Abstract:
Fossil fuels continue to deplete with use as they are irreplaceable. In addition,
the environmental impact with the continuous use of these conventional fuels
has generated global concern due to the production of harmful emission gases.
An alternative source of energy has become inevitable. Technological
advancements in the area of biomass use for both aviation and power
generation are at different levels of development.
There is however the need for an integrated approach to assess gas turbine
engine behaviour in terms of performance, emission and economics when they
are running on biofuels. The current research work is concerned with finding
alternative fuel resources for use on stationary gas turbine engines for power
generation with the necessary identification of suitable biofuels using a multidisciplinary
approach.
A techno-economic, environmental and risk assessment (TERA) model
comprising the performance, emissions, economics and risk modules has been
developed. There had been several simulations of two gas turbine engines
(GTEs) to ascertain the effects of both ambient and operating conditions and
the effect of fuel types on the engines. These simulations were done with the
use of an in-house code-the Turbomatch and a code developed for the steam
cycle which is employed for the combined cycle simulation. Cont/d.
