A hybrid gas turbine cycle (Brayton/Ericsson): An alternative to conventional combined gas and steam turbine power plant

Abstract A hybrid gas turbine cycle is proposed based on the conventional Brayton cycle for the high-temperature heat addition process while adopting the Ericsson cycle for the low-temperature heat rejection process. It thus incorporates the thermodynamic advantages of a combined gas and steam turbine (CCGT) cycle without the irrevcrsibilities of the boiler and the ancillarics of the steam turbine/condenser plant. Thermodynamic analysis shows that a similar overall thermal efficiency as current CCGT plant (i.e. 0.54) would be achieved at a maximum gas temperature of 1311 °C if polytropic efficiencies of 0.90 for compression and expansion could be realized and if a maximum temperature of 77 °C was obtained during isothermal compression in the bottoming Ericsson cycle. A novel method of achieving multistage isothermal compression using heat pipe technology is proposed.