Project Name: Reduced Levelized Cost of Energy in CSP Through Utilizing Process Gas Lubricated Bearings in Oil-Free Drivetrains
Funding Opportunity: Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Program (SETO FY2018)
SETO Team: Concentrating Solar Power
Location: Niskayuna, NY
SETO Award Amount: $2,373,000
Awardee Cost Share: $593,000
Planned Timeline: 2019-2021
-- Award and cost share amounts are subject to change pending negotiations --
This project aims to update and apply General Electric’s gas-bearing lubrication technology to concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) power cycles. This will replace existing oil lubrication, which will increase plant efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and reduce the manufacturing costs of power blocks. The lubrication technology will also be designed to work with the next generation of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles. This project aims to reduce the levelized cost of energy for CSP plants.
APPROACH
The project team is studying different types of power cycle configurations to create a design for a gas-lubricated rotor for sCO2 turbomachinery. The team will also address key technology risks for gas-lubricated rotors, including uncertainties around the operation of gas lubrication in sCO2 environments and the ability of gas-lubricated parts to handle expected energy loads appropriately. After creating a simulated rotor design, the team will model manufacturing and operational costs to verify predicted cost reductions.
INNOVATION
This project will remove two key technology risks arising from an existing design for a gas-lubricated turbine by (1) testing the turbine design in an appropriate sCO2 environment, and (2) testing the turbine in a simulated full-scale operational model. It will also remove an economic risk by validating the design’s economic impacts in peaker and baseload power plants.