Combustion Turbines

Conventional combustion turbine (CT) generators are a very mature technology. They typically range in size from about 500 kW up to 25 MW for DER, and up to approximately 250 MW for central power generation. They are fueled by natural gas, oil, or a combination of fuels ("dual fuel"). Modern single-cycle combustion turbine units typically have efficiencies in the range of 20 to 45% at full load. Efficiency is somewhat lower at less than full load.

Photo Source: University of Florida

Combustion Turbine Overview
Commercially Available	Yes
Size Range	500 kW - 25 MW
Fuel	Natural gas, liquid fuels
Efficiency	20-45% (primarily size dependent)
Environmental	Very low when controls are used
Other Features	Cogen (steam)
Commercial Status	Widely Available

There are three main components in a combustion turbine generator:

1. Compressor - incoming air is compressed to a high pressure.
2. Combustor - fuel is burned, producing high-pressure, high-velocity gas.
3. Turbine - energy is extracted from the high-pressure, high-velocity gas flowing from the combustion chamber.