Analysis of the techno-economic impacts of gas turbine cycles is delivering better understanding of power plant operation and opportunities for the implementation of biogas. “Contrary to previous analyses presented in the literature, the present work shifts the focus from typical gas-turbine performance parameters (SFC, sp. power, etc) to more integral metrics related directly to the economic sustainability of the overall investment,” Dr Ioannis Goulos, researcher at Cranfield University told Gas to Power Journal.
IRR metric quantifies AD investment returns
Research by Dr Goulos and his colleagues has focused on the techno-economic assessment of recuperated gas turbine cycles utilizing biogas fuel derived from anaerobic digestion (AD) products. “This is the first attempt to develop a productionized analysis for integrated Anaerobic Digestion (AD) power-plant infrastructures that can readily predict the economically optimum gas turbine technology level for a designated AD plant capacity, he explained.
This approach allowed the researchers to predict optimum thermodynamic configurations for a designated capacity of cogenerated gas turbine power plant, integrating factors such as and Total Capital Investment (TCI) and Purchased Equipment Costs (PEC).
In turn, a holistic metric for return on investment was employed in the form of the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The IRR metric encompasses variables such as electrical feed-in tariff, district heating demand, and gas turbine technology level to predict the best compromise between investment cost and long term monetary income.
Nano-technology offers new opportunities
The research is expected to support the wider uptake of biofuel for gas power operators and identify regions where the economics are particularly favourable. A particular focus at present is in the development of cellulose and urban waste treatment plants.
”Application of nano-technology in AD and biogas production plants would constitute a significant milestone in the commercial adoption of the overall technology as it could significantly boost the profitability of the overall investment,” Dr Goulos said.
To further this research around the uses of nano-technology researchers are exploring methods by which new materials can be used to boost biogas yields. "My understanding is that novel research is currently underway to determine the potential of using nano-particle technology during the digestion process in order to increase biogas yield during the anaerobic digestion process. Recent research done in this area claims that biogas yield can be increased up to 200% relative to conventional digestion processes,” Dr Goulos said.