The PGT2 is a single-shaft gas turbine with a 2 MW ISO electric output that, after an extensive factory development program has been launched into industrial service with a number of cogeneration applications in small-medium size industries. The two-stage high pressure ratio compressor combined with the single-can combustor and the two-stage air-cooled transonic turbine provides a compact and rugged architecture. The turbine inlet temperature in the 1050–1100 °C class and the 12.5:1 pressure ratio provide a 25% electrical efficiency and a high exhaust temperature that make this machine attractive for a variety of both civil and industrial applications like hospitals and pulp and paper mills, textile, tiles, cement, glass and food production. The exhaust heat recovery boiler can be either a commercial unit or compact once-through type of proprietary design that is housed in a vertical exhaust duct to substantially reduce powerplant footprint area when space is limited. The first application that has provided the most extensive operating experience so far is cogeneration in a paper mill in central Italy. Detailed studies on the potential energy saving and on the return of investment cycle were made in collaboration with the client, and provided a valuable basis for further studies that led to additional orders for paper mills, textile and tile industries. The first installed unit is a package comprising a once-through-flow boiler that was full-load tested at the factory before shipping. Commissioning of the cogeneration plant was started in 30 days after shipment and the plant was taken over by the client in less than three months. A dedicated telephone line allows the power plant to be monitored directly from Florence, thus making it possible to gather operational data in real time and to provide this first customer with prompt assistance during the 4-year service and maintenance contract period.
This paper describes the PGT2 design and performance features, the technical and economic evaluations made for the first application, the cogeneration plant layout and a summary of the most significant operational data collected in the initial months or regular service in the paper mill.
