High-temperature materials increase efficiency of gas power plants

Maxim Konter, director of Materials and Materials Processing at Alstom, in Baden, Switzerland, states that high-temperature materials have played a key role in increasing efficiency at several gas power plants. The first power plant to break the 60 percent efficiency barrier is located in the Welsh village of Port Talbot in a coastal area known as Baglan Bay. It has emerged as the largest gas turbine in the world after General Electric (GE) finished constructing its 9H turbine in 2003 at a cost of $500 million. The key to its record-breaking efficiency levels lies in a gas turbine firing temperature of 1430°C, which has been more than 100 degrees higher than the earlier most efficient combined cycle systems. The next goal for materials scientists and engineers working on gas turbines is to extend the lifespan of turbine components further and to lower costs.