Energy, Exergy and Emission Performance Analysis of Air-Film Blade Cooled Turbo Prop Turbine for Heavy Duty Cargo Aircrafts

In the present scenario, when the non-conventional energy resources are still under development stage for their full potential as a source of energy for our fast growing population, gas turbines are one of the most promising power generation technologies. The gas turbine based power utilities are also gaining acceptance across globe, because of increase in extraction of natural gas. Further reduction in the price of natural gas would also result in the number of gas turbine units installed across globe and thus it is important to carry out the environmental analysis of gas turbine based utilities. The gas turbines are employed in power generation in industries, aircrafts and marine propulsion units. The present exercise carries out thermodynamic performance analysis i.e. energy, exergy and emission performance analysis of an air-craft gas turbine. The gas turbine blades of present cycle are assumed to be cooled by air-film blade cooling technique. The present paper carries out the thermodynamic analysis by varying cycle parameters i.e. cycle pressure ratio and turbine-rotor-inlet-temperature. The study further investigates the cycle based on second-law analysis which includes component-wise exergy destruction and rational efficiency, which shows the combustor to be the component with highest exergy destruction ~29%. The analysis further moves to predict emission performance analysis of air-craft gas turbine cycle and show that CO emission decreases with increase in compressor pressure ratio while NO_X emission is found to be increase with increase in compressor pressure ratio. The results of the analysis have been represented in the form of useful graphs and performance maps which can be helpful to power utility developers.