Department of Energy Seeks Universities’ Assistance in Improving and Enhancing Combustion Turbines

The Department of Energy recently released a $6 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for university-based turbine research and development. The FOA, titled University Turbine Systems Research (USTR) seeks university-based R&D projects that address and resolve scientific challenges and applied engineering technology issues associated with the performance and efficiency of combustion turbines in fossil fuel power generation. All selected projects will support the DOE’s University Turbine Systems Research Program and be managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

The FOA focuses on five specific areas of interest (AOI):

• Pressure Gain Combustion: This AOI focuses on two main subjects of interest: air inlet and RDE exhaust flow transition. These could be addressed individually or collectively.
• Advanced Manufacturing Development for Hot Gas Path Turbine Components: This AOI seeks to develop and evaluate advanced manufacturing processes for improved air-breathing gas turbine performance, including improved capabilities for withstanding much higher temperatures for hot gas path components needed to achieve combined cycle energy efficiencies greater than 65 percent.
• Fundamental Research for sCO2 Power Cycle Development:  This AOI seeks fundamental laboratory or bench-scale R&D to develop advanced technologies for indirect supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles expected to operate at 715 degrees Celsius (°C) and 25 megapascal (MPa) turbine inlet conditions and for direct sCO2 power cycles expected to operate at 1200 °C and 30 MPa turbine inlet conditions.
• Fossil Fuel-Based Power Generation with Large-Scale Energy Storage:  This AOI will evaluate, through technical and economic system studies, large-scale energy storage concepts integrated with fossil fuel-based power generation systems.

For further information about the University Turbine Systems Research Program, click here: https://www.netl.doe.gov/research/coal/energy-systems/turbines/university-turbine-systems-research