Using dry low NOx turbines in industrial facilities

The power for large industrial facilities is often supplied by gas and steam turbines. In many cases turbines having different ratings and operating characteristics are used at the same site. The decision regarding which turbines to purchase must be made very early in a project due to the long lead times. It is important to know the operation constraints that are inherent in the different technologies available on the market. Some of the constraints that come with the selection of low NOx burners are described in the paper. Parallel operation of turbines that have different characteristics must also take into account several requirements: · maintain sufficient spinning reserve · have sufficient power available in all islands · optimize use of Heat Recovery Steam Generation · operate at low NOx emission levels · compensate limited dynamic response of turbines Some of these can be contradictory. For example, operation at low NOx emission levels requires a high load on the turbine, but this means lower spinning reserve. It can also lead to unequal load sharing. Both of these consequences can be detrimental to system stability. Most processes require steam which is often also used to generate power. It is necessary to design the power system to allow parallel operation of steam and gas turbines without negative influence on the provision of steam for the process. The paper will explore the different aspects that must be taken into account in designing the power system and the related Power Management System (PMS) in order to achieve these goals.