How a Gas Turbine Works | Gas Power Generation | GE Power

Summary

This video explains how gas turbines generate electricity. Air and fuel, such as natural gas, combine in a gas turbine to produce power. Air is compressed, mixed with fuel, and ignited, creating hot gases that spin the turbine's blades. This mechanical energy rotates a generator’s drive shaft, converting it into electricity by moving electrons. In combined cycle power plants, steam turbines use exhaust heat to generate even more power, making the system highly efficient. This process is akin to jet engines and showcases the advanced functionality of GE gas turbines.

Takeaways

• 💨 Air and natural gas are key components in gas turbines that help produce electricity.
• ⚙️ The process of generating electricity often begins with gas turbines at power plants.
• 🔧 Air is drawn into the turbine, compressed in the compressor section, heating up and increasing in pressure.
• 🔥 Fuel is injected into the combustor where it mixes with hot compressed air and burns, creating chemical energy.
• 🚗 The gas turbine works similarly to car engines, but with much more horsepower, like jet airplane engines.
• 💨 The hot gas from combustion spins turbine blades at over 3,000 RPM, converting chemical energy into mechanical energy.
• 🔄 The turbine captures expanding gas energy to rotate a drive shaft connected to a generator.
• 🧲 The generator’s rotating magnet creates a magnetic field that causes electrons to move, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• 🚂 Combined cycle power plants use both gas and steam turbines, boosting power generation by 50%.
• ⚡ GE Gas Turbines offer an efficient system for converting fuel into energy, with steam turbines enhancing the overall energy output.

Q & A

What is the primary role of air in the gas turbine process?

Air is drawn into the gas turbine, where it is compressed and mixed with fuel to create combustion, which powers the turbine blades.

How does the compressor section of the turbine work?

The compressor squeezes air molecules together, increasing both the air's temperature and pressure, which prepares it for combustion.

What happens in the combustor section of the gas turbine?

Fuel is injected and mixed with hot, compressed air in the combustor, where it is ignited to release chemical energy through combustion.

How is the mechanical energy generated within a gas turbine?

The hot gases produced from combustion move through the turbine blades, forcing them to spin at high speed, converting chemical energy into mechanical energy.

What role does the generator play in producing electricity?

The spinning turbine blades rotate a drive shaft connected to a generator, which uses a large magnet surrounded by copper coils to create a magnetic field. This movement generates electricity by causing electrons to move through the coils.

How does a combined cycle power plant increase energy efficiency?

In a combined cycle power plant, the exhaust from the gas turbine is used to produce steam, which powers a steam turbine. This process generates 50% more energy by utilizing waste heat.

What is the significance of the rotating drive shaft in a gas turbine?

The drive shaft connects the spinning turbine blades to the generator, translating mechanical energy from the turbine into the rotational energy needed to produce electricity.

Why is the movement of electrons important in the generation of electricity?

Electricity is generated by the movement of electrons through a wire, which occurs when the rotating magnet inside the generator creates a magnetic field around the copper coils.

How does the gas turbine in a power plant compare to a car engine?

The gas turbine operates similarly to a car engine but at a much larger scale, producing about 2,900 times more horsepower.

Why is a gas turbine considered efficient for converting fuel into energy?

A gas turbine efficiently converts fuel into energy by using chemical energy from combustion to power mechanical motion, which is then converted into electrical energy through the generator.

Outlines

00:00

🌬️ The Role of Air and Fuel in Energy Production

Air, along with fuels such as natural gas, plays a vital role in generating electricity through gas turbines. These turbines combine air and fuel to spin a generator, producing electric current, which powers homes and businesses. The process begins with drawing air into the turbine, highlighting the importance of these gaseous molecules in energy production.

⚙️ Compressing Air in the Turbine

Once air enters the turbine, it is compressed, similar to how a bicycle pump works. The compressor squeezes the air molecules together, increasing both heat and pressure. This prepares the air for the next step in the energy conversion process.

🔥 Fuel Injection and Combustion

Fuel is injected into the combustor, mixing with the hot, compressed air and igniting. This chemical reaction produces energy, similar to what happens in a car engine but on a much larger scale. This step highlights the turbine’s connection to jet engines, with the burning fuel creating hot gases that drive the turbine blades.

🔄 Converting Chemical to Mechanical Energy

As the hot gases pass through the turbine blades, they spin at over 3000 RPMs, converting the chemical energy from combustion into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is used to rotate a drive shaft connected to a generator, marking a key transformation in the energy production process.

🔋 From Mechanical to Electrical Energy

The rotating drive shaft in the generator causes a magnet to spin within copper wire coils. This creates a magnetic field, which aligns and moves electrons, generating electricity. This marks the final step where mechanical energy becomes electrical energy, powering various applications.

💡 Combined Cycle Power Plant Efficiency

In a combined cycle power plant, the efficiency of electricity generation is enhanced by pairing the gas turbine with a steam turbine. Hot exhaust gases from the gas turbine generate steam, which powers the steam turbine, increasing the power output by 50% and optimizing fuel-to-energy conversion.

Keywords

💡Gas turbine

A gas turbine is a device that uses air and fuel to generate mechanical energy by igniting a fuel-air mixture and converting the expanding gases' energy into rotational motion. In the video, it is described as the 'heart' of a power plant, playing a crucial role in electricity generation by spinning a generator to create electric current.

💡Compressor

A compressor is a part of the gas turbine that squeezes air molecules together, increasing their pressure and temperature. This compressed air is then mixed with fuel in the combustor. The video compares the compressor to a bicycle pump, which illustrates how it works by forcing air into a small space.

💡Combustor

The combustor is the section of the gas turbine where fuel is injected and burned after being mixed with compressed air. This combustion creates hot gases that force the turbine blades to spin. The combustor is critical in converting chemical energy into mechanical energy, driving the turbine's operation.

💡Mechanical energy

Mechanical energy refers to the energy generated by the movement of parts, such as the turbine blades in the gas turbine. The video explains how chemical energy from burning fuel is converted into mechanical energy, which is then used to rotate the generator's drive shaft.

💡Electrical energy

Electrical energy is the movement of electrons through a conductor, typically in the form of a current. In the video, this energy is produced when the spinning drive shaft rotates a magnet inside a generator, which causes the electrons to move and produce electricity. It is the final output of the gas turbine's energy conversion process.

💡Combined cycle power plant

A combined cycle power plant is a highly efficient system where both gas and steam turbines are used together to generate electricity. The video describes how the gas turbine's exhaust is used to create steam that powers a steam turbine, generating 50% more power than a single turbine system.

💡Drive shaft

The drive shaft is a mechanical component that transfers the rotational energy from the spinning turbine to the generator. In the video, it is explained that this rotation of the drive shaft is essential for generating electricity as it causes the magnet in the generator to spin and produce a magnetic field.

💡Generator

A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. In the video, it is depicted as having a rotating magnet surrounded by copper coils. As the magnet spins, it generates a magnetic field that causes electrons to move, producing electricity.

💡Magnetic field

A magnetic field is an invisible force field generated by the movement of a magnet. In the video, the rotating magnet inside the generator creates a magnetic field that aligns the electrons in the copper coils, allowing the generation of electricity. It is a key concept in the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy.

💡Chemical energy

Chemical energy is the energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds, such as fuel. In the video, this energy is released when the fuel is burned in the combustor. It is the initial form of energy in the power generation process, which is then transformed into mechanical and electrical energy.

Highlights

Air and natural gas are combined in a gas turbine to generate electricity.

Electricity used at home or work often starts with a gas turbine at a power plant.

Air is drawn into the turbine and compressed, similar to how a bicycle pump works.

Compressed air gets hotter and the pressure increases as it moves through the compressor.

Fuel is injected into the combustor, where it mixes with compressed air and burns, producing chemical energy.

The process in a gas turbine is similar to a jet engine but at 2,900 times more horsepower.

The ignited gas moves through turbine blades, spinning them at over 3,000 RPM.

The chemical energy from the combustion is converted into mechanical energy.

The spinning turbine drives the generator's shaft, which produces electricity.

A rotating magnet in the generator creates a magnetic field, which aligns electrons in copper coils to produce electrical energy.

In a combined cycle power plant, gas turbines are used alongside steam turbines to boost power output by 50%.

The hot exhaust from the gas turbine is used to create steam in a boiler.

The steam turbine also spins a drive shaft connected to a generator, creating additional electricity.

Combined cycle power plants are the most efficient systems for converting fuel into energy.

This is an overview of the GE Gas Turbine 101 process, explaining how gas and steam turbines work together for optimal energy generation.

Transcripts

- Ah, air, a lot of gaseous molecules

floating all around us.

It's great for breathing and it turns out

it's great for getting lights turned on.

That's because air along with abundant natural gas

or other fuels are the ingredients that combine

in a gas turbine to spin the generator

that produces electric current.

If you follow the electricity you use at home,

or at work, back through the power lines

to your local power plant,

you'll see that the process most likely starts

with the work of the gas turbine.

The very heart of the power plant.

First, air is drawn in through one end of the turbine.

In the compressor section of the turbine

all those air molecules are squeezed together,

similar to a bicycle pump squeezing air into a tire.

As the air is squeezed it gets hotter,

and the pressure increases.

Next fuel is injected into the combustor

where it mixes with the hot, compressed air and is burned.

This is chemical energy at work.

Essentially, this is what happens

in your family car's engine,

but at about 2,900 times more horsepower.

Actually, it's exactly like the turbine engines

on jet airplanes.

The hot gas created from the ignited mixture

moves through the turbine blades, forcing them to spin

at more than 3000 RPMS.

Chemical energy has now been converted

into mechanical energy.

The turbine then captures energy from the expanding gas

which causes the drive shaft,

which is connected to the generator, to rotate.

That generator has a large magnet

surrounded by coils of copper wire.

When that magnet gets rotating fast

it creates a powerful magnetic field

that lines up electrons around the coils

and causes them to move.

The rotating mechanical energy

has now been converted into electrical energy,

because the movement of electrons

through a wire is electricity.

In what's called a combined cycle power plant

the gas turbine

can be used in combination with a steam turbine

to generate 50% more power.

The hot exhaust generated from the gas turbine

is used to create steam in a boiler

which then spins the steam turbine blades

with their own drive shaft that turns the generator.

What you end up with is the most efficient system

for converting fuel into energy,

and that's your GE Gas Turbine 101.