Benefits of the WinGD X-DF genset
With an increasing share of renewables in the energy mix, natural gas-fired power plants are changing their operation mode from a traditional baseload profile to more of a cycling profile. The higher efficiency at partial load improves functionality, while reducing both production costs and the environmental footprint. For natural gas-fired power plants, typically between 100 MW and 350 MW, Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plants achieve a very high efficiency only at baseload. From 80 % relative load, their efficiency drops below 50 %. Furthermore, for Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, from 50 % relative load, the efficiency drops even more drastically than for CCGT.
The WinGD X-DF genset offers a superior efficiency compared to all other natural gas-fired power plants.
The higher efficiency makes the WinGD X-DF genset the best technology selection for natural gas-fired power plants operating in isolated grid systems. For industrial users such as mines and paper mills, the high efficiency of the WinGD X-DF genset guarantees the lowest cost of electricity, while ensuring an adequate spinning reserve.
The system inertia of grid systems, with an increased share of renewable energies, is an important aspect to be considered. For a grid system, the system inertia is the inherent response capability of synchronously connected generators to provide resistance to frequency drops. The medium-speed genset and aero-derivative gas turbines (a typical OCGT) can provide a fast start-up to compensate for large frequency drops. However, in order to ensure both grid stability and the delivery of secure energy, it’s also important to have enough spinning reserve as a buffer to start fast-reacting generators such as the medium-speed genset or aero-derivative gas turbines. An adequate spinning reserve is also required to compensate for small and recurrent frequency drops.
The superior efficiency of the WinGD X-DF genset guarantees the best technology selection for low load operations to provide adequate spinning reserve.
The superior efficiency of the WinGD X-DF genset also guarantees the lowest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions technology selection for natural gas-fired power plants.
For natural gas-fired power plants, typically in the range of 200 MW, the WinGD X-DF gensets emit up to 40% less CO2 emissions compared to typical OCGTs.
Assumptions
| Operating profile |
100% / 65% / 40% |
| Operating hours/year |
2000 / 3000 / 1000 |
| Gas price |
$5/GJ |
| CO2 price |
$20/tons |
Compared to the medium-speed genset, the WinGD X-DF genset also offers superior environmental performance across other regulated emissions such as nitrous oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM). Also, the WinGD X-DF genset does not require the additional installation of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system* to control the NOx emissions according to the European limits (75 mg/Nm3). This advantage offers significant capital and operational cost savings which are associated with the SCR system and its urea consumption.