5. Combustion turbines

5.1 General

Combustion turbines are a more recent development than the other two engine types. They have developed mainly in stationary applications over the last three decades. They are available in a wide range of power ratings, from 25 kW to 200 MW.

For stationary turbines up to 20 MW, the fuels used are gas (natural, LPG or biogas) or domestic heating oil. The few installations that have been built for heavy fuel oil, even if carefully treated, do not appear to have produced satisfactory results to date.

Fuel must be fed to the burner at high pressures (13 to 20 bar). This is easy for fuel oils. Natural gas, on the other hand, is delivered in France by either transmission networks at between 40 and 64 bar, or, more often, distribution...