Current Status of 300 kW Industrial Ceramic Gas Turbine R&D in Japan

This paper gives an overview of the current status of Japan's national industrial ceramic gas turbine (CGT) project. The goals are 42 percent and higher thermal efficiency at the turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1,350C, and the emission from the exhaust gas should meet the regulatory values (for example, 70 ppm for NO[sub x]). Also, ceramic material properties have the goals of 400 MPa for the minimum guaranteed strength at 1,500C, and 15 MPa[radical]m for the fracture toughness. Currently, the basic metal gas turbine of TIT 900C with all metallic components has already been fabricated and is running under some test conditions. The design of the basic ceramic gas turbine of TIT 1,200C has been completed and its manufacture is in progress. Research is addressing the production of large, complicated ceramic parts, and parts with less deformation and fewer defects can now be produced.