The NPL Thermal Performance Team is contributing to a European project that will provide improved metrology and uncertainties on thermophysical properties of materials used in power plants.

Power Plant Metrology for improved power plant efficiency

Coordinator: Thomas Lederer, PTB

Large scale power plants based on nuclear or conventional fuel provide about 80 % of generated electricity in the EU and nearly 90 % of hot water used for district heating. Despite the increasing importance of renewable energy sources, large scale power plants will form the backbone for the secure supply with energy for the next few decades. Therefore by improving the energy efficiency of nuclear, coal and gas power plants a significant contribution can be made to energy conservation, preservation of natural resources, reduction of emissions and the protection of the environment.

The project partners (PTB, LNE, VSL and NPL) will focus both on metrological research that will reduce the measurement uncertainty of the important control parameters (temperature, flow, thermal energy and electrical output) of the power plants and also research advanced materials used in future turbines. The total results of the research work will allow for an overall additional enhancement of energy efficiency of 2-3 % for all types of large power plants, and therefore will result in a comparable amount of reduction of emissions.

The research topics include the development and characterisation of a vibration-resistant contact thermometer for temperatures up to 700 °C and the development of a measurement method for surface temperatures of turbine blades and thermal barrier coatings for temperatures up to 1500 °C. The availability of more stable and validated thermometers allows a much better process control in power plants that will result in considerably improved efficiencies.

Another work package will aim to better characterise the high temperature thermal properties (in particular thermal diffusivity and emissivity) of high performance materials (refractory materials and thermal barrier coatings) that are employed to improve the thermal efficiency of new generation gas turbines.

Additionally, the development of fast, reliable and accurate (traceable) on-site measurements of the electrical output of power plants will increase energy efficiency, as safety margins can be met more precisely and process control can be optimised.

For more information, please contact Lindsay Chapman.