The Department of Energy said Tuesday that a new method for advancing power plant turbine efficiency could augment carbon capture operations from such facilities and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Small Business Technology Transfer program has sponsored the research by HiFunda LLC and the University of Connecticut.
At issue are the gas turbines that are key to electricity production at the majority of power plants. Operation at temperatures over 1,200 degrees Celsius is needed for increased efficiency and capturing greenhouse gases, the DOE Office of Fossil Energy said in a press release. However, the thermal barrier coatings that help preserve the turbines from heat stop functioning above that temperature.
The researchers found that the oxide yttrium aluminum garnet can protect turbines at 1,500 degrees Celsius when applied via a “solution precursor plasma spray.” “That’s a 300 °C temperature advantage compared to current state-of-the-art air plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings,” DOE said.
The technology is being tested at manufacturing sites operated by nine industrial firms. A new company, Solution Spray Technologies LLC, has also formed to provide the thermal barrier coating service.
“If adopted throughout the gas turbine industry, this technology could significantly increase turbine efficiency and reduce overall fuel consumption,” DOE said. “It may also enable development of technologies for next-generation, high-temperature, high-efficiency systems that could lay the ground work for more effective carbon capture in power plants – and help to drive the clean energy economy.”
The Department of Energy provided just shy of $1,149,988 for the research, according to a fact sheet on the project.
