On Dec 12, 2007, at 8:58 AM, Jones Beene wrote:
Horace
Do you know what temperature is available post turbine, prior to
cooling? That means prior to the condenser, which is part of the
cooling process, true?
Most often, at least in modern plants, this heat is already being
utilized by a "recuperator" and is therefore unavailable.
AFAIK, recuperators are used with gas turbines, not steam turbines.
Gas turbines with recuperators can be way more efficient than steam
turbines, and there is still heat left over for other uses, possible
including recovery by use of Sterling engines for some of the energy
recovery. Energy in the form of electricity is way more valuable
than energy in the form of heat, so it would seem like there might be
a niche there even with gas turbines.
One of the problems with gas turbines is obtaining the gas from
coal. If a significant amount of electrical energy could be
recovered then maybe it could be used to pyrolize the coal to make
coal gas. Just thinking out loud here.
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
