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Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Development of a controlled gas expansion turbine for different load operations for use in pressure reducing stations

Project description

Natural gas is fed into the long-distance pipeline system under high pressure by the producer. In steel pipelines, this pressure reaches up to 200 bar. In the regional distribution networks, though, there is only a gas pressure of between 1 and 16 bar gauge. The gas gauge pressure in local gas pipelines at the communal level is less than 1 bar. Finally, in gas pipelines for house connections, there is only a pressure of up to 30 mbar gauge. The necessary pressure reduction takes place in the distribution stations of the gas network.

The aim of the cooperation project is to develop a gas expansion turbine for use in the natural gas distribution stations, whereby the energy released during expansion can be converted and used for generating electricity. The system should be characterized by a high efficiency in all load ranges.

In cooperation with W2 Armaturen GmbH and EVB Technik GmbH, the chair of fluidics is responsible for the theoretical design of the turbine as an energy converter in connection with variable partial admission. The objective is the semi-axiomatic modeling of the turbine operation as a control reference for the variable partial admission.


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Cooperation / Funding

R&D cooperation project (ZIM) with W2 Armaturen GmbH and EVB Technik GmbH