Benefiting From the Wide Fuel Capability of Gas Turbines: A Review of Application Opportunities

Gas Turbines accept a wide range of alternative fuels in connection with the most diverse economy branches, including industry (coal; oil and gas; refining; petrochemistry; steel and mining activities) and, more recently, agriculture (biofuels). This fuel flexibility enhances the other qualities demonstrated by Gas Turbines among which the prominent ones are: energy effectiveness, operational reliability and emission compliance. Therefore, Gas Turbines using local fuel resources and deployed in simple or combined cycles or in cogeneration plants, enable the concept of cost-effective and environmentally-conscious power projects and can make a valuable contribution to the sustainable, regional development. However, in order to benefit from the fuel flexibility of Gas Turbines, some basic technical considerations are necessary. The paper intends to provide the power community with comprehensive information about alternative GT fuels. It offers a review of the main alternative fuel candidates and sets out the primary technical/engineering considerations that underlie their safe and reliable utilization. Special emphasis is placed on: (i) volatile fuels (naphtha, NLG, condensates); (iii) weak gas fuels from the coal/iron industry (coal-bed; coke-oven, blast furnace gas); (iv) paraffin-rich and hydrogen-rich by-products from refineries (‘fuel gas’; LPG) and (iv) ash-forming oils (residuals; heavy crude’s).