Using high performance power plant systems (HIPPS) to repower older steam plants

Led by the United Technologies Research Center, a team of seven contractors has been investigating High Performance Power Plant Systems (HIPPS), under the sponsorship of the DOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center. The major objective of the program has been to identify and develop technology suitable for new power plant designs capable of achieving 47% (HHV) or better efficiency while burning coal to preheat combustion air for gas turbine power cycles in a High Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF). Preliminary investigations also indicate that the high efficiency of the HIPPS concept can be realized in repowering older steam plants. Analyses were made to identify the potential performance and the conceptual configuration of older steam plants repowered with a single inter-cooled aero-derivative gas turbine. The gas turbine selected is the FT4000 I/C, a 100 MW+ industrialized version of the PW4000 aircraft engine currently used to power a variety of wide bodied aircraft. The FT4000, in combined-cycle configuration was shown to be able to repower stations from 90 MW to over 200 MW in size with steam conditions ranging from 1,250 psi/950 F non-reheat to 2,400 psi/1,050 F/1,050 F reheat. Efficiencies in the 42--47% range (HHV) were estimated. Having established the potential performance benefitsmore » of this approach, a site specific application was also investigated. A nominal 122 MW, 1,450 psi/1,000 F/1,000 F station was repowered at an efficiency some 20% higher and power costs competitive with other alternatives.« less