COMPACTS

Goal and objectives

Develop a technology platform that enables efficient design of compact, lightweight and robust waste heat recovery units and steam generators

Promote Implementation of the technologies offshore

Reduce Energy Use and CO₂ Emissions by up to 30%

• Develop design methodologies and guidelines for Compact Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) that includes geometrical configuration and materials selection.
• Establish an experimental-numerical method to evaluate the loading (cyclic, static, thermal stress and vibrations), temperature and chemical conditions for different units in the HRSG during normal operation.
• Establish recommendations for materials selections for light weight and multi-material constructions in harsh environments and increase operational reliability.
• Enable multi-objective optimization of weight/volume/footprint and power for complete steam cycle system.
• Increase understanding of life-time cost effect of materials selection and design.
• Educational Goals: To educate 1 Ph.D. and 8 MScs
• Public Dissemination Goals (WP1-4): To publish 7 papers in international journals and

Motivation

IEA and OG-21 Focus on Energy Efficiency

• Reduce fuel consumption
• Reduce operational costs
• Reduce CO₂ emissions

New wave of installations coming up in the North Sea

• Can also be employed on drilling rigs, FPSOs and transport ships currently under construction for the environmentally sensitive Arctic areas.
• In these cases they are essential as no alternative like supplying power from shore is feasible.
• Implementing bottoming cycles on gas turbines will increase the energy efficiency of the turbine and reduce the CO₂ emissions from O&G platforms by up to 30%

Implementation

Implementation will increase energy efficiency of offshore power production by reducing fuel consumption up to 30% and equally reduce CO₂ emissions. Offshore gas turbines now have effici encies of 38%. The remaining energy is expelled as waste heat in the exhaust leading to unnecessarily high CO₂ emissions. Applying bottoming cycles increases efficiency to 50%. A widespread implementation of bottoming cycles offshore has not happened due to their large weight and volume, lack of available space on existing platforms, and challenges with lifetime and reliability.

The key deliverable from COMPACTS is a technology knowledge platform that allows for design of novel concepts for steam bottomi ng cycles that convert exhaust heat from offshore gas turbines to electricity. The improved design will be achieved by new modeling that optimizes compactness and reduces weight by replacing steel components with lighter metals like Al in the framework, or Ti or inconel in the heat exchanger. Particularly large weight reduction will come from novel framework concepts which currently contribute 50% of total weight.

Implementing bottoming cycles will reduce fuel consumption, lowering CO₂ emissions by 70 000 tonnes/yr for a 30MW turbine resulting in lower fuel cost and CO₂ tax, helping make the investment economically viable. Improved energy efficiency is essential for the industry world-wide in order to attain society's acceptance for continued growth, pa rticularly in the more environmentally sensitive Barents sea and Arctic Areas.