European Turbine Network A.I.S.B.L.

ETN
June 2007

CLEAN POWER TOWARDS A ZERO EMISSION POWER GENERATION

Forecasts of world power demand anticipate a 60% increase over the next 25 years. According to all predictions, conventional fossil fuels will still be the dominant fuel for power generation in 2030, both in Europe and the rest of the world. In view of the above the world will foresee serious drawbacks with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, the exhaustion of natural energy resources, security of supply and quality of life if no immediate actions are undertaken towards more efficient and clean power generation. Therefore the European Commission has launched initiatives directed towards zero emission power generation.

EU goals on energy conservation and emission reduction

The goals of the European Union in the energy field can be summarised as: energy conservation CO2 reduction and reduction of other emissions security of supply extension of the range of energy sources and especially the use of sustainable energy The European Commission envisages major efforts in technology development, but social and organisational issues are also main factors in realising the above objectives. In addition the European Commission strives to a policy in which the above goals can be combined with other major European policy goals: increase European industry competitiveness increase employment

World Electricity Consumption

Realisation of the European goals requires action over a broad front in the various areas where energy is consumed, such as electricity production, transport and heating. Electricity production has a large share in primary energy consumption, so efforts should specifically address this sector. The current and expected total world energy consumption for electricity production is shown in figure 1.

1
ETN a.i.s.b.l - Rue Saint Georges 30 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium Tel: +32-2-646 15 77 - Fax: +32-2-646 15 78 E-mail: info@etn-gasturbine.eu - Website: www.etn-gasturbine.eu

Quadrillion BTU

250 200 150 100 50 0

2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

Oil Nuclear Hydro and renewable Natural gas Coal Total Year

Figure 1: World energy consumption for electricity generation (Quadrillion BTU) source: International Energy Outlook 2003, published by the EIA, Department of Energy, USA, 2003

The figure shows that the share of natural gas in electricity production is projected to increase significantly, both on an absolute basis as well as on percentage basis: from 19% in 2001 to 30% in 2025. The absolute input of coal for electricity production will substantially increase, although its percentage will gradually decrease (from 34% to 31%) and the use of oil is expected to remain (relatively) at current levels. The nuclear share will decrease from 19 to 12 %. The use of renewable energy will grow in absolute figures, but its percentage use in electricity production will stay the same. In overall this means that fossil fuel sources (gas, oil and coal) will remain the basis for electricity production, at least for the next decades to come.

Strategy towards Near Zero Emission Power generation

In order to reach the environmental targets set by the European Union there is a need for a four way approach: A significant improvement in current conversion technologies for fossil fuel power generation The need for development of advanced and clean coal conversion technologies Extension of the fuel range by co-firing of biomass and industrial and community wastes Development of CO2 capture and storage technologies A coherent and integrated European R&D policy, covering all these aspects is required. An onset for such a policy is indicated in the figure below:

ETN a.i.s.b.l - Rue Saint Georges 30 - B-1050 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32-2-646 15 77 - Fax: +32-2-646 15 78 E-mail: info@etn-gasturbine.eu - Website: www.etn-gasturbine.eu

Inc rease effic iency

In creas e g as & s team tu rb in e effic ien cy
Ne w, ad v anced cy cles

Extend the fuel base

In creas e fu el fle xib ility all natu ral g as & o il v ariet ies ga s ificatio n pro du cts (coal, b io mas s ) in du s trial & co mmu n ity was te fuels Bas is for h y dro gen co n vers io n econo my

Advanced coal processes

Su pe rcrit ical PF Flu idis ed b ed comb u s tion I GCC (in teg rated gas ificatio n co mbined cy cle ) D irect coal f irin g in GT Hy b rid cy c les

CO2 capture & sto rage

Cap ture o f CO 2 Po s t co mb u s tio n capture Proces s in teg rated / pre-combu s tion Sto rage (o il & g as fie ld s , co al s ea ms , aq uif iers ) Re lation w ith h y dro g en p roc ess in g

Towards Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Generation

Within each of the 4 target areas a clearly identified scope of work is required.

Efficiency improvement of current conversion processes

Increase efficiency by advanced gas and steam turbine technology New thermodynamic cycles with improved efficiency

Extend the fuel base Improve fuel flexibility o all natural gas & oil varieties o use of renewables (e.g. biomass) o gasification products (coal, tar) o opportunity fuels (industrial wastes) Develop a basis for a hydrogen conversion economy New Coal Technologies Supercritical Combustion Fluidised Bed Combustion IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle) o power generation o source for materials production o basis for hydrogen economy Direct coal firing in GT Hybrid cycles CO2 capture and storage Capture of CO2 Post combustion capture Process integrated / pre-combustion capture Storage (depleted oil & gas fields, coal seams, aquifiers) Relation with hydrogen processing
ETN a.i.s.b.l - Rue Saint Georges 30 - B-1050 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32-2-646 15 77 - Fax: +32-2-646 15 78 E-mail: info@etn-gasturbine.eu - Website: www.etn-gasturbine.eu

Gas Turbine Technology in relation with Near Zero Emission Power Generation
Gas turbine technology plays an important role in all of the above 4 target areas. That is because gas turbines are and will be the method of choice for energy conversion, because of a combination of the following abilities and potentials: Gas turbines have extensive fuel flexibility potential. In principle they are able to burn natural gas with wide variability, gasified coal / bio-fuels, industrial gases, opportunity fuels such as oil residuals and shale tars, and hydrogen. This flexibility coupled with high conversion efficiency ensures their continued importance. The ability to handle gases from coal and bio-fuel gasification will become increasingly important in the future. In future gas turbines will enhance the conversion into the hydrogen economy. Gas turbine technology currently offers low cost power; it has significant potential for further improvement in terms of emissions release and cost of power. Improvements in the efficiency of power generation by advanced aerodynamic design and new thermodynamic cycles would minimise both fuel use and CO2 releases. Gas turbines are also essential in the development of new and clean coal conversion processes: integrated coal gasification combined cycle and direct coal combustion in gas turbines. Gas turbines play an important role in CO2 capture and storage: process integrated CO2 capture and the pressurised storage of CO2 in e.g. oil fields etc. Gas turbines are compatible with decentralised power and co-generation where the effective use of the low temperature exhaust stream can increase efficiencies to over 90%. They are also compatible with hybrid fuel cell systems that may provide very high efficiency with minimal environmental impact. Development of advanced gas and steam turbine technologies is not only important for fossil fuel energy conversion. The use of renewable energy sources such as bio-fuels, waste gases and hydrogen will eventually also be incorporated into advanced gas turbine systems. Therefore also the development of alternative, renewable energy sources requires the availability of advanced new gas turbine concepts. Finally, the expected introduction of fuel cells will offer the potential of gas turbine based hybrid systems, to further improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emission. High potential for significant improvements Even though gas and steam turbines have reached a high stage of development and are already the most important technique to convert fossil fuels into electricity and mechanical power, they have a high potential for significant improvements in order to meet the challenges of future energy supply. Major RTD investments will be needed in order to develop new advanced turbine technologies with superior emission and efficiency performance, and which can deal with the European demands for CO2 reduction, security of supply and energy conservation. This will only be possible through a supportive EU policy together with combined efforts of gas turbine users, manufacturers, universities and research institutes. On a global scale, Europe cannot afford to fragment its research effort or waste resources through duplication or lack of co-ordination. Carbon capture and storage To meet Europes obligations with respect to climate change carbon capture and storage is one of the prime targets of the European community. Carbon capture and storage requires enormous technology developments, and it will inevitably also have an impact on conversion efficiency and cost. This means that if efficient and cost effective carbon capture and storage is to be realized this should be based on a combination of two approaches: The realization of advanced and most efficient conversion technologies, which in itself will already result in serious CO2 reduction
ETN a.i.s.b.l - Rue Saint Georges 30 - B-1050 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32-2-646 15 77 - Fax: +32-2-646 15 78 E-mail: info@etn-gasturbine.eu - Website: www.etn-gasturbine.eu

Development of capture and storage technologies to deal with the remaining CO2 with the ultimate goal to realize zero-emission power generation systems.

Section 1.01 The above considerations show that a coherent and pan-European integrated approach is necessary, based on a combination of the following measures: Development of significant advancements in fossil fuel conversion efficiency A focus on fossil fuels (and specifically coal and gas), with the ability to co-utilise biomass an industrial waste fuels. Development of (process integrated) systems for CO2 capture and storage Development of technologies which are able to deal with future H2-based power production Development of the key enabling technologies, such as gas and steam turbine technology Section 1.02 Concluding remarks In conclusion, it is evident that in the foreseeable future (next 3 to 4 decades) gas & steam turbine technology will be the most important technology for the conversion of fossil fuels into electricity. Realisation of the goals for energy conservation, CO2 reduction, the reduction of other greenhouse gases and pollutants and the development of renewable sources will depend on the ability to develop new, advanced, cleaner and more efficient gas turbine technology concepts. Gas turbines will be one of the major technologies integrated into the worlds sustainable power generation fleet for the future. The only question that remains is will the gas turbine technology be entirely dominated by USA technology, or will Europe continue to capture a significant part of the world market?
By stimulating European research for the use of renewable fuels in gas turbines an innovative technology breakthrough could be created, which could make the European GT industry world-leading in this area. This would not only be environmentally beneficial but would also offer socio-economic benefits through the creation of new high quality jobs. The European Turbine Network believes this could be achieved in a common energy technology platform. The three areas related with gas turbine research and developments are being worked out in more detail in ETN working groups.

*****

ETN a.i.s.b.l - Rue Saint Georges 30 - B-1050 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32-2-646 15 77 - Fax: +32-2-646 15 78 E-mail: info@etn-gasturbine.eu - Website: www.etn-gasturbine.eu