Abstract |
A program of research and development was carried out in an effort to demonstrate the feasibility of burning municipal solid waste to generate electrical power in a direct-fired gas turbine. Included in the contract work were the design, construction, and checkout of a solid-waste processing station; integration and checkout of the system with the gas turbine installed; design and construction of a moving-bed granular filter; and a program of corrosion, erosion, and deposition studies. Under other sponsorship, the direct-fired gas-turbine system was tested in 101 hours of wood-waste combustion and 551 hours of burning high-sulfur coal. The fluid-bed combustor was shown to be a highly efficient device for burning low-Btu fuel such as solid waste; combustion efficiency in excess of 99% was readily achieved. Gaseous emissions from solid-waste fuel were well within current environmental standards. Erosion and deposition in the turbine limited the system's capability for continuous operation. |