Highlights and Future Development of Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines

At the moment the closed-cycle gas turbine attracts considerable attention due to: 1 The possibility of directly coupling the closed-cycle gas turbine with a gas-cooled high temperature reactor; 2 the economical use of dry coolers to reduce the thermal charge of the environment; and 3 the reduction of pollution and energy consumption, by replacing the domestic hearth by a central heating and power station. The experience gained in the development, design, construction and operation of the closed-cycle gas turbines at present in service is to be used for these new applications. In this paper, four closed-cycle gas turbine plants in operation in Europe are described and the experience obtained is summarized. The incorporation of the experience gained with these plants in the design and construction of future closed-cycle gas turbines using helium as a working medium is shown with the example of a 50 MW helium turbine. The combined application of experience and a new design philosophy results in a rather unconventional gas turbine.