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Category: Thermodynamics
Question: How do I calculate fuel consumption in a gas turbine being used for power generation?
Keywords: gas,turbine,fuel,consumption
Answer: A simple-cycle gas turbine used for power generation has a thermal efficiency of about 34 percent. Since 1 kwh is theoretically equivalent to 3,415 Btu, the simple-cycle gas turbine has a fuel connsumption of: 3,415 / 0.34 = about 10,000 Btu/kwh.Given the heating value (i.e, heat of combustion) of a fuel, we can easily calculate the simple-cycle gas turbine fuel usage. For example, natural gas has a net heating value of about 21,500 Btu/pound. Thus, the natural gas consumption in a simple-cycle gas turbine would be: 10,000 / 21,500 = 0.47 pounds/kwh = 0.21 kg/kwh.As another example, a typical diesel oil has a net heating value of 130,000 Btu/gallon. Thus, the diesel oil consumption in a simple-cycle gas turbine would be: 10,000 / 130,000 = 0.077 gallon/kwh. (The gallon used just above is the U.S. gallon rather than the Imperial gallon)A combined-cycle gas turbine will have a higher thermal efficiency and, hence, lower fuel consumptions.


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