Introduction and contact info:
Name: Abhishek Dubey
Work address: DIME, University of Genova, Via Montallegro 1,
16145 Genova, Italy
email: Abhishek.Dubey@edu.unige.it
PhD project:
Title: Pressure gain combustion power plant analysis and cycle thermo economic optimization
The PhD research aims to understand the thermodynamic and economic performance of pressure-gain combustion gas turbines at the cycle level for land-based power generation applications. The research includes an analysis of cycle performance in open and combined cycle configuration, identification of the most promising layouts, development of blade cooling solutions, thermo-economic optimization of PGC powerplants and integration of PGC cycles with power-to-gas solutions for adaptability to renewable and clean fuels. The theoretical study is being performed using the two software tools developed by Thermochemical Power Group (TPG) at UNIGE, W-TEMP (Web-based Thermo-Economic Modular Program) and W-ECoMP (Web-based Economic Cogeneration Modular Program). The work will lead to the development of optimized PGC cycle layouts, benchmarked performance benefits, design guidelines and updated cost functions that will be critical in developing efficient and environmentally friendly PGC gas turbines for a sustainable future.
Supervisor: Prof. Alessandro Sorce
Mentor: Prof. Panagiotis Stathopoulos
Planned secondments:
- TUB, Germany – 3 months
- ZHAW, Switzerland – 2 months
Background:
Abhishek is an aerospace engineer from India. He obtained a Master's in aerospace propulsion from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India, in 2018 and subsequently worked at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore for three years before joining the INSPIRE program at the University of Genoa in January 2022. He has over five years of research experience in the field of gas turbine combustion, emission reduction technologies, laser diagnostics and the design of high-pressure optically accessible test rigs. He is passionate about developing more efficient and clean gas turbine technologies for propulsion and power generation.
Personal interests: Reading, astrophotography, astronomy, hiking
University Profile: https://www.dime.unige.it/node/901
Research Group Profile: http://www.tpg.unige.it/TPG/portfolio-item/abhishek-dubey/
Reserach highlights:
Completed
- A comprehensive review of the blade cooling and turbine integration solutions was conducted to integrate PGC combustors with gas turbines. It was found that the high cooling requirements and losses due to pulsating PGC outflow could be addressed by implementing novel concepts such as propellant injection, pulse impingement cooling, steam cooling and ejectors.
- A 0-D steady-state model of CVC was developed in WTEMP software, and the thermodynamic cycle analysis was conducted with two gas turbine layouts, a conventional layout and a novel layout that allows stoichiometric combustor operation and maximizes the pressure gain. Results quantified higher efficiency and specific work of the PGC cycle over Brayton and highlighted the detrimental impact of PGC combustor losses at the cycle level. Moreover, layout comparison showed that the novel layout with stoichiometric operation has higher efficiency than the conventional layout.
- A techno-economic comparison of a hybrid PGC powerplant was performed with renewable solar photovoltaics at different hybridization levels using W-ECoMP software. Results highlighted increasing advantages of renewable solar in terms of costs and emissions with increasing solar generation. Additionally, the economic advantages of increasing fuel prices were also observed.
Ongoing
- Analysis of PGC powerplant with various Power-to-Gas solutions.
- Development of RDC model and combustor cooling models in WTEMP
- Analysis of PGC combined cycle with different classes of bottoming cycles and heat recovery steam generator.
