670°F 35 LB/S
(354°C (15.9 kg/s) 349 LB/S
(158 kg/s)
36,300 KW CW251B8 TURBINE
et Refinery
Boiler Feed
11,900 BTU/KWHR Gas
1911° 260°F
(LHV) (127°C)
(12.6 MJ/KWHR) (1044°C) Low
Btu Gas
625 PSIG 700°F
(41.6 kg/s)
r -
^ Steam Isolation (43.1 bar 371°C)
(100mm) ThroAle & Trip
pipe
Steam Flow Meter
12,300 LB/HR (1.55 kg/s)
D Blowdo wn
& Warm-up
Valve

FUEL & STEAM SKID

Vent

►^J
2
30-240 PSIG (15.9-16.5 bar)
uas as Gas Fuel Flow Meter
Isolation Throttle Trip 19,500 LB/HR (2.46 kg/s)

FIG. 1 SYSTEM SCHEMATIC (SIMPLIFIED): Base Load Conditions for Site Average Temperature
Using ''Worst Case'' High Hydrogen Fuel Gas.

NOx REDUCTION PHILOSOPHY to the removal of the latent heat of evaporation of

wet steam from the hot products of combustion.
The production of thermal NOx in the combustion
chambers of gas turbines is due to the high flame temp- SYSTEM DESIGN & COMPONENT MODIFICATIONS
eratures existing in the primary zone where the fuel
and air first come together. One effective way to re- Predicted emissions and flows
duce flame temperature is to introduce an inert gas, Based on an ambient of 32°F (0°C) and target NOx
such as steam, into the combustion process and this has of 75 ppmv EPA Heat Rate Corrected ISO.
usually been carried out by the injection of metered
steam directly into the primary zone of the combustor. lb/hr kg/s
In this application, however, high pressure steam NOx 170.4 0.0215
is introduced to the gas fuel immediately upstream of CO (10.8 ppmv) 13.2 0.00166
the gas manifold in order to insure a homogeneous mix- SO2 1.4 0.00018
ture of fuel and steam before entering the combustor. Particulates 1.0 0.00013
It has been determined that a premix of steam and fuel Non-methane/non- ethane HC 0.6 0.00008
controls an excessive increase in carbon monoxide emis-

sions while reducing the amount of steam required to Steam 15,000 1.89
achieve a given NOx level compared to that when direct- Fuel Gas 21,400 2.70
ly injecting into the combustor. Additionally, it is
desirable if possible, to mix the steam and gas such Fuel Gas Valves
that the steam is slightly wet on entry to the combus- No changes were required to the standard gas sys-
tion chamber because NOx reduction will be improved due tem components, to handle the various blends of natural

Downloaded From: http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 04/26/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 I

gas and non-permeate fuel anticipated. the system is capable of accepting a steam flow rate of
20,000 lb/hr (2.52 kg/s) through the fuel nozzles, for
Fuel Nozzles NOx control and slight power augmentation. Higher steam
The standard fuel nozzles were modified to accom- flow rates will result in less than base load amounts
modate the increased volume flow of the steam/gas mix- of fuel gas being able to pass through the fuel control
ture, by increasing the diameter of the gas ports to valve, since it will already be full open. The net res-
duplicate the pressure drop of the original design. The ult is a reduction in firing temperature and power, and
gas ports were sized assuming the predicted value for a further decrease in NOx production (see Fiq.4).
steam/fuel ratio of 0.7, calculated to achieve the tar-
get NOx level of 75ppm EPA Heat Rate Corrected, with
"worst case", highest hydrogen content fuel blend.
20 19
Fuel Gas/Steam Mixing Point
A simple tee connection was used to connect the
steam piping into the fuel gas line. This mixing point k.
was located well ahead of the fuel gas/steam manifold
to assure thorough mixing of gas and steam. High velo- 15 (1.89 kg s)
cities in the fuel gas/steam piping insure a homogene-
ous mixture of uniform temperature.
In
0
L
F-
System Intrinsic Safety
As there are no valves downstream of the fuel gas
and steam mixing point, steam would flow harmlessly 1.26 kg s
l
m
through the fuel nozzles to atmosphere in the very re-
mote eventuality of all the steam valves failing simul-
taneously in the wide open position. Maximum possible // El ISSION TE T
O
steam flow through the steam valves is 27,000 lb/hr R SULT
(3.4 kg/s). Though 600 lb flanges are required for the
steam piping, it was possible to maintain the standard
E
300 lb rating of all fuel gas components and on all +)0
piping downstream of the mixing point, due to the con-

I __
siderable pressure drops across the steam system com- E
ponents. Q o
Fuel Gas & Steam Mixture

I_ ________ I I
Final temperature of the fuel gas/steam mixture is 11 200 300 400 500 600
determined by the piping pressure, and corresponds to (Thousands)
the saturation temperature of steam at its partial pre- Gas Fuel Flow (SCF/HR)
ssure. For the design flows indicated, 5% of the steam
flow or approximately 2% of the total fuel gas/steam FIG. 2 GOVERNOR SCHEDULE OF STEAM vs GAS FLOW
mixture is expected to be in liquid form. Very fine FOR NOx CONTROL
liquid droplets are expected to form, and to be easily
transported with the mixture through the fuel nozzles.

Fuel Manifold And Piping To Nozzle

The original fuel gas manifold for the CW251B8 2(50mm) 0
consisted of a circular ring of pipe formed from 4" NIZE TO
(100mm), schedule 40 carbon steel. From this ring, fuel NOZZLE ;^`
was delivered to the eight nozzles through individual
branch pipes, 2" (50mm) in diameter. Flexibility of the
fuel gas piping was maintained by hoses in the branch
lines, made from 316 stainless steel corrugated F EL NOZZLE
material.
With the higher pipeline flow velocities desired
using the steam/gas mixture, it was possible to keep
the ring manifold 4" (100mm) pipe. Stainless steel, _ UNIT
schedule 40,was used to minimize any possible corrosion
problems during downtime. To avoid the potential for
erosion and vibration, flexible hoses were replaced by ' I 1 I+
+ I I
2'' (50mm) schedule 40 piping routed to achieve adequate
flexibility (see Fig.3).

Manifold Pressure Drops

At design flows in the fuel gas/steam manifold the L__J I
widest pressure differential between any two nozzles 4"(100mm) 0 r
due to friction losses in the piping was calculated at FROM \ J
0.24 psi (0.017 bar). It was thus expected that there
would be very little difference in fuel gas/steam flow FUEL GAS "(1OOmm) D
& STEAM SKID
to the individual nozzles, hence undesirable basket RING MANIFOLD
temperature spreads would be avoided.
FIG. 3 FUEL GAS & STEAM PIPING (PLAN)
System Capability
With regulated gas pressure at 240 psig (16.5 bar)

Downloaded From: http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 04/26/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 C

OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Reference to figure 4 shows that target emissions 6

were met with sufficient margin to suggest that this
simple method of steam injection is capable of achiev-
ing much lower levels of NOx should it become necessary 5
for these mature units to do so. Also, this NOx control

a
system offers very low CO levels.
Further significant NOx reduction is attainable if 4
one is willing to cut back slightly on power while inc- TO AL HYI ROCARI ONS HS3
reasing the steam injection rate.
This steam injection system tends to exaggerate 3 51 HS2 ,'
blade path temperature differentials. If the steam and
gas are clean and the fuel nozzles are matched to with-
in ±3% in flow, there are no problems: as attested to
by several months of trouble free operation. However, CARBOI M0 IDE
steam system contaminants have caused problems by diff-
erentially blocking fuel nozzle holes with deposits, 2
thus causing unacceptable blade path differential temp- HS1: 33.5 1W BASE LOAD
eratures. HS2: 33.8 1W BASE LOAD
HS3: 32.6 1W 97.1% BASE LOAD FUEL FLOW
FUTURE NOx CONTROL & COGENERATION IMPROVEMENTS

It may be possible to make the fuel nozzles less

sensitive to contaminant deposits by insuring a more
even distribution of wet steam to the eight nozzles. An
additional ring manifold for steam along with orifices NOx I EVEL ITH NI STEAl INJEI TION
at the eight mixing points could afford the possibility g
of more closely matching blade path temperatures. This
may result in a slight decrease in the amount of steam .8
required for a given NOx level since a hotter higher .7 PERMIT I DINT"
NOx producing basket could have a little extra steam per EMIS ION TEST
added to it, while a cooler basket could have less • 98 PPMv, 15% O , ISO
.6
steam added to it. I— HS1
As shown in figure 1, the turbine cooling air
cooler rejects just over 10 million btu/hr (3 MJ/s) .5
of high grade heat (670°F (354°C) air) to the atmos-
phere. This wasted heat represents approximately 2.3% X S2
of all the fuel energy supplied to the turbine, based ° .4
on LHV. Unfortunately this cooler would not quite be
capable of generating all the steam required for full
load NOx control. However, the cooling air cooler could - 3
become part of a feed water heating circuit, where some
of this energy could be used, by optimizing the point
at which it is introduced into the economizer circuit.
H.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
0
.2 E) HS3
The authors wish to thank Mr. A. McWhirter P.Eng.,
Manager Combustion Development, Westinghouse Canada Inc
Turbine and Generator Division: for his advice and
encouragement. " ESIGN' RATI
f r sizing pi
The emissions tests were carried out by CUBIX Corp v lves, and
of Austin, Texas. f el no zles

1 2 .4 .6 .8 1.0 1.2 1.4
STEAM/FUEL RATIO (MASS)

FIG. 4 EMISSIONS AT BASE LOAD TEMP CONTROL

Downloaded From: http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 04/26/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use