Siemens has developed its new HL-class of turbines to enhance the efficiency of combined-cycle power plants.

In June, the company announced its plan to validate HL-class technologies at Duke Energy’s Lincoln County site in North Carolina, US.

Siemens power and gas division CEO Willi Meixner said: “Driven by digitalisation, speed in technology development is rapidly gaining momentum in the power generation arena.

“It took us ten years from 2000 to 2010 to increase the efficiency of our combined-cycle power plants from 58% to 60%, a further six years to reach 61.55 in 2016 and now we are taking the next step to 635 and beyond.

“But we know that speed and efficiency alone are not sufficient; reliability and cost-effectiveness of our solutions, as well as partnership, support in financing, and insurability, are also key to our customers.”

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“Driven by digitalisation, speed in technology development is rapidly gaining momentum in the power generation arena."

Siemens’ new HL-class turbines feature three engines, namely SGT5-9000HL, SGT6-9000HL and SGT5-8000HL.

In its simple-cycle configuration, the 50Hz version of the SGT-9000HL gas turbine will provide a capacity of 545MW, while the 60Hz version has a capacity of 374MW.

The SGT5-8000HL engine is designed to provide 453MW via the simple-cycle operation. All three engines have already achieved more than 63% combined-cycle efficiency.

Siemens develops advanced combustion technologies, new multi-layer coatings and improved internal cooling features, as well as an enhanced water-steam cycle that enables the turbines to operate at high-combustion temperatures to achieve optimal performance.

Improved sealings also minimise air leakage and cooling.

The new turbines can be integrated into Siemens’ digital portfolio for plant operators and utilities, including connectivity to MindSphere, the cloud-based operating system for the internet of things


Image: Infographic of Siemens HL-Class gas turbines. Photo: courtesy of Siemens.