Design Considerations for Small Scale HRSGs

Excerpt:

Designing a small scale combined-cycle system is not easy. When you are dealing with projects that are under 20 MWe, you likely are sending steam to a process or heating a facility, which requires you to understand that process and the variations in heating cycles. You also have to understand gas turbines, HRSGs and steam turbine technology, as well as all of the auxiliary components. 
 

In contrast, sizeable combined-cycle projects found in large-scale utilities mostly focus on making as much electricity as possible and condensing the steam. Some engineers believe that the smaller projects are more difficult to bring together, and that could be why there are not more of them. 
 

There are many different motivators for CHP – reduction of utility costs, power reliability, backup generation and even greenhouse gas reduction in order to reduce carbon footprint. It is important to know that the design of your CHP system can change depending on that motivation. Every facility has different electrical and heating or cooling loads that are based on the type of site, process needs or even geographical location. 
 

The good news is that there is a community of manufacturers, as well as excellent engineering firms, that are willing to work together to help you design a successful project. There is no one-sizefits-all approach. Each project is unique, and you must be flexible in order to get the desired results.