Overview

The basics ^[1] of a gas turbine fuel system are similar for all turbines. For the most common fuels, which are natural gas, LNG (liquid natural gas), and light diesel, the fuel system consists of

• A fuel delivery system that includes pump(s), valves, piping, and other accessories,

• Fuel nozzles, simplex (one jet for one fuel type or phase, usually gas), duplex (gas or liquid), dual fuel (gas and liquid at the same time), or triplex (three fuel types).

If the fuel in question is nonconventional, for instance, heavy residual fuel, the fuel system also embodies

• Fuel additives (to deal with vanadium).

• Fuel washing (to deal with sodium and potassium salts).

• Modifications to the fuel delivery system (such as preheating to move more viscous fuels more easily) and fuel nozzles.

• Any other accessories.

If the fuel is pulverized coal, biomass (agricultural or otherwise), peat or black liquor from pulp and paper manufacture, waste hydrocarbons from plastics manufacture, flue gas from steel production, or a myriad of expanding options, the individual system has design refinements to suit those fuels. These design modifications may incorporate higher residence times in the combustion chamber (to allow for lower BTU values) as well as hardware changes.

Fuel efficiency is a key ingredient of gas turbine and gas turbine systems marketing, especially if the fuel is an optimum choice fuel, such as natural gas, which burns cleaner than...