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Advanced for Efficient Combined and Systems According to the U.S. Department of Combined Heat and Power Installation Database, approximately 80 GW of electrical power is produced in the This project explores the use of advanced materials and designs as well as United States using combined heat and additive manufacturing approaches to increase system efficiency of gas with power (CHP) systems. Studies have also less than 20 MW capacity. Image courtesy of National Energy Laboratory shown that a potential market for CHP applications is larger than the existing economic benefits from these efficiency market. Since consumption is the Applications in Our Nation’s gains in CHP systems that use turbines most significant part of the operating Industry smaller than 20 MW. cost for a CHP plant, higher efficiency This project focuses on improvements translates to increased power output for to smaller—under 20 MW—gas the same quantity of fuel. Therefore, Benefits for Our Industry and turbines suitable for CHP applications. more efficient power conversion will Our Nation The increased efficiency decrease the price of electricity generated Combined-cycle and simple-cycle gas will improve the business case for the and improve the economic feasibility of turbines are the most common onsite installation of smaller CHP systems new CHP applications. electrical generation utilized that match the potential domestic CHP markets. CHP technology is broadly A large part of the untapped CHP market in the industrial and commercial sectors, representing approximately 50 gigawatts applicable across a variety of industrial is in the smaller scale applications (i.e., sectors, including the chemicals, food and less than 20 MW). Of the installed (GW) of currently installed CHP capacity. If the technologies developed as part of beverage, , and fabricated metals CHP capacity in the United States, gas industries. Advancements in the airfoil turbines account for more than 60%. this project enable 5 GW of additional CHP power generation, the potential materials, manufacturing, and design will Electrical efficiency of large turbines also benefit other types of gas turbines, can exceed 43%, while smaller turbines environmental and economic benefits are significant, including: including larger stationary and (less than 20 MW) are typically less turbines used in naval and than 35% efficient. Increasing turbine • 22 million tons of applications. inlet is one strategy to emissions would be avoided achieve greater system efficiency in smaller turbines and improve their • Approximately $500 million in fuel Project Description cost-effectiveness. costs would be saved annually This project aims to develop new materials, additive manufacturing This project seeks to evaluate how a The technologies developed under this approaches, and airfoil cooling designs combination of new materials, additive project could also be utilized in turbines that enable a 100°C increase in the gas manufacturing (AM) technologies, used in other markets, such as naval, turbine firing relative to a and airfoil cooling design can raise aerospace, and other power applications. 2015 baseline. The ability to raise the the efficiency of turbines used in CHP These other markets represent an turbine inlet operating temperature will systems by demonstrating how to estimated $80 billion per year in increase the efficiency of the , increase the turbine firing temperature business. If the developed technologies which in turn will result in lower fuel by 100°C compared to a 2015 baseline. enable the sale of an additional 200 costs for operating the turbine. Before The project team will also estimate the turbine units, the value of these increased building a fully functional airfoil sales would be approximately $2 billion. demonstration unit, the viability of the identified new materials, system design,

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OFFICE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OFFICE and manufacturing approaches will be and cooling characteristics. Numeric AM approaches to develop new cooling evaluated using coupon tests, modeled models of turbine and airfoil performance geometries for gas turbine engines, but engine performance, and technoeconomic will be used to project installed engine the technical barriers are significant. If analyses. efficiency. A technoeconomic analysis the project is successful, the technology will also be conducted to estimate market will be available to all equipment Barriers penetration of the new airfoil design for manufacturers. CHP applications. • Airfoil geometries and cooling designs are proprietary information, so no The optional Phase 2 effort will be Project Partners public baseline design currently exists contingent on the ability of the best National Laboratory for reference. airfoil design to meet the prerequisite (NETL) performance targets for a larger scale Morgantown, WV • The creep-resistant, high temperature demonstration. If Phase 1 is successful, Principal Investigator: Douglas Straub alloys used for gas turbine hot gas an agreement will be established with a Email: [email protected] components have been optimized turbine manufacturer to incorporate the for casting manufacturing methods airfoil in an actual engine and test its Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and these materials will crack when performance during Phase 2. Oak Ridge, TN welded; therefore, simply substituting Principal Investigator: Michael Kirka these materials into a Direct Metal Email: [email protected] Laser Sintering (DMLS) additive Milestones manufacturing process is not feasible. This three-year project began in 2019: For additional information, • Material behavior during AM • Complete baseline cooling design to be please contact processing is not fully understood and used as reference (2020) Bob Gemmer documented. Technology Manager • Identify most promising AM materials U.S. Department of Energy • The yield, precision, and process steps and manufacture coupons for materials Advanced Manufacturing Office needed for AM airfoils manufacture testing (2020) Phone: 202-586-5885 have not been optimized or defined. • Use model predictions to estimate Email: [email protected] ■ system performance and market for the Pathways advanced CHP turbine (2020) A technical advisory panel of commercial turbine manufacturers will be established. • Complete coupon testing and It will guide the research direction and preliminary airfoil design (2021) provide insight into candidate technology solutions being considered throughout • Manufacture a demonstration airfoil this project. and complete prerequisite performance testing of the airfoil at engine The project will proceed in two separate representative temperatures (2022) phases. Phase 1 is the current focus of this effort, and Phase 2 is an option that Technology Transition will be considered at a later date. This project will provide a basis for In Phase 1, the project team will future technology development by demonstrate the potential of AM airfoils defining public baseline conditions for to achieve the turbine efficiency and small gas turbines and baseline airfoil temperature goals. A baseline state-of- designs. In this context, baseline will be the-art airfoil cooling design will be defined as “representative of gas turbine defined. Additionally, advanced cooling engines in a specific size category, but not designs, materials, and AM methods will specific to any commercial engine.” be identified and evaluated. Of particular interest are new cooling geometries Through the technical advisory panel, gas enabled by the use of AM approaches. turbine manufacturers will engage with After down-selection of technology the research team from the beginning alternatives, AM test articles that have of this project to improve the value and features representative of airfoils will be eventual technology transition to the manufactured and tested for durability end-users. Gas turbine manufacturers have also expressed interest in utilizing For more information, visit: energy.gov/eere/amo

DOE/EE-2053 • April 2020