NETL Offers Grant for University Turbine Systems Research on Coal-Derived Fuels

Home Page for this specific FOA (DE-FOA-0000031).

The Turbine Program addresses key technologies needed to enable the
development
of advanced turbines and turbine-based systems that will operate cleanly
and
efficiently when fueled with coal-derived synthesis gas and hydrogen fuels.

Developing turbine technology to operate on coal-derived synthesis gas and
hydrogen is critical to the development of advanced coal based power
generation
technologies such as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and the
deployment of IGCC power plants that capture and sequester carbon dioxide.
The
Advanced Turbine Program is an investment in secure U.S. electric power
production that is clean, efficient, affordable and fuel-flexible, and will

make possible the continued use of coal, our Nation¿s largest domestic
fossil
energy resource. The overall goal (2015) of the Turbine Program within NETL
is
to provide high efficiency, near-zero emissions and lower cost turbines for

coal-based stationary power systems. The research areas addressed in this
FOA
cover certain DOE Turbine Program topics in combustion, aerodynamics, heat
transfer, and materials. Applications are solicited that address technology

needs of turbines operating with HHC fuels. HHC fuels are a challenge due
to
their differing combustion and working fluid characteristics as compared
with
natural gas. Also, HHC fuels may contain limited levels of impurities
(e.g., up
to 100 ppm sulfur, 0.1 to 2 ppm particulate) thought to be detrimental to
components in the turbine flow path. For the purposes of this FOA, it
should be
assumed that the gaseous fuels derived from coal have undergone a water-gas

shift process to increase the hydrogen content and cleaned with a cold gas
cleaning process. Fundamental and basic research applications are solicited
to
help define and address HHC fuels issues thought to impact the goal of
designing robust turbines for HHC power plant
environments.