The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) selected two projects to receive approximately $9 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects under Phase II of the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001816, Advanced Components for 65% Combined Cycle Efficiency, sCO 2 Power Cycles and Advanced Modular Heat Engines.

These projects will support DOE’s Advanced Coal and Power Systems program by developing advanced, highly efficient, turbine-based technologies applicable to fossil fuels, including coal-derived synthesis gas, coal-derived hydrogen, and natural gas.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the projects. The projects fall under two areas of interest. Project descriptions follow.

Area of Interest 1: Advanced Combustion Turbines for Combined Cycle Applications

1. High-Temperature Additive Architectures for 65% Efficiency – General Electric (Schenectady, NY) will develop advanced hot section components—enabled by advanced manufacturing—that will result in efficiency improvements. The Phase II project encompasses design, manufacturing, and validation of cooling concepts advanced in Phase I. The project aims to produce novel component architectures that provide cooling flow savings while maintaining the component durability expected in today’s gas turbines.

DOE Funding: $5,992,108; Non-DOE Funding: $2,509,428; Total Value: $8,501,536

Area of Interest 3: Turbine-Based Modular Hybrid Heat Engines for Fossil Energy Applications

2. Novel Modular Heat Engines with sCO 2 Bottoming Cycle Utilizing Advanced Oil-Free Turbomachinery – General Electric (Niskayuna, NY) will demonstrate a full-scale hermetic oil-free drivetrain. Phase II of the project will address key risks uncovered in Phase I and focus on the full-scale validation of the high-speed, turbo-compressor-generated drivetrain in a hermetic carbon dioxide environment. Developing an oil-free, hermetically sealed machine train is an important aspect for developing highly efficient heat engines capable of deployment in remote locations with minimal to no operation oversight.

DOE Funding: $3,383,864; Non-DOE Funding: $845,966; Total Value: $4,229,830

The Office of Fossil Energy funds research and development projects to reduce the risk and cost of advanced fossil energy technologies and further the sustainable use of the Nation’s fossil resources. To learn more about the programs within the Office of Fossil Energy, visit the FE website or sign up for FE news announcements. More information about the National Energy Technology Laboratory is available on the NETL website.