Recuperator Development Trends for Future High Temperature Gas Turbines

Abstract

The current energy crisis and substantial increases in the costs of liquid and gaseous fuels, combined with reduced pollutant emission requirements, make the higher efficiency recuperative gas turbine cycle economically attractive for industrial and vehicular application. For future low cost, high temperature, small gas turbines, with improved cycle efficiencies, it is postulated that the complete hot section of the engine (combustor, ducts, turbine nozzle and rotor) will be all ceramic and may include a ceramic heat exchanger. Few of the answers are available today in the areas of ceramic recuperator performance, cost and structural integrity and concentrated development efforts are required to demonstrate the viability of a fixed boundary ceramic gas turbine heat exchanger. This paper briefly outlines possible design and development trends in the areas of exchanger configuration, surface geometry and materials, and it includes specific sizes and economic aspects of ceramic recuperators for future advanced low SFC gas turbines.